Springing for a six-stage air air purifier that may clean up over 1,000 sq. toes of residing area could look like overkill for somebody who lives in a 350-square-foot condo. However what if the condo in query is within the basement, and inhabited by somebody who cooks quite a bit? (Hello, it’s me!) In that case, a turbo-charged air air purifier is likely to be the right resolution. 

After signing a brand new lease final yr and exhaustively researching air purifiers, I received the Rabbit A3 air air purifier. I’d by no means lived in a basement, and I used to be nervous that the air high quality can be damp and musty. On paper, I used to be impressed by Rabbit’s promise of six ranges of filtration, however what actually offered me was the choice to decide on a customized filter for the ultimate layer. As a result of I prepare dinner day by day and the stovetop is about three toes from my bed room, I picked the odor remover filter. (The opposite decisions are germ protection, pet allergy, and toxin absorber.) If the air air purifier might reduce kitchen odors rapidly, I’d think about it a very good purchase. 

I’ve been utilizing the A3 for a yr now, and I’m smitten with it. Frankly, I don’t know the way I made it so lengthy with out an air air purifier, full cease.  

How Does an Air Air purifier Work?

At their most simple, air purifiers lure impurities like odors, allergens, and viruses contained in the unit. That is why filters must be modified repeatedly; in any other case, they’ll grow to be oversaturated and received’t work appropriately. The Rabbit A3 air air purifier has six layers of filtration, and whereas extra isn’t all the time higher, it definitely appears to matter in the case of air purifiers. I’ve seen an enormous enchancment in my condo’s air high quality since I began utilizing it.

Right here’s a rundown of the filtration layers discovered within the A3. (Not all air purifiers have six layers, however you’ll need one which has, at minimal, a pre-filter and a HEPA filter; plus a carbon filter if you wish to sort out cooking smells.)

• Pre-Filter: The pre-filter is a paneled mesh display screen that traps the large stuff: pet hair, mud, and pollen. This filter is reusable and could be cleaned with a vacuum brush attachment or by washing it.
• Medium Filter: That is one other line of protection for the bigger issues. Any hair, mud, or dander that escapes the pre-filter will get caught right here. This filter needs to be changed each six months.
• Activated Carbon Charcoal Filter: This filter is filled with pellets of charcoal which have undergone an activation course of, which makes them extraordinarily porous. That porosity offers a big floor space for absorbing family odors of all kinds, together with cooking, pet, and cleansing product smells.
• HEPA Filter: A should in any high-quality air air purifier, HEPA filters seize the itty-bitty stuff: something as small as 0.1 microns. (Not sure of what a micron appears like? You’d want a microscope to view one. That is the filter that catches viruses.)
• Custom-made Filter: You may select the ultimate filter for the Rabbit Air A3. I chosen the odor removing choice, however individuals who endure from dander allergy symptoms could favor the pet allergen filter. When you reside in a extremely polluted place, you might go for the toxin removing filter, and if you happen to’re involved about sickness, you’ll wish to get the germ protection filter.
• Destructive Ions: This isn’t a filter, however a button you’ll be able to press to activate unfavourable ions. Destructive ions—naturally occurring molecules—latch onto airborne particles, weighing them down. The heavier the particles are, the extra doubtless they’re to be picked up by your air filter or vacuum, moderately than inhaled. 

Do Air Purifiers Work for Kitchen Smells? 

Most air purifiers will assist reduce cooking smells, however if you wish to eradicate them, you’ll want an air air purifier with a carbon filter. One of the best air air purifier in your kitchen is one which has a reusable mesh filter for capturing mud and hair, a HEPA filter for well being hazards, and a carbon filter for the pungent stuff. “Excessive-quality activated carbon has a extremely porous construction with a excessive carbon content material, leading to a big inner floor space,” explains Olivia Raya, Rabbit Air’s customer support lead. “Cooking odors are decreased as they bond to the pores of [the carbon filter] by means of electrostatic attraction or chemisorption.” 

How Does the Rabbit Air A3 Odor Elimination Filter Work?

