Cigarette smoke can enter your home from neighbors or even from one person smoking as they walk by. The smell is pervasive and can make it hard to sleep or spend time in a room where the smoke has invaded.
We all know the dangers of secondhand smoke. Still, the smoke particles from cigarettes can even cause thirdhand smoke, a residue of toxic particles that becomes embedded in furniture, carpet or walls. Third-hand smoke particles can last for years and remain toxic as long as they are present in your home.
While there are things you can do to clear the smoke from a room, a long-term effective solution is to get an air purifier, which will allow you to remove the smoke particles and odors before they cause you harm.
Most guides to the best air purifiers are nothing more than a list of the latest best sellers.
Famous magazines might say they have a lab where they carry out “rigorous tests,” but if you dig a little deeper, you won’t find any real evidence of these claims in the form of actual performance data.
Since 2020, these big media publishers have identified recommending air purifiers as a potential new revenue source along with every other consumer product, from hair straighteners to air fryers. The result? Lists that recommend air purifier models with juicy affiliate commissions regardless of air cleaning performance. For the most part, the writers of these publications don’t even bother checking third-party lab reports like those from the AHAM Verifide program.
Sadly, they are getting away with it as an air purifier work is hidden. You might think your air is clean, but if you don’t use a high-grade laser sensor, you won’t know if a device is doing the job you hoped it would.
You might be wondering how can they be ranking so highly on Google and the simple answer is this: they weaponize your trust in their decade-old magazines and Google’s trust in their long-standing websites.
At HouseFresh, we have been writing about air purifiers since 2010 and if you read any of our reviews, especially for products we found to be sub-par, like the Molekule Mini, Aroeve MK01 and PuroAir HEPA 14 240, you can see that we truly care about making consumers aware when brands try to dupe them.
All the recommendations you read on our site are air purifiers we have personally reviewed, including performance tests to compare units side-by-side, sound level measurements at each fan speed, energy consumption readings, long-term cost calculations and in-depth feature analysis. As of the publication of this post, we have performed over 61 in-depth performance tests that provide us with a ton of original data that gives us confidence that our best air purifier recommendations will match the job required.
We know that cigarette smoke is one of the hardest types of pollutants to remove, so we only included the best-performing devices from those we have tested and looked for rapid particulate removal, a large carbon filter for dealing with gasses and odors from this type of smoke.
As always, if you have a use case we haven’t covered or just want to ask about our process, email me directly: danny@housefresh.com
You should be aware that no consumer air purifier can reduce the risk of lighting a cigarette in your room. There are many dangers of this beyond just the particles and odors, and we recommend you always go outside or, if you have the funds, look at a commercial smoke eater device, but be aware that you are looking at costs of $3k and up.
Staff picks: Top 3 air purifiers for cigarette smoke
For those eager to know what our top recommendations for dealing with cigarette smoke are, here’s three solid options:
| 👑 BEST OVERALL | 💰 FOR TIGHT BUDGETS | 🛋️ FOR LARGE SPACES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQAir Healthpro Plus | Winix 5500-2 | Mila Air | |
 |  |  | |
| AIR CLEANING SPEED ⚡ | 25 minutes | 18 minutes with PlasmaWave ionizer 22 minutes without PlasmaWave enabled | 35 minutes |
| CADR 👩🔬 | 300 CFM | Smoke: 232 CFM Dust: 243 CFM Pollen: 246 CFM | 263 CFM |
| FILTER TECHNOLOGY 💨 | HyperHEPA and V50-CELL gas and odor filter | PlasmaWave, removable pre-filter, washable activated carbon filter and True HEPA filter | HEPA (ranges from H12-H14) + Activated charcoal (granular carbon) |
| MAX ROOM SIZE 📏 | 1125 sq. ft. | 360 sq. ft. | 1000 sq. ft. |
| WEIGHT ⚖️ | 35 lbs (16 kg) | 14.8 lbs (6.7kg) | 18 lbs (8 kg) |
| OUR REVIEW 🔍 | IQAir Healthpro Plus review | Winix 5500-2 review | Mila review |
| PRICE 💵 | $899.00 | $159.99 | $419.99 |
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
For a more comprehensive guide to the five recommended air purifiers and why they’re good options against cigarette smoke, be sure to check out the full article below.
1. Best overall: IQAir HealthPro Plus
The original air purifier company founded in 1963, the Healthpro Plus has 5lbs of activated carbon with powerful HEPA performance.
When I finally got my hands on the Swiss-made IQAir HealthPro Plus, I was impressed that this device came with a hand-signed certificate from the factory. IQAir tests every single unit before they leave Switzerland to get delivered to you. It’s not cheap, but will you get one of the finest air purifiers on the market.
