ARTICLE

5 Of The Best Air Purifiers For Cold And Flu Season

May 4, 2023 - 4 min read 

Air purifiers play an important role in keeping us healthy because they’re literally designed to remove nasty viruses, bacteria and allergens from the air we breathe. This winter, you don’t just need to reach for your puffer jacket, beanie and scarf. An air purifier is your other line of defence for keeping colds, flu and allergies at bay. 

Woman using a digital tablet to set up a home air purifier in her living room.

What Is An Air Purifier?

Air purifiers do what the name suggests: they purify/filter the air around you and provide you and your family with air free from bacteria, viruses, allergens, pollen and more, to ensure you’re breathing in the cleanest air possible.

Air purifiers do this through an in-built fan that draws air in and runs it through a filter that traps nasties like dust, germs, pet dander, odour particles, chemicals and anything else floating in the air. The clean air is then released back into your home.

Why Do I Need An Air Purifier This Winter? 

Air purifiers can help to reduce the risk of contracting colds and flu by removing some of the bacteria from the air, to help give you peace of mind. After all, clean air means a healthier you.

Air purifiers also remove many allergens that cause us to cough, sneeze and irritate our eyes. “We see a spike in air purifier purchases each winter, and for good reason,” says Scott Bazley, The Good Guys Buyer – Seasonal. “If you or your children suffer from asthma or allergies, air purifiers may offer relief from symptoms during the cooler months, and all year round.”

"Air purifiers also remove many allergens that cause us to cough, sneeze and irritate our eyes."

Best Air Purifier For Allergies

For this task, you’ll want a model with a multiple filtration system to cover all bases, capable of eliminating allergens including pet dander, pollen, dust, smoke and mould.

Top Performer:  Samsung AX3300M Air Purifier A multi-layered filtration system that includes a HEPA filter to remove 99.97% of particles (up to 0.3 microns in diameter) from the air. These are the allergens that cause sneezing and a runny nose, breathing issues and eye irritation. A light indicator also shows how clean your air is, so you can adjust where necessary. Bacteria, pet dander, pollen, harmful gases, mould, pollen: it blitzes those, too.

Best Air Purifier For Avoiding Colds And Flu

Top of your list should be a model with a HEPA filter, the industry gold standard when it comes to removing bacteria and allergens from the air. Plus, you’ll need a purifier that’s powerful enough for large spaces.

Top performer: Panasonic Nanoe X Air Purifier Capable of purifying the air in an area up to 95m2, the Nanoe features the all-important HEPA filter, which not only filters the air in your home, but also inside the filter itself so when you clean the filter, you’re not releasing particles back into the air or onto your skin. The Nanoe X technology also removes bacteria and particles from hard surfaces and fabrics.

Woman turns on the air purifier in her living room.

Best Air Purifier For Pet Owners

To stop pet hair and dander in its tracks, you’ll want a powerful air purifier with a HEPA filter.

Top performer: Breville The Smart Air Plus Connect Purifier A four-stage filtration system reduces up to 99.97% of particles and a Microbe Shield light targets germs and bacteria. The 360-degree design catches pet dander from every direction.

Best Air Purifier With Heating And Cooling

Why just clean the air when you can cool and heat it as well? These purifiers come with an in-built fan for year-round temperature comfort. Plus, all the usual tech to trap bacteria, allergens and odours.

Top performer: Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Serving as a portable heater in winter and a fan in summer, this space-age design removes up to 99.95% of allergens and pollutants from the air, down to 0.1 microns, and even traps gases, odours and fumes.

Shop Air Purifiers That Heat & Cool 

Breville The Air Rounder Plus Connect

Samsung Air Purifier with 3 Way Air Flow

Dyson HP09 hot+cool Formaldehyde Fan Heater

The Best All-Rounder

One purifier that does it all? It will need to be powerful enough to filter the air in large spaces, such as your living room, and boast multiple air filtration systems to cover all bases.

Top performer:  Samsung AX7500K Air Purifier with Wi-Fi With the power to purify air in a space up to 90m2, this model has a multi-layered purification system, including a HEPA filter, to remove dust, mould, bacteria, pet dander, viruses and smoke. Light indicators show how clean your air is, and an app allows you to control it from wherever you are.

 

Are you looking for an air purifier to help you and your family stay healthier this winter? Visit us in-store or online for expert advice, the biggest range and the best prices.

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