5 Best Air Purifiers For Cigarette Smoke – Breathe Easy!

Whether you are an active smoker or not, you will agree that cigarette smoke smells unpleasant. And, even though you don’t mind the cigarette smoke smell, you should be aware of its harmful particles and take some action to remove them.

I have received many inquiries and spoken to many users, and I have to say that they often look for a simple and quick solution to neutralize cigarette smoke. It is common knowledge that many users buy air purifiers in order to eliminate smoke odors. 

Harmful particles found in cigarette smoke are one of the reasons why every device I review must pass a test of neutralizing smoke and VOCs. In addition, there is a unique smoke test where I test how quickly an air purifier can remove smoke from a glass box (you’ll find a GIF demonstration of these tests below every suggestion).

Before moving further, I want to highlight that filtration technology is the most important feature to consider when choosing an air purifier. Given that cigarette smoke particles are between 0.1 and 1.0 microns in size, an air purifier with a True HEPA filter should be very effective at neutralizing a high percentage of them. In fact, a True HEPA filter removes 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns in size. 

However, cigarette smoke is also known to contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), for which the True HEPA filter is almost helpless. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to the type of activated carbon filter the air purifier has; the more carbon in the filter, the better. A pellet-based carbon filter is a MUST!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause immediate harm and cause health problems such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

So, what I did here is point out the five best air purifiers for smoke that use a high-quality True HEPA filter along with a pellet-based carbon filter. Every air purifier on the list has been deeply tested and evaluated and, of course, has shown excellent performance in neutralizing cigarette smoke.

Top 5 Air Purifiers For Smoke

I have to say that almost every air purifier fights cigarette smoke differently, and almost every device has its own problems and disadvantages in neutralizing smoke. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that the filter that is exposed to the smoke gets dirty very quickly, and then the devices with smaller filters become less effective over time than some other air purifiers that use larger filters.

For these reasons, and also to make it easier for potential buyers to choose the best smoke air purifiers, I have compiled a list of 5 of the best ones with whom you can’t go wrong.

Winix 5500-2 – Best Choice Overall

The Winix 5500-2 is on many lists and on many recommendations, and very often, it is the air purifier I recommend to people who need clean air in their working environment. This air purifier uses 4-stage filtration technology consisting of a washable pre-filter, True HEPA filter, washable activated carbon filter, and PlasmaWave technology. However, in our case, it is most important to point out that the Winix 5500-2 uses an extremely high-quality True HEPA filter, as well as a pellet-based activated carbon filter, which is also washable.

In addition to the extremely high-quality filtration technology, the Winix also has some advanced options, among which I would highlight the air quality sensor, air quality indicator, remote control, and auto mode. It’s also important to know that the air quality sensor on this device detects odors in real-time, which can be very useful if you’re looking for a smoke air purifier.

The 5500-2 is not a small device which means that filters are large and won’t get dirty too fast even if you use it in a large room. AHAM verified this device for up to 360 sq. ft.

In my opinion, the Winix 5500-2 is the best air purifier for cigarette smoke, especially considering the price/quality ratio.

Levoit Core 600S – Smart & Efficient

The Levoit Core 600S is a large air purifier that covers rooms up to 635 sq. ft. It uses 3-stage filtration technology, among which I would particularly highlight the True HEPA and activated carbon filter, which are the most important for fighting smoke.

In addition to the high-quality filtration technology, this air purifier boasts a number of advanced options such as an air quality sensor, air quality indicator, auto mode, smart app, and many others. The Core 600S has a cylindrical design, very similar to other models in the Core series. The filter is also cylindrical, hollow through the middle, and I think it is almost identical to the other Levoit models in the Core series, just a little bigger. In addition to the performance, I would like to praise the ease of use, the convenience of maintenance, and silent work.

As already mentioned, this device is big, but thanks to its cylindrical shape, it can be put in the middle of the room and in such a way it can cover very large spaces. This is the ideal air purifier for smokers, mainly due to the combination of very high airflow and quality filtration technology.

Alen FLEX – Outstanding Carbon Filter

What I like about the Alen FLEX air purifier is its sleek design, the high-quality filtration technology, and the minimalism it exudes. The FLEX uses a 3-stage filtration technology consisting of a pre-filter, True HEPA filter, and activated carbon filter. What I would like to point out is that Alen has the option to purchase a carbon filter that contains up to 2lb+ of carbon in it.

As far as advanced options go, this air purifier doesn’t have many, but there are enough of them for everyday use. Speaking of design, I have to say that this is a modern, well-made air purifier that fits seamlessly into almost any environment.

Not only is this device the perfect choice for homes where smokers pollute the air with cigarette smoke, but also this device is ideal for wildfire smoke. If you are living in California, you must have a device that can remove wildfire smoke.

