Hands down, an RV air purifier is a much needed commodity in motorhomes, campers and even smaller spaces like a campervan. From campfire smoke and wildfires, stinky cooking in your RV to people and pets living in such a small space, an air purification unit helps your family’s respiratory health. But, there’s many portable air purifiers on the market. Which one is best for a tiny camper all the way up to a million dollar motorhome?
C’mon, let’s all admit, your camper can get pretty rank inside. There’s lots of things that will exasperate the effects of nasty odors that can knock over Godzilla.
And while campfires are part of the camping vibe, the smoke that creeps its’ way into your motorhome or camper is a whole ‘other ball of wax.
Then you’re left with that smokey smell that just won’t go away. But what can you do to eliminate the smoke that can be dangerous to your and your family’s health?
Why an RV needs an air purifier?
Having lived in several different size RVs, I can honestly attest that an RV air purifier is the most effective solution to eliminating nasty odors in your camper. As well, air purifiers do exactly as they are labeled; they purify the air your family breathes.
A good quality portable air purifier is the ticket to breathing in clean air. They filter out allergens, toxins, pollutants and other particles in the air that make you sneeze, snort, cough or even worse, cause asthma or worsen COPD.
Understandably so, this is why many RVers never open their windows or leave the doors open even on nice, warm, sunny days.
According to the EPA, those outside toxic elements give off negative effects on our health.
But what fun is having your camper sealed up like a ziplock bag when camping or boondocking in such beautiful outdoor environments?
This is where having the right size and type of air purifier will allow you to breathe clean air while enjoying your RV.
On a personal note, we’ve found using an air purifying odor eliminator works wonders at getting rid of smoke and cleansing the air of lingering odors.
So, before we share our air purifier recommendations, let’s first see how air purifiers purify the air and eliminate those smokey and stinky odors! Then, we’ll show you which RV air purifier is ideal for your motorhome, camper or even campervan based on square footage.
What is an RV air purifier?
An air purifier is an electrically charged machine that filters out contaminants from the air; most notably, campfire smoke, regional and seasonal pollen and dust mites.
These particles also include toxins, allergens and pollen, pet dander, and outside pollutants. All of which contribute to occupants suffering from allergies, asthma, COPD, chronic coughing, irritation and infections of the ears, nose and throat.
But, an air purifier helps to provide the best indoor air quality in your RV so you can live and enjoy your camping without going through 10 boxes of tissues.
In fact, The World Health Organization actually encourages the use of natural ventilation as an effective method against bacteria and infection. An air filter system helps minimize or even eliminates the toxins that can make us sick.
How does an air purifier work?
Many RV air purifiers use fans and filters to remove toxins and contaminants from the air. Pollutants and bacterias in the air are sucked into the input side of the air purifier; landing on the filter.
The air purifier filter prevents those unhealthy particles from exiting the air purifier through its’ output.
Air purifiers are also quite beneficial to use while camping as it filers out smoke from campfires and toxic odors associated camper manufactured materials.
What is the ionizer on an air purification unit?
Along with the air purification process, the system’s ionizer goes a step further by using ions to remove microbes, tiny particulates and odors from the air inside.
The ionizer feature on an air purifier literally sanitizes the air in a room by electrically charging those minuscule air molecules.
However, I urge you to use caution with the ionizer feature and how long you have it on.
While ionizing the air is highly effective at removing particulates from the air and on surfaces, ionizers have potential of producing too much ozone which can lead to or contribute to respiratory health.
I suggest to only use the ionizer feature sparingly; perhaps only after you shut the windows and doors for an hour or two. Then, turn the ionizer feature off.
So, we’ve learned a bit about how an air purifier can be beneficial to your health and camping lifestyle. Now, let’s move onto see which air purifier will suit your RV based on size or square footage.
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Best RV Air Purifiers for Motorhomes, Campers & Vans
RV Air filtration units that clean and purify the air from toxins and allergens
Air Purifiers for Big Rig RVs
Alen BreatheSmart 75i Air Purifier
For those with McMansion size Class As, buses, fifth wheels and long trailers, the Alen BreatheSmart 75i air purifier is a necessary for the larger interior square footage. Designed for larger room, which a big RV qualifies, it offers wider coverage and is quieter than most its’ size.