The unit is big, housing three stages of filtration: a lab-certified HyperHEPA for fine and ultra-fine particles, a considerably thick pre-filter for more coarse particles and debris, and a massive 5lbs of activated carbon for gas and odor.
Even with such a dense set of filters, it managed to clean our test room in 25 minutes in our particle removal test. This requires a powerful fan drawing the air in and yet, at the lowest fan speed, the Healthpro Plus is whisper quiet — only a noise output of 25 dB.
What we really like
What we think could be better
It’s not cheap at nearly $900 but if I was forced to choose one air purifier, then this is the device I would pick, especially when dealing with any type of smoke. IQAir has so much trust in their unit that you can watch a video of the CEO of IQAir who uses this device to breathe and drop a smoke bomb into a small sealed room.
The Healthpro Plus is a long-term investment. HyperHEPA filters need replacing only every four years and the V5-Cell gas and odor filter every two. That’s more than double when compared to the average filter lifespan. Besides, you get a 10-year warranty when you purchase the unit.
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Time to clean our test room: | PurpleAir Touch: 24 minutes PurpleAir Zen: 28 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | HyperHEPA and V50-CELL gas and odor filter |
| Recommended room size: | 450 to 1,125 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 300 CFM (510 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 28H x 18W x 16D inches (71H x 38W x 41D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 35 lbs (16 kg) |
| Noise level (measured from 3 ft. away): | Speed 1: 36.9 dB Speed 2: 40.9 dB Speed 3: 47.2 dB Speed 4: 53.9 dB Speed 5: 61.2 dB Speed 6: 69 dB |
| Filter life: | 4 years |
| Electricity consumption (kilowatt-hour): | Standby mode: 1 kWh Speed 1: 16.5 kWh Speed 2: 32.7 kWh Speed 3: 47.3 kWh Speed 4: 69 kWh Speed 5: 94.3 kWh Speed 6: 145.2 kWh |
| Estimated running costs (electricity consumption + filter replacements): | $437.34 per year |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 10 years |
| Country of manufacture: | Switzerland / Germany |
2. Budget option: Winix 5500-2
Certified high-performance for an affordable price.
While Winix may not have hand-signed certifications for every unit they sell, the Korean company does have AHAM’s (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) third-party verification on the CADR of their units and the quality of their True HEPA filters.
This has led to Winix building a strong reputation for itself, but most importantly, it’s reassuring to have this sort of guarantee when dealing with the toxic particles and VOCs produced by cigarette smoke.
With an impressive Smoke CADR of 233 CFM for its price range, the 5500-2 is capable of 4.8 air changes in rooms up to 360 sq. ft. Meanwhile, the True HEPA filter will remove 99.99% of particles of 0.3 microns.
What we really like
What we think could be better
One thing I really like about this model is that Winix decided to upgrade the impregnated carbon filter of the older model 5300-2 to an activated carbon pellets filter — which is by far more efficient at dealing with toxic fumes.
Besides, the 5500-2 comes with a built-in ionizer. Whilst ionizers can get a bad name due to bad devices produced in the past, they have been shown to be useful when dealing with smoke particles.
Despite not having app support, this air purifier Includes auto-mode. Perfect if you only have occasional issues with smoke; the onboard sensor will detect and switch the device to the required fan speed. It’s quite sensitive, actually; the fan will ramp up, reacting quickly to pollutants.
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | – 18 minutes with PlasmaWave ionizer – 22 minutes without PlasmaWave enabled |
| Air purifier technology: | PlasmaWave, removable pre-filter, washable activated carbon filter and True HEPA filter |
| Recommended room size: | 360 sq. ft. (4.8 ACH) |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Smoke: 232 CFM – Dust: 243 CFM – Pollen: 246 CFM |
| Dimensions (in inches / cm): | 15W x 8.2D x 23.6H inches (38W x 21D x 60H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 14.8 lbs (6.7kg) |
| Noise level (measured from 3 ft. away): | Speed 1: 38.8 dB Speed 2: 42.5 dB Speed 3: 47.5 dB Speed 4: 58.9 dB |
| Filter life: | 12 months |
| Electricity consumption (kilowatt-hour): | Standby mode: 0.34 kWh Speed 1: 6.5 (7.1) kWh Speed 2: 9.11 (9.2) kWh Speed 3: 14.80 (15) kWh Speed 4: 53.46 (53.8) kWh |
| Estimated running costs (electricity consumption + filter replacements): | $135.70 per year |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 year |
| Country of manufacture: | South Korea |
3. Best for smart features – Mila Air Purifier with home wrecker filter
The perfect ally for smart homes, the Mila is versatile and powerful.
Mila is all about simplicity and making people’s life easier. It’s one of the few brands on the market with just one model, so instead of engaging in model comparisons and difficult decisions, you just need to consider how many units you need. One Mila Air Purifier can handle a generous 1.000 sq. ft.
However, it allows users to choose the filters from seven alternatives to customize the unit’s performance to the needs at hand. For cigarette smoke, we recommend choosing the Home Wrecker option, with the most activated carbon among Mila filters. The Home Wrecker has 1.96 lbs of granular carbon to adsorb cigarette VOCs and a reliable H12 HEPA filter to remove fine particles.
When it comes to CADR, the numbers vary according to the filter you’ll be using on your Mila. With the Home Wrecker, the CADR is 176.70 CFM (300 m³/hr). It may not be the highest the Mila can deliver (we’re talking about 263 CFM with The Basic Breather), but the more robust and dense the filter is, the lower the CADR.
What we really like
What we think could be better
Now, about the impressive smart features. Mila is the only air purifier on the market that has multiple sensors —eight in total— to detect pollutants as soon as they become present in the room.
The sensors pick up on fine particles, VOCs and humidity among other things. With the in-house developed algorithms, the Mila will adjust its usage based on your air environment and ramp up the fans as soon as it detects cigarette smoke and other pollutants slipping in. It can get a bit loud at top speed, so it’s great that the sensors also detect human presence and factor it in when adjusting speeds.
On the other hand, although the Manual mode is not as straightforward as choosing one of the seven pre-set programs available in Autom mode, it has its own perks. You can choose how many air changes per hour (ACH) you want the unit to achieve. This is how many times the air purifier will filter the air of a room in an hour. The EPA and AHAM recommend at least 4.8 ACH to achieve a pollutant-free air.
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 35 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | HEPA (ranges from H12-H14) + Activated charcoal (granular carbon) |
| Recommended room size: | 1000 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 263 CFM (447 m³/hr) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 12L x 12W x 15H inches (30.48L x 30.48W x 38.1H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 18 lbs (8 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24dB – 74dB |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 1 year |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $52.56 per year |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
4. Budget smart features: Levoit Core 400S with smoke removal filter
Ideal for medium-sized rooms, the Levoit Core 400S has all the smart features of top-tier air purifiers, a good amount of activated carbon and a budget-friendly price tag.
If with the Winix 5500-2 you’d miss smart features and remote control via app, but you still fancy great cleaning power at affordable costs, then the Core 400S should be your go-to choice.
With a slightly ampler footage coverage than the Winix, the Core 400S can make 4.8 air changes in 400 sq. ft. rooms with ease and efficiency. It has a CARD of 244 CFM for smoke and yet its energy consumption is the lowest on this list ($39.95 per year). Besides, at the price level of just under $220, it performed well in our in-house performance test, cleaning all PM1 in 33 minutes.
What we really like
What we think could be better
Like with the Mila, you can choose the filters for the Levoit’s Core series, although the offer is more limited. When it comes to cigarette smoke, I recommend the Smoke Remover (400S-RF-SR) filter, as it has the highest amount of carbon (450g) for any Levoit air purifier — even their $500 EverestAir has only 400g.
Since Dyson’s challenge to Levoit’s filters at the BBB, we can’t confirm whether the 400S filters are HEPA. This questionable behavior is a pity, really, coming from a brand that manufactures quite outstanding air purifiers. But the unit still has its lab report from AHAM/ANSI AC-1-2002 with favorable stats and our in-house performance test results, so we are still confident in its air cleaning performance.
Like all of Levoit’s Core smart units, it comes with an auto-mode powered by onboard particle sensors and Vesync app support.
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 33 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | 3-Stage Filtration (Pre-filter for large particles, main filter for airborne particles, high-efficiency activated carbon filter for odors and gasses) |
| Recommended room size: | 403 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 260 CFM (442 m³/h) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 10.8L x 10.8W x 20.5H inches (27.4L x 27.4W x 52H cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 14.1 lbs (6.4 kg) |
| Noise level (low – high): | 24 – 52dB |
| Filter life: | 6 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Estimated energy consumption: | $39.95 per year |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
5. Best for USA made – Austin Air HealthMate
One of the few (and best) USA made air purifiers with an activated carbon filter like no other, perfect for removing VOCs and toxic chemicals.
Although you’ll miss some perks with the Austin Air HealthMate, such as smart features or an auto mode, this unit has a seriously robust filter with four stages of pure mechanical filtration.
The real substance is in the medical-grade HEPA filter and massive activated carbon filter, ideal for tackling the finest particles and VOCs of cigarette smoke, respectively. The HealthMate’s 15 lbs charcoal filter also contains zeolite, another absorbent mineral that boosts the unit’s ability to remove chemicals and toxic fumes.
Then, unlike other air purifiers, the Austin Air HealthMate has two pre-filtering stages, one for large-sized and the other for medium-sized particles that would otherwise clog the main filter faster — as a matter of fact, the HealthMate filter has an impressive lifespan of five years.
What we really like
What we think could be better
During performance tests, the Austin removed all PM from our room in 37 minutes. True, it could sound unimpressive compared to the Winix 5500-2, which, for less than $150 and with way cheaper filters, only took 18 minutes to do so. But, then, there’s no comparison to the activated carbon filter this unit is packed with — not even the IQAir Healthplus Pro has as much. No air purifier beats the Health Mate in dealing with VOCs.
With a heavy-duty design and powerful filtration as the main focus, the HealthMate has a three-position manual switch to choose the fan speed and nothing more. No wifi, one-touch controls, or air quality sensors for auto mode. Straightforward to the core.
SPECS & FEATURES
| HouseFresh Rating: | ★★★★☆ |
| Time to clean our test room: | 36 minutes |
| Air purifier technology: | Carbon Filter, HEPA Filter, Pre-Filter, Large Particle Pre-Filter |
| Recommended room size: | 750 to 1500 sq. ft. |
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | 150 CFM (estimated based on HouseFresh tests) |
| Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 23H x 14.5W x 14.5D inches (58.4H x 36.8W x 36.8D cm) |
| Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 47 lbs (21.3 kg) |
| Noise level (measured from 3 ft. away): | Speed 1: 42 dB Speed 2: 53.2 dB Speed 3: 61.5 dB |
| Filter life: | 5 years |
| Electricity consumption (kilowatt-hour): | Standby mode: 0 kWh Speed 1: 61.1 kWh Speed 2: 85.05 kWh Speed 3: 147.6 kWh |
| Estimated running costs (electricity consumption + filter replacements): | $254.56 per year |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 5 years |
| Country of manufacture: | US – Buffalo, New York |
Other units we tested but don’t recommend for cigarette smoke:
- Levoit H132 – Was shocked to see this device recommend for smoke by a well-known magazine as while its cheap its performance in our particle removal test was very poor it took 1 hour and 38 minutes to make our test room clean. Underpowered for most situations but would be dangerous if you relied on it to remove smoke.
- Okaysou AirMax 10L Pro – A super popular air purifier thanks to its slick use of TikTok influencers, but it failed to match our expectations. It cleaned our test room in 4 minutes longer than the much cheaper Core 300, and it made claims about its 5-in-1 filter technology that wasn’t true.
- Dyson HP04 – A high price for a good-looking device, but it has a very small CADR, and it took 1 hour and 24 minutes to clean all pollutants measuring 1 micron in our test room. Unless you like the fan function, this will be nearly useless for cigarette smoke issues.
- Levoit LV-H128 – At less than $40, this is a great price but a terrible air purifier as it took 2 hours and 42 minutes to clean our test room of 705 cubic feet of particle pollutants measuring at least 1 micron. It will be totally useless for any sized room for dealing with smoke from cigarettes.
- Molekule Mini – You have probably seen adverts for this good-looking device from Molekule. We were a little suspicious of its PECO technology, and it took over 2 hours to bring down the levels of PM1 to breathable levels, and we found it hard to remove them completely. At this price level, it’s just a total waste of money, and you are better off with any of the other air purifiers we recommend. There is even a class action settlement in progress for devices sold by this brand.
Our methodology
To date, we have performed hands-on testing and reviews for 55 air purifiers and, just as importantly, published all the data we gathered to identify those that will perform best in various scenarios.
Part of our process is choosing which units to purchase and test:
First, we combine the latest lab CADR and energy usage data from the AHAM VERIFIDE program and ENERGY STAR DIRECTORY, respectively, with data from Clean Air Stars and the new data from our own in-house research.
Then, we use this list of hundreds of air purifier models to look for those with high levels of air cleaning performance to $ ratio, low sound levels, and easily available and fair-priced filters.
We use our own money to buy those air purifiers that look worthy of hands-on testing and original experiments to confirm performance level, sound generation and long-term running costs, as well as evaluate features and long-term usage in a home environment.
To identify those that would be best for cigarette smoke, we chose those with a high level of cleaning performance but also included a large amount of activated charcoal and avoided those devices that created excessive levels of sound or poor value for money.
