This Air Purifier Produces Fresh Air During Wildfire Season 

It’s wildfire season and air quality is falling in various hot spots throughout the West. And just as in past years, stocks of air purifiers in stores are dropping as the fire season progresses. Which is why we’re launching our shopping newsletter with a recommendation for our favorite air purifier: Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH.

Five years ago I was visiting friends in Berkeley, California, during the massive Camp Fire, which caused the worst air quality ever recorded in the Bay Area. The city was blanketed in a thick gray haze and even inside the house you could smell the smoke. Over time my wife and I developed low-level headaches and labored breathing. Our hosts were allergy sufferers and kindly let us use one of their Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH air purifiers in our bedroom. Within just a few minutes of turning it on, the air in the room was remarkably fresh. It smelled clean and almost sweet in comparison to the heavy air in the rest of the house. Our headaches quickly abated and we slept soundly, unaffected by the toxic air that was swirling outside and making its way into the drafty house.

Courtesy of Coway

We invested in one for our home in Los Angeles, and while our HVAC system typically does a good job of keeping our air clean, there have been times that we’ve had to bring out our Coway to do supplemental air purifying during particularly bad smoke days (we live in a 100-year-old house with original multi-pane glass windows and hardwood floors that are far from airtight). The Coway has a powerful fan and a HEPA filter, is relatively quiet, and when set on high, can turn a room from funky to fresh in mere minutes. It also can be set to respond to fluctuating air quality, boosting its fan function if contaminants rise, and going quiet when the air is finally clean. 

But it’s not just for fire season. It filters pollen, which makes it great for allergy sufferers, and it does a fantastic job of cleaning the air in the house when you’ve done marathon cooking of, say, salmon, or another aromatic food that can overwhelm even the most powerful range hood. Plus, the purifier’s minimalist design and relatively slim profile make it unobtrusive and easy to tuck away when you’re not using it. You can get it in low-key white or basic black. It also makes a great white noise machine for light sleepers, making it a multifunction home appliance that will serve you all year long. While there are more expensive high-design models on the market, at $160 this one delivers on performance at a reasonable price. (Coway’s sleeker Airmega 250S has a decidedly Mid-Century vibe to it, but it goes for $337.)

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