In cold seasons, you might have to take a few sticks of cigarette occasionally to keep yourself warm, or maybe you love those sticks. For whatever reason you smoke regularly, so you would have noticed those annoying stench that smoke left on your clothes, home, car or office which could be embarrassing. Meanwhile, you could only afford products that are less than $100. Therefore, it is advisable to get one of the best cheap air purifier for smoke around, as it would not only help to remove the smoke but also the odor it brings along.
Ever experienced a fire outbreak that ended up destroying a few pieces of furniture in the home? It mostly leaves a sooth remnant, alongside a smell of burns all-round the house. Having one of the best air purifier for wildfire smoke ensures that even after renovations, the air in the home smells fresh and new.
In your search for the best air purifier for cigar smoke or smoke generally, there are certain qualities that the product you settle for should possess, from an adequate HEPA filter to activated carbon filters, the presence of these makes the device filter the air more efficiently.
If you are thinking of getting a unit for a low budget, there are some best air purifier for smoke under $100 or less which are affordable and efficient. Irrespective of low price, I can assure you that these air cleaners for smoke work to satisfaction.
Therefore, in this article, we are going to be explaining how air purifier for smoke (Smoke eater) work, the best affordable air purifier for smoke that is less than 100$, qualities to look out for in a air purifier would be discussed as well and a final verdict would be given on the best air purifier for smoke in 2018.
How air purifier smoke eater works
The air purifier or smoke eater is a device that pulls in contaminated air into its self, absorbing most of the pollution and releases the purified air into the atmosphere after passing it through a few more processes of cleaning.
Firstly, the air from the atmosphere is drawn into the device which has a pre-filter that traps the large particles in the air. The smaller particles pass through the pre-filter but are dealt with at the ionizing section of the electronic filter cell called a HEPA filter where it is given a positive electrical charge.
Then this positive charges continues to the negative charge collecting section of the electronic filter cell, and in this section, they are attracted by the opposite charge. The particles are held there until being washed away during the cleaning process.
The purified air then passes through an odor absorbing activated carbon filter, to further clean the air and ensure it is fresh. The purified air is then pushed back into the room’s atmosphere space.
Some of the best air purifiers also make use of ozone generators; which releases ozone into the atmosphere and uses electrically charged oxygen particles to eliminate odors. Others use UV-based air purifiers, which applies ultraviolet light in breaking down molecular bonds, killing viruses and other contaminations.
Types of Best air purifier for cigarette smoke removal
There are different types of air purifiers based on the mode of function and air cleaning capacity. The air cleaners that can be used for cigar smoke removal are
Ozone generators:
This is also known as ionizers, and it eliminates odor by dissipating the ozone layer into the atmosphere. They work best when placed in the same area as the smoker by producing ionized particles. Are ozone generators dangerous for your health or not, get to know more about the health effects of ionizers.
HEPA Filter air purifiers:
Hepa filter purifier is a proven technology that works well at removing unwanted particles and allergies. It is ideal for airborne contaminants, removing particles as small as 0.1 microns. It works by drawing air through the filter, and are best used in enclosed areas where there is a defined air volume to clean, such as your room or car.
Gas-phase filter:
They are often used in areas with high levels of chemical concentration and are best used when placed within the heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.
UV-based air purifiers:
It makes use of ultraviolet light to break down molecular bonds. They are also used in water purifiers and are mostly components of other large purifying units.
Having considered the four different types of air purifiers, the best air purifier for cigar smoke is the HEPA filter air purifier. Why?
The technology of HEPA filters create a broad way of trapping and eliminating cigar smoke particles. There is a fiber network arrangement which is randomly woven to ensure the total cleansing of air. This provides that HEPA covers a large area than other filters. In fact, the purification mechanism goes through three different stages of capturing the removal of smoke particles in the air.
Recommended Read: Best Air Purifier for allergies and pets
Considerations for picking the best affordable air purifier for smoke
- Size:
Before purchasing any air purifier, one of the significant factor to consider is the size. Since you would probably be using it in your room or a car, you should find getting a portable unit whose function is however efficient. This will also encourage mobility of the device especially if this unit would be used in your car.
- Multi-stage purification:
Many air purifying devices are cheap due to their manufacturer using a single-stage air purifying process but are not as nearly as effective as a more expensive one that employs the use of a multi-stage air purifier. Multi-stage purifiers combine several types of air filters and provide the most protection against air particles. The stages are:
- Pre-filter:
This collects large particles like air, dust and other impurities.
