This impressive air purifier was able to clean my musty-grassy basement

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Airthings Renew air purifier is available now on Amazon for $400.
• This air purifier does a seriously good job of cleaning the air, even in musty basements.
• The Airthings Renew is pretty pricey, but it beats cheaper alternatives by a mile.

We have an unfinished basement that serves as my wife’s gardening supply storage (she’s a gardening beast), laundry room, exercise room, and for storing all sorts of other things that can quickly add up to less than fresh smelling air. This is especially true after my wife cuts the grass and returns the electric lawn mower to its usual spot. The grass collected on the blades and underneath the mower can fill the basement with a fairly powerful (albeit earthy) smell.

That stench can get a bit overpowering at times.

So, when I received the Airthings Renew air purifier<!–>, I thought the best place to test it was the basement. After all, that was the location in our house that could most some air purification.

Also: How to choose an air purifier: 5 things to look for and 1 to avoid  

Before I get to how it turned out, let’s talk specs.

View at Amazon–>

The specs

• It can purify rooms up to 525 square feet
• The silent mode generates just 23 dB of sound
• The laser-based PM2.5 sensor detects changes in air quality and adjusts the fan speed accordingly
• Four-stage cleaning – two washable pre-filters, a HEPA-13 filter, and active charcoal filter
• App available for more control
• Dimensions – 6.7″D x 16.3″W x 16.1″H
• Weight – 11.9 pounds
• Price – $399 on Amazon<!–>

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My experience

Until I tested the Airthings Renew, I didn’t hold much faith in air purifiers. I’ve used several and found the results to be marginal at best. I have an air purifier in my office that I hoped would lessen the dust collecting on my turntable and albums, but all it really does is circulate air.

Also: This ionizing air purifier kept my home free of smoke and odors (and it’s not a Levoit)

The Airthings Renew turned me into a believer. After just one day in the basement, the air no longer smelled as though a forest had broken out and was threatening to overtake the room. On top of that, the smell of sweat (from either the treadmill or the rower) was no longer noticeable. In fact, the entire basement smelled, dare I say, almost fresh.

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What’s even more impressive about this is that our basement is around 1,000 square feet, which is almost twice the size the purifier is supposed to be capable of cleaning (525 square feet).

I was planning on moving the purifier around the house to see how it would affect the other rooms, but soon after removing it from the basement, the smell of grass and other unpleasant odors returned. So, back to the basement it went.

The unit is also very quiet. I sometimes have to lower my head to be inches away to check that it’s running. Thankfully, the auto-mode makes it a set-it-and-forget-it affair. The Airthings Rewnew boosted the fan when needed and slowed it down when not… all while keeping the basement air as pleasant as it could be.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Okay, the Airthings Renew<!–> is a pricey piece of equipment, but it’s worth it. Combine the $400 price of the unit with the price of replacement filters ($70 a pop, purchasable from the Airthings site) and this air purifier can quickly get beyond most people’s budgets. If you can afford it, however, and you have a serious need to purify the air in your bedroom, office, TV room, basement, or baby room, this is the one to beat.

The Airthings Renew air purifier won’t let you down, especially if you have allergies that are triggered by things like dust and pollen that can easily gain access to your house via the AC, vents, and windows. If you want noticeably cleaner air, buy an Airthings Renew and be done with it.