The Best Air Purifiers for Pets of 2026

The best air purifiers for pets have strong particulate filters that remove pet dander and allergens. Most also come with washable prefilters that catch pet hair before it clogs their internal HEPA filter.

After extensive testing, the Winix 5500-2 (available at Winix) is the best air purifier for pets. Not only is it priced competitively, but the washable prefilter also protects a HEPA and carbon filter combo that can handle everything from dander to objectionable odors and chemicals.

Alternatively, the Blueair DustMagnet 5410i (available at Amazon for $391.20) offers outstandingly quiet filtration that’s squarely focused on particulates like smoke and dander. However, there are many great air purifiers for pets in our guide.

Other Air Purifiers for Pets We Tested

How We Tested Air Purifiers for Pets

The Tester

Hi, I’m Dave Ellerby, chief scientist in the Reviewed labs. I got my Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in 2000 and my Bachelor of Science from the University of Manchester in 1997.

I oversee our lab testing, develop tests for new products, and update tests to ensure accuracy and meaningfulness. Pollen allergies in the spring and the year-round aroma of two large Bernese Mountain dogs make me particularly interested in indoor air quality.

The Tests

We test each air purifier extensively, both in the lab, and at home in real world settings.

Home tests help us assess whether fan noise and display lights affect sleep and conversation, or get on our nerves while we watch TV.

Our tester has two dogs and two cats. With so many furry friends at home, this gives us a clear picture of how well each air purifier handles pet hair and dander.

Pet hair can quickly block intake vents and choke filters. Because of this, throughout our tests, we check that vents remain unblocked and we note how easy they are to clean. We also look for pet-specific features like removable, cleanable pre-filters that trap pet hair before it gets into the more delicate internal HEPA filters.

Purifiers are rated on the quality and usability of these features.

What You Should Know Before Buying an Air Purifier for Pets

Pick an air purifier based on your particular pollution concerns.

This list is focused on pets, hence we weighted our data to favor air purifiers for allergies that do a good job at handling dander and pet hair. Most of these will feature a washable prefilter that can capture larger irritants, as well as a HEPA filter that will eliminate microscopic pet dander and particulates.

Particles come in a range of sizes, with mold allergens often up to 100 microns and pet dander allergens as small as 10 microns or less. Smoke and viruses could be less than one micron.

If you’re concerned about VOCs from fresh paint or new furniture, or nitrogen dioxide from fossil fuels, then you’ll need an air purifier with an activated carbon chemical filter, which sometimes works in tandem with other filter types.

Many air purifiers will cover a few of these bases, but not all. Some purifiers employ swappable filter options which are each tailored to specific concerns, others come with specialized filters tuned to specific needs.

How do Air Purifiers for Pets Work?

We tested the Blueair Blue Pure 311i purifier by burning incense nearby, to test whether it would sense smoke and compensate by turning on its fan.

Air purifiers work by using a powerful fan to pull air through a set of filters. Air purifiers for pets usually have a prefilter, which is a washable external filter that traps hair and fluff before it makes the more delicate internal HEPA filters and chemical filters inside.

After passing through the internal filters, cleaned air escapes through the outtake vent.

What is a HEPA Filter?

HEPA filters are a class of exacting filters for particulate matter. HEPA filters are rated by their ability to filter particles as small as 0.3 microns.

Labels such as “true HEPA” and “medical grade” distinguish the different classes of HEPA filters. These grades follow a number system, with the higher number the better. “True HEPA” corresponds to H10 and H11 filters, while “medical grade” denotes the H13 and H14 range.

By themselves HEPA filters are able to handle microscopic particulates. These could include smoke, viruses, or threats like airborne microplastic pollution from tires. They don’t do a good job with chemical vapors.

Room Size

Air purifier certification generally designates a particular room size, which is measured in square feet. This measurement helps you understand how large of a space the air purifier can effectively clean.

Measure (or at least estimate) the size of your space, and find an air purifier that’s suitable for the rooms you need cleaned.

Some air purifiers have a Clean Air Delivery Rating (CADR), this value is a more precise measurement of how efficiently an air purifier removes pollutants in a given space.

You can read a CADR as a performance guide: a good rule of thumb is that you should pick an air purifier with a CADR rating equivalent to two thirds of your room’s square footage.

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