This Mini Air Purifier Saves Me From My Seasonal and Pet Allergies When I Travel

I first took my LG PuriCare Mini air purifier with me while traveling from NYC to Austin a few years ago. I went in the thick of spring, a time when practically the entire state of Texas is ruled by pollen. My whole family is from Texas, so this was a trek I’d made from many other cities many times before, each time having to prepare myself for weeks of borderline unbearable allergies, even with the help of antihistamines. But this time was different: For the first three days of this particular trip to Austin, I slept with my PuriCare on my nightstand and realized my eyes weren’t watering or puffy. I wasn’t sneezing. I wasn’t reaching for my mini-pack of tissues every few minutes. I was… fine?

I come from a family of animal lovers, but being surrounded by pets became another pastime that my body couldn’t handle but my heart couldn’t live without. I’ve gotten somewhat used to my own kitty, but when we’re separated for even a few days, a runny nose is the least of the discomfort I can expect when we’re reunited. With the Puricare Mini, whether I’m traveling home to a household full of animals or visiting a friend who has a single cat, my allergies are in check the second I arrive. When it worked in Austin, I started traveling everywhere with my PuriCare Mini, be it across the country or down the street.

It’s just too easy not to! At about eight inches tall and just over one pound, LG’s mini purifier is slimmer than your average portable speaker and pretty much completely silent when it runs. TBH, it’s probably one of the least weird things I’ve whipped out on an airplane (compared to a skincare sheet mask designed to look like a panda’s face), and these days especially, I feel like I’m really doing myself and my seat neighbors some good. I’ll just turn it on in silence, discreetly keep it at my feet or in my seatback pocket, and no one’s the wiser.

When my PuriCare comes with me to stay overnight with friends and family, I’m able to play with the pups, snuggle with the cats, stare at the bunnies from two inches away, and sleep soundly through the night. It filters 99 percent of ultra-fine dust particles (0.3 microns, to be exact), which are smaller than the pollen and dander that cause me the most issues.

As I write this, I am pet-sitting three cats and two dogs in dusty Arizona, and my mini purifier is hard at work a few feet away. Its battery lasts eight hours and charges with a USB cable, so when I’m working or sleeping, I have it charging just like my laptop or my phone. Being able to play with my family pets, cuddle with them at night comfortably, and see the beauty that is Arizona with clear vision is just the start of why I love the LG PuriCare Mini and why I won’t travel without it.

Buy: LG PuriCare Mini, $179.99 (previously $199.99)