The air quality in your basement can be affected by a variety of factors, from dusty old belongings to radon rising from the soil. These pollutants can be exacerbated by the fact that basements generally have restricted ventilation.
If you’re planning on spending time in your basement (like I do to shoot YouTube videos), then your lungs will benefit from a good air purifier.
In this guide, I will share with you my top picks based on the results of tests conducted across over 150 different air purifier models.
1. Best overall: Levoit Core 600S
A relatively cheap air purifier with a hardy body, good air cleaning performance and smart features so you can control it remotely.
The Core 600S can clean the air five times per hour in basements as large as 562 sq. ft. (or 52 m2) thanks to its powerful PM1 CADR of 375 CFM. It is one of the cheapest high CADR air purifiers I’ve tested, with a list price of $299.99 (and you can usually find it even cheaper during deal days like Black Friday).
This is the largest air purifier in Levoit’s range and there’s nothing delicate about it – perfect for basements.
The cylindrical filter has a pre-filter mesh on the outside that traps large particles (think pet hair and fluff), a pleated particle filter that removes fine particles (like dust and mold), and activated carbon pellets on the inside (to tackle odors and chemical gases).
It comes with a laser sensor that tracks PM2.5 and PM10 particle levels in the air.
You can see real-time particle readings at the top and there’s an LED ring that changes color depending on the quality of the air. It also connects to Levoit’s VeSync app, where you can customize smart modes and set simple automation routines.
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 375 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 156 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 398 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | Bonded particle filter with a layer of pelleted activated carbon and a pre-filter mash wrap. |
| Recommended room size: | 562 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 12.3 x 12.3 x 23.6 inches (31.3 x 31.3 x 60 cm) |
| Weight: | 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Sleep: 37.9 dBA Speed 1: 44.4 dB Speed 2: 45.9 dB Speed 3: 53.8 dBA Speed 4: 62.3 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby mode: 1.3 watts Sleep: 4.33 watts Speed 1: 7.46 watts Speed 2: 10.7 watts Speed 3: 20.29 watts Speed 4: 48.1 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 6-12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
2. Best for less than $170: Amazon Basics Large Room Air Purifier
If you want a cost-effective solution to your basement’s poor air quality, check out this $170 model from Amazon Basics.
Amazon has launched a line of air purifiers and I’ve found that their models offer good value for the money – as you can probably expect from a product sold under the Amazon Basics brand. Based on our tests, we estimate a PM1 CADR of 353 cfm so it’s suitable for basements up to 530 sq. ft. (or 50 m2).
Just like the Core 600S (above), you get an LED ring that changes color based on the quality of the air, based on the readings from the infrared sensor inside.
The filter inside combines a pre-filter mesh, a HEPA filter and carbon-impregnated fabric. Be aware that it won’t be as effective at removing serious odors and chemical gases as activated carbon pellets will be.
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 353 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 115 cfm |
| Filter technology: | Bonded particle filter with a layer of carbon-impregnated fabric and a pre-filter mesh. |
| Recommended room size (5 air changes per hour): | 530 sq. ft. (or 50 m2) |
| Dimensions: | 11.8 x 11.2 x 23.5 in (29.9 x 28.4 x 59.6 cm) |
| Weight: | 18.9 lbs (8.58kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 35.4 dBA Speed 2: 37.2 dBA Speed 3: 55.1 dBA Speed 4: 60.3 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Speed 1: 3.57 watts Speed 2: 5.24 watts Speed 3: 23.21 watts Speed 4: 41.28 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 3-6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 1 year |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
3. Best DIY option: 20×30 Corsi-Rosenthal Box
If you have a box fan at home, you can buy four HVAC filters and build yourself an air purifier for your basement.
If you want to spend the least amount of money possible and don’t care about fancy features, you can build yourself a Corsi–Rosenthal Box for your basement with a standard box fan, four MERV-13 HVAC filters, duct tape, and a cardboard base.
In our particle removal tests, our 20×30 Corsi-Rosenthal box managed to outperform our $1,400 IQAir Atem X. With a PM1 CADR of 462 cfm, it can provide five air changes per hour in basements up to 693 sq. ft. (or 64 m2).
Just be aware that the 30×20 filters will take up a lot of space. And box fans tend to be louder and more power-hungry than traditional air purifiers. But if you want to spend the least amount of money upfront, this is it.
Wrapping up
Basements are notorious for their poor air quality, so investing in an air purifier is a surefire way to keep the space cleaner and healthier.
Whichever air purifier you choose, make sure it’s powerful enough to provide at at least three air changes per hour in a space as large as your basement. And if you spend a lot of time in your basement, aim at 4-5 air changes per hour. You can use our CADR calculator to find out what CADR you should be looking for based on the size of your space.
And if you already have a specific air purifier in mind, you can use our comparison tool to see how its air cleaning performance, sound levels, energy consumption and yearly running costs compare to those of the 150+ models I have tested here at HouseFresh.
