24 Things For Anyone Looking To Improve Their Home's Air Quality
Environmental elements, pet dander and ventilation can have a negative impact on the air we breathe, both outside and inside our homes.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! From air purifiers and moisture absorbers to dehumidifiers and plants, these products will help ensure your home is a place you can sit back, relax and breathe a sigh of relief... literally.
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A charming and durable snake plant
Promising review: "So happy!! I bought the 6-inch black coral snake plant and it arrived in perfect condition. It's beautiful! Even has a couple of baby sprouts! I definitely feel like I really got my money's worth and will buy from this company again." — Target Shopper
Get it from Target for $21.99.
An ozone-free Levoit air purifier
Promising review: "This air purifier is great! I bought it because there was a lot of pollen and cat dander in my house which was making my asthma flare-up. Since I’ve got this air purifier, the cat odor has decreased and I don’t need to use my inhaler as much. The noise is very quiet and not interruptive for me. Overall, I love this item and totally recommend it." — Dana
Get it from Amazon for $79.98.
A 15-pack of charcoal bamboo bags
Promising review: "These worked great in reducing the stinky foot smell in my shoes after just one overnight use. The one by the garbage/diaper pail seems to catch the little odors that sometimes leak out. I've been using these in my kitchen for a few days and the cooking smells have been reduced a lot as well." — PB
Get a 15-pack from Amazon for $20.95.
A Germ Guardian tower with a HEPA filter and UV light sanitizer
Promising review: "We are in the San Francisco Bay Area which has had unhealthy air quality ratings for the past week due to massive fires throughout California — 200+ outside on the EPA 2.5 AQI particulate scale used on the news lately — unhealthy for the entire population. I got $400 fancy air laser-quality sensors, the same that are used by the weather service, and the little 22-inch GermGuardian. We closed up this air filter in the 400 square master bedroom, not expecting anything huge because this filter is only rated for 160 square feet, but hoping it would help somewhat. Running on high, it had the indoor air quality down from 250+ to the 150s in 30 minutes, and in the low 100s 'moderate' after a few hours. Note again we were using it in a space three times bigger than its advertised range so I would say it's working quite as advertised." — Mia Hermine
Get it from Amazon for $84.99.
A dehumidifier with a reusable air filter
Promising review: "I live down in Florida where the daily humidity will creep into every space and you feel like you are swimming in a soup bowl for two-thirds of the year. I needed to lower the humidity in my apartment to one, feel better and two, protect my home from moisture damage. To do so, I needed to run this unit around the clock for around three weeks and this thing never missed a beat. It was consistently pulling buckets and buckets of water out of the air for the whole run. The collection bucket would be full every six hours or so but, my space was around 75% humidity so I expected this. No issues with the unit appearing stressed or slowing down. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to get higher volumes of moisture out of the air, or for those with larger spaces and lower volumes looking to maintain comfortable levels." — Bdm106
Get it from Amazon for $159+ (available in 20, 35, and 50-pint sizes).
And a four-pack of moisture absorbers
Promising Review: "One day! That's all it took. I would give 10 stars if I could. Good grief! For the last two months, there was this stinky odor coming from the upstairs of my older townhome. And for two long months, I thought it was me! This smell would attach to my clothes after an hour of being home. I've tried the fan in the window, scents on my furnace filter, and an electric air cleaner/ionizer — then I got this four-pack, stuck them upstairs, and left for the day. When I came back, the smell was very minimal. I went to sleep and woke up (the smell is worse in the morning), but I could only smell the linen fragrance of these containers. All this to say, thank god that it wasn't me that smelled bad — just my home. These helped soak up not only moisture but also the bad smell." — Po
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $17.50.
A pair of aloe plants
Promising review: "I was looking for air cleaning plants. Saw these and wanted to see if they would actually mail well. I was shocked. No dirt in the bottom of the box, say what?!? It's a great product, happy with my choice." — W
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $17.25.
An oil diffuser
Promising review: "I have serval diffusers and this is my favorite one — easy to fill and drain, it emits a small amount of light when lit, has three different settings for mist, and runs 10+ hours on one fill. Shipped quickly and securely." — Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $18.99 (available in three colors).
A Pet House candle
Promising review: "I am loving this candle! This smells so good, and it works so well at neutralizing odors. I have four cats and three litter boxes and I’m so glad I found this candle. I will definitely be buying more!" — jellybiehn
Get it from Chewy for $21.95 or Amazon for $22.49.
And a coconut wax candle
Promising review: "I got the Sage and Citrus candle and lit it as soon as it arrived via rapid-fire shipping. The beautiful aroma filled my house way more effectively than Yankee candles. Will definitely be a repeat customer!" — Katie Arrosa
Get it from AcScentedAirCandles on Etsy for $12.
A Molekule air filter
Promising review: "I ordered the Molekule air in part because of allergies triggers in our 200+-year-old house, and because my husband's pre-existing medical condition makes him a high risk for COVID-19. I expected to have peace of mind, but not to notice the difference in physical ways. I was frying onions for chili when I first plugged the purifier in. The house reeked of, well, onions. Twenty minutes later, the smell of onions was gone. Truly gone. One of my kids walked in and said, 'weren't you frying onions?' because he couldn't smell them anymore. I was amazed. It is so great to know that the Molekule air purified all the air in my large, open downstairs area that quickly. It exceeded my expectations. I feel like my house is safer and more healthy than it's been in decades." — terry b.