The Alen BreatheSmart RV air purifier can purify up to 1,300 square feet every half hour generating whisper-soft 49 decibel volume at the lowest operational setting. It being portable, you can take it from your home right into your RV if you wish.
The BreatheSmart 75i HEPA air purifier also has a laser smart sensor that detects airborne particles and self-adjusts to better filter air. You can use the AUTO mode to activate this feature and to automatically speed up or slow down the fan to filter the air.
Its’ True HEPA filtration captures 99.9% of particles as small as 0.1 micron. Alen’s Pure HEPA filter helps remove airborne allergens, dust, pollen, dust mites, dander, pet hair, mold, and more.
And, under normal usage, its’ specially designed Pure HEPA filter lasts 12 to 15 months.
BlueAir Blue Pure 211i Max
Another big rig friendly RV air cleaner, the Blue Pure 211i+ Max HEPASilent™ smart air purifier quickly cleans a 635 square feet room in about 12 and a half minutes.
Or, it will cover even up to 1,524 square feet of larger open space in 30 minutes on the HIGH setting.
The Blue Pure air purifier removes at least 99.97% of tiny airborne particles like bacteria, viruses and that campfire or cigar smoke down to 0.1 microns. Its’ carbon filter captures pet dander, pollen, mold allergens, dust and cooking odors.
The Smart Air Purifier app enables voice control commands featuring Clean Air ETA, RealTrack filter monitoring and Welcome Home.
With their proprietary HEPASilent performance, it’s improved performance with up to 83% faster cleaning and it’s Quiet Mark certified 23-53 decibels of noise depending on setting.
Blue Pure’s silent dual filtration technology delivers more clean air faster using less noise and energy than HEPA filtration alone.
Speaking of filters, the Blueair brand is the only line of air purifiers with a customizable, washable fabric pre-filter. So, no worrying about buying disposable filters on the road.
The trusted Blueair brand also offers other different room capacity air purifiers for RVs and RV bedrooms and bunk houses of different sizes.
Blue Pure 311i+ Max – Cleans 465 square feet large room in about 12.5 min or up to 1,116 square feet space in 30 minutes on HIGH. A good air purifier for big rig RVs to mid size campers.
Blue Pure 411i Max – Cleans 219 square feet room in about 12.5 min or up to 526 square feet space in 30 minutes on HIGH. Great for smaller Class A, Class C, fifth wheels and travel trailers.
- Blueair HEPA Silent Blue 411 – Cleans 161 square feet space in about 12.5 minutes or up to 772 square feet space in 60 minutes on HIGH. This RV air purifier does require disposable filter replacement every 6 months.
However, it’s an ideal air purifier for small RVs like a Class C, towable camper, truck camper or camper van.
Yet, it’s also perfect for separate rooms in a large motorhome, fifth wheel or large travel trailer. You can use this particular air purifier in your RV bedroom, bathroom, bunk house bed space, or a toy hauler garage.
Coway AirMega 400S Smart Air Purifier
Yet, another air purifier for big rig Class A, Class C and big fifth wheels. The Coway AirMega 400S smart air purifier is designed to clean spaces up to 1,560 square feet in 30 minutes.
Now, I realize this air purifier may be a bit of overkill for even a big rig RV. But it is one you can transfer back and forth from your home-to-RV. No need to buy a separate air purifier for both, your RV and your home.
The Coway AirMega 400S has a HyperCaptive Filtration System. It combines all-in-one pre-filter, deodorization filter, and True HEPA Filter that reduces 99.999% of 0.01-micron particles, pollen and other allergens.
This air purifier is perfect for RVs because it reduces 99% of volatile organic compounds and odor.
This smart air purifier has Voice Control IoCare smartphone app that includes indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring, filter notification, scheduling, and speed and smart mode control.
With its Smart Mode feature, the Airmega automatically adapts to its surroundings by adjusting fan speeds based on the room’s air quality.
That means your unit is energy efficient without compromising effectiveness which is a big deal when managing your energy while boondocking. And it works with Amazon Alexa and Dash Replenishment.
When the air quality in the room remains purified for 30 minutes or more in Eco Mode, the fan will turn off to conserve energy, kicking on again when detrimental particles and pollution is detected.
This RV air purifier also has a sleep mode. When the light and pollution sensors detect darkness, the air purifier’s Sleep Mode reduces the purifier’s noise and power consumption. Again, this air purifier is a great air cleaning solution for those who are managing their electricity off grid.
Finally, the air filter indicator tells you when the filters need to be replaced and the pre-filters need to be cleaned for maximum efficiency, based on how much air they have processed.
Coway also offers other size air purifiers that can be applied to smaller RVs and campers.
Coway Airmega 300 True HEPA Air Purifier with Smart Technology – Cleans up to 1,256 square feet space.
Coway Airmega 300S App-Enabled Smart Technology – Covers 1,256 square feet space – Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Coway Airmega 400(G) Smart Air Purifier – True HEPA Air Purifier with Smart Technology – Covers 1,560 square feet space. Graphite (color)
Coway Airmega 400 True HEPA Air Purifier with Smart Technology – Covers 1,560 square feet space – White (color)
Air Purifiers for Small RVs
Now, since those of us who have small RVs like our Winnebago View 25′ Class C motorhome, it’s really not necessary to have a big honkin’ air purifier to do the job for such little space.
So, an air purifier that cleans air space less than 300-400 square feet will be just what the air doctor ordered.
These small tabletop air purifiers are fantastic to keep in each bunk space of your RV bunk house model, small closet or office, and even the bathroom.
Also, it wouldn’t hurt keeping a smaller RV air purifier in each bedroom where you sleep. But they’re also super effective in helping to eliminate gas fume odor in your toy hauler garage.
Heck, you could even use a small tabletop purifier in your truck or car using a power inverter.
BlueAir Blue Pure 511
Using HEPASilent technology; Blue Pure 511 air purifier quickly cleans 180 square foot small room in about 12.5 minutes or up to 431 square foot space in 30 minutes.
Levoit Core Mini
The Levoit Core Mini tabletop air purifier power house quickly cleans the air up to a 356 square foot interior space RV.
What’s even cooler about this air purifier is you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the aroma pad to keep your space smelling great at the same time, enjoy the therapeutic benefits.
Levoit Core 300
The Levoit Core 300 tabletop air purifier will clean up a 1095 square feet purification area. You can choose Sleep Mode at night in this whisper quiet air cleaner.
Then, forget all about your air purifier while you sleep. Its’ QuietKEAP Technology reduces noise levels to a near-silent 24dB, ensuring the Core 300 won’t get in the way of a good night’s rest.
Pure Enrichment® PureZone™ Breeze Tabletop 2-in-1 Air Purifier
The PureZone Breeze is a thoughtfully designed tabletop air purifier is perfect for any surface in your small RV.
It features protective rubber feet to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your table surface. But also, the rubber feet provides added stability to the air purifier. Thus, preventing accidental tipping over while driving or moving of the purifier.
Now, because of its’ smaller purification area, this small desktop air purifier is just that. It purifies the air in a very small area up to 86 square foot.
That makes it the perfect size air purifier for a van, truck camper or tiny towable camper.
Final words on why you need an air purifier for your RV
Your and your family’s respiratory health is incredibly important. There’s a lot of negative elements in the air when camping.
From wildfire or campfire smoke, propane usage to even the building materials in your camper gassing, you can make your camper a much healthier environment using an air purifier in your RV.
No matter how often and where you take your RV or camper out, an air purifier is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to making the air you breathe healthier and more pure.
In other words, make your air purifiers part of your list of things to take in your RV each time you set out on the open road. You’ll definitely breathe a sigh of relief each and every time you use it!
More tips on how to keep your RV clean and healthy!
Annual RV Air Conditioner Maintenance & Cleaning Tips
How to Clean Your RV Air Conditioner Ceiling Vents and Filters
Stinky Motorhome or Camper? How to Eliminate Odors in Your RV
Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaners for RVs, Boats & Cars
10 RV Kitchen Hacks Make Cooking and Cleanup More Fun!
How to Clean Shower Doors in Your RV or Boat
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