I tested game

DUST and dirt around the home can be worse than outdoor air pollution according to experts.

But opening the windows to ventilate our living spaces invites pollen and other nasties into our homes causing havoc for those with allergies.

I've always suffered with the worst hayfever symptoms - from a runny nose to blocked sinuses, itchy eyes and sore throat.

It's unavoidable not to open our windows to let in the fresh air during the summer months when our homes get clammy and hot.

But pollen is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to indoor pollutants.

Constant exposure to dust, dirt, gases and volatile organic compounds can increase your risk of lung diseases like Asthma, COPD and lung cancer, according to Asthma and Lung UK.

And if you're a fan of wood-burning stoves - you're out of luck.

Burning wood on stoves and open fires releases more particulate matter than road traffic in the UK.

With all this in mind, I sought to see what the air purifier hype is all about.

I've always heard good things about the gadgets from people who have them, but have never got around to kitting my flat out with one.

The devices promise to sanitise the air inside your home, making it healthier by removing nasty particles, viruses and pet dander.

The best air purifiers will clean the air in a room around five times per hour.

We've put five air purifiers priced between £29 and £450 to the test.

Ikea's air purifier is everything you expect from the Swedish retail giant.

It has a sleek design, is ultra-lightweight and suits any type of interior.

The device costs just £29 and it's a total bargain in my opinion.

It had three fan speed settings to draw air through an EPA filter which promises to remove 99.5% of small airborne particles including dust and pollen.

The major downside to this cheap air purifier is the fact that it doesn't come with a HEPA filter which removes slightly more - 99.95% - of tiny inhalable particles with a diameter of 0.3μm.

It may look like a small difference on paper - but HEPA is commonly found in many other devices including vacuum cleaners so I would prefer a device with this technology.

The device also lacks a carbon filter which is needed to remove smells or gaseous pollutants like benzene found in candles and cleaning products and odours from cooking.

However, I can't give the device some credit as it's super quiet to run.

Ikea's air purifier is noise rated between 31dB and 55 dB and is much less noticeable than some of the more expensive ones we tested.

The EPA filter is also cheap to replace at just £3.40 a piece. Ikea recommends that you do this every six months - but a LED indicator will show when this needs to be done.

SCORE: 5/10

Beldray's £35 air purifier was my favourite compact device and trumped Ikea and Pro Breeze's offerings.

The device is perfect for bedrooms and home offices and comes with both a HEPA 12 and an activated charcoal filter.

This means that it can suck the tiniest particles out of the air and get rid of those unpleasant household smells.

It has three fan settings and a light on the top of the device that you can manually turn on and off.

It also operated super quietly on the lowest fan setting - so much so that even the lightest of sleepers can comfortably hit the hay with it on.

Replacement filters cost just £9.99 direct from Beldray's website.

It does a great job of keeping dust and pollen out of the air in my bedroom, and is overall a great device.

SCORE: 10/10

Pro Breeze's air purifier is the smallest gadget we tried - that being said it didn't come with the smallest price tag.

It's a fab size for a small room and has a trendy-looking design.

It's also incredibly cheap to run - costing just 1p a day on the max power setting.

This is a great factor considering it comes with a HEPA 12 filter and active carbon filter.

It extracts dust mites, pollen, and pet dander and absorbs harmful volatile organic compounds from the air.

It also has a negative ion generator which emits ions that are meant to neutralise airborne pollutants, bacteria and viruses.

However, it's quite noisy for its size and lacks more than two fan speed settings - which could be a deal breaker for some.

It's also intended for small rooms so wouldn't work in most open-plan living spaces.

Replacement filter cost £15.99 and can be bought directly from the Pro Breeze website.

But in my opinion, you can spend less and get more from Beldray's compact device.

SCORE: 4/10

Bosch's Air 2000 purifier blew me away.

If you're after a device that's capable of cleaning a big living space - this is the one for you.

My flat has an open-plan kitchen and living area and this gadget could eradicate the smells coming from our stove when cooking at a better rate than our bog standard extractor hood.

The device has both a HEPA 13 and an activated carbon filter.

It's also extremely quiet when running at its lowest setting.

But to make things easier it has an automatic setting with a sensor which shows how much PM2.5 particulate matter is floating in the air.

Levels between 0 and 12 indicate good air quality and the LED on the front of the device turn blue.

But anything above these figures and the LED will indicate that the fan is spooling up higher to bring the air quality level back up to good.

The device also has a handy night mode setting which allows you to keep it running without the coloured LED indicator.

It's honestly a fantastic device and well worth the cost.

There's no need to spend hundreds more on a more expensive device when this does everything that they promise to do.

Replacement filters cost £49.99 on Amazon and the device will tell you when it needs to be swapped out.

SCORE: 9/10

Dyson's flagship bladeless fans all now come fitted with HEPA filters as standard.

We were lucky enough to try out the Cool Autoreact variant which includes a handy display, remote and auto function.

The device comes with the most heavily sophisticated HEPA 13 filter which promises to remove ultrafine particles.

I can't lie - the product and build quality is absolutely stunning and these gadgets would look great in any home.

You don't just benefit from the air purification side of things - but also have a freestanding fan which can be used to cool you down on the hottest summer days.

The device is also super quiet when in auto unless the fan ramps up if the indoor air quality drops.

If I'm being honest, however, I couldn't tell the difference between using this device and the Bosch one when it comes to cleaning the air.

It's a wonderful all-rounder and the fan gives you an added perk - but replacement filters cost a whopping £65.

I personally wouldn't want to spend this much on a device that works just as well as the cheaper Bosch purifier we tried.

SCORE: 7/10