Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier review: a practical and effective way to keep the air in your home clean

Price on writing: £100 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Mumsnet editor Laura tested the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier in her home over the course of 2 months. Tested in her open-plan living room and kitchen, especially during and after cooking, she also used the purifier in her toddler daughter’s bedroom during naps and at night, which backs onto a building site with lots of dust.

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What were your first impressions of the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier?

The air purifier is bulky, but it’s light enough to move easily between rooms. It’s white in colour, so isn’t an eyesore, and I was happy to have it on display in the corner of a room despite its size. I did need to make sure it was positioned near a plug socket though as the power cord isn’t particularly long (although that’s probably for safety to avoid trip hazards). 

How easy was the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier to set up and start using?

The air purifier was very easy to unpack. There’s a quick start guide label stuck to the top of the device, which meant I was able to set it up in only five minutes. I used the QR code to download the VeSync app, which can be used on an Android or iOS smartphone, and sync the app to my air purifier via wifi. You can also connect it to Alexa or Google Assistant. 

What’s the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier like to use day-to-day?

The app makes the air purifier really easy to use and operate remotely on a day-to-day basis. I’m able to switch the device on and off whenever I want as well as set the fan speed, set a timer (between one and 12 hours) and create customised schedules to match my daily routines, i.e. make sure the air purifier turns on when I cook. I can also operate the air purifier using the intuitive display screen on the device itself, but prefer using the app for its convenience. 

To give an example of its effectiveness, due to a barbecue in one of the neighbouring gardens during the summer and the fact that we left our kitchen door open, the air quality in our kitchen was at a 16 (‘Good’) but, once the air purifier was turned on, the air went to 10 (‘Very good’) in only 10 minutes. Within 20 minutes, it was back down to 4 - anything below 5 tends to be the average for us. The device has an effective and efficient clean air delivery rate of 240m3/h, which means it purifies a large volume of clean air per minute. 

As the air purifier uses a filter, the outer pre-filter will need to be cleaned every two to three weeks to keep it working as it should. I used a vacuum cleaner hose to do this. The instruction booklet gives you full care details that you can refer back to, including how to replace the filter. The app also gives you information on filter life so that you know when to replace it - this can be viewed in the app at any time. ‘Check Filter’ indicator lights also light up on the device itself. 

Does the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier make a noticeable difference to your family’s allergies?

While I haven’t seen a big difference to my family allergies just yet, it’s been very reassuring to know the true quality of the air in my home in real time, especially as both my toddler and my husband suffer from eczema, which flares up easily. 

The air purifier’s H13 true HEPA filter removes airborne particles including dust, pollen, mould and bacteria, while the high-efficiency activated carbon filter absorbs smoke, odours and fumes, which is especially handy while cooking. I also don’t have a dedicated utility room, so the kitchen is the space where we dry our clothes. As such, the ability to reduce odours so that they don’t cling to our clothes is a big plus point.

Is the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier noisy?

When used during the day, I found the lowest fan setting to be quiet enough so as to not be annoying or disruptive. The air purifier also supports Quiet Auto Mode, which never uses the highest fan speed to avoid making too much noise. 

Sleep Mode allows for an even quieter fan level below level 1, which means the air purifier can be used during the night in my toddler’s room without disturbing her. The button lights on the air purifier can also be turned off during the night and the device will remain in Standby Mode when it’s plugged in but turned off or when it’s set the Auto Mode and the air quality is ‘Very good’. 

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What’s the best thing about the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier?

The app-compatibility is one of the most useful elements of the air purifier as it allows for remote control as well as the ability for me to lock the display screen on the device itself so that my toddler can’t activate any buttons (she tried!). A huge safety bonus in my opinion. This means that you can only operate the air purifier while using the app. 

There are three Auto Mode settings: Low, Medium and High. The air purifier’s Auto Mode uses a smart laser dust sensor which adjusts the fan speed automatically depending on air quality. ‘Good’, for example, would use a low speed, while ‘Bad’ would use the highest speed. The purifier usually takes just five seconds to detect the air quality once turned on. 

Efficient mode allows you to select the size of the area you want to filter and it'll work at highest speed then revert to lowest speed once the air is clean. My house has both large and small areas and rooms so this meant that I didn’t use energy unnecessarily. 

There’s also a memory function, which remembers your previous fan speed, Sleep Mode, Auto Mode, Display Lock and Display Off settings. The amount of memory stored depends on whether you keep the device plugged in or not. 

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What’s one thing you’d change?

While it’s really handy to be able to check the PM2.5 number in real time, the app doesn’t explain it very clearly. I had to Google exactly what the PM2.5 number meant. Other than using the air quality indicator chart in the instruction booklet, I had no real reference point as to what the number meant and when it could turn from ‘Very good’ to 'Good', ‘Moderate’ or ‘Bad’. 

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At an RRP of £110, do you think the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier is good value for money?

If you live in an area with bad air quality, like a city, or a family member has allergies such as eczema, an air purifier will be a necessity. While the £110 price tag may initially seem steep, the effectiveness of the Levoit air purifier, and the reassurance it gives that the air quality in my home is clean, makes it good value for money in my opinion. 

About the author

Laura Westerman is an editor, writer and Acting Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet, where she oversees the website's pregnancy and baby content, and specialises in producing in-depth baby product reviews and round-ups.

With over eight years' experience as a full-time editor and a passion for SEO, Laura has written extensively on everything from parenting to travel, but likes nothing more than scouting out the latest baby products (and testing them with her toddler) to make parents' lives that little bit easier.

Her expertise lies within the pushchairs and car seats space, and she's extensively tested some of the best lightweight buggies and toddler car seats on the market. In particular, she's dedicated to ensuring Mumsnet provides the most up-to-date, expert-led information on the latest car seat regulations in the UK and recently attended an industry-leading car seat conference in Sweden.

She has been a presenter in a number of baby product videos for Mumsnet's YouTube channel - her top 10 pushchairs video currently has over 235K views - and her articles have also appeared on Mumsnet's sister site, Gransnet, where she worked as a Junior Editor until 2018.

Originally from the Midlands, Laura gained a BA (hons) in American and English Literature and an MA in American Literature from the University of East Anglia. She began her career by writing for its student newspaper. She later lived in Philadelphia, where she did an internship for Phawker magazine, and worked as a writing tutor while studying and travelling around the US. She later worked for John Lewis where she contributed to the in-house Chronicle magazine.

Now mum to a two-year-old, Laura has read more infant sleep articles than she cares to admit and can usually be found at a local playgroup or swimming class. In her spare time, she loves travelling with her family at every opportunity and regularly likes to challenge herself, having taken to the skies to complete her first ever tandem skydive!

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