Air purifiers are becoming a necessary part of our household decor. Our air is more polluted, and we’re more susceptible to allergies, so keeping the air in your home free of contaminants could alleviate some of the allergies and discomfort you and your family feel each day.
Winix makes a wonderful class of air purifiers, and we’ve got four of our favorites in this list. Let’s break them all down to see which one may be the best option for your house.
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Product
Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier Review
The 5300-2 filters air of particles down to .3 microns using a true HEPA style filter and three-stage cleaning. It has a carbon filter that helps clear stubborn odors such as tobacco smoke and Winix’s PlasmaWave technology for clearing the air of viruses and lingering odors.
What Are The Features?
The Winix 5300-2 has a lot of the standard features you expect from the company.
Filter Type
It uses a triple filtration system with a permanent filter, a charcoal filter, and a true HEPA. Odors can’t pass the charcoal filter, so even lingering odors such as strange baking smells or cigarette smoke stay trapped.
The true HEPA filter catches particles down to .3 microns. That prevents a lot of pathogens from getting into your air and making you sick. It doesn’t have to be changed that often but it will maintain quality up until you need to change it, which is only once a year.
The carbon filter can be washed periodically to refresh it, and it helps with really stubborn odors that can linger in the air for a long time. Cigarette smoke or cooking odors don’t stand a chance, especially if you have the fan on high. It needs to be changed every six months.
Fan
There are four fan speeds. You can choose each depending on the air quality indicator, but you can also put it on auto. The purifier will keep tabs on air quality and adjust the fan level based on the indicator. It keeps up without working overtime, and you don’t have to babysit your unit.
The two low levels are excellent for maintenance and smaller odors, but the top two are able to handle really poor air quality. You can also set a timer for the unit to run during the times that you want it to run whether it’s when you’re home or out.
Indicators
There are three lights to tell you about the air quality. Red means poor, yellow means fair, and blue is good. Based on the air quality, the machine adjusts automatically. There’s also an indicator to tell you when it’s time to change the filters.
It also has a sensor to adjust the LED indicator based on the level of ambient light. It can tell when the lights are off or lower and adjusts, so the unit lights aren’t shining directly into your eyes. It’s a great option, and we love that it won’t glare right at us while we’re watching a movie.
Design
It uses a simple black design with vertical lines and LED indicators. It’s modern and does blend well with more modern decor. It’s a little bit large, but it does blend well in some circumstances. If your decor is light and airy, it may be a bit much, but overall, it’s a simply designed piece of machinery that isn’t too much for most rooms.
Is It Noisy?
It is, but only on the highest settings. The lowest two settings don’t seem to move a whole lot of air through, so they’re whisper quiet. Unfortunately, the highest setting is really loud. It could interfere with some activities like light conversation or the television, so hopefully, it won’t have to run too much.
How Do You Use It?
It’s set for medium to large rooms because it can successfully clear 360 square feet regularly. We prefer the automatic setting because that allows us to walk away, but if you decide to put it on a particular setting, the auto setting is canceled. You’ll have to choose it again later when you’re satisfied.
The filters are easy to replace. Just slide them into position, and you’re good to go. It needs about four inches of clearance all around so that the air can circulate. Once you notice that the air is the way you want it, you can set the auto and forget about it.
What Are The Benefits?
One of our favorite perks of the machine is that it has an automatic mode. The purifier never gets behind, but it doesn’t feel like it’s running on high all the time. Machines that don’t have automatic modes can sometimes get behind if you forget to change the fan speed while you’re cooking, for example.
We also like the sensor that turns the LED lights down depending on the ambient light of the room. This means we never have lights shining in our eyes when we’d rather everything be dim. The purifier has all these neat features that suggest we don’t have to babysit it or fiddle with it constantly. It’s a relief.
What Are The Downsides?
IT doesn’t have a remote control, unfortunately, but this may not be a deal breaker. If you put it in sleep mode, you can only run it on the lowest speed. Once you choose a different speed, the entire thing wakes up including the lights.
The PlasmaWave option does put out minute amounts of ozone. It isn’t enough to cause issues, and it does pass strict California standards, but if you’re worried, you should know about this tiny detail.
The indicator lights are a weak point, and some have a tendency to malfunction. They could have a tendency to stay on one color or switch from one color to another color rapidly. You should contact the manufacturer if you suspect that your indicator light isn’t working.
Who Is This Purifier For?
We recommend this purifier for people who have a larger room but don’t need a remote. It probably wouldn’t be suitable for a bedroom because it doesn’t have a remote (you’d have to get out of bed to control it), but it could be great for a nursery on the lowest setting and sleep mode.
