3 Years Later, I Still Swear by the LG PuriCare Mini Air Purifier—and It's 27% Off Right Now

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 17/20
• Ease of Use: 17/20
• Aesthetics: 19/20
• Portability: 20/20

TOTAL: 90/100

As my phone, Nest Hub Max and daughter's preschool all sent me alert after alert that New York was ranking number one...in worst air quality in the country, I dashed to my bookshelf to fire up one thing: the LG PuriCare Mini air purifier ($200; $146), a water bottle-sized device that detects and removes airborne particles as tiny as 0.3 microns in diameter (a claim four independent organizations tested and confirmed).

That's particularly noteworthy, considering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends using a portable air cleaner to help clear air impacted by wildfire smoke. While you can see ash and smoke—which tends to be 10 microns or larger—the real concern, and the one that triggers air quality alerts, is any "particulate matter" that's 2.5 microns or smaller, which is invisible to the naked eye and can travel deep into your lungs and body, according to Oregon State University's Disaster Education Network.

Three years into owning the PuriCare Mini, I've actually bought a second device, and I can tell you honestly: Both work as well today as they did the day I unboxed them. Oh, and right now, the device is 24 percent off, ratcheting down the price from $199 to $153.

Aesthetically, it's as sleek as an iPhone—peep that matte finish and leather carrying strap—and it's just as intuitive. There aren’t a ton of instructions or buttons or cables and cords, and setup is pretty simple, taking the intimidation out of using an air purifier. You just pop in the filter, power it up with the same kind of USB-C charger you might use for your phone or laptop, and you’re good to go. There’s a PuriCare Mini app you can use to fire it up and monitor the air quality—great if you prefer to stick to an air-cleaning schedule you can automate—but there are also a few buttons atop the device that let you choose how long (and how strong) its dual-motor runs.

As it runs, a thin light on the top of the PuriCare Mini glows from green to yellow to orange to red, depending on the quality of the air as it’s running. I soon found myself running the machine in every corner of every room in the house. No surprise: The nooks I dusted and vacuumed the least had the most particles in the air...like the nightstand near my bed.

That said, due to the size of the device, it's best used in small spaces, like a bathroom, office, nursery or car. That hasn't stopped me from placing it on my nightstand, blowing cleaner air onto my face as I sleep, but for larger spaces, you're better off with a full-size model.

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

Candace Davison is PureWow’s vice president of editorial, overseeing food, home and major franchises, like the PureWow100 review series and the Happy Kid Awards. She’s covered all things lifestyle in her 10+ years of digital media experience, though she has a weakness for baking (she has *opinions* on stand mixers), DIY-ing and gadgets, all of which she shares on PureWow and her social media accounts. Davison has published multiple cookbooks, and her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Cosmo, Esquire and Delish, among other publications.

PureWow is the best friend you never had when it comes to finding the best, most useful lifestyle products online. Founded in 2010, our company’s editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series, which sees each and every item we test being ranked on a 100-point scale of awesomeness, to the painstakingly curated lists our fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family editors create as vertical experts, you can trust that our recommendations include some of the greatest items you’ll find on the internet. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.