How to Get Better Indoor Air Quality
We've updated some of the picks in this list, and now all recommendations are current as of this date.
A tightly sealed home with adequate air recirculation and plenty of filtration is key to good indoor air quality. Here are the products to help you achieve it.
Essentials
Tools that capture particulates—whether they clean particles off the floor or pull them out of the air—are at the heart of air-quality improvement.
Air purifier
The first and most effective investment in cleaner indoor air is an air purifier—a device that forces air through a filter, catching nearly every particulate floating around.
The Coway Mighty outperforms most air purifiers, maintains its performance for years, and is the cheapest to own long-term. It’s been our top recommendation for half a decade.
The Best Air Purifier
The Coway Mighty outperforms most air purifiers, maintains its performance for years, and is the cheapest to own long-term. It’s been our top recommendation for half a decade.
The Blue Pure 211+ aced our tests, and its ability to move extremely high volumes of air make it our pick for large spaces.
The Best Air Purifier
The Blue Pure 211+ aced our tests, and its ability to move extremely high volumes of air make it our pick for large spaces.
This model’s HEPA filter removes particulates (like pollen and smoke) from the air, and its second filter efficiently removes odors and toxic gases—something our other picks don’t do well.
The Best Air Purifier
This model’s HEPA filter removes particulates (like pollen and smoke) from the air, and its second filter efficiently removes odors and toxic gases—something our other picks don’t do well.
In a small bedroom, dorm room, or office, the compact and affordable Levoit Core 300 performs extremely well and looks great.
The Best Air Purifier
In a small bedroom, dorm room, or office, the compact and affordable Levoit Core 300 performs extremely well and looks great.
Furnace filter
Anyone with central HVAC should upgrade to medium-MERV filters, which can achieve filtration performance nearly on a par with an air purifier.
Available in a range of sizes and usually at a lower price than similar competitors, this pleated filter catches most anything you’d want to avoid breathing at home.
The Furnace and Air Conditioner Filters We Would Buy
Available in a range of sizes and usually at a lower price than similar competitors, this pleated filter catches most anything you’d want to avoid breathing at home.
Vacuum
Dust can cause respiratory problems, and a capable vacuum is one of the most effective ways to keep it under control at home.
This bagless upright has the flexibility and cleaning chops to make most people in most homes totally happy, and it works on both hard floors and most kinds of carpets.
The Best Vacuum Cleaners
This bagless upright has the flexibility and cleaning chops to make most people in most homes totally happy, and it works on both hard floors and most kinds of carpets.
Praised by nearly everyone as excellent, this nimble canister vacuum works on any kind of flooring, runs quiet, and should last for decades. It’s great for those with asthma and allergies, but it requires bags.
The Best Vacuum Cleaners
Praised by nearly everyone as excellent, this nimble canister vacuum works on any kind of flooring, runs quiet, and should last for decades. It’s great for those with asthma and allergies, but it requires bags.
The V7 is strong enough to replace a good plug-in vacuum for most hard-surface and short-carpet cleaning, with enough battery life for most apartments and some small houses. And it’s so grab-and-go that you’ll likely use it daily.
The Best Vacuum Cleaners
The V7 is strong enough to replace a good plug-in vacuum for most hard-surface and short-carpet cleaning, with enough battery life for most apartments and some small houses. And it’s so grab-and-go that you’ll likely use it daily.
Broom and dust mop
Beyond vacuuming, a broom and dust mop help keep dust, pollen, and other respiratory irritants out of your home.
The Casabella Wayclean Wide Angle Broom is the best at sweeping, the most comfortable to hold, and the least expensive broom we tested.
The Best Broom, Dustpan, and Dust Mop
The Casabella Wayclean Wide Angle Broom is the best at sweeping, the most comfortable to hold, and the least expensive broom we tested.
The OXO Good Grips Clip-On has a wide and effective red lip, a steep ridge, and a comfortable handle. Plus, it clips to our favorite broom for storage.
The Best Broom, Dustpan, and Dust Mop
The OXO Good Grips Clip-On has a wide and effective red lip, a steep ridge, and a comfortable handle. Plus, it clips to our favorite broom for storage.
The O-Cedar Dual-Action Microfiber Flip Mop’s wide double-sided head can hold more dirt than that of any other dust mop we tested.
The Best Broom, Dustpan, and Dust Mop
The O-Cedar Dual-Action Microfiber Flip Mop’s wide double-sided head can hold more dirt than that of any other dust mop we tested.
Nice-to-haves
Clearing the air of particulates takes a multipronged approach, so consider these additional ways to clean, to circulate, or to adjust moisture.
Robot vacuum
An automated cleaning bot helps keep your air clear by preventing dust and pet hair from accumulating between major cleanups.
This tried-and-true robot vacuum is much more durable and repairable than similar bots from other brands and is better at cleaning rugs too. It’s a nimble navigator that rarely gets stuck, though it works best when it only has to clean three or four rooms at a time.
The Best Robot Vacuums
This tried-and-true robot vacuum is much more durable and repairable than similar bots from other brands and is better at cleaning rugs too. It’s a nimble navigator that rarely gets stuck, though it works best when it only has to clean three or four rooms at a time.
This is essentially the same bot as the Roomba 614, plus Wi-Fi connectivity that enables remote control from a smartphone app, scheduling, and integration with some popular smart-home voice assistants.
The Best Robot Vacuums
This is essentially the same bot as the Roomba 614, plus Wi-Fi connectivity that enables remote control from a smartphone app, scheduling, and integration with some popular smart-home voice assistants.
This affordable robot vacuum is the quietest we’ve ever tested and fits under more furniture. While it works best in small spaces, it rarely gets stuck and does a good job on bare floors and short-pile rugs. However, it’s not as durable as a Roomba.
The Best Robot Vacuums
This affordable robot vacuum is the quietest we’ve ever tested and fits under more furniture. While it works best in small spaces, it rarely gets stuck and does a good job on bare floors and short-pile rugs. However, it’s not as durable as a Roomba.
Caulk and caulk gun
If you seal the gaps around windows, baseboards, and other places where unfiltered air enters the home, you can improve air quality and reduce heating and cooling bills.
The “regular” option among dozens of caulks on the paint aisle, this flexible, waterproof indoor/outdoor formula works on windows or trim, cleans up with water, and is easy to paint.
The “regular” option among dozens of caulks on the paint aisle, this flexible, waterproof indoor/outdoor formula works on windows or trim, cleans up with water, and is easy to paint.
This gun won’t continue to ooze caulk after you let go of the trigger, and its padded grip and plunger move more smoothly than those of no-name competitors.
This gun won’t continue to ooze caulk after you let go of the trigger, and its padded grip and plunger move more smoothly than those of no-name competitors.
Room fan or ceiling fan
Circulating air can make a stale-smelling room feel better, and the breeze can stir up particulates that your HVAC or air purifier can then capture and remove.
The compact Vornado 630 produces a powerful breeze that circulates air throughout the room, helping lift and move dust for an HVAC or air purifier filter to capture.
The Best Fan
The compact Vornado 630 produces a powerful breeze that circulates air throughout the room, helping lift and move dust for an HVAC or air purifier filter to capture.
We’ve bought and installed seven of these, and they’re great—silent, dependable, and understated. Like the room fan, this fan can clear stale air or circulate air into your filtration media.
How to Shop for a Ceiling Fan
We’ve bought and installed seven of these, and they’re great—silent, dependable, and understated. Like the room fan, this fan can clear stale air or circulate air into your filtration media.
Window fan
Most of the focus here is on sealing a home and filtering the air within, but sometimes you need to evacuate the air (if, say, you have a smoky kitchen). A window fan is the tool for that job.
The Bionaire is not just the most powerful twin fan we tested, but also the easiest to use. It has the most intuitive controls, the best warranty, and the strongest reputation of any fan we’ve found.
The Best Window Fans
The Bionaire is not just the most powerful twin fan we tested, but also the easiest to use. It has the most intuitive controls, the best warranty, and the strongest reputation of any fan we’ve found.
Air quality monitor
A reliable monitor measures a small enough particle size for you to get a good idea of what kind of air quality you have—and whether your methods to improve it are working.
The Temtop M10 is accurate and uncomplicated: With no Wi-Fi connectivity or app, this device simply sits on a desk or table and lets you monitor your air quality readings yourself.
The Best Home Air Quality Monitor
The Temtop M10 is accurate and uncomplicated: With no Wi-Fi connectivity or app, this device simply sits on a desk or table and lets you monitor your air quality readings yourself.
Save for later
These upgrades can improve air quality, but they’re a big investment.
New windows
Beyond improving your home’s heating and cooling efficiency, new windows can provide a better seal against particulate infiltration from outdoors.
Range hoods
A range hood filters and ventilates smoke and other particulates that become airborne while you’re cooking, lessening the load on HVAC filters and air purifiers.
Air-handler filter
If you have central HVAC, a dedicated air-handler filter is a long-lasting supplement to standard return-register filters. But usually you can’t have it retrofitted; you need to install a new air handler and configure your new system to handle the load.
