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9 Best Air Purifiers for Cat Urine Odor in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

Written by: Kathryn Copeland

Last Updated on February 28, 2024 by Catster Editorial Team

air purifier at home

9 Best Air Purifiers for Cat Urine Odor in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

air purifier at home

Part of owning a cat means dealing with the rather unpleasant odor of cat urine. We can use all manner of items to help remove this stinky smell from our homes, everything from deodorizers and expensive kitty litter to diffusers. Air purifiers can also reduce foul odors, including smelly cat urine, as well as rid your home of airborne allergens and germs.

But if you don’t have the time for researching and shopping, we’ve done all that work for you. Here are reviews of 10 of the best air purifiers for cat urine odor. We hope that you’ll find a great air purifier that will make your home smell amazing!

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier
  • Ozone-free
  • Low energy use
  • Compact in size
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier
  • Uses UV-C light rather than filters
  • Can plug it in next to the bad odor
  • Uses titanium dioxide to reduce viruses and bacteria
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Rabbit Air Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier Rabbit Air Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier
  • Five filters
  • Can be wall mounted
  • Purifies up to 815 sq. ft.
  • Coway Airmega App-Enabled HEPA Air Purifier Coway Airmega App-Enabled HEPA Air Purifier
  • Combined charcoal and HEPA filter
  • Five speeds that are quietest at lowest speeds
  • Mobile app for support and timer with four settings
  • Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier
  • Compact and quiet
  • Three carbon filters get rid of strong odors
  • One-year warranty
  • The 9 Best Air Purifiers for Cat Urine Odor

    1. LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier — Best Overall

    LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier

    Size: 8.5 x 8.5 x 14.5 inches
    Color: White
    Room Size: 128 square feet

    The best overall air purifier for cat urine odor is the LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier. It has three effective filters: a pre-filter, a HEPA filter, and an activated-carbon filter. These work together to reduce airborne allergens like dust, pollen, smoke, and pet dander, as well as strong pet odors. It’s quiet and has a nightlight that can be turned off or on when necessary. It also doesn’t use a UV-C light, is ozone-free, and doesn’t require that much energy to run.

    There are a couple of flaws with this air purifier, though. It is a quiet product, but you might find that it still makes too much noise at its highest setting, particularly if you have it in the bedroom and you’re a light sleeper. Also, this purifier seems to emit high EMF readings, which aren’t harmful, but if this is a problem for you, you should look elsewhere.

    All in all, we think this is the best air purifier for cat urine odor that you can buy this year.

    Pros
    • Compact in size
    • Three affective filters
    • Low energy use
    • Ozone-free
    • Quiet and has a nightlight
    Cons
    • The highest setting might be too loud for a bedroom
    • High EMF readings

    2. Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier — Best Value

    Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier

    Size: 2.75 x 3.5 x 6.75 inches
    Color: White
    Room Size: 56 square feet

    The best air purifier for cat urine odor for the money is the Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier. It’s one of the cheapest purifiers out there but works quite well as a personal air purifier. It uses a UV-C light, so there are no filters to change or purchase. You can plug it directly into an outlet and place it in the area with the biggest odor problem. The UV-C light uses titanium dioxide, which reduces airborne bacteria and viruses. The bulb just needs replacing every 10 to 12 months, depending on use.

    The problems with this purifier are that the bulb can be fairly challenging to replace, and it isn’t that quiet—the fan might emit a somewhat high-pitched sound.

    Pros
    • Well-priced
    • Uses UV-C light rather than filters
    • Can plug it in next to the bad odor
    • Uses titanium dioxide to reduce viruses and bacteria
    Cons
    • Might make a high-pitched noise
    • The light bulb can be difficult to change

    3. Rabbit Air MinusA2 Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier — Premium Choice

    Rabbit Air MinusA2 Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier

    Size: 20 x 7 x 21 inches
    Color: Black or white
    Room Size: 815 square feet

    The Rabbit Air MinusA2 Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier is our pick for a premium choice. It comes with five filters: a pre-filter, HEPA, a medium filter, a customized filter, and an activated-carbon filter. The customized filter gives you the option to choose a filter of your choice for such issues as the elimination of germs, allergies to pets, or odor remover (the purifier available on Chewy is just for odor removal). It has five speeds to choose from that are all designed to be quiet, and it can be mounted on a wall. It is powerful, and it can purify the air up to 815 square feet and trap the smallest particles at 0.3 microns.

    The issues with this purifier are that it is quite expensive and that the replacement filters are fairly costly.

    Pros
    • Five filters
    • Option for specialized filters
    • Five quiet speeds
    • Can be wall mounted
    • Purifies up to 815 sq. ft.
    Cons
    • Expensive unit
    • Costly filters

    4. Coway Airmega App-Enabled HEPA Air Purifier

    Coway Airmega App-Enabled HEPA Air Purifier

    Size: 14.8 x 14.8 x 22.8 inches
    Color: Graphite or white
    Room Size: 1,560 square feet

    The Coway Airmega App-Enabled HEPA Air Purifier covers the largest square footage of all the filters on this list at 1,560 square feet. It cleans the air about twice every hour and has true HEPA and activated-charcoal filters combined with a washable pre-filter. It has a pollution sensor that lets you know how clean or dirty the surrounding air is and adjusts itself automatically. It has five speeds: smart, sleep, low, medium, and high. It is very quiet at lower speeds. It also has a timer with four settings and includes a mobile app that gives you further options and support.

    The problems here are that it is expensive and that the app sometimes has issues with connectivity, which can be a bit of a hassle to deal with.

    Pros
    • Covers 1,560 sq. ft.
    • Combined charcoal and HEPA filter
    • Includes pollution sensor that automatically adjusts
    • Five speeds that are quietest at the lowest speeds
    • Mobile app for support and timer with four settings
    Cons
    • Expensive
    • The app has issues at times

    5. Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier

    Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier

    Size: 7.62 x 7.3 x 7.96 inches
    Color: White
    Room Size: 100 square feet

    The Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier has three carbon filters for thorough air purification, plus an optional scent cartridge. This air purifier works well to reduce strong odors and has a surprisingly quiet motor. It also has two-speed levels and comes with a one-year warranty.

    The main flaw is that while the low speed can be quiet, the purifier gets louder as it gets turned up to the higher setting. Also, there isn’t a HEPA filter, and you will need to purchase replacement carbon filters.

    Pros
    • Three carbon filters for strong purification
    • Has a surprisingly quiet motor on low setting
    • Two-speed settings
    • One-year warranty
    Cons
    • Gets louder at the highest settings
    • Carbon filters need replacing
    • No HEPA filter

    6. Honeywell InSight HEPA Air Purifier

    Honeywell InSight HEPA Air Purifier

    Size: 25 x 22 x 13.5 inches
    Color: Black
    Room Size: 500 square feet

    Honeywell’s InSight HEPA Air Purifier works in spaces of 500 square feet, with a HEPA filter that can remove 99.7% of allergens. It has an activated-carbon pre-filter that can help eliminate odors and clean the surrounding air around five times an hour. It has an air quality indicator that tells you when your air quality is good, moderate, or bad and will automatically adjust to fix any issues.

    The problems with it are that some of the units are prone to making a rattling noise and that it’s somewhat expensive.

    Pros
    • Cleans 500 sq. ft. almost five times an hour
    • HEPA filter removes 99.7% of allergens
    • Activated carbon pre-filter eliminates odors
    • The air quality indicator notifies about the air quality and adjusts automatically
    Cons
    • Might make a rattling sound
    • Somewhat expensive

    7. Bissell MyAir Air Purifier

    Bissell MyAir Air Purifier

    Size: 8.27 x 8.27 x 12.2 inches
    Color: White, blue, or purple
    Room Size: 100 square feet

    The Bissell MyAir Air Purifier can be used on a desk or bedside table and can be your own personal purifier. It has a pre-filter, an activated carbon filter, and a high-efficiency filter, so it should give you fresher air in your space. It has three speeds, including a sleep mode, so it’s quiet for bedtime, and it also has an optional nightlight.

    The flaws here are that it can be fairly noisy at the highest setting and that it doesn’t have a medium setting, just sleep, low, and high.

    Pros
    • Small enough for a desk or table
    • Includes pre-filter, activated carbon, and high-efficiency filters
    • Three fan speeds with sleep mode
    • Optional nightlight
    Cons
    • The highest settings can be noisy
    • Only has low and high speeds, no medium setting

    8. Lasko HEPA Filter Room Air Purifier

    Lasko HEPA Filter Room Air Purifier

    Size: 10.3 x 7.3 x 21.64 inches
    Color: White
    Room Size: 170 square feet

    Lasko’s HEPA Filter Room Air Purifier has carbon-activated and HEPA filters that effectively trap 99.7% of pollutants found in the air. You can pick from three speeds, and there’s an optional 8-hour timer. The purifier notifies you when you need to change the filter, and it has an easy-to-read digital display. It can clean a 170-square-foot area in about 10 minutes.

    Some of its problems include that it isn’t quiet and that while it can only treat small areas, it’s quite large and heavy. Also, the door for the filter can sometimes have problems with latching and staying closed.

    Pros
    • Carbon and true HEPA filters remove 99.7% of air pollutants
    • Has an 8-hour timer and three speeds
    • Notification when the filter needs changing
    • Cleans 170 sq. ft. in 10 minutes
    Cons
    • Can be noisy
    • The filter door doesn’t always stay closed
    • Heavy and large

    9. Germ Guardian HEPA Filter Air Purifier

    Germ Guardian HEPA Filter Air Purifier

    Size: 11 x 6.75 x 27.25 inches
    Color: Charcoal gray
    Room Size: 180 square feet

    Germ Guardian’s HEPA Filter Air Purifier has a true HEPA filter, activated-charcoal filter, and pre-filter for air pollutants and bad odors. The filters have been treated with an antimicrobial agent that helps prevent mold and mildew from forming, which stops the air purifier from contributing to bad smells. It has an optional UV-C light to remove airborne viruses and germs, a filter change indicator, and an 8-hour timer.

    However, this purifier tends to be noisy, particularly at the highest speeds, and in some units, one of the vents might stop working, so you’ll only get clean air blowing from one side. Additionally, if you’re also looking for a purifier as an allergy sufferer, this one might not prove as effective as some others.

    Pros
    • Includes pre-filter, HEPA, and charcoal filters
    • Filters treated with an antimicrobial agent to stop mildew and mold
    • Optional UV-C light helps remove bacteria and viruses
    • Has an 8-hour timer, filter change indicator, and five speeds
    Cons
    • Can be loud at high speeds
    • One vent might stop working
    • Might not be that effective for allergies

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    Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Air Purifier for Cat Urine Odor

    This buyer’s guide has extra information that should enable you to make a more informed decision. There are various points for you to consider, so you can figure out what kinds of features you should be on the lookout for when shopping.

    Room Size

    The first thing to think about is how large an area you would like the air purifier to cover. Are you looking for a small one that will be situated near the litter box itself, or do you want it to cover a large room? Be sure to measure the area that you want to use it in, and then read the description of the purifier carefully so you know if it can do the job. You should also read reviews by other customers, as they’ll likely mention how big of a space it works in. For a large area, you might need to think about purchasing more than one.

    Cost

    Air purifiers tend to be fairly expensive. The most expensive ones aren’t necessarily going to do a better job than the cheaper ones, but most of the time, you do get what you pay for. Always take the time to read the reviews, but keep in mind that what doesn’t work for one person could be perfect for you.

    air purifier in living room
    Image Credit: Yuttana Jaowattana, Shutterstock

    Filters

    While the initial cost of the air purifier can be high, keep in mind that the costs don’t end there. Some air purifier filters are permanent and only need cleaning, but other filters need replacing, usually every 3 months, depending on the filter. Specifically for odors, your air purifier should also have an activated-carbon filter.

    Noise

    Most purifiers are made to be quiet, but some can get noisy when working at higher speeds. If you’re not planning on putting the purifier in your bedroom, you might not mind that it isn’t quiet. However, if it’s sitting next to the litter box and rattling around, your cat might be less than impressed. The more expensive purifiers tend to be quieter, but this isn’t a guarantee. Customer reviews are ideal to check out in this case.

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    Conclusion

    We picked the LEVOIT Compact HEPA Air Purifier as our overall favorite air purifier due to its compact size and effectiveness at reducing nasty smells. The Germ Guardian Pluggable Small Air Purifier uses a UV-C light, so you don’t have to worry about filters, and it does this all for a low price. Finally, the Rabbit Air MinusA2 Allergy Pet Odor Air Purifier is our premium choice for being whisper quiet and having five effective filters.

    We hope that reading through these reviews has enabled you to find a great air purifier or perhaps just have a better idea of what you’re looking for. We know how bad cat urine can smell, so we hope that your new air purifier will make your home smell as good as new!


    Featured Image Credit: Parinya Smithijaroenpon, Shutterstock

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