Best Air Purifier For Basements (2022 Review)

If you’ve been on the hunt for an air purifier to improve the air quality in your basement, look no further!

In this proHVACinfo guide, you’ll learn:

  • What are air purifiers for basements? (improve your basement air quality)
  • What are the different types of air purifiers for basements? (we help find what works for you)
  • How do air purifiers for basements work?
  • What do you look for in the best air purifiers for basements? (discover the must-haves)

And much more!

Short on time? Below you’ll find a quick list of our top 5 recommendations, keep scrolling to learn more.

ImageProduct
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Bissell air320 Smart Air Purifier
  • Dual HEPA / Carbon Filter
  • Excellent Design
  • Well Established Brand
  • Dual HEPA / Carbon Filter
  • Excellent Design
  • Well Established Brand
View on Amazon
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Molekule Air Purifier (Large)
  • Premium Build Quality
  • Portable
  • Destroys VOCs
  • Premium Build Quality
  • Portable
  • Destroys VOCs
View on Amazon
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Hathaspace Smart Air Purifier
  • 5-in-1 Purifying Technology
  • Smartphone Enabled
  • 2-Year Warranty
  • 5-in-1 Purifying Technology
  • Smartphone Enabled
  • 2-Year Warranty
View on Amazon
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RabbitAir MinusA2
  • Huge Coverage Area
  • Wall Mount Included
  • Customizable Options
  • Huge Coverage Area
  • Wall Mount Included
  • Customizable Options
View on Amazon
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Airmega 400S
  • Quiet Operation
  • Built-In Smart Mode
  • Real-Time Air Testing
  • Quiet Operation
  • Built-In Smart Mode
  • Real-Time Air Testing
View on Amazon

What Are Air Purifiers For Basements?

Air purifiers are devices that make use of filters, or filterless technology in order to remove contaminants and odors from the atmosphere.

The clean air is then recirculated into your basement, creating a safer (and much more pleasant) environment.

Air purifiers best suited for basements are those that can take care of both odors and airborne particles.

What Are The Different Types Of Air Purifiers For Basements?

To combat the stale air typically found in basements, we recommend investing in one of the below types of air purifiers:

HEPA

HEPA filters are the gold standard of physical filtering media. True HEPA filters are capable of capturing up to 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.

This makes them an excellent choice if your main issue is dust or other airborne particles like pet dander than cause allergy or other breathing issues.

If you are experiencing issues with odor, too, HEPA alone won’t help much. If this is the case, you’ll need to look at a HEPA combination filter.

These usually combine the HEPA filter media with either activated charcoal, UV light, an ionizer, or any other odor neutralizing technology.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal filters are fantastic for removing odor causing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Many VOCs are actually hazardous to health, as well as unpleasant, and are the leading cause of musty, stale smells in basements.

While extremely efficient at removing odors and fumes, activated charcoal filters used alone will not remove dust, pollen, pet dander, etc. For this reason, you will find this technology used as a combination with other purification methods.

PECO (Photo Electrochemical Oxidation)

Photo Electrochemical Oxidation, or PECO for short, is a newer technology (relatively speaking), and it works very differently to traditional methods.

PECO based air purifiers destroy contaminants and pollutants, rather than trapping them. This is taken care of by a catalytic reaction.

They prevent the possibility of mold development on filter media, and the reaction even destroys VOCs and airborne chemicals, too.

How Do Air Purifiers For Basements Work?

Air purifiers for basements use either one, or a combination of the above technologies to sanitize the air in your basement.

They will either capture, or directly destroy airborne pollutants such as dust, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, fungal spores, VOCs and many other contaminants that create unpleasant smells or potentially dangerous atmospheric conditions in your basement.

What Do You Look For In The Best Air Purifiers For Basements?

Air purifiers for basements all work so differently, so we’ll focus this section on what every good air purifier for basements should do well.

Purifying Range

Basements tend to be one of the largest rooms in the house, so it’s important to find an air purifier that can clean the entire area appropriately.

All air purifiers are rated according to their “CADR” (Clean Air Delivery Rate), which essentially measures how efficiently they operate.

The CADR, in turn, is measured in “CFM” (cubic feet per minute), which tells you how many cubic feet of air the device can clean every minute.

If you’re looking to sanitize the air in just one area of the basement that is most frequently used, you might not be as concerned about CFM. However, if you’re shopping for an air purifier that can clean the air in an entire basement, be sure you shop for one that has sufficient CADR.

Here’s a handy table showing the EPA’s recommended CADR, based on room size.

EPA-CADR-Chart
Source: EPA

Smart Features

Smart technology is always a plus when it comes to air purifiers for your basement. Many can be set up with mobile apps that alert you when air quality is poor, and also provide options for controlling the device with your cellphone, even when you’re not in the home.

Energy Efficiency

Investing in an energy efficient air purifier for your basement is a smart move. The idea is to leave the purifier running at all times, which ensures the best possible air quality 24/7.

An energy efficient model will have sensors that allow it to monitor air quality and turn itself on and off (at varying intensity levels) to keep the atmosphere clean, without human intervention.

Not only does this ensure clean air, but prevents excessive energy consumption. 

Airborne Contaminant Reduction

In all cases, higher is best. The more contaminants you can remove, the cleaner your basement air will be, and the better it will smell. You shouldn’t settle for anything under 99%, but the closer to 100% you can get, the better the purifier is.

Our Reviews Of The Best Air Purifiers For Basement

Final Thoughts On The Best Air Purifiers For Basements

More and more people in search of additional living space in their homes are converting basements.

Basement air is inherently poor quality, so spending more time in a basement without an air purifier cleaning the atmosphere is likely to lead to discomfort, and potentially long term health issues.

By using a quality air purifier for basements, like those we talked about in this proHVACinfo guide, you’ll create a more pleasant environment for your basement.

And an enjoyable environment is key to get the most out of this additional space in your home.

Stephen Marks

Stephen Marks

Stephen is an HVAC and home-repair enthusiast. He's here to answer any of your questions about HVAC!

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Stephen Marks

Stephen Marks

Stephen is an HVAC and home-repair enthusiast. He's here to answer any of your questions about HVAC!

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