It does fit in well with modern decor and is great for people who want a lot of control over their unit, but don’t want to hover over it all the time.
Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier Review
The 5500 is a black, tower style purifier that can handle particles as small as .3 microns and is rated to treat an area of up to 360 square feet. It uses a charcoal filter in addition to a true HEPA filter to reduce both odors and allergens.
What Are The Features?
Winix 5500-2 has quite a few features that may entice you. The manufacturer is based in South Korea, and this model is a staple there. Since South Korea’s air is notoriously polluted, this one may be a great contender to get your home air clean finally.
Filter Type
It uses a true HEPA filter to remove things like dust, pet dander, and mold. It will also filter out pathogens as small as .3 microns, taking care of many bacteria or spores that can contribute to wintertime illness.
It also has a charcoal filter to reduce odor. This filter can even handle troublesome odors such as tobacco smoke or cooking odors, keeping your house fresh and smelling clean. It also features something called PlasmaWave technology, a technology that releases hydroxyls. This compound occurs naturally outdoors and binds with odor particles and other VOCs.
Fan
It has four speeds low to high, and an auto mode. If you choose auto mode, the purifier senses the quality of the air and adjusts the fan speed naturally. Once you manually choose a speed, the purifier will stay on that speed until you choose auto again.
Low and medium speeds are suitable for every day use and won’t interfere with other activities such as watching movies or conversation. Higher speeds can quickly scrub the air after a cooking incident or if you’re eliminating a stubborn odor such as tobacco smoke.
You can choose something called sleep mode where your filter runs with no lights and on the quietest setting. You can also set a timer to run the purifier, giving you control even if you happen to be away.
Indicators
Lights on the front tell you the current air quality. Red means the dirtiest air while yellow indicates fair air quality. As long as your indicator is blue, you’re doing well. These indicator lights will dim based on the ambient light of the room. If it senses that things are winding down, it will dim the lights, so they aren’t so bright.
There’s also an indicator telling you when it’s time to change the filter.
Design
The design is a little more industrial than some other air purifiers on the market. It’s tall and black, giving it a modern look, but it might stand out in some decor that isn’t so modern. The lights are easy to see, and options are simple to operate.
Is It Noisy?
There are four stages of noise, and the first two are actually very quiet. As you move up in fan speeds, your noise quotient goes up as well. It’s not obtrusive, but it may interfere with certain things like movies or conversation while it’s on the highest setting.
How Do You Use It?
The auto setting and the timer makes this one really simple. You can set the timer for when you aren’t home or overnight, so it runs only when you want to. The auto setting means you won’t get caught off guard if you have a particularly bad odor or the air quality is worse than usual. Second, it won’t be running way higher than it needs to on a typical day. No babysitting.
The indicator light tells you when your filters need to be changed. These particular filters only need to be replaced about once a year based on average use. They’re simple to change by just sliding them into the appropriate slot, and the machine needs at least a four-inch clearance to function properly.
You can wash the carbon filter to keep it fresh, but eventually, you will have to replace it altogether. Being able to refresh it in between, however, is nice.
What Are The Benefits?
It’s capable of handling larger rooms, and the auto setting plus timer gives you a lot of control over operations without having to babysit it. Because you can wash the carbon filter in between changes, it stays fresher and doesn’t impede airflow the way it would if it stayed gunked up all the time.
It protects you from viruses, really horrific odors, and other pathogens with PlasmaWave especially. The automatic option helps keep things running smoothly and never gets behind just because you forgot to turn the fan up. Overall, it cleans a small to medium sized room quickly and efficiently.
Power usage is actually very low, especially with the PlasmaWave option. Power usage is minimal on low speeds, and you shouldn’t notice much of a difference on your bill. Filters are changed just once a year, making it both convenient and cost-effective.
We also love the sleep feature that can turn everything off if you want to sleep or watch a movie but keep the fan running on the lowest setting. No more lights glaring us right in the face.
What Are The Downsides?
The noise from the highest setting on the fan is a bit much, but if you’ve got the auto setting on, it shouldn’t kick that high too often. The first two are really quiet, but it doesn’t move much air at those settings. If you have a lot of frequent air offenders (cats, cigarette smoke, terrible cooking skills), it may be on high all the time. Unfortunately, high is really noisy.
The design may not work with some decor. The black color scheme is very modern and may not fit if you don’t have a modern or a dark styled room. For some customers, the design isn’t an issue but for those for which design matters, this one could be tricky.
The filters don’t need to be replaced often, which is good because they’re expensive. Try to save up throughout the year to offset the cost of yearly replacement. Also, if you don’t remember to wash your carbon filter every three months, you could be replacing it a lot sooner.
Who Is This Purifier For?
It’s suitable for those who need an auto setting and prefer the unit to run at a particular time. It’s best for medium-sized rooms that don’t need a lot of high-fan purifying and have a color scheme that matches the modern, black design. Overall, it’s a good machine and should help handle normal household funk.
Winix C535 True HEPA Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave Technology Review
The Winix C535 uses true HEPA technology to efficiently and cleanly filter the air in your home down to 0.3 microns. It’s relatively quiet and has plenty to offer for medium to large rooms or sections of a house.
What Are The Features?
The Winix C535 has quite a few high-end features. Let’s take a look.
Filter Type
The Winix C535 can handle rooms up to 350 square feet efficiently and quietly. It comes with a true HEPA filter which filters particles down to .3 microns including odors, pollen, mold, and other allergens. IT has a clean air rate of about 246 and will even filter out stubborn tobacco smoke through the use of carbon filters.
Fan
It has an auto feature that controls the level of output and fan speed depending on the quality of the air. During times when the air is relatively free of major allergens, the machine powers down to a speed that won’t disturb you. During allergy season, or if there are excess odors in your home, the machine senses air quality and turns up operations to keep up.
The PlasmaWave feature gets into serious air quality. According to Winix, it can filter out things like viruses, something ordinary air purifiers can’t touch. It doesn’t produce ozone, and the reviews are out about whether it’s actually effective (we’ll discuss that below).
You can adjust the fan speed with an easy button on the front. Choosing a fan speed shuts off the auto feature so make sure you’re aware that you’ll have to select the auto feature again at a later time.
Indicators
There’s an air quality indicator on the front that indicates poor air quality (red), fair air quality (amber), or good air quality (blue). You can decide to run the fan based on your choice or switch to auto mode.
It also tells you when to check the filter, and automatically adjusts the light of the LED sensors based on how bright the room is. If you have lights low for movie watching, your air filter adjusts accordingly.
Design
The design is a neutral white with curved edges. It fits well in a variety of decor and doesn’t scream “large industrial filter.” In fact, it blends well with decor that has a slightly modern edge. The white is a much softer touch than many purifier designs.
Is It Noisy?
It does produce a little bit of noise, but it depends on the filtration level. Level 1 and Level 2 are both very quiet, but once you switch to level three, the noise becomes more noticeable. Level 4 is by far the noisiest, but once you need level four, the noise seems to be worth it.
How Do You Use It?
Using the Winex 535 is simple, especially with the addition of the auto feature. Basic air purifiers stay on the speed you choose regardless of how the air is, making it difficult to balance the noise with cleaning at the right capacity.
Winex’s option makes sure you aren’t wasting energy processing already clean air at double time, but you won’t accidentally get behind on days when odors or extra allergens are in the air. The filters are easy to change – just unwrap and slide into the slot – and the unit requires only about four inches of clearance.
You’ll need to change the filters every three months at least and possibly sooner depending on the average quality of your air. Only one filter, the permanent prefilter, is washable. The rest of the unit can be wiped down with a clean cloth.
What Are The Benefits?
It processes more significant amounts of air for bigger, common rooms. Although faster speeds do come with a bit of noise, the true HEPA filter plus carbon filter can help you with even stubborn air pollutants such as tobacco smoke or pet dander.
The design is excellent and fits well with the decor. It’s too large to blend in, but it won’t stand out as an eyesore. It produces clean air from the top, creating a convection style loop that helps draw poor air in through the bottom and releasing clean air towards face level in the room.
It has a remote control for further customization, and we love that the unit can operate without us having to adjust it all the time. It really helps keep the air at a refreshing level of clean without us feeling like our unit is working over time.
What Are The Downsides?
There’s a lot of skepticism for Winex’s PlasmaWave option. First of all, not everyone is convinced that the PlasmaWave option is anything more than window dressing. A huge issue with PlasmaWave is the potential to create ozone. The company claims it doesn’t, but in truth, the technology certainly has the potential to create ozone, just in small enough amounts that it’s negligible. It does California’s rigorous safety standards.
Another issue people have is the noise, but it isn’t what you think. For some, an air purifier is a source of white noise that can help them sleep or relax. The noise levels for this unit are inconsistent, with the first three levels almost too quiet and the fourth level way too loud. If you want a consistent sound, this one isn’t it.
Who Is This Purifier For?
If you’re busy and have frequent changes to the air quality in your house, you’ll really appreciate auto mode. Sleep mode for the lights is another great quality for people too busy to fiddle with their air purifier all day. It’ll reduce both noise and brightness depending on conditions in your home, leaving you free to do other things.
If you don’t need the bells and whistles, this may be a little much, but for medium to large rooms, this model is killer.
