Whether you’re traveling for work or for a quick vacation, a hotel room is always part of the itinerary. Seasoned travelers often know what to look for when it comes to choosing the right accommodation. However, good hotel air quality isn’t always one of them. Clean as hotel rooms may seem, they often have poor air quality due to the carpets, cleaning chemicals, and shared HVAC system that they use.
To protect yourself from harmful air pollutants while traveling, investing in a portable air purifier would be a good move. Lucky for you, we’ve done the research and compiled the best portable air purifiers you can take with you on your next trip!
Top Portable Air Purifiers
| Product | Features | Price |
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1. The Pure Company Portable Air Purifier
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2. QUEENTY Desktop Air Cleaner
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3. Gideon Mini Plug-in Air Ionizer
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4. Plixio PLX50
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5. GermGuardian GG1100B
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6. AirTamer A310
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Portable Air Purifiers Reviews
1. The Pure Company Portable Air Purifier
This portable air purifier from The Pure Company is relatively new to the air purifier market but has already won an award for its innovative design. It works by releasing millions of negative ions that attach themselves to positively charged pollutants like dust, mold, odors, and other potentially harmful particles. On top of that, you can use aromatherapy oils in your unit.
Unfortunately, this air purifier comes a little more expensive than most — pretty disappoint considering it’s only backed by a 1-year warranty. Also, it’s only rated to cover your personal breathing space or very small rooms.
Overall, however, there’s no denying that The Pure Company’s portable ionic air purifier is a unique one. There aren’t many air purifiers that feature an aromatherapy feature. It’s great that with this unit, you’re able to purify the air and add fragrance to it while you’re on the go!
Pros
- Compact, lightweight
- Free travel pouch
- Compatible with essential oils
- No filters to replace
- 360-degree air intake for higher airflow
- Easy to use and maintain
- Quiet operation
Cons
- Slightly expensive
- For personal use/small rooms only
- Short warranty
2. QUEENTY Desktop Air Cleaner
There aren’t many filtered air purifiers that are small enough to take with you on trips, but the QUEENTY Desktop Air Cleaner is one exception. It’s the only air purifier on this list that uses mechanical filters like a True HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter. Despite having these filters, the Air Cleaner is still compact enough to place in most bags.
Like a lot of portable air purifiers, the Air Cleaner is only capable of covering very small areas or your personal breathing space only. In addition to that, its filters need to be replaced every 6 months, depending on how often you use it.
The Air Cleaner may have a couple of flaws, but considering how affordable and effective it is, these flaws can easily be ignored. Because it uses a True HEPA filter and a carbon filter, it is automatically more effective at removing air pollutants than a portable air purifier that doesn’t. In addition to that, it’s small enough to slip into your bag.
Pros
- Affordable
- Uses a True HEPA filter and activated carbon filter to combat both allergens and odors
- Compact, lightweight
- 38-degree swing
- Easy to use and maintain
Cons
- For personal use/small rooms only
- Filters need to be replaced every 6 months
- Short warranty
3. Gideon Mini Plug-in Air Ionizer
The Gideon Mini Plug-in Air Ionizer works by releasing millions of negative ions as well, but combines this technology with a UV light to help eliminate bacteria and viruses. Rated to cover 150 sq. ft. of space, this tiny air ionizer features the largest room coverage of all the other portable air purifiers on this list.
Users have complained of durability issues with this model, with the most alarming complaints being that it emits a burning smell while in use. However, these may be isolated cases as several users have claimed that this affordable plug-in air ionizer was the answer to their prayers. It’s able to handle a wide array of air pollutants including odors, dust, pollen, mold, and odor-causing bacteria.
Pros
- Affordable
- Combined UV light and ionizer combats a wide array of air pollutants
- Decent room coverage
- Very compact, lightweight
- Easy to store and use
- Quiet operation
- Energy efficient
Cons
- Durability issues
- Short warranty
- Emits a smell
4. Plixio PLX50
Like the Gideon Mini Plug-in Air Ionizer, the Plixio PLX50 is a plug-in portable air purifier that’s compact enough to easily slip into your pocket or bag for quick trip. The PLX50 doubles as an ionizer and an ozone generator and is rated to cover areas up to 100 sq. ft. in size. Considering how tiny it is, this room coverage is quite impressive.
Unfortunately, the glaring problem with this portable air purifier is that it purposely generates ozone to clean the air. While ozone generators have long been used to clean the air, their safety is often questioned as ozone is known as a lung irritant and can aggravate existing respiratory diseases.
However, when used properly (in a closed room with no occupants), ozone generators like this one tend to be pretty safe. In fact, the PLX50 is highly adept at destroying odors and other air pollutants, making the air in your space cleaner and safer for everyone in it.