What’s the distinction between Rabbit Air’s charcoal filter and the particular odor removing filter? Each use activated carbon, simply in several codecs. The fundamental carbon filter, which comes with each A3, is filled with pellets of activated charcoal. The porous nature of the pellets provides them a number of area for capturing odors. A few of our favourite compost bins have activated charcoal filters tucked into their lids—proof that these things works!

The odor remover custom-made filter makes use of activated carbon woven immediately into its fibers. It’s designed to work in tandem with the prevailing charcoal filter to lure family odors, notably smoke, explains Raya. 

The Verdict: Is the Rabbit A3 Air Air purifier Any Good?

This air filter is an efficient purchase for kitchen smells—particularly if you happen to select one with an odor-removal filter. I’ve been operating it continuously (critically, 24 hours a day) for a yr, and my condo by no means smells like final evening’s dinner. I lived within the condo for every week earlier than setting it up, and I seen an enchancment inside a few hours of use. As a check, I cooked tofu curry that night. The A3 was set on auto and instantly kicked into excessive gear. Once I completed cooking, the A3 returned to its quietest degree. By morning, all olfactory reminders of dinner had been gone. 

My air air purifier additionally labored time beyond regulation final summer season, when the Canadian wildfires induced unsafe air high quality in my Vermont city. However even with all that additional environmental affect, the filters didn’t must be modified for six months—the A3’s app will let you know when it’s time to swap them out. A pink filter icon additionally reveals up on the show panel once they’re clogged.

Though you’ll be able to manually set the fan velocity, I favor to place it on auto-mode. The air air purifier detects the extent of impurities and smells within the air, and kicks into a better gear when crucial. More often than not, it’s on the bottom, extremely quiet, degree. 

The A3 comes with {hardware} to wall-mount it, however put it on my bed room flooring, close to the door to the kitchen. It’s inconspicuous, however ought to I ever select to show it in a extra outstanding area, it definitely doesn’t look dangerous! I’ve a sense the A3 might be coming with me wherever I reside, regardless of what number of extra occasions I transfer.

FAQs

Does air air purifier measurement matter?

It’s a delusion that smaller air purifiers can’t deal with bigger rooms. Air purifiers with smaller capacities will merely take longer to purify a big room, or could need to run at a better velocity.

Is the Rabbit air air purifier good?

I’ve been utilizing the Rabbit A3 air air purifier for a yr, and I confidently suggest it. It’s high-quality, long-lasting, and straightforward to make use of. And with the choice to swap out ornamental filter covers, it doesn’t look half-bad, both.

What’s the most effective air air purifier for the kitchen?

A kitchen air air purifier ought to have, at minimal, a carbon filter for capturing odors and a HEPA filter for micro organism and viruses. Most air purifiers even have a pre-filter, which is a reusable mesh filter that traps hair and dirt. 

Is it okay to place an air air purifier close to the range?

It’s not really useful as a result of the fireplace and water hazards related to cooking can injury the unit. That mentioned, Raya says placing an air air purifier within the kitchen—an affordable distance from the vary—can considerably enhance air high quality: “Cooking usually generates a wide range of pollution, each gaseous and particulate, which might have an effect on indoor air high quality and doubtlessly impression well being.”

Raya notes that the commonest varieties of cooking-related pollution embody carbon monoxide (generated from incomplete combustion of fuels like pure gasoline, propane, or charcoal) and unstable natural compounds (VOCs), emitted from each the cooking course of and the heating of cooking oils. Correct air flow is vital for ridding your kitchen of those compounds. An open window and exhaust fan are useful allies to the air air purifier.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Rochelle Bilow is a commerce editor at Severe Eats.
• Earlier than becoming a member of the employees, she was a contract author for the positioning, reviewing kitchen gear and cooking tools like Vitamix blenders and anti-fatigue mats.  
• She is a culinary faculty graduate and former line prepare dinner, and has labored in meals media for a decade and a half.
• She owns the Rabbit A3 air filter and has used it continuously for a yr.