From odors to pet hair, the most effective way of removing pollutants from the air in your baby’s nursery is by introducing an air purifier.
As a rule of thumb, I recommend you look for a model that filters out particles and gases (to remove allergens AND unwanted smells) and that can clean the air in the room five times per hour without generating a lot of noise.
With that in mind, I have shortlisted three air purifiers that you should consider based on test results from over 150 different models. If you want to learn more about our testing methodology, head over to this page.
1. Best for most parents: Coway Airmega Mighty2
A new air purifier from Coway that filters particles and odors without generating a lot of noise.
The Coway Mighty2 will tick off most boxes for most parents because it fits small to medium-sized nursery rooms up to 390 sq. ft. (36 m2), comes with activated carbon to deal with unwanted odors, features a laser sensor that unlocks auto-mode AND it offers excellent air cleaning power.
In our particle removal tests, it outperformed popular models from Levoit, Winix and Blueair while generating less noise.
If you want to set it and forget it, you can leave it on Smart mode and let the sensor control fan speeds as needed depending on the quality of the air. If you’re thinking of doing this, I recommend adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor to Level 1, which is the highest.
It has an all-in-one filter with a particle filter (for pollen and dust) on one side and activated carbon pellets (for odors and gases) on the other.
You also get a pre-filter that you will have to vacuum every couple of weeks, or every week if you have hairy pets at home. I love the design because you can slide it out without opening the front cover – less mess and dust floating around!
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | Speed 1: 99 cfm Speed 2: 151 cfm Speed 3: 212 cfm Turbo speed: 260 cfm |
| Filter technology: | Washable pre-filter and bonded pelleted activated Carbon + HEPA-grade particle filter (on sleep mode) |
| Air quality sensor: | Laser particle sensor (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) |
| Recommended room size (5 air changes per hour): | 390 sq. ft. (36.23 m2) |
| Dimensions: | 16.9 x 17.9 x 9.3 in (43 x 45.5 x 23.7 cm) |
| Weight: | 15.2 lbs (6.9 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Sleep mode: 35.9 dBA Speed 1: 38.1 dBA Speed 2: 42.6 dBA Speed 3: 49.3 dBA Turbo speed: 56.9 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby: 0.39 watts Sleep mode: 2.53 watts Speed 1: 4.85 watts Speed 2: 10.28 watts Speed 3: 19.88 watts Turbo speed: 49.12 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 3 years |
| Country of origin: | South Korea |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
If you’re looking for an air purifier for a nursery room with app connectivity or if the Mighty2 is unavailable where you live, then I’ve got two other recommendations for you:
Levoit Vital 200S
The Vital 200S offers similar air cleaning performance to the Airmega Mighty2 at a cheaper price ($189.99) and with app connectivity. The pre-filter is removable and the main filter is bonded, with particle filtration on one side and carbon on the other.
Philips 3200 Series
The Philips 3200 is widely available across countries in Europe, Asia and Oceania. It offers a similar level of air cleaning power and it also comes with app support. Plus, you get a lamp function that could work as a night light for the nursery room.
2. Best for small nursery rooms: Levoit Eleva 300X
A small air purifier with particle and odor filtration and smart features.
If you’re looking for an air purifier for a small nursery room or to place on top of a drawer, then my recommendation is the Eleva 300X from Levoit. Based on our particle removal tests, we calculate that it can clean the air five times per hour in spaces up to 247 sq. ft. (or 23 m2).
When we tested its particle removal speed, it cleared our test room faster than most other small air purifiers while generating 55 dBA of noise.
The only model that completed the test faster than the Eleva 300X is the Blue Pure 511i Max with Blueair’s signature HEPASilent ionizer technology, which unfortunately cannot be disabled.
You get two filters: a HEPA filter that removes particles from the air and a gas filter with activated carbon pellets that adsorb odors.
And because the filters are separate, you can replace the carbon when it’s full without having to throw away a perfectly good HEPA filter – which is what happens with all-in-one filters like one in the Mighty2 (above).
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 165 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 115 cfm |
| Filter technology: | Separate HEPA particle filter and gas filter with activated carbon pellets. |
| Recommended room size (5 air changes per hour): | 247 sq. ft. (23 m2) |
| Dimensions: | 9.4 x 9.4 x 15.1 in (23.8 x 23.8 x 38.3 cm) |
| Weight: | 9.9 lbs (4.5 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Sleep mode: 35.8 dBA Speed 1: 36.8 dBA Speed 2: 39.8 dBA Speed 3: 44.9 dBA Turbo speed: 55.4 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby: 0.65 watts Sleep mode: 1.85 watts Speed 1: 5.33 watts Speed 2: 6.91 watts Speed 3: 10.03 watts Turbo speed: 23.91 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | HEPA filter: 2 years Carbon filter: 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
3. Best for large nursery rooms: Coway Airmega ProX
The ProX can clean the air five times per hour in large spaces up to 693 sq. ft. (or 64 m2).
The Coway Airmega ProX is the most powerful residential air purifier we have tested and offers a PM1 CADR of 462 cfm when running at top speed, while generating just 53.6 decibels of noise.
It completed our particle removal test in 13 minutes at a level of quiet performance that we’ve only seen with air purifiers powered with PC fans.
It doesn’t have app support but it has a laser sensor and four smart modes: eco, silent, turbo + auto. Plus, real-time particle readings on screen.
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 462 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 299 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 586 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | Green True HEPA filter with pelleted activated carbon |
| Recommended room size: | 693 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 18.9 x 36.6 x 24.3 in (48 x 93 x 62 cm) |
| Weight: | 51 lbs (23kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 37.4 dBA Speed 2: 44.4 dBA Speed 3: 53.6 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby: 0 watts Speed 1: 11.76 watts Speed 2: 26.09 watts Speed 3: 58.88 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 3 years |
| Country of origin: | South Korea |
| Country of manufacture: | South Korea |
How to choose the right air purifier for your baby’s nursery room
According to the CDC, for an air purifier to be truly effective at cleaning the air, it should be able to perform 5 air changes per hour (or ACH) in a room. Unfortunately, some brands will advertise the room size coverage to achieve just one ACH.
So before you blindly trust the room size recommendation specified by the manufacturer, check the technical specifications to find your desired model’s CADR (or clean air delivery rate).
The rule is simple: a higher CADR (stated in CFM, or cubic feet per meter) means greater cleaning power.
Once you have found the CADR of the model you’re considering, you can find out if it’s powerful enough to clean your baby’s nursery room five times per hour. Just use our CADR calculator to find out what CADR you should be looking for to achieve 5 ACH:
And if you’re still unsure, just send me an email to danny@housefresh.com and I’ll try to help!
Wrapping up
Finding the right air purifier for your baby’s nursery doesn’t need to be daunting or expensive. Simply follow our guide and choose a unit that fits your budget, the size of your space and the features you want from an air purifier.
And if you already have a specific model in mind, you should check out our comparison tool to see how your desired air purifier compares to the over 150 different models we have tested here at HouseFresh:
