This HEPA Air Purifier Is My Go-To Device for Getting Rid of Funky Odors in My Apartment

Last month, my partner and I made the mistake of cooking spoiled ground beef. It caused a cheesy smell to unfurl from the kitchen to the entire apartment, and the funky odor lingered for hours. Not even candles or open windows helped. Needing an extra hand, I pulled out my Sans HEPA 13 Air Purifier (which the brand sent me to test in December). I placed the purifier in my living room and noticed that the cheesy smell dwindled significantly within an hour of use.

Using a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) 13 filter and an activated carbon filter, the machine works to eliminate odors, mold, bacteria, and 99.97% of particulates as small as 0.3 microns. It also comes with a pre-filter that captures larger particles like hair and dust. After an hour and a half, my apartment thankfully didn't smell like cheese anymore.

Although my living room is roughly 500 square feet, the purifier can cleanse the air in rooms up to 1,560 square feet per hour and up to 780 square feet every half hour, making it ideal for different sized rooms. And thanks to the built-in handle and lightweight design (it only weighs 14 pounds), this purifier is easy to transport from room to room. Not to mention, its sleek design fits into spaces as if it were a piece of decor.

To buy: Sans HEPA 13 Air Purifier, $349; amazon.com

Another nifty aspect of the purifier is that it filtrates air in three modes: auto, regular, and high. I use auto mode whenever I'm cooking because the machine analyzes the air quality, detects smoke, and blows clean air into the space. The indicator at the top will change colors––red for poor and blue for good––to notify you of the air quality in real-time. Another bonus? Regular and auto mode are quiet enough to run during work meetings. However, I wouldn't recommend using high mode during phone or video calls because the machine can blow air loudly.

I'm not the only one who swears by this under-the-radar purifier. A handful of Amazon shoppers have lauded it in the reviews section, and some even compare it to more popular brands.

"I purchased this after owning a Molekule air purifier and two Levoit core 400s air purifiers," wrote an Amazon shopper. "I'm completely impressed so far…The particle sensor is the best that I've seen so far; it is so much more sensitive than my Levoit purifiers. I also like the fact that there is a UV-C light inside the unit to enhance the purification process. The unit is also not too big, so it fits well in any room; very unobtrusive."

One reviewer who discovered mold in their rental even called it the "best air purifier on the market." They said, "With a young child in the house, I needed an air purifier that covered large areas and had UV-C light to kill [mold] spores. Sans checked all those boxes for me. It looks very clean, runs quietly, and delivers promptly."

The Sans HEPA 13 Air Purifier filtrates dust, smoke, bacteria, and mold from indoor air. I've found that it's well worth the investment, and you can try it, too, for $349 on Amazon.