The Winix C545 is a mid-range air purifier. It shares some aspects in common with the newer and pricier Winix 5500-2 and even has the unique advantage of Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to monitor air quality and filter lifespan while you're away from home or even adjust the device's settings. That said, it does have a smaller HEPA filter and a sheet-type carbon filter instead of the pellet-type one found in the 5500-2, which has a larger effective surface area.
Our Verdict
The Winix C545 air purifier is good for pet owners. It isn't necessarily the best for capturing small airborne particles like pet dander, but it's also far from terrible in this regard. Its clean air delivery rate is somewhat impressive for a relatively compact device. It also runs quietly at lower fan speeds, so it won't startle any animals that are particularly sensitive to loud noises, though it will get louder when you crank up the fan.
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Good clean air delivery rate.
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Companion app allows for remote operation and scheduling.
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Has a sheet-type carbon filter rather than a more effective pellet-type.
The Winix C545 is a great option for use in bedrooms. It runs very quietly in its 'Sleep' mode, which is great if you leave it running overnight. You can set up operating schedules through the companion app, so if you'd rather not have it run at all while you're sleeping, you won't have to manually turn it off before going to bed. Its air purification performance is also good, though not quite class-leading.
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Good clean air delivery rate.
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Companion app allows for remote operation and scheduling.
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Very quiet in 'Sleep' mode.
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Has a sheet-type carbon filter rather than a more effective pellet-type.
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Good clean air delivery rate.
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Companion app allows for remote operation and scheduling.
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Has a sheet-type carbon filter rather than a more effective pellet-type.
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Good clean air delivery rate.
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Companion app allows for remote operation and scheduling.
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Has a sheet-type carbon filter rather than a more effective pellet-type.
- 7.8 Pets
- 8.2 Bedroom
Performance Usages
- 7.6 Particle Filtration Rate
- 7.3 Particle Concentration
- Updated Oct 31, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.1.
- Updated May 14, 2024: Review published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Winix C545 is available only in one color variant: 'White.'
If you encounter another variant of this device, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Air Purifiers
The Winix C545 is a mid-range air purifier with Wi-Fi connectivity. It offers good, but not necessarily superb, air purification performance; the pricier Winix 5500-2 uses a larger HEPA filter and a more effective pellet-type odor-absorbing carbon filter, though the 5500-2 also isn't Wi-Fi enabled.
The Winix 5500-2 is better than the Winix C545. Both models have air quality sensors that allow them to automatically adjust their fan speed depending on real-time particle levels. That said, the 5500-2 has a higher clean air delivery rate and better fine particle filtration performance, all while occupying a similar footprint. Meanwhile, only the C545 is Wi-Fi enabled, which allows you to remotely operate it from afar.
Test Results
The 'Air Quality' LED indicator changes color based on current air quality:
- Blue: Good
- Orange: Fair
- Red: Poor
Engaging the 'Sleep Mode' will turn off all the lights, except for the actual 'Sleep Mode' button and the 'PlasmaWave' indicator light if you've left the ionizer on.
The C545 is compatible with the Winix Smart app, which allows you to adjust device settings and monitor the current air quality. You can also set schedules, allowing you to set when the device will run throughout your week and choose specific settings, like when you want the ionizer to run (if at all). It's worth noting that this air purifier can only connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks.
This device uses a 'four-stage' filtration system similar to the Winix 5500-2. Like that model, this filter system comprises three physical stages and a particle ionizer. There's a mesh pre-filter for trapping larger particles, a HEPA filter, and a carbon filter for minimizing odors and VOCs. However, like most consumer-grade air purifiers, the amount of activated carbon is small and won't really have much of an impact on high VOC levels. That said, its filter system is a little more rudimentary, with a smaller HEPA filter and an activated carbon sheet filter instead of the pellet type found in the 5500-2, which yields a larger effective surface area. The C545's ionizer imparts a negative charge on fine particles. It causes them to clump together and fall to the ground, though this process does release ozone as a byproduct, a respiratory irritant. As per the manufacturer, the amount of ozone released from the device's 'PlasmaWave' ionizer is nominal and won't surpass the safe concentration of 0.05 ppm. If you don't want to use the ionizer, you can turn it off. In testing, we observed a drop in 0.3 µm particle concentration with the ionizer turned on, but it had very little impact on the device's air cleaning rate.
You'll need to vacuum off any stuck-on debris from the pre-filter every 14 days. If it's especially soiled, you can rinse it under room temperature water, but make sure not to use any detergent or soap and to let it dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling it. It isn't intended to be replaced.
The True HEPA and activated carbon filters aren't washable. The HEPA filter has a lifespan of a year, while the carbon filter needs to be replaced every three months. A replenishment pack contains a single HEPA and four carbon filters and can be purchased here.
We measured the results above with the ionizer turned off to generate data comparable to air purifiers without an ionizer. In extended testing with the somewhat similarly designed Winix 5500-2, we tested air purification performance with and without the ionizer turned on. We found that it had little significant impact on the device's overall performance.
Comments
Winix C545: Main Discussion
Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.
- 32120
I purchased two of these back in late 2020 for about $130 from Costco and followed regular cleaning and filter replacement intervals. They have been effective at clearing pollen, dust, and smoke, but the mesh pre-filter will require more frequent cleaning if you have pets or a particularly dusty home.
After almost 4 years, one of the units has started noise that varies with fan RPM. At lower settings, there is a constant grinding noise that turns to a high-pitched screech when at high RPM. The unit is relatively easy to take apart with a Phillips screwdriver. After all that time, the inside was nearly spotless, some extremely small particulates had accumulated on some surfaces and could be wiped clean with a damp cloth. The bearings in the motor had started to make audible noise when the rotor was operated manually. Winix has contained inside of plastic housing with a press-fit metal cap, making it impractical for a layperson to service these bearings without some destructive disassembly.
Internet research from intrepid DIYers shows that the original 608z bearings can be replaced at a nominal cost to resolve this noise issue, but does require the use of a soldering iron. Cheers
Update: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.1.
- 21010
the air quality sensor of Winix C535, C545 and 5500-2 is a VOC sensor, not a particle sensor. It is actually pretty useless considered all three models are poor at filtering VOC.
Hey yayay, thank you for reaching out! we will look into that, and we will make an adjustment to the writing if required. cheers!
- 21010
the air quality sensor of Winix C535, C545 and 5500-2 is a VOC sensor, not a particle sensor. It is actually pretty useless considered all three models are poor at filtering VOC.
- 32120
Of the six Winix filters in my house, four are C545s of which two are many years old. They are quiet, fairly unobtrusive and run on the Auto setting practically all the time, occasionally speeding up when they detect contaminants and switching to almost silent in the dark. This requires no setup. I don’t use the wireless function to control them with the app, instead relying on visual inspection to determine when each filer actually needs to be replaced.
When the fan is turned up to the maximum it moves a lot of air.
The most frequent maintenance is cleaning the mesh pre-filter with a vacuum cleaner brush attachment. This filter picks up lint, fluff, dander, hair and such and is easily detached for cleaning.
The units are more effective, but more obtrusive, when placed away from walls - especially corners (as pictured in the photo).
Units can often be purchased at Coscto for under $100 and refurbished units directly from Winix shipped for less. The significant majority of the lifetime cost of any HEPA air filter unit is the HEPA filter. Even with the frequent 30% off sales, buying direct from Winix for $60 is expensive, while aftermarket multi-packs of Filter S can be purchased for under $8 per filter, making this a very inexpensive air filter.
Edited 10 months ago: Minor grammatical correction. The full review has been posted here. Let us know what you think!