As locals of Lincoln and Omaha, we like to think of Nebraska’s wide-open spaces as endless sources of clean, fresh air. While our air quality tends to be higher than many other parts of the country, Nebraskans still face daily concerns. From airborne particulate matter and wildfire smoke to nitrogen dioxide caused by cars, trucks, farm equipment, and the oil and gas industry, there are many sources of pollution that find their way into local homes, and with nowhere to escape, they build up to potentially damaging levels.
As awareness of the problem grows, air purifiers are becoming an increasingly popular tool to improve air quality indoors. However, many people aren’t sure if these devices are mostly gimmicks, or if they can really make a difference for your health.
The short answer? Air purifiers absolutely work! That said, not all air cleaning systems are the same. To understand what works and what doesn’t, along with other key considerations, read this guide from our indoor air quality experts at John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical. We’ll cover what air purifiers are and how they work, including various types and their features, and whether they’re worth the cost.
Lastly, we’ll recommend a few of the best air purifiers for 2025 and 2026. Let’s dive in!
What Is an Air Purifier?
Over half of Americans regularly face unsafe pollution levels, and Nebraska is unfortunately no exception. While HVAC systems like ACs and furnaces use air filters that improve indoor air quality, these are mainly designed to protect your HVAC system, not to purify your indoor air. HVAC systems also aren’t compatible with extremely tight filters, since they impede the airflow that is essential for your system to do its job.
That’s where an air purifier comes in. Available in portable and whole-home models that integrate with your HVAC system, an air purifier pulls air through a filtration system to capture pollutants. Air purifiers typically feature multiple filtration stages to target different contaminants. For example, a physical filter can catch dust and tiny particles, while a carbon filter captures gases and odors.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Although air purifiers differ somewhat in how they work and what types of pollutants they can remove, they all fundamentally do the same thing: use an intake fan to pull air through a filtration system. Their effectiveness is measured by something called CADR, or Clean Air Delivery Rate.
Understanding CADR
CADR refers to the amount of air that a purifier can capture, clean, and recirculate through your home within a given timeframe. Larger systems generally have higher CADR, and smaller portable models have the lowest. When considering the CADR of an air purifier for your home, it’s essential to incorporate not only the square footage of the space, but also the types of contaminants that linger in your air.
That’s because some pollutants, like smoke, are harder to remove. In other words, if smoke is one of the primary contaminants you’re trying to remove, you’ll need a higher-CADR system for compared to a similar-sized home where no smoke is present.
Types of Air Purifiers
Between portable and whole-home models, there are three main types of air cleaning units. Many systems combine two or more of the below methods for capturing and cleaning air for a more comprehensive system.
Basic Filtration-Based Air Purifiers
All purifiers pull air through a filter. However, there are different types of filters that can capture different sizes and types of pollutants. Physical filters are measured with MERV, or “Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value.” This refers to the filter’s ability to efficiently capture contaminants down to certain sizes. A higher MERV number means a denser filter that can catch smaller particles.
Here are the three main types of filtration that air purifiers use:
- MERV Filtration: Filters with lower to mid-range MERV ratings are simply referred to as “MERV filters.” They’re effective for medium to larger particles, including dust and dander. HVAC systems use MERV filters that are generally rated around MERV 8 or 9.
- HEPA Filtration: HEPA filters are denser than the typical MERV range, with a rating of 17 or higher. This allows them to capture much smaller pollutants like viruses, bacteria, and smoke particles. They’re too dense to be used as typical HVAC air filters, but can be used in purification systems that attach to your existing ductwork.
- Activated Carbon: Rather than capturing particles inside of a porous substance, activated carbon adsorbs them. That essentially means that they stick to its surface. What makes activated carbon special is that it can catch volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gases like radon, and tiny odor-causing substances that traditional filtration methods can’t.
Electrostatic Air Purifiers
While the actual filters inside of electrostatic air purifiers are no different than typical forced-air models, these create an electric charge that attract particles to each other to make them larger and heavier. This allows the filters to capture more of them as they pass through. Once charged, or “ionized,” even particles that make it through the system’s filters will be heavy enough to fall to a nearby surface. They can then be wiped away rather than continuing to swirl through your air.
UV Light Air Purifiers
Some air purifiers include an ultraviolet, or UV light stage. UV light air sanitizers neutralize biological pollutants like spores, viruses, and bacteria for an added layer of air scrubbing.
Whether you install a whole-home air cleaner or use a portable model, many systems combine one or more of the above types. For example, an air purifier might use an electrostatic charge to attract pollutant particles in a typical filter, then pushing the air through a UV light to capture biological contaminants like viruses and bacteria that the physical filter is too porous to catch.
Portable vs. Whole-Home Systems
Portable air purifiers aren’t bad, but for many homes, they aren’t enough. Quality of these products differs greatly, and even the best types aren’t as effective at cleaning your air as whole-home systems that integrate with your HVAC system. One reason for this is that they tend to have lower CADR than whole-house air cleaners.
Another reason is that whole-home purifiers integrate with your HVAC ductwork. That means that they purify air as it blows through your HVAC ducts, before that air is pushed through vents and registers into your house. This provides a more comprehensive circulation system that purifies air efficiently at the source, rather than cleaning dirty air that is already being breathed in by family members.
Anyone who lives or sleeps farther from the portable model will experience lower-quality air on average, unlike an in-duct system, which ensures that air coming through every HVAC vent has already been purified.
Do Air Purifiers Actually Work?
The short answer is, yes! However, you need a system that’s the right size, with CADR capabilities and filtration types that are matched to your home and the pollutants that you’re targeting.
The other major factor is that if there is an underlying condition that is causing degraded indoor air quality, an air purifier is great for treating the symptoms and effects, but not the root cause. For example, if you have an AC system with a clogged drain line and it’s dripping water in the crawlspace, it could be creating a haven for mold and mildew. An air purifier might remove spores from your air, but you need an AC repair and possibly mold remediation to ensure the root cause is addressed.
For a more obvious example, a nearby wildfire that causes smoke to enter your home will continue to do so until authorities can tame the blaze. In the meantime, however, an air purifier can make your home much more healthy and livable until those issues outside of your control are solved. Even normal home cooking creates a huge volume of pollutants that air purifiers can capture before your family inhales them.
Also keep in mind that air purifiers, powerful as they are, still are only one tool in your toolkit. If you don’t dust or vacuum enough, smoke indoors, wash bedding infrequently, don’t have a range hood for your stove that pushes air outside, or otherwise aren’t taking steps to improve air quality at the source, your air purifier will have to work harder and can only do so much.
Sizing, filter quality, proper installation, and maintenance are crucial. But with the right system and other good habits, air purifiers can drastically improve your home’s indoor air quality.
Will Air Purifiers Improve My Health?
Hospitals use air purifiers to help reduce the spread of pathogens. Studies have shown a dramatic decrease in particulates like wildfire smoke, VOCs, cooking byproducts, and allergens (such as pollen , dust mites, and spores) in homes that use a right-size air purifier with the correct filter types.
That’s why allergy sufferers, asthma sufferers, immunocompromised individuals, and others with specific health concerns will probably feel the most dramatic improvement. However, even people without those issues have reported better sleep, fewer colds, and other health improvements. This is especially true during our Nebraska winters, when windows stay closed and everyone spends more time indoors.
Aside from that, an air purifier will reduce odors and dust in your home. In addition to creating a healthier space, that means less cleaning, especially in homes with pets. Reducing particulates also improves HVAC efficiency. Having fewer pollutants pass through the system improves airflow, and filters will take longer before they need to be cleaned or replaced.
How to Pick a Whole-Home Air Purifier
We’ve already discussed the basics of CADR, MERV ratings, purifier types, and filtration methods. But how do you know which you need? It’s essential to balance these factors with your budget, but UV air sanitizers that use ultraviolet light are essential if you are concerned about viruses and bacteria. Systems with higher-MERV filters are going to be effective for smaller pollutants, but may cost more to run.
The key is to speak with an air purification expert, who can help you understand the options within your budget and guide you toward systems that are effective at addressing your particular air quality concerns.
What to Ask Your IAQ System Installer
An IAQ professional should be able to conduct an indoor air quality test to determine the primary pollutants in your home and recommend the right system. Here are some key questions that a reputable HVAC IAQ installer should be able to answer:
- What were the results of your indoor air quality test?
- What filtration level do I need for my specific indoor air quality concerns?
- What is the minimum CADR I need for the system to be effective?
- What are the maintenance requirements of the system?
- Is it compatible with my HVAC system?
3 Best Whole-House Air Purifiers for 2026
With those facts in mind, let’s dive into three of the overall best whole-home air purifiers we’ve found for 2025-2026, in no particular order!
Best UV Air Sanitizer: Honeywell UV100E2009 UV Air Treatment System
This system, from an established and trusted name in HVAC systems, includes the same UV light technology used in hospitals and laboratories across the world. This HVAC air purifier, mounted in your return air ducts, has been shown to neutralize up to 75% of airborne bacteria.
Its positioning within your system also targets mold and bacteria growth on HVAC coils, drip pans, and ductwork surfaces. For homes seeking a solution that focuses specifically on biological contaminants , Honeywell offers a great option.
Best Electrostatic Air Purifier: AprilAire 5000
The AprilAire 5000 applies an electrostatic charge to particles, capturing and removing up to 98% of dust, pet dander, bacteria, and fungal spores, along with 99% of viruses and pollen, and 95% of smog and tobacco smoke. Maintenance is easy with its long-lasting filters and it operates almost silently, adding no noise to your home since it’s quieter than your actual heating and cooling system.
Best Multi-Stage Air Purifier: Lennox PureAir S
Lennox is one of the top global HVAC brands, and their PureAir S system delivers a comprehensive air quality solution. It uses multiple sanitizing methods and filtration stages: a UV light stage, activated carbon, and MERV 16 filters to eliminate everything from dust, smoke, and pollen to mold, bacteria, and viruses, and even odors.
There are comparable systems from other big brands like Trane, Honeywell, and Carrier. It’s tough to pick just one for this list, but we like the PureAir S for its smart sensors, ozone-reducing features, and hospital-grade purification. The main downside is compatibility. The PureAir S needs to be paired with a Lennox S40 Wi-Fi thermostat and Lennox air handler in order to integrate properly with your HVAC system.
Additional Resources
Still have questions? Contact our team to speak with the indoor air quality pros at John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical. We can answer all your lingering questions and help you choose the perfect system.
For live, local air quality reports in Nebraska , the US government has a website with regular updates and historical data for Omaha, Lincoln, and other cities.
The city of Lincoln also provides an online air quality resource with updates, FAQs, information on laws and regulations, and public air quality notices for the area.
