There’s nothing quite like the aroma of burnt toast in the morning and spicy curry sauce in the evening… We all wish our extractor fans did their magic and removed the smells along with the smoke, but it rarely happens.
If you want to keep cooking smells and unwanted kitchen odors at bay, then you should consider getting an air purifier with a good amount of activated carbon to remove gases and smelly volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from your air.
1. Best kitchen countertop air purifier: Levoit Eleva 300X (with Premium carbon filter)
The Eleva 300X offers excellent air cleaning performance, a responsive laser sensor and 260g of carbon to tackle odors.
The Eleva 300X is small enough to fit on top of your kitchen counter, so you can place it near where you cook and it will get to work as soon as smoke and smells are released into the air. With a PM1 CADR of 165 cfm, it can clean the air five times per hour in rooms up to 247 sq. ft. (23 m2).
Unlike most cylindrical air purifiers, the Eleva 300X has separate particle and odor filters. This is good news: you can replace the odor filter once the carbon is full without having to throw away a particle filter that still has life in it.
For the kitchen, I recommend upgrading to the Premium odor filter as it comes with 260 grams of activated carbon pellets. The more carbon you get, the better the air purifier will be at removing unwanted smells from the air.
It has a laser sensor that enables auto mode, so the air purifier can automatically get to work when it senses pollutants in the air. You can see particle and air quality readings on the screen at the top of the device.
You can also connect your Eleva 300X to the VeSync app from Levoit to control the air purifier remotely, track air quality metrics over time, customize the auto mode, schedule routines and set different smart modes.
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 |
2. Best for most kitchens: Alen BreatheSmart 45i (with Ultimate Odor filter)
This air purifier has a powerful fan that can clean the air in kitchens up to 297 sq. ft. (or 27 m²), removing particle pollution and unwanted cooking smells.
If you prefer to have your air purifier on the floor, then the Alen BreatheSmart 45i would be my go-to choice. It has a PM1 CADR of 198 cfm when running at top speed that will give you five air changes per hour in kitchens no larger than 297 sq. ft. (or 27 m²).
Similar to the Eleva 300X, Alen also offers different filter options. For kitchen odors, I recommend upgrading to the Ultimate Odor filter which combines H13 HEPA filtration with activated carbon pellets treated with an odor neutralizer.
The 45i also has an ionizer function that can supercharge odor removal, but you don’t have to use it if you prefer to avoid ozone emissions no matter how low they may be.
I appreciate being able to give the unit a wipe whenever any oils or grease ends up on the front cover. This is much more convenient than having to dry clean or wash the pre-filter fabric you get with units like the Blueair 311i Max and the 3000i Series – – those two models didn’t do well in our messy kitchen, unfortunately.
The 45i has a laser sensor that unlocks smart functions, so you can leave it running while you cook and it will switch to top speed whenever it detects pollutants in the air.
I used my Alen 45i in our kitchen for a very long time and really missed it when the time came to switch to a different air purifier, as the kitchen is one of the rooms where we test units. Now my 45i lives in our kids’ bedroom.
CONS
PROS
| Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | – Top speed PM1 CADR: 198 cfm – Sub-45 dBA PM1 CADR: 123 cfm – AHAM PM2.5 CADR: 207.9 cfm (dust) |
| Filter technology: | True HEPA H13 filter with activated carbon pellets + Ionizer technology |
| Recommended room size: | 297 sq. ft. (5 air changes per hour) |
| Dimensions: | 25H x 15W x 8.5D inches (63.5H x 38.1W x 21.6D cm) |
| Weight: | 15 lbs (6.80 kg) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 36.2 dB Speed 2: 42.2 dB Speed 3: 51.1 dB Speed 4: 56.1 dB |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Standby: 0.8 watts Speed 1: 4.4 watts (5.1 w/ionizer) Speed 2: 9.3 watts (10.1 w/ionizer) Speed 3: 22.3 watts (22.8 w/ionizer) Speed 4: 38.5 watts (38.7 w/ionizer) |
| Filter lifespan: | 9-12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | Lifetime (with product registration & active filter subscription) |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
3. Best for very smelly kitchens: AC Infinity CLOUDLINE S8 fan with refillable carbon filter
This is a specialist device with a refillable filter packed with 16 lbs of activated carbon, which is the most I’ve seen.