Winix WAC9500 Review
Our final filter is a smaller purifier that handles small to medium rooms up to 283 square feet. It can handle filtering particles down to .3 microns and includes an automatic feature, so you don’t have to babysit your purifier.
What Are The Features?
Winix WAC9500 has some of the standard features we expect from Winex. Let’s take a look.
Filters
Winix WAC9500 uses a true HEPA filter that will take care of particles such as pet dander, dust, bacteria, and mold. A five-step filtration system brings air in through the permanent filter to remove large particles such as pet hair. This leaves the HEPA free to filter out the smaller things.
The carbon filter helps you with stubborn odors such as cigarette smoke or cooking odors. Together, the filters remove 99.9% of known air contaminants and odors to leave you with just fresh air.
The HEPA filter only needs to be changed once a year, but both the carbon filter and the prefilter are washable. An antibacterial coating helps prevent grime from building up inside, and it’s a heavy duty purifier despite its small size.
The PlasmaWave binds to viruses and odors in the air and is the final push towards cleaner air. It isn’t a filter itself, but it it does give a final clean to air already filtered by the HEPA and carbon filter.
Fan
It has four fan speeds, low, medium, high, and turbo. You can also set it to auto mode, which allows you to leave the purifier and go about your business.
As the purifier detects changes in the air, it also changes the fan speed to match. That way, you’re always ready if there are contaminants, but it isn’t always running at the highest speed.
Indicators
There are three indicator lights to keep you updated on how the air quality is. As it changes back and forth, you get a good idea of what’s going on and why. In auto mode, this also helps you know when the purifier is about to shift speeds.
It also has a light that tells you when to change the filter, and you can put it into sleep mode so that it doesn’t disturb you if you’re trying to sleep. The auto dim feature also helps if you want to be able to run the fan at a higher speed, but you need the lights to be a little bit lower.
Design
It has a modern silver and white design that’s small enough to tuck out of the way. It should match your decor well. The LED is easy to read and conveniently turns off when you don’t want it shining in your face. It also has a remote. If you keep it in the bedroom, you wouldn’t have to get out of bed to adjust it.
Is It Noisy?
The lower levels of fan aren’t noisy at all, but the upper levels can be intrusive if you’re doing quiet tasks. Leaving it on auto can make it more obvious when it gets louder. With the remote, you can always turn it down if things get too noisy on higher settings.
How Do You Use It?
The unit needs at least four inches of clearance to have plenty of airflow, but it’s flexible otherwise. It can handle smaller rooms, but it really shines in houses with pets. The filter system pulls both large and small debris out of the air and reduces that pet smell.
Filters are simple to replace. You just remove the entire cassette and slide the new one into place.
What Are The Benefits?
It’s great for households with pets because of the all in one filter
What Are The Downsides?
The filters themselves are nearly as expensive as the unit itself. It only needs to be replaced once a year, but the all in once cassette is an investment. Using aftermarket filters can leave gaps that allow particles to get around the HEPA filter, unfortunately, so you’ll have to get the real filters.
It’s great for households with pets, but it can’t handle a larger room efficiently. It’s better for smaller rooms and bedrooms. You could buy multiples, but the expense of the unit plus the cost of replacing the filters could make it prohibitively expensive.
Who Is This Purifier For?
Households with pets and smaller rooms, or those who need a unit for the bedroom should find this purifier fits the bill exactly. It’s efficient, has all the bells and whistles of the bigger Winix units, and blends in well with most decor schemes. It’s even suitable for a nursery purifier, and baby should find the added white noise just right on one of the lowest settings.
Final Thoughts
Winix makes some great purifiers that can handle small to medium and medium to large rooms. Most have a triple filter system (and some more) that can handle tougher contaminants such as cigarette smoke and even viruses. While the jury’s still out on the actual effectiveness of PlasmaWave, some people swear by this feature. We do know that it’s safe and should help the air in your home feel fresher and less polluted.
Does this air purifier actually have the ability to clean viruses out of the air?
The elementary school of my daughter is thinking of putting Winix air purifiers in all of the classrooms to help combat sickness and I am offering this as an idea because it is great and can potentially take viruses out of the air.
I love how Winix C535 has a sensor for how many allergens are in the air. Sometimes it will be running fast and I know that it really is working hard. But it also doesn’t overdo it so as not to break down early on.
Great feature of this air purifier.
I love how the lights adjust based on the other lights in the room. It makes it so much easier and I don’t have to worry about it expending a lot of extra energy when I am gone from the house. And my cat is not afraid to stay home alone with this air purifier.
Thanks for your feedback. This is one of the best air purifier for pets owners.