The 4 Best Air Purifiers For Pets - Spring 2025

The best air purifier for pets we've tested is the Winix 5500-2. Despite this device's relatively small size, it has a good clean air delivery rate, making it an efficient option for larger rooms. It has a particle ionizer, which you can turn on or off depending on your preference, as well as a built-in air quality sensor that adjusts its fan speed in real time depending on ambient particle levels. There's also a multi-stage filtration system incorporating a HEPA-rated main filter, a washable mesh pre-filter to trap larger clumps of fur, and a carbon filter to minimize odors. That said, like most commercial air purifiers, the carbon filter doesn't contain enough carbon to have much of an impact.

This unit lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can't operate it while you're away from home. If that's a must-have feature, the Levoit Vital 200S is an attractive alternative that's also among the best air purifiers for pet hair we've tested. It delivers similar overall particle filtration performance as the Winix, but its main filter isn't HEPA-rated.

If you want something a little cheaper and don't mind sacrificing a bit of performance, the Levoit Core 300 is a great option. Although its default filter isn't HEPA-rated, it's just as good as the Winix 5500-2 in trapping small airborne particles like pet dander. It's fully compatible with a more specialized '3-Stage Pet Allergy Filter,' which the manufacturer claims will provide superior pet dander filtration and reduce pet odors more effectively. You can buy the filter on Levoit's website. Plus, this model has a smaller footprint than the Winix, so it's easier to fit into smaller spaces or even on top of a nightstand or dresser.

Of course, the downside of its smaller footprint is that its clean air delivery rate is significantly lower, making it far less efficient for bigger rooms. Also, unlike the Winix, it doesn't have a built-in particle sensor that would allow it to adjust its fan speed in real time, and its pre-filter isn't washable under water, making it harder to clear away larger clumps of fur.

Another option to consider is the Levoit Core P350, a variant of the Core 300. It comes pre-installed with the 3-Stage Pet Allergy Filter and also has a control lockout function to prevent your cat or dog from brushing against the machine and accidentally turning it off. It'll deliver otherwise identical performance to the standard unit, so get whichever is cheaper at the moment.

If you're looking for an air purifier with the latest and greatest convenience features and don't mind spending more for the privilege, the NuWave OxyPure is among the best air purifiers for pet odors we've tested. Right off the bat, there's no denying that this is a very pricey machine; buying multiple Winix 5500-2 units and setting them up around your home would set you back roughly the same amount as a single NuWave. In terms of particle filtration performance, while this air purifier is better than the Winix at trapping fine particles and delivering clean air, the advantage still doesn't align with the price gap.

Instead, its main advantage lies in its unique multi-stage filtration system, in which almost every single filter inside is washable and reusable, so you won't have to replace the main filter like you would with other units. This system comprises a stainless steel mesh pre-filter that can easily trap clumps of hair, two 'Bio-Guard' filters (for mold, viruses, and bacteria), an ozone filter, and a HEPA/pellet-type activated carbon filter. Except for the latter, which needs replacing every year, these filters have a 20-year lifespan, only requiring a wash every couple of months. This air purifier has Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can operate it remotely using the NuWave Connect companion app, letting you check the air quality while you're away, set cleaning schedules, or change the device's settings.

What if you have several heavily shedding pets or require cleaner air in a large space? Are you not picky about looks or operating noise? If you answered yes to some or all of the above, you could consider building your own Corsi-Rosenthal Box! You can build this do-it-yourself solution by following this guide, which combines a quartet of 3M Filtrete MERV 13 air filters with a Lasko 20-inch box fan. However, this isn't a do-it-all solution, as unlike something like the NuWave OxyPure or Winix 5500-2, it's lacking in convenience features. Most Corsi-Rosenthal box designs lack a carbon filter to trap pet odors, and there's no particle sensor or Wi-Fi connectivity. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are also pretty noisy due to their large box fans. To reduce noise and energy consumption, some users have swapped the single large box fan for multiple PC fans; however, we haven't tested a Corsi-Rosenthal box with this design yet. Other users have added a Wi-Fi-controlled outlet; although this adds remote control and sometimes even scheduling, it can't control the fan speed and adds cost.

That said, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box handily outperforms every conventional air purifier we've tested in terms of actual performance. It has a very high clean air delivery rate and exceptional particle filtration performance, so it'll have no trouble trapping finer allergens like pet dander. While it might hurt its performance, you can tape mesh filters to the outside of the furnace filters to trap any larger clumps of pet hair or dust bunnies.