- In our home lab of 728 cubic feet, we light an incense stick to generate particle pollution and VOCs.
- We set up our trusted Purpleair Indoor Sensor with the latest Bosch gas sensor to track levels of PM1ug/m3, PM2.5ug/m3 and PM10ug/m3 and VOCs in the air.
- We switch the air purifier to its highest speed and measure how long it takes to get our room air quality down to PM1 level to 0.
- We use an energy meter to measure precisely how much electricity is used when running the unit at the lowest and highest fan speed settings.
- We track sound levels emitted by the air purifier at different fan speeds with the help of a commercial sound meter.
What to look for when buying an air purifier
1. Room Size
Many air purifier manufacturers will overstate the room size they can work in. While AHAM requires room sizes to be based on 4.8 air changes per hour, many air purifier brands will give the room size for 1 air change.
Be very wary of manufacturers who don’t provide a CADR rating or don’t send their devices to AHAM for testing, as we have seen many of these devices over-exaggerate their performance when we test them ourselves.
The problem is that 1 air change is next to useless, especially with something as pervasive as cigarette smoke.
That is why when we list room sizes, we always base them on their reported CADR and the maximum size when providing at least 4.8 air changes per hour.
To make things simpler, we produced a tool that tells you the CADR in CFM you need for your room size – just enter your room size and adjust the ceiling height if required, and our tool will let you know what CADR is needed:
2. Filters
For dealing with tiny particles that can measure as small as 0.1 microns you will want to look at HEPA-grade filters. HEPA H13 are filters that have been tested to be 99.97% efficient at capturing particles 0.3 µm in size. HEPA H13 is used a lot in marketing material but most manufacturers don’t share third-party testing. One of the reasons I am a big fan of IQAir is that they share all their third-party lab data so you can be confident that all of their filters have been tested to this grade.
Besides, other types of filter technology can sometimes make the air quality worse but in nearly all cases they promise a lot but fail to deliver.
Just stick with HEPA it’s backed by decades of research and has no chemical byproducts.
While HEPA does a great job of removing the tiniest of particles from the air, odors and gasses will just pass through. You will need a good-sized activated carbon filter to deal with gasses and odors such as those from cigarette or wildfire smoke.
When it comes to activated carbon, bigger is better, which is why the top two choices we recommend for dealing with cigarette smoke are to measure their carbon filters in lbs.
Be wary of the fabric carbon filters you see with devices from Blueair, as these filters will quickly lose effectiveness.
Look for activated carbon filters that use pellets of actual carbon, as they will last much longer and are much more effective at removing odors.
3. Features
Many newer air purifiers come with app support, onboard sensors and auto-modes that kick in when the sensor detects pollutants like particles or gasses.
You will have to leave your device running continuously for regular issues with cigarette smoke, so these features might not be as useful as they are for those who want an air purifier for occasional cooking odors.
For those who like their devices to be smart, our current top favorite is Mila, which combines multiple sensors and is more like a smart thermostat than an air purifier as the device learns the issues with your home to adjust to be most effective.
Common questions about cigarette smoke
The simple answer is yes if you choose an air purifier that has a high CADR score and utilizes HEPA and activated charcoal filters. With this combination of filters, an air purifier can remove the particles, VOCs and odors that come from cigarette smoke.
Our current number one choice for dealing with cigarette smoke is the IQAir Healthpro Plus, as it combines a large 5 lb activated carbon filter with a HyperHEPA filter. It doesn’t come cheap at close to $900, but we are confident that this is the best device on the market for dealing with both the particles and gasses from cigarette smoke.
Place your air purifier as close to the pollutant source as possible so if smoke is coming from outside, then put it close to the area where it enters your home, such as a window or front door.
HEPA filters can trap the tiny particles generated by cigarette smoke and activated carbon will absorb the gasses and odors.
The best way to remove cigarette smoke is to improve ventilation and clean down all surfaces, from walls to soft furnishing. For more details, check out our blog post, containing a ton of other ideas.
Wrapping up
I’ve intentionally made a varied selection of air purifiers for dealing with cigarette smoke. It’s a serious issue; you should be able to find a unit to fit your circumstances, budget and needs.
Whether you found in this guide the unit that sounds right for you or will keep browsing on the internet for other options, make sure to check if the one that catches your eye is powerful enough and has the right CADR to clean your space, has a high-performance main filter and features an activated carbon filter (the more, the better) for the fumes and VOCs.
My goal is to help more people improve their indoor air quality. So, if you have any doubts about our testing process or have a question that I haven’t covered in this guide, please feel free to email me directly: danny@housefresh.com
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