What I would like to point out about the Alen FLEX is that it is one of the quietest air purifiers I have had the opportunity to test so far. Thanks to its high-quality True HEPA and carbon pellet-based filter, the Alen FLEX removes smoke particles, and it will also successfully remove unpleasant odors from the air. The perfect excuse for cigarette smoke!

Coway Airmega 400 – Also Great

The Coway Airmega 400 is another air purifier that has made the list of the best air purifiers for smokers. This air purifier covers large rooms up to 550 sq. ft. However, it can work very well in rooms up to 1560 sq. ft. This device is big, powerful, and meant for very large rooms.

It uses 3-stage filtration technology and even has dual filters mounted on the sides. The first stage of filtration is a pre-filter, the Green True HEPA filter is the second stage of filtration, and the last stage of filtration is an activated carbon filter.

Among the many advanced options, I would highlight the air quality sensor, the air quality indicator, the auto mode, and the ECO mode as my favorites and, in my opinion, the most useful. What I would also like to point out, and what I consider to be very important, is that Coway uses very long-lasting filters that last up to 12 months. In addition, the Coway Airmega 400 has found its place on the list of the best air purifiers for wildfire smoke.

The dual filter, which is most credited for its excellent performance, and the many advanced options make the Coway Airmega 400 one of the best air purifiers for cigarette smoke.

Levoit Core 300 – Compact & Portable

Overall, the Levoit Core 300 is a small air purifier, and one of the reasons why it made the list is that not everyone has the space to install one of these large air purifiers mentioned above. This air purifier neutralizes cigarette smoke in a small room up to 219 sq. ft. It uses 3-stage filtration technology consisting of a pre-filter, True HEPA filter, and activated carbon filter. 

I would like to give special praise to the True HEPA and the pellet-based activated carbon filter, which in my opinion, are most responsible for the very good results in neutralizing the smoke. The Levoit Core 300 achieved fantastic results in the performance tests, improving air quality by approximately 93% in a 194 sq. ft. room in 60 minutes at maximum speed.

The biggest advantage of this device is that it is smaller than other devices on the list, and because of that, you can place it near you on a desktop, table, or near you when you are sleeping and in such a way, always be close to the fresh air free from smoke.

In short, Core 300 is a very good choice for combating smoke or second-hand smoke, especially in small rooms within the recommended dimensions.

Breaking Down My Testing Procedure

The process of testing any device requires a good knowledge of the device itself, preparation for testing, good equipment, and, finally, a good testing process. For years, my colleagues and I have been developing methods and ways to test air purifiers in the best and most efficient way.

Every air purifier I test here at Air Purifier First goes through a more or less similar process. Depending on the size of the space covered by the device, I test it in pre-prepared rooms with approximate recommended dimensions. There, I always test the devices in real conditions, where I measure the performance over 60 minutes at maximum speed. This test is the main test when it comes to performance testing. In addition, we have a smoke box test, which you can see in almost all the video reviews we publish on the Air Purifier First YouTube channel. Basically, it’s a glass box test where we measure how long it takes the air purifier to remove all the smoke from the glass box.

In addition to these tests, I also do some specific tests, such as testing how long it takes an air purifier to adsorb the smell of a match or how it behaves in the kitchen to neutralize cooking odors and many other similar conditions.

For this article and to choose the best air purifier, in addition to the tests mentioned above, I also tested the devices in the room where the smoking takes place. For this test, as for many others, I used my parents’ house. They allow smoking in the living room, which means that almost every day, someone smokes in the living room. This allowed me to test the air purifiers in a real-life situation, follow their comments, use a laser particle counter, and finally find out which air purifiers help the most in neutralizing smoke. I must point out that, in addition to testing the air purifiers in my parent’s living room, there is always at least one air purifier they use daily that effectively neutralizes smoke and odors.

Comparison: Best Air Purifiers for Smoke

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FAQs on the Best Air Purifiers for Smoke

Final Conclusion

Cigarette smoke is a major problem in many households, and whether you are an active smoker or have a problem with passive smoking, neutralizing it will believe me, improve your daily life in many ways. Considering that solutions such as opening the windows every day, scented candles, and similar products are ineffective and eventually quitting smoking is not an option, investing in an air purifier that will effectively adsorb the smoke is a very good choice.

In this text, I have made a list of the best air purifiers, among which I would highlight the Winix 5500-2 as my final and best choice. Alongside it, I would also highlight the Alen FLEX as the air purifier that uses the carbon filter with the most carbon pellets on this list.

In short, whichever device you choose, you will not go wrong. If you have any questions about this topic or perhaps about the devices, please feel free to leave a comment in the comments box below.