Get them from Molekule: the pro-grade air purifier for $1,049 (purifies1,000 sq. ft.), the Molekule air for $699 (purifies 600 sq. ft.), or the mini for $349 (purifies up to 250 sq. ft.).
A pack of air plants
Promising review: "Awesome plants. This is my first air plant and I've killed many plants but this one is actually thriving. Super cool colors." — Cristine Mary
Get them from Amazon: a three-pack of small plants for $14.95 or a five-pack of medium plants for $24.95.
A three-stage filtration Blueair Blue Pure 211+ air purifier
Promising review: "I just moved into a new house and decided to beat the dog odor before it beat me. My last house always smelled horrible with four dogs, so when I moved I researched for weeks and bought this. To say I am pleased is an understatement. I love this thing! It combats dust/odors like a champ! I keep it on the highest speed 24/7. It's right in my living room and the sound doesn't bother us at all." — Tamara L. Thein
Get it from Amazon for $291.99.
A replacement HVAC system filter
An air-sanitizer spray
Promising Review: "If there is a smell you need to ELIMINATE, not cover up, Ozium is the go-to. Pet odor, smoke, anything. Simply the best." — Jonathan Cashman
Get it from Amazon for $13.
And a bottle of 100% pure organic tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is super versatile and cruelty-free. Be sure to dilute to your own needs — this stuff is strong and a little goes a long away!
Get it from Eve Hansen for $21.99+ (available in two sizes).
A 7-in-1 Prolux
Promising review: "My basement bedroom feels and smells much fresher with this addition. I actually enjoy the humming of the high speed, and the low- speed option is almost silent. The lights are very useful and also just a nice touch. I've run it for two days straight, and the tank is still full." — Jennifer
Get it from Wayfair for $61.22.
An extra-large nontoxic, pet-friendly bamboo palm plant
Get it from Bloomscape for $195 (available in five colors).
And a genius self-watering planter
Promising review: "I love these so much I ended up buying three. My peace lily was constantly wilting every few days and if I went away I came home to a sad sight. But occasionally I overwatered and got those ugly yellow leaf tips. Now I just water the saucer. If the plant needs it, it takes it, if not, the water just stays there. No guessing at all! My two lilies and fern have never looked better." — Robert McManus
Get it from Amazon for $9.97+ (available in four colors and four sizes).
A powerful dehumidifer
Promising review: "Our garage is a fairly large garage with two cars, a workbench, and a large storage room with an open door off of the side. I was seeing some slight mold due to humidity levels so decided to try this unit. Only had it one day but I hooked up the drain hose to a 5-gallon bucket and in less than 12 hours it had three gallons of water. The garage gets warm here in SC and was in the mid-80s inside when I started it, and the unit said 71 on the LCD. It now shows 40 and I have another gauge on the other side of the garage which shows 30! The unit is very quiet and easy to get started using. Plus it has a two-year warranty." — Michael S. Turner
Get it from Amazon for $209.97 for the unit that covers up to 4,500 square feet (also available in two smaller sizes).
An oscillating tower fan
Promising review: "I love that this item has several fan speeds because sometimes you just don't want too much or too little air. I also love that a remote comes with this fan because I hate getting up in the middle of sleeping to adjust speed/turn off or on. LASTLY, it is definitely a space saver in small rooms! Great purchase!" — CW
Get it from Target for $64.99.
A 10-pack of garbage disposal fresheners
Promising review: "This product was a lifesaver! My roommates and I recently moved into a new apartment, and we noticed a gross smell coming from our garbage disposal. We wanted a quick and easy solution to the smell, and let me tell you, these little guys do the trick! After following the simple instructions, our garbage disposal went from smelling like trash to lemon candy (not kidding)! Amazing purchase, 10/10 recommend!" — Molly Frank
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $2.52.
A monthly Plant Club subscription
What you get: You'll get a new houseplant in a cute container with detailed instructions on how to care for it.
Promising review: "I've just moved back to the US from the Caribbean and am building my office plant collection, and this has been perfect. I received my second plant last week, and it's such a delight to unpack, plant, and enjoy! The box has been well-packaged, the plants arrive healthy and happy. I love that everything to get the little creatures up and going is included — a cute pot, dirt, a little toper, and a label. Plus they include an information and care sheet, a magnet, and a little candy. It's such a fun crate." — Saundra S.
Get it from Cratejoy for $36/month.
And an investment-worthy E.L. Foust Series 400 Air Purifier
The E.L. Foust Series 400 air purifier helps remove odors, mold, smoke, and chemicals, and traps particles down to 0.3 microns in size. The carbon media tray is mixed with coconut charcoal and purapel, but other custom mixes are available. The carbon tray lasts six to nine months, the HEPA filter lasts up to three years, and the pre-filter lasts two to three months. It has two speed settings.
Get it from E.L. Foust for $775+ (stainless-steel body and UV light available at additional cost).
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