Traditional air purifiers will struggle to deal with serious cooking odors or unwanted kitchen smells. In those cases, I recommend building an odor-busting device using AC Infinity’s CLOUDLINE S8 fan, an 8-inch Carbon Filter, two noise reduction clamps and a pre-filter cloth. The whole setup costs around $410.
In our odor removal tests, our AC Infinity running at speed 5 outperformed every other air purifier thanks to its whooping 16 lbs (or 7.2kg) of activated carbon.
And my favorite thing about it is that you can refill the filter once the carbon is used up. This will save you a fortune in the long run.
This device is meant to be installed on the ceiling. Be aware that when using it on the floor, the fan blades are exposed at the top.
To fix this, I cut out a circular piece of carbon-impregnated fabric and placed it above the fan before adjusting the top clamp. This also reduced carbon particles floating around.
CONS
PROS
| Filter technology: | VOC and odor adsorption |
| Carbon type: | Australian RC412 at 1200+ IAV (38mm thickness) |
| Carbon quantity: | 16 lbs (7.2 kg) |
| Airflow: | 857 cfm |
| Dimensions: | Fan: 3.3 x 2.9 x 0.5 inches (8.5 x 3.6 x 1.3 cm) Filter: 18.1 x 10.9 inches (46 x 27.7 cm) |
| Noise level in decibels from 3 ft. away: | Speed 1: 37.6 dBA Speed 2: 45.7 dBA Speed 3: 50.8 dBA Speed 4: 57.2 dBA Speed 5: 61.9 dBA Speed 6: 66.5 dBA Speed 7: 71.9 dBA Speed 8: 74.9 dBA Speed 9: 77.8 dBA Speed 10: 79.3 dBA |
| Electricity consumption in watts: | Speed 1: 3.7 watts Speed 2: 7.4 watts Speed 3: 12.3 watts Speed 4: 20.2 watts Speed 5: 30.3 watts Speed 6: 43.2 watts Speed 7: 60.3 watts Speed 8: 86.2 watts Speed 9: 113.2 watts Speed 10: 148 watts |
| Filter lifespan: | 12 months |
| Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Country of manufacture: | China |
Two buying tips for finding a good air purifier for your kitchen
Many studies show that kitchens are a significant source of indoor pollution, including smoke, VOCs, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. It’s worth taking the time to ensure that the air purifier you choose will do an excellent job of keeping your air clean whenever you cook.
To find the right air purifier for your kitchen, you need to consider the size of your cooking space, the type of filter and any features you can’t live without.
1. To tackle cooking odors, you need a good amount of carbon
Particle filters like HEPA can’t do anything against odors, which are chemicals or gasses in nature. That’s what activated carbon deals with, through a process called adsorption.
2. Consider the size of your kitchen
A common mistake is choosing an undersized air purifier for a given space. If the unit is not big or powerful enough, it will consume filters more than necessary, and the air in your space won’t be thoroughly cleaned.
You should consider the air purifier’s Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), which is basically a measure for how much clean air the unit can deliver within a given time.
Feel free to input your kitchen size into our calculator below and it will output the CADR you should aim for if you want to achieve 4.8 air changes per hour:
Final thoughts
If you’re still unsure about which air purifier to get for your kitchen, drop me a comment below or email me directly to danny@neomam.com and I’ll help you find a better alternative. Make sure to specify your country and budget, so I can find a good air purifier for your specific situation.
And if you’ve got a model in mind but you want to see how it compares to other air purifiers on the market, you can use our air purifier comparison tool:
