If you suffer from allergies, asthma, or are worried about airborne transmission of COVID-19, a high-quality air purifier can help you breathe a little easier. Suitable for rooms up to 512 square feet, LG’s $1,299 LG PuriCare 360 packs two large 360-degree filters, both of which feature a True HEPA layer that promises to trap 99.97% of dust particles as small as 0.3 microns, and an active carbon deodorizing layer that captures foul smells and reduces harmful gases in the air. It also features Wi-Fi, so you can control it with your phone or voice in addition to the included remote, and LG’s companion app lets you remotely monitor your home’s air quality and create a weekly cleaning schedule. In testing, the PuriCare 360 cleared the air faster than the $799.99 Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool, so while it’s definitely one of the pricier smart air purifiers you can buy, it’s also one of the more effective.
360-Degree Filtration
For a home air purifier, the PuriCare 360 is pretty huge. It measures 42.2 by 14.8 by 14.8 inches (HWD) and requires at least 3.25 feet of clearance on all sides, so it’s not the best option if you’re short on space. And at 42.3 pounts, it isn’t particularly easy to move around. Despite its size, the PuriCare 360 is rather attractive, with a cylindrical design that narrows toward the top.
The PuriCare 360 is certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It’s also Energy Star certified and comes with a ten-year motor warranty and a one-year parts and labor warranty.
The machine consists of three main parts: a lower section, an upper section, and a Clean Booster at the top. The lower and upper sections each house a large cylindrical filter system consisting of three components in one: an ultra-fine pre-filter that removes large airborne particulates like pet hair, a True HEPA layer that captures ultra-fine particles including cigarette ash, and a deodorizer that removes unpleasant odors such as smoke. LG says the filter system removes “possible sources of sick house syndrome,” a condition that can cause breathing problems, headaches, and myriad other health issues.
To comply with current standards, True HEPA filters are tested and certified to remove at least 99.97% of dust particles as small as 0.3 micrometers. As Wirecutter reported late last year, a NASA study found that HEPA filters can actually capture almost 100% of particles as small as 0.01 micrometers (or 10 nanometers), well exceeding the standard. To put that in perspective, COVID-19 is about 60 to 140 nanometers in diameter.
The machine has two air outlets: a lower fan that blows air upward, and the Clean Booster, which can oscillate side to side, so purified air reaches all corners of the room.
On the inside, the PuriCare 360 has a PM1.0 sensor that detects the particulate matter (PM) density of airborne particles, and an odor sensor that detects smells in the air. It detects the density of PM1.0 (super ultra-fine dust), PM2.5 (ultra-fine dust), and PM10 (fine dust).
An indicator light located between the machine’s lower and upper sections changes color to indicate the current overall air quality, based on the PM density and odor level detected. A status panel on the top of the unit also shows the current air quality status, as well as the operating mode and fan speed. Red means your overall air quality is Very Bad, orange means Bad, yellow means Normal, and green means Good.
Below the status panel on the top of the unit is a control panel with buttons for Power, Mode (there are four options: Smart, Booster, Single, or Double), Speed (to adjust the speed of both fans), Booster Speed (to independently adjust the Clean Booster fan speed), Swing (to make the Clean Booster fan oscillate 70 degrees), Indicator (to see the PM densities by particle size: PM10, PM2.5, or PM1.0), and Sleep Timer (to schedule the air purifier to automatically turn off after 2, 4, 8, or 12 hours).
The air quality light automatically turns off when you set a sleep timer. You can also manually turn it off at any time; just press and hold the Mode button for three seconds. To lock the control panel so children can’t mess with it, press and hold the Sleep Timer button for three seconds.
In Smart mode, the air purifier automatically adjusts its operating mode and fan speed based on the overall air quality. In Booster mode, the Clean Booster fan raises up at a 55-degree angle to push the purified air forward (up to 24 feet away, according to LG) instead of directly up. In Dual mode, the machine uses both the upper and lower sections to quickly purify the air. In Single mode, it uses just the lower section to purify the air. The lower section blows purified air 19 inches from the ground, which LG says benefits babies and children.
Used in Single or Dual mode on the lowest fan speed, it operates at around 25 decibels (dB), which is quieter than a whisper. At full blast, it gets to around 47dB, according to a reading I took on using the NIOSH Sound Level Meter app. That’s a little louder than the Dyson TP02, which I measured at 42dB when set to the highest fan speed.
In addition to the buttons on the machine, you can control the PuriCare 360 with an included remote, with your phone via the LG Smart ThinQ app, or with your voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
Setting Up and Controlling the PuriCare 360
As previously mentioned, LG recommends placing the unit in an area with at least 3.25 feet of free space between it and surrounding objects for its air inlet to function properly. The company says not to install it near curtains, which could block the air inlet or outlet. Also be sure to place it on a hard, level surface. The machine might make noise, vibrate, or tip over if you place it on an unstable surface. I have it on carpet and it’s fine there.
Before plugging it in and turning it on, be sure to remove all the packing tape from the unit, then open the upper and lower sections and discard the plastic wrappers protecting the filters, as well as all the cardboard support pieces. The remote comes with a coin cell battery, which you’ll need to install prior to use. From there, just tap the power button on the top of the unit or the remote, and you should be good to go.
To control the PuriCare 360 from your phone, you need to download the LG ThinQ app (available for Android and iOS). In the app, just press the plus sign to add your device, select Air Purifier, then press and hold the Speed button for three seconds to activate Wi-Fi (you’ll see a little Wi-Fi symbol on the Control Panel light up when it’s ready). From there, press Next in the app, and it will instruct you to navigate to your phone’s Wi-Fi settings menu and connect to the purifier’s network using a provided password. This part was a little confusing, because LG offers two possible passwords, depending on the network. If the LG network is called “LGEAIRXXXX” as mine was, enter XXXX twice as your password. For instance, if the network is named LGEAIR1a2b, your password is: 1a2b1a2b. The password is case sensitive.
After successfully connecting to the device, navigate back to the ThinQ app, select your home Wi-Fi network from the list (it only supports the 2.4GHz, not 5GHz), enter your home Wi-Fi password, and wait for it to connect.
In testing, it took a couple of tries to get the machine connected to the app. After my first unsuccessful try, I unplugged the machine, went through the Wi-Fi setup process again, and it worked.
PuriCare 360 Smart Features
Once connected, you can use the ThinQ app to turn the PuriCare 360 on and off, set the mode, adjust the fan and Booster speed, create a schedule so it turns on or off at a certain time, and enable/disable the Swing feature and indicator lights. The app also shows your overall air quality, odor levels, and PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 densities.
In testing, the app occasionally felt a bit laggy. I sometimes had to watch a spinning circle for a couple of seconds before the current air quality levels appeared. That said, the PuriCare 360 always quickly and reliably responded to app controls.
On the inside, the PuriCare 360 features a Smart Diagnosis Speaker, which can assist you in the event of a malfunction or failure. To access this feature, just tap the three-dot icon in the upper right corner of the app, select Smart Diagnosis, and it will help troubleshoot your issue. The app also keeps a record of your diagnosis results.
When you tap the three-dot icon, there’s also a Filter Management option, which will tell you the remaining life of your filters. LG recommends changing the filters after 4,100 hours of operation. The machine will also proactively alert you with icons on the display when it’s time to change the upper and lower filter. At $129.99 each, replacement filters aren’t cheap—and remember, the machine takes two.
In testing, it quickly connected with Google Assistant and responded to voice commands without issue. I also connected it to Alexa, but Amazon’s voice assistant often thinks I’m asking it to turn on my air fryer when I say “turn on my air purifier.” Unless you also have an air fryer connected to Alexa, you shouldn’t have this problem.
