AirHood Portable Kitchen Air Cleaner Review 2024 | Family Handyman

By Allison T.S. Robicelli

Updated on Sep. 16, 2024

Reduce grease, smoke, odors and oils in the kitchen with the portable AirHood cleaner.

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As a food and recipe writer and cookbook author, I spend plenty of time in my apartment kitchen. With its relatively small footprint and minimal ventilation, my apartment gets overwhelmed by smoke when I cook (shocker). And the range hood I have installed above my stove is all but worthless when it comes to sucking up grease and steam.

When you’re cooking with high heat, you need a high-powered fan to keep up. That’s why I was excited to test the AirHood portable kitchen exhaust system and air cleaner. I used it daily for one month to write this AirHood review, so read on to find out how it fared battling grease and gunk.

AirHood is a recirculating kitchen air cleaner that cleans smoke, steam, odors, and any airborne particles that arise when cooking. Think of it like the exhaust hood of a stove, but smaller and more portable. It’s ideal for kitchens with poor ventilation, such as ones without windows or exhaust fans. This powerful fan sucks up air and passes it through a dual filter system that removes any impurities, leaving you with fresh, odor-free air. It also removes oil particles from the air during cooking, resulting in a cleaner kitchen.

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AirHood is a portable kitchen air cleaner that acts like an exhaust fan to reduce grease, smoke, cooking odors and oil film formation.

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The AirHood has a powerful fan that cleans up to 90 cubic feet of air per minute, pushing it through two separate filters. An oil filter removes grease particles that have been kicked into the air, whether from spattering or through steam, preventing them from creating a sticky film on surfaces. The filter also prevents your kitchen from smelling like a deep fryer. Furthermore, the air also passes through an activated charcoal filter that removes any lingering odors and absorbs condensation.

Another thing I learned during my AirHood review is the filters are replaceable, with five spare filters included with every purchase (You can also buy additional filters through the AirHood website). How frequently you’ll need to replace these filters depends on how often you use your AirHood and what sort of cooking you do. People who cook with lots of oil will need to replace their filters more than folks using their AirHood to simply remove steam from the air.

Weighing in at just under 6 pounds, the 13-inch AirHood is easy to set up. Aside from home kitchens, it’s ideal for use in RVs, boats, dorm rooms, break rooms and tiny homes. You can even bring it to the garage or outdoors for use with grills or deep fryers. The wired model plugs into any standard electrical outlet. However, the wireless version uses an A/C adapter to charge its battery. A full charge provides up to eight hours of power, depending on the speed settings.

As for its looks, the AirHood has a sleek, modern design that makes it an attractive addition to any kitchen. It’s available in four colorways: Cadmium Orange, Mint Green, Ivory White and Space Black.

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I was excited to discover that the AirHood is pretty much ready to go the moment you take it out of the box. I have the wireless model, which needs some time to charge before you can tote it around, but once you’ve plugged it into the wall, it’s ready to go immediately. Simply set it up near an outlet next to a stove and get cooking.

The one thing that smokes up my home like no other is meat of any sort. It’s imperative to cook meat over high heat if you’re going to get a good sear on steaks, crispy skin on chicken or good flavor in general. However, every time I cook meat, my range hood immediately gets overwhelmed and all the smoke and steam is left to escape into the room. (I cannot tell you how many times I’ve set off my smoke alarm.) This is why the first thing I tested with my AirHood was bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If it couldn’t handle this simple test, there would be no point in continuing.

Fortunately, the AirHood made a huge difference in keeping the kitchen air clean. While it wasn’t able to suck up everything thrown at it, I’d say there was a solid 95% reduction in smoke and a significant reduction in the amount of grease that ended up splattering on my stovetop and counters. Again, it didn’t do a perfect job, and there was still grease that needed to be cleaned off nearby surfaces once I finished cooking. But the cleaning took seconds. A quick spray with kitchen cleaner followed by a wipe down with paper towels was all it took to remove any grease the AirHood didn’t catch.

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I continued using the AirHood just about every day for a month, turning it on for every meal, and the results stayed consistent. When I cooked fish, it kept my apartