The 5 Best Air Purifiers for Dorm Room Life

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Keep allergens, dust, and bacteria at bay, no matter the room size.

Heading off to college is an exciting and life-changing experience: you get your first taste of independent living, meet new people, and join fun organizations. But living the dorm life on campus has its drawbacks beyond that pesky RA who won’t leave you alone. Busy students in close quarters, poor ventilation, and outdated heating and cooling systems can create a stuffy, germ-filled environment.

Though it may not be a cure-all, an air purifier can help improve the quality of the air you breathe in. Whether you’re living in a single-person dorm room or sharing space with a friend or two, these handy gadgets can keep dust, pollutants, and offensive odors at bay for healthier and cleaner air quality.

Since most dorm rooms are limited on space, it's important to look at the filtration system and coverage to find an air purifier that doesn’t take up a ton of room, but still gives you the purification levels that you need.

One aspect of the filtration system is the type of filters used. Many purifiers come with a high-efficiency particulate air filter, or HEPA filter, which can trap up to 99.7 percent of airborne particles. Others also come with activated charcoal or carbon filters that have absorption properties, so foreign particles actually stick to the filter rather than penetrating the surface. If you’re concerned about unpleasant smells, like cooking fumes or smoke, look for an air purifier that uses a carbon filter in addition to a HEPA filter.

All of our selections on this list have at least a two-stage filtration system, and each layer of filter targets a different size of contaminant so you get the most protection.

If you’re living in an apartment-style dorm that has a bathroom or separate bedrooms, opt for an air purifier that can cover a couple hundred square feet. This can help eliminate the need for a second air purifier.

Just looking for a small air purifier to keep near your study space? A desktop or portable air purifier can still get you the clean air you need without taking up too much space.

We leaned on our personal experience and expertise with air purifiers to find models for dorm rooms that range in size, filtration systems, and capability, including our hands-on trials of several popular models. We considered the different sizes of dorm rooms, opting for air purifiers that are small and compact but still pack enough power to purge your living area of air pollutants.

We focused on designs that target common foreign matters found on college campuses like dust, viruses, and unpleasant odors. We settled on the following list of the best air purifiers for dorm rooms that’ll keep you breathing fresh, clean air on a daily basis.

Dorm rooms oftentimes have very limited space, which can feel smothering if you’re living with a roommate and all of your belongings. A purifier can help battle those shared germs and keep the air in your dorm room at a healthy, breathable quality level.

This design from Levoit only takes up to 30 minutes to start purifying, so you can leave it on while you head to your next lecture. It uses a HEPA filter, a carbon filter, and a pre-filter to trap even the smallest dust, pollen, and bacteria particles.

Plus, it’s small enough that you can store it on a desk or wardrobe without taking up too much surface area.

Sharing a dorm with a roommate (or two) can mean combining different preferences like appropriate noise levels, quiet hours, and cleanliness. They may not want a bulky, loud air purifier taking up space in the common area, which is where this model from Blueair comes in.

It uses a HEPASilent filter, which is used to maintain 24 decibels on low mode and a maximum of 49 decibels on high. It also comes with a dual filtration system that can remove particles as small as 0.1 microns, and the purifier is compact enough to tuck away out of direct sight.

A tower air purifier is convenient because even if you’re limited on space, it can be tucked into a corner out of the way and still perform well. The GermGuardian uses a combination of a HEPA filter, an activated charcoal carbon pre-filter, and a sanitizing UV-C light to reduce airborne germs, trap particles, and eliminate odors.

There are three different speed settings, and the purifier circulates air in medium to large rooms at fast rates. It can cover over 700 square feet, too, so your entire dorm can get coverage from one air purifier.

On your way to the library for a mid-day study sesh? You can bring fresh air with you thanks to this portable purifier from Pure Enrichment. It can clean the air in up to nine cubic feet in minutes, and the two-stage filtration system can trap over 99 percent of common household germs.

It has a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can last up to 12 hours, and you can use the air purifier with or without an AC outlet. It weighs less than a pound, so you can toss it in your backpack when you’re on the go.

If you’re in a dorm that’s larger than the size of a shoebox, you might need an air purifier with more coverage capability to hit every area. We tested out the Airmega 230 in an apartment under 600 square feet, and we didn’t feel the need for a second purifier in order to get quality air.

The purifier uses a two-stage filtration system: the pre-filter is designed to trap bigger air particles like dust and hair, and the second layer traps smaller particles like pollen, viruses, and germs. It is a little bit clunky, but will work well in larger dorms.

Amber is the Digital Content Producer for Popular Mechanics, Runner's World and Bicycling, where she covers a range of tasks for the commerce team. She also writes fashion and beauty content for Best Products. Her work has been featured across all of the Enthusiast Group sites. In her free time you can likely find her watching horror movies, reading a good thriller book, or listening to a comedy podcast.

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