Thanks to This Air Purifier, Kitchen Smells Are (Almost) Instantly Gone in My Tiny Apartment

Springing for a six-stage air purifier that can freshen up over 1,000 square feet of living space may seem like overkill for someone who lives in a 350-square-foot apartment. But what if the apartment in question is in the basement, and inhabited by someone who cooks a lot? (Hi, it’s me!) In that case, a turbo-charged air purifier might be the perfect solution. 

After signing a new lease last year and exhaustively researching air purifiers, I got the Rabbit A3 air purifier. I’d never lived in a basement, and I was worried that the air quality would be damp and musty. On paper, I was impressed by Rabbit’s promise of six levels of filtration, but what really sold me was the option to choose a custom filter for the final layer. Because I cook daily and the stovetop is about three feet from my bedroom, I picked the odor remover filter. (The other choices are germ defense, pet allergy, and toxin absorber.) If the air purifier could minimize kitchen odors quickly, I’d consider it a good buy. 

I’ve been using the A3 for a year now, and I’m smitten with it. Frankly, I don’t know how I made it so long without an air purifier, full stop.  

How Does an Air Purifier Work?

At their most basic, air purifiers trap impurities like odors, allergens, and viruses inside the unit. This is why filters need to be changed regularly; otherwise, they’ll become oversaturated and won’t work correctly. The Rabbit A3 air purifier has six layers of filtration, and while more isn’t always better, it certainly seems to matter when it comes to air purifiers. I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my apartment’s air quality since I started using it.

Here’s a rundown of the filtration layers found in the A3. (Not all air purifiers have six layers, but you’ll want one that has, at minimum, a pre-filter and a HEPA filter; plus a carbon filter if you want to tackle cooking smells.)

• Pre-Filter: The pre-filter is a paneled mesh screen that traps the big stuff: pet hair, dust, and pollen. This filter is reusable and can be cleaned with a vacuum brush attachment or by washing it.
• Medium Filter: This is another line of defense for the larger things. Any hair, dust, or dander that escapes the pre-filter will get caught here. This filter (along with the A3's other replaceable filters) should be replaced every 12 months. Rabbit Air sells a filter replacement kit that includes all four.
• Activated Carbon Charcoal Filter: This filter is packed with pellets of charcoal that have undergone an activation process, which makes them extremely porous. That porosity provides a large surface area for absorbing household odors of all types, including cooking, pet, and cleaning product smells.
• HEPA Filter: A must in any high-quality air purifier, HEPA filters capture the itty-bitty stuff: anything as small as 0.1 microns. (Unsure of what a micron looks like? You’d need a microscope to view one. This is the filter that catches viruses.)
• Customized Filter: You can choose the final filter for the Rabbit Air A3. I selected the odor removal option, but people who suffer from dander allergies may prefer the pet allergen filter. If you live in a highly polluted place, you may opt for the toxin removal filter, and if you’re concerned about illness, you’ll want to get the germ defense filter.
• Negative Ions: This isn’t a filter, but a button you can press to activate negative ions. Negative ions—naturally occurring molecules—latch onto airborne particles, weighing them down. The heavier the particles are, the more likely they are to be picked up by your air filter or vacuum, rather than inhaled. 

Do Air Purifiers Work for Kitchen Smells? 

Most air purifiers will help lessen cooking smells, but if you want to eliminate them, you’ll need an air purifier with a carbon filter. The best air purifier for your kitchen is one that has a reusable mesh filter for capturing dust and hair, a HEPA filter for health hazards, and a carbon filter for the stinky stuff. “High-quality activated carbon has a highly porous structure with a high carbon content, resulting in a large internal surface area,” explains Olivia Raya, Rabbit Air’s customer service lead. “Cooking odors are reduced as they bond to the pores of [the carbon filter] through electrostatic attraction or chemisorption.” 

How Does the Rabbit Air A3 Odor Removal Filter Work?

What’s the difference between Rabbit Air’s charcoal filter and the special odor removal filter? Both use activated carbon, just in different formats. The basic carbon filter, which comes with every A3, is packed with pellets of activated charcoal. The porous nature of the pellets gives them lots of space for capturing odors. Some of our favorite compost bins have activated charcoal filters tucked into their lids—proof that this stuff works!

The odor remover customized filter uses activated carbon woven directly into its fibers. It’s designed to work in tandem with the existing charcoal filter to trap household odors, particularly smoke, explains Raya. 

The Verdict: Is the Rabbit A3 Air Purifier Any Good?

This air filter is a good buy for kitchen smells—especially if you choose one with an odor-removal filter. I’ve been running it constantly (seriously, 24 hours a day) for a year, and my apartment never smells like last night’s dinner. I lived in the apartment for a week before setting it up, and I noticed an improvement within a couple of hours of use. As a test, I cooked tofu curry that evening. The A3 was set on auto and immediately kicked into high gear. When I finished cooking, the A3 returned to its quietest level. By morning, all olfactory reminders of dinner were gone. 

My air purifier also worked overtime last summer, when the Canadian wildfires caused unsafe air quality in my Vermont town. But even with all that extra environmental influence, the filters didn’t need to be changed for six months—the A3’s app will tell you when it’s time to swap them out. A red filter icon also shows up on the display panel when they're clogged.

Although you can manually set the fan speed, I prefer to put it on auto-mode. The air purifier detects the level of impurities and smells in the air, and kicks into a higher gear when necessary. Most of the time, it’s on the lowest, incredibly quiet, level. 

The A3 comes with hardware to wall-mount it, but put it on my bedroom floor, near the door to the kitchen. It’s inconspicuous, but should I ever choose to display it in a more prominent space, it certainly doesn’t look bad! I have a feeling the A3 will be coming with me wherever I live, no matter how many more times I move.

FAQs

It’s a myth that smaller air purifiers can’t handle larger rooms. Air purifiers with smaller capacities will simply take longer to purify a large room, or may have to run at a higher speed.

I’ve been using the Rabbit A3 air purifier for a year, and I confidently recommend it. It’s high-quality, long-lasting, and easy to use. And with the option to swap out decorative filter covers, it doesn’t look half-bad, either.

A kitchen air purifier should have, at minimum, a carbon filter for capturing odors and a HEPA filter for bacteria and viruses. Most air purifiers also have a pre-filter, which is a reusable mesh filter that traps hair and dust. 

It’s not recommended because the fire and water hazards associated with cooking can damage the unit. That said, Raya says putting an air purifier in the kitchen—a reasonable distance from the range—can significantly improve air quality: “Cooking typically generates a variety of pollutants, both gaseous and particulate, which can affect indoor air quality and potentially impact health.”

Raya notes that the most common types of cooking-related pollutants include carbon monoxide (generated from incomplete combustion of fuels like natural gas, propane, or charcoal) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), emitted from both the cooking process and the heating of cooking oils. Proper ventilation is key for ridding your kitchen of these compounds. An open window and exhaust fan are helpful allies to the air purifier.

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is a commerce editor at Serious Eats.
• Before joining the staff, she was a freelance writer for the site, reviewing kitchen gear and cooking equipment like Vitamix blenders and anti-fatigue mats.  
• She is a culinary school graduate and former line cook, and has worked in food media for a decade and a half.
• She owns the Rabbit A3 air filter and has used it constantly for a year.
  

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