Pros
- Affordable
- Very compact, lightweight
- Quiet operation
- Energy efficient
- Timer and dedicated on/off switch
- Deals with both germs and odors
- Easy to store and use
- Adjustable ozone output
Cons
- Generates ozone which is a lung irritant
- Short warranty
5. GermGuardian GG1100B
GermGuardian is known for their popular air purifiers, but only the GermGuardian GG1100B is small enough to be considered a portable air purifier suitable for travel. Basically, it’s a plug-in air purifier that uses UV light to sanitize and purify the air.
The main problem with this is that the UV light will not work well against even the most common air pollutants like dust, pollen, and odors as they are not affected by UV rays. However, the UV rays are quite effective destroying bacteria, viruses, and mold. So, if these are the air pollutants that you’re looking to target, the GG1100B is your best bet! Just remember to check on the UV light bulb as it will need to be replaced every 6 months!
Pros
- Affordable
- Compact, lightweight
- Comes with a USB charging port
- Works well against airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold
- Easy to use and maintain
- Quiet operation
- Energy efficient
Cons
- For personal use and very small rooms
- Short warranty
- Works poorly against allergens and odors
- UV light bulb needs to be replaced every 6 months
6. AirTamer A310
The AirTamer A310 is one of the most unique portable air purifiers on this list because it’s wearable. It comes with an adjustable strap that allows you to wear the A310 around your neck for maximum effect. Basically, the A310 is a wearable ionizer that releases negative ions as you go about your day to minimize air pollutants from entering your breathing space.
One of the biggest disadvantages to this device is its extravagant price tag which makes it the most expensive portable air purifier on this list. On top of that, you also have to deal with a coverage of 30 sq. ft. only which is basically just your breathing space.
However, several users stand by the A310 claiming that it has helped them curb diseases they could have gotten while traveling. The A310 effectively removes dust, allergens, odors, and smoke from the environment to ensure you’re breathing space is as clean and as safe as possible.
Pros
- Eliminates dust, allergens, germs, smoke, and VOCs
- Quiet operation
- Energy efficient
- Comes with a travel case
- Charging indicator, USB charger
- No filters to clean or replace
- Long battery life
- Compact, lightweight
- Wearable
Cons
- Expensive
- For personal use only
- Short warranty
Buyer’s Guide:
Portable Air Purifiers for Traveling
Poor Air Quality in Hotel Rooms
According to a study by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association, more than 60% of those who frequently travel have reported suffering from poor sleep, a runny nose, repetitive sneezing, headaches, or a sore throat as a result of sleeping in a hotel room with poor air quality.
Hotels often have poor air quality due to the lack of proper ventilation and insulation. This makes them more prone to trapping air pollutants, odors, molds, bacteria, VOCs from cleaning solutions, and other irritants. The next time you enter a seemingly clean hotel room, keep in mind that these air pollutants are invisible to the naked eye.
How Portable Air Purifiers Can Help
Portable air purifiers were developed to clean the air in small spaces like hotel rooms. They use different types of air purification technologies such as mechanical filters (HEPA, carbon, etc.), negative ions, UV light, and ozone. All these air purification technologies used separately or in combination with each other are effective against a variety of air pollutants.
The most common type of portable air purifiers are ionizers, primarily because they’re the easiest to use in a small device. Ionizers work by releasing millions of negative ions into the air. These negative ions attach themselves to positively charged air pollutants, weighing them down until they are no longer airborne and are unable to enter your breathing space.
Advantages of Using Portable Air Purifiers
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Good for traveling
Portable air purifiers were made with mobility in mind. As such, they’re often very lightweight and small, making them easy to carry around with you. If you’re sensitive to any air pollutants, then it’s a good idea to invest in a portable air purifier.
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Space-saving
If you’re planning to use portable air purifiers at home, you’ll find them ideal for cramped spaces like kitchens, pantries, or laundry rooms as the take up little to no floor space at all.
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Low energy consumption
Portable air purifiers are so small they normally don’t consume more energy than a lightbulb.
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Effective performance
Despite being small, these portable air purifiers definitely deliver and do a decent job of removing air pollutants from small spaces.
Disadvantages of Using Portable Air Purifiers
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Fewer features
Compared to standard air purifiers, portable air purifiers obviously have fewer features. You cannot expect a portable air purifier to have different modes or fan speeds to choose from. This means that you can’t customize its performance to fit your needs.
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Limited room coverage
As evidenced above, portable air purifiers have very limited room coverage and are only suitable for use in small rooms. If placed in bigger rooms, they are rendered ineffective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring a portable air purifier with me on the plane?
How much noise do portable air purifiers make?
Are these air purification devices capable of removing unpleasant odors?
Final Thoughts
If you’re traveling or going on a trip, you don’t often have the luxury of bringing with you the 20-pound air purifier sitting in your living room. However, air purifier companies have found a way to pack air purification technology into smaller devices. Here’s where portable air purifiers come in.
In our search for the best portable air purifier, we found that The Pure Company’s Portable Air Purifier is the most deserving of this title. What makes this portable air purifier so unique is that it has a beautiful design and an aromatherapy feature to boot. It’s not only removing allergens and odors from your room, but it also works to add refreshing fragrances.
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