- HEPA:
The work of the HEPA filter is to pull in and trap microscopic allergens like dust, smoke molecules, and pet dander. A good air purifier must contain a true HEPA filter.
- Carbon-activated Filter:
This focuses majorly on removing odors, smells and smoke remnant in the atmosphere.
- Ionizer:
it neutralizes particles in the open air.
- UV light:
It kills airborne bacteria by releasing UV light into the atmosphere.
- Frequency and cost of filter replacement:
At purchase, purifiers that need frequent replacement of filter might seem like a good bargain. But in the long run, the cost of replacing the filters makes it a costly long-term investment, some even require you do every three months and as you can imagine such expenses can add up. So it’s best to go for the product that doesn’t require a filter replacement.
Top 5 Best cheap air purifier for smoke under $100
1) Blue Pure 411 Air Purifier
Special Features: 3-part filtration, Activated carbon filter, quiet operation, and washable filter
This is a nice compact round, tall shaped. It Sits well on the floor, table or desk and is a very reasonably priced for what it does. It is very portable that it could even be moved around without stress.
This is the overall best air purifier to buy in the market. It comprises a 3-part filtration system that captures 99% of common airborne pollutants such as allergens, odors, smoke, etc. The washable filter ensures you can use the same filter for a long time without a need to change, it also comes with two extra filters.
It has a button on the top which is surrounded by concentric light, and it is used to control the airspeed. This one button push makes it one of the easy to use an air purifier. Putting the speed on the high actually makes some white noise which is often non-disturbing.
Although it is not the best for a large room, it is highly recommended for 100-175sqft. Nice compact round, tall shaped. Sits well on the floor, table or desk and is a very reasonable price for what it does. Above all, it consumes a minimal amount of energy that is even lower than a 1.5-watt light bulb.
2) Honeywell HPA 100 True HEPA Allergen remover
Special Feature: True HEPA filter, Multi-settings, speedy and quality build
This device contains a good air purification system, recommended for small and medium-sized rooms in such a way that it captures particles as little as 0.3 microns and then further removes allergens from the air, letting you breathe easily.
It has different settings that make an unusual amount of noise. At the turbo settings, your room will be clean very quickly but a bit noisy. Whereas, the allergen setting only makes a white noise that is bearable.
It actually covers up to 200sqft, and it has a UV germ filter alongside the true HEPA filter. Its operation is very fast in such a way that it cleans the air and circulate air five times in 1 hr.
3) LEVOIT LV-H132 Air Purifier
Special feature: 3-speed settings, 3 stage filtration settings, and a contemporary design
It contains a true hepa filter in a 3 stage filtration system with the others being the pre-filter and carbon filter. Then You can choose between a low, medium or high fan speeds according to the need of the moment.
The night light feature is fantastic and beautifies the room. It’s actually a portable unit but makes a huge difference in the air quality. Even with the lowest settings, you can control the smell and smoke of coking.
There is actually a need for you to read the manual before operating this unit. For instance, there is a plastic bag on the filter you need to remove before operating it.
4) GermGuardian AC4825 air purifier
Special Feature: 3 stage filter, Multi settings, blue light, and white noise
The air cleaner CADR has been tested independently for its ability to remove tobacco smoke, pollen, and dust, and it is found to efficiently serve rooms of up to 167 square feet circulating room air over 4 times per hour.
It contains a HEPA filter, UV-c light technology that kills germs and charcoal filter for absorbing common odors from smoking, pets, and cooking.
It’s very quiet during operation and can run for up to 12 hours a day while doing a good job clearing dust.
5) Holmes Small Room 3-speed HEPA Air Purifier –Best cheapest air purifier for smoke
Special features: True HEPA filter, dual positioning, optional ionizer, and compact design
It has an ionizing function which is optional that improves performance, uses a HEPA filter to trap 99% of particles in the air and also has an activated carbon filter for odor removal.
The device comes with dual positioning capacity and a compact design which enables you to be able to choose whether it stays vertically or horizontally.
It has two settings which are the highest and the lower settings. With the highest setting (3), you get the highest airflow plus white noise, but at the lowest setting (1), you get a low airflow but no noise at all.
Final Verdict: Best cheap air purifier for wildfire and cigar smoke
The blue pure 411 air purifier comes out on top due to its efficiency in dealing with smoke concentrated room and its ease of satisfaction. The edge it has over other is the 3 part filtration and the activated carbon filter it has alongside the true HEPA filter.
Editor’s pick: Going for a less expensive unit due to your budget? Then you are advised to purchase the Honeywell HPA 100 True HEPA Allergen remover, it is efficient at lower cost and comes with a 5-year warranty.