6 min readJump to:
- Quick Verdict: Windmill Air Purifier
- Delivery and Setup
- How the Windmill Air Purifier Works
- Specs and Features
- How Do You Clean the Windmill Air Purifier?
- What Is the Difference Between the Windmill Max and the Smaller One?
- What I Like and Don’t Like About Windmill Air Purifiers
- Pros and Cons
- Is the Windmill Air Purifier Worth Buying?
My allergies are, quite honestly, extensive: cats, dogs, birch pollen, mold, about 70 percent of all fruit, crustaceans—the list goes on. Since my immune system is overreactive and I have a dog who sheds daily, I’m a little obsessive about finding the right products to keep my home dust- and dander-free. That means robot vacuums (I have the Roborock Saros 10R) and air purifiers are my best friends.
I have the Mila downstairs, and two Windmill air purifiers upstairs: the Max and the Mini. They are both design-forward, effective, and quiet while running, with the biggest differentiator being their size.
If you haven’t heard of Windmill, the Max debuted in 2024, and the slender version came out this year, so both are relatively new to the market. They may not have had a splashy entrance like other air purifiers, including the Mila, but they are unmistakably pretty and feature a powerful, quiet air filtration system.
Ahead, I'll dive deeper into what I like and don't like about the Windmill air purifiers, but I have to say, I'm keeping mine for life (or until they stop working).
Quick Verdict: Windmill Air Purifier
Rating: 5/5
Best for: People who care about how their air purifiers look and want a “pretty” one in their home that’s also powerful.
Not ideal for: Anyone looking for an inexpensive air purifier under $100.
Price at review: Max starts at $299, and the mini at $199.
Bottom line: The Windmill air purifiers are powerful at filtering out dust and dander, sturdy, and stylish.
Delivery and Setup
My air purifier was delivered in one giant box that wasn't too heavy for me to lug up the stairs, so I could set it up in my bedroom. Once I unboxed it, I plugged it in and turned it on. I flipped through the instruction manual to see how to download the accompanying app, since it is where you can receive statistics about your air quality and remotely control the air purifier. The setup here was easy and smooth, taking about three minutes for my air purifier to pair with my phone. Once this was done, everything was good to go—I just let the air purifier suck up anything nasty floating around in my bedroom.
How the Windmill Air Purifier Works
Most air purifiers suck in air from the top or sides before blowing it back out. For the Windmill, the air is pulled through the back panel and travels through three layers of filtration: the pre-filter, which filters dust, hair, and other large particles; the activated carbon filter, which removes odors, harmful gases, smoke, and other VOCs; and lastly, the True HEPA filter, which filters other smaller airborne particles. The clean air is sent back out into your home through the top air outlet vents.
Specs and Features
The Windmill air purifier weighs 21 pounds, covers up to 442 square feet of space, and measures 21.4" H x 19.7" W x 12" D. The device has five buttons on top; I'll break down what each one means below.
Power: Turns the Windmill air purifier on or off.
Mode: There are five fan speed settings: 1 (the lowest), 2, 3, Boost, and Eco. As you can guess, mode 1 (16 dB) is the quietest, while Boost (54 dB) is quite loud and distracting. I always keep the setting on Eco, which the brand describes as a "never-worry-about-your-air-again mode." The fan speed adjusts to your room's air quality—speeding up when it's terrible, slowing down when it's decent, or shutting down to conserve power when the air quality is good. It will still automatically turn back on in 30 minutes for a quick checkup.
Sleep: There are two sleep-focused sound options: whisper or white noise. I prefer the whisper mode because I'm sensitive to beeping or whooshing noises from my gadgets as I try to sleep. Weirdly enough, I don't mind the sounds of NYC—think distant sirens or cars passing by, but I hate when my devices make any sort of noise.
Change filter: This last button will light up when it's time to change your filter, which the brand says you should do every six months. Your app will also tell you when you need a new filter, providing a countdown to the day and a link to easily order a new one when it's time.
Other features to consider include a child lock mode, available via the Windmill Air app. When turned on, it disables all the button functions so your little one can't mess with the air purifier.
How Do You Clean the Windmill Air Purifier?
You can lightly dust the top and sides of the air purifier to remove any visible dust that has settled on it. The brand recommends vacuuming the pre-filter every month to remove dust, hair, and large particulates. On the left side of the air purifier, there's a small black cotton filter protecting the laser-based air quality sensor. This filter has to be cleaned monthly to ensure the sensor's accuracy, so I very gently use a cotton swab to clean it because it could break with pressure.
Every six months, you should replace the filter, though I will be honest and say I went much longer than that before I changed mine. I actually noticed a sour/stinky odor coming out of my air purifier, and when I popped the back open to check the filter, it was clear I needed to get a new one ASAP. A replacement filter is $59, and my new one came quickly.
A close-up of all the gross particles the filter captured in my room.
I put my old filter into the wrapping my new one came in to contain all the dust before I threw it out.
What Is the Difference Between the Windmill Max and the Smaller One?
When Windmill released a slimmer version of its air purifier for $199, I immediately got one in the sand colorway because it fits better in my bedroom. My outlet is right by my closet door, so whenever I opened the door—like if I was getting dressed in the morning or putting away laundry—the door would bang into my Windmill air purifier Max, which was inconvenient. I moved this one into the guest bedroom, where not only is it out of the way of any doors, but also that room is better than my primary.
The new, smaller Windmill Air Purifier has all the same core smart and comfort features as the bigger one: laser-based air sensing, Windmill Air app support, real-time AQI/PM2.5 tracking, scheduling/automations, child lock, light and beep controls, Eco mode, and two sleep modes called Whisper and White Noise. It also has the 3-in-1 medical-grade H13 HEPA filter, but the filter is circular rather than flat, like a panel.
It weighs just seven pounds and is suitable for rooms up to 202 square feet (the Max covers room sizes up to 442 square feet). The color offerings are slightly different: the smaller air purifier comes in fun shades like coral and sage, in addition to three other neutral shades, while the Max comes in only white, navy, or bamboo. The bottom line: if you have a small space, go with the more compact Windmill air purifier, as it has the same functions as the Max and takes up less floor space.
What I Like and Don’t Like About Windmill Air Purifiers
To put everything into perspective, I have owned three different air purifiers in my life—the Coway, Mila, and Windmill—and I would say the Windmill sits between the other two in terms of capabilities. It has more functions and stats than my Coway, but not nearly enough compared to the Mila, whose app tells me my home's humidity, carbon dioxide, temperature, and the exact types of particulates found there. That said, I don’t need the Windmill app to enjoy the air purifiers, and, in fact, I don’t use the app at all. I can control everything about the devices manually, which is what I prefer.
The Windmill air purifiers are definitely very pretty and freak out less than my Mila when it comes to dust and cooking odors—they’re so quiet that I barely remember they’re in the room. When I stand over the top vent, I can actually feel (smell?) fresh and clean air blowing back out. I can't really say the same about the Mila.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comes in nice colors and doesn't look ugly
- You can vacuum clean the filter
- Isn't overly sensitive and going off all the time
- I can feel it sucking the air in and blowing out cleaner air
- Comes with an app, which is pretty simple but has all the basic functions and stats you'd need
Cons
- Only covers 442 square foot of space
- The other modes are quite loud if you have them running 24/7
Is the Windmill Air Purifier Worth Buying?
Whether you're looking for your first air purifier or want to gift one to a friend for a housewarming, the Windmill air purifiers are 100 percent worth it. It’s one of the most, if not the most, stylish options on the market: durable, well-made, powerful, and affordable, with the Max costing $299 and the smaller one $199. The filters also last a long time—even if they should be changed every six months, mine probably lasted closer to 10 months since my air purifier is in a low-trafficked area of my home.
I personally love the newer, slender version so much, since I live in an apartment and my rooms aren’t terribly big. The mini is more compact but still able to cleanse the air of dust and refresh the space, getting rid of that stale, “slept in” smell in the morning. If you want a design-forward air purifier, the Windmill is your gal.
