If you are looking to buy an air purifier for you home or office, but are worried about the on-going costs of replacing the filters, you should consider buying an air purifier with a washable filter.
Standard HEPA and Activated Carbon filters often need to be replaced avery 6 months or so and the costs can mount up over the years, especially if you buy a premium air purifier whose air filters are expensive to replace.
You can save a lot of money over the years if you buy an air purifier that comes with washable air filters.
So, which are the best home air purifiers with washable filters?
How Do You Maintain Washable Air Filters?
The simple answer is that you remove them from the air purifier and wash them with soap and water in order to remove the build up of trapped air particles.
Once you have washed out the debris, and allowed the filters to dry, you simply re-install them within the machine and switch it on again until the next time that it needs to be cleaned.
Here is a video of someone cleaning the filter on a Honeywell HFD-120-Q Quietclean Tower air purifier.
The 3 Best Air Purifiers With Washable Filters
Just like air purifiers that come with standard disposable filters, there is a range of options for those looking for an air purifier with washable filters.
There is a machine to suit all circumstances and all budgets.
Here is my list of the 3 best air purifiers with washable filters on the market today, from most expensive to least expensive.
1. Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD-320 Air Cleaner
The Honeywell AirGenius5 HFD-320 Air Cleaner comes with 3 different types of filter and comes with the best performance scores of the 3 recommendations within this article.
There is a washable Pre-Filter to remove the largest particles or a Gas & Odor removal Pre-Filter to remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other nasty chemicals from the air in your home. Basically, you can choose which of these pre-filters is most suitable for your circumstances.
The air is then forced through the main filter, which is a high performance QuietClean “iFD” filter that is capable of removing 99.9% of air particles that are as small as 0.3 microns in size. This filter is a permanent washable type and so won’t need to be regularly replaced like a standard HEPA filter.
This machine comes with smart controls that help you to choose the right setting to suit the particular air quality needs within your home at any given time.
It is suitable for use in rooms of up to 250 square feet.
Other notable features include:
- Great for large rooms
- Smart touch screen controls
- ENERGY STAR® qualified
- 5 clean levels: Sleep, Germ, Allergen, General Clean and Max
- 2 to 12 hour automatic shut off timer
- On/off oscillation
- Quiet operation
- On/off accent lighting
- AHAM Certified
- Tobacco Smoke CADR: 161
- Dust CADR: 160
- Pollen CADR: 170
- 5-Year Warranty
2. Honeywell HFD-120-Q QuietClean Tower
The Honeywell HFD-120-Q QuietClean Tower uses 2 filters to remove contaminants from your home.
First, the air in the room is drawn through the Pre-Filter that is designed to capture the very largest air particles (like pet hair, fur, lint and dust), before the remaining air is then passed through the “iFD” filter. Then iFD filter is rated as capable of removing 99% of air particles that are as small as 2 microns.
In addition to the 2 filters, there is an ionizer unit to remove some of the unwanted odors and generally freshen the air. Whilst I am a little sceptical about ionizer units (especially when used without other air filters), this one has been has been ARB certified to comply with Federal ozone emissions limits.
The filter needs to be cleaned approximately once every 4 weeks.
It is suitable for use in rooms of up to 170 square feet.
The other notable features are:
- Whisper quiet operation
- ENERGY STAR Certified
- On/off oscillation control
- 3 Speed settings
- LED touch button control panel
- Electronic filter indicator to tell you when to wash filters.
- Washable filters
- 5-year Limited Warranty
- Product Size (LxWxH): 11″ x 10″ x 29″
- AHAM Certified
- Tobacco Smoke CADR: 110
- Dust CADR: 100
- Pollen CADR: 132
- ARB Certified to comply with federal ozone emissions limit.
This is one of the better washable filter machines available. The one potential downside is that, whilst most troublesome particles are 2 microns or larger, some are not. If your main reason for buying an air purifier is to remove smoke particles, this will not be the best option for you as those particles are usually as small as 1 micron.
3. Honeywell HHT-011 HEPA Clean Compact Air Purifier
The Honeywell HHT-011 HEPA Clean Compact is the cheapest washable air purifier on my recommendations list.
It comes with a washable Pre-Filter to remove the larger particles and then the air is passed through the permanent HEPA-type filter to deal with the smaller particles. Finally, there is an optional ionizer unit. If you are concerned about ozone emissions, you can simply switch the ionizer unit off and use the other 2 filters on their own.
Although you need to wash the Pre-Filter, the permanent HEPA-type filter is not washable. Instead, you can hover the particles off it, hence the name “permanent” filter. Either way, you do not need to regularly buy replacement filters for this machine.
It is suitable for use in rooms of up to 85 square feet.
The other notable features are:
- Captures up to 99% of particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and pet dander.
- 3 speed settings
- Notifies you when filter needs to be cleaned
- On/off ionizer
- ARB Certified to comply with the federal ozone emissions limit
- Place in horizontal or vertical position for tighter spaces
- Tobacco Smoke CADR: 55
- Dust CADR: 55
- Pollen CADR: 65
- 5 Year Warranty
Leave a Comment
If you have an opinion on the subject of the Best Home Air Purifiers With Washable Filters, please just leave a comment in the box below. I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone that has used an air purifier with a washable filter within their home or office. How did it work out for you?
Hey Kristian.
Thanks for the reviews! I am interested in the topic but have some questions. The current air purifier I am using is run 24/7. I know this can wear on the products so I’m wondering if you’ve used any of these in such circumstances? I use mine to help with pet smell, that being said, which would you suggest trying first? One last note, what are the pro and cons of the washable filters?
Obviously, using an air purifier 24/7 will cause faster wear and tear to the machine than if you only run it for 12 hours or so. But, if you have lots of pet odors to deal with then some air purifiers will need to run constantly in order to keep the smells away. There are some premium air purifiers that have automatic controls that turn the machine on and off (and faster and slower) depending upon the quality of your air – the sensors detect the air quality and then automatically adjust the settings accordingly.
If you are considering a new air purifier that is specifically designed to deal with pet danders and odors, you should read this recent post >> Best Air Purifiers for Pets.
As for the pros and cons of washable filters, the main problem is that you have to keep removing them and washing them out. If you have a very busy lifestyle then this can become a chore. Some of the cheaper washable filters are of a lower quality than replaceable filters. The biggest benefit of washable filters is undoubtedly the reduced running costs. So, if you are a busy person and/or can afford replacement filters, I would personally stick with a regular air purifier. If you are on a very tight budget and/or are happy to wash filters regularly, then an air purifier with washable filter might be right for you.
I bought this product because a slow leak in our water heater caused a mildew problem in our basement recreation room that prevented my wife from going into the room due her her severe allergies to mold and mildew. We ran the air purifier for a week, first on high for a day, and then on medium. After a week she was finally able to enter the room without a problem. We specifically bought the model with the special filter made just for mildew. We noticed that our dog, a Labrador Retriever mixed with a German Short Haired Pointer with very strong hunting and scenting abilities has been going in the room more than she ever did before. We can only guess that she is no longer bothered by the mildew odor that had been present before.
Thanks!