Putting the PuriCare 360 to the Test
In testing, the PuriCare 360 has done an excellent job of purifying the air in my roughly 135-square-foot office. After unboxing the unit and turning it on for the first time, I noticed the white cover was a bit dirty from shipping so I grabbed a bottle of Windex. As I wiped off the smudges, the machine’s sensors almost immediately detected a change in the air quality level due to the cleaning product, and its fan automatically sped up. Another time, I walked in the office with freshly sprayed hair, and the PuriCare 360 (somewhat offensively) kicked on.
To test its performance, I lit a stick of palo santo and timed how long it took the machine to rate the overall air quality as Very Bad (red), then timed how long it took to purify the air (in Booster mode with the fan set to Auto) until the indicator light once again shined green. I then repeated the same test with the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool, a smart air purifier, fan, and humidifier. I found that the machines took about the same amount of time to detect a high level of airborne contaminants, but the PuriCare 360 cleaned the air faster.
The room started out with the PuriCare 360 reporting a PM1.0 level of 8. I lit a stick of palo santo and it took about 2 minutes, 50 seconds for the PuriCare 360’s indicator light to change to red (indicating a PM1.0 level of 56 or more). I then extinguished the palo santo with water, after which it took 13 minutes, 50 seconds for the PuriCare 360’s indicator light to get back to green.
The Pure Humidify+Cool doesn’t have a PM1.0 sensor, but measures PM2.5 and PM10. Dyson also rates your indoor air quality by color. Again, the room started out in green; I put the Pure Humidify+Cool on Auto mode (which automatically adjusts the fan speed based on the air quality) and lit the palo santo. It took about 2 minutes, 30 seconds before the Pure Humidify+Cool said my air quality was very poor (red), and another minute before it said the air quality was extremely poor (dark red). After extinguishing the palo santo with water, it took the Pure Humidify+Cool around 20 minutes to get back to green.
It’s not surprising that the PuriCare 360 came out on top in this test, given that it has two large 360-degree filters, while the Pure Humidify+Cool has one. On Clean Boost/Auto modes, both machines lower the fan speed as the air quality moves from red to yellow to green. Thus, both would have purified the room faster had their fan speed been set to high the whole time.
The Humidify+Cool is more versatile because it also works as a humidifier to combat dry air during cool months, but the PuriCare 360 is the better option if air purification is your main concern.
Aside from the fact that it’s quite bulky, my only gripe about the PuriCare 360 is its small Clean Booster fan. The fan does a fine job of circulating the air in the room when oscillating, but because it’s situated at the top of the machine (about 3.25 feet high) and it blows at a 55-degree angle, you can’t always feel the air unless you’re standing right in front of it.
If you’re looking for a device that can capably clean the air and cool you, you’ll probably be better served by one of Dyson’s Pure Cool models. They feature large fans that are situated lower to the ground, and point directly toward you, not up at an angle, so you can feel the breeze.
Two Filters Are Better Than One
The $1,299 LG PuriCare 360 is the most expensive smart air purifier we’ve tested, but justifies its price with two large 360-degree air inlets leading to True HEPA filters that allow it to more efficiently clean air compared with models with just one. Its unique cylindrical design and oscillating Clean Booster fan at the top allows the PuriCare 360 to deliver fresh air in all directions and quickly circulate it throughout the room. And while any air purifier worth its salt will display the concentration of PM2.5 (microscopic particles smaller than 2.5 microns in size), the PuriCare 360 is the first model we’ve tested that features a PM1.0 sensor, which detects the density of contaminants 1 micron or smaller. Its companion app lets you monitor your air quality and control the machine from your phone, while Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant let you turn it on and off with your voice. Overall, the PuriCare 360 is an excellent large-room air purifier.
That said, its large footprint and hefty price makes it an unrealistic option for many people. If you’re in search of a more affordable and compact alternative, Dyson’s Pure Cool (TP04), which sports one large 360-degree filter and Wi-Fi connectivity for app control, is worth a look. We haven’t yet reviewed the TP04, but we liked the older TP02, which is currently out of stock. We also highly recommend the $599.99 Sharp FXJ80UW, which doesn’t have a 360-degree filter or oscillating fan, but combines HEPA filtration with ion technology to clean the air in rooms up to 502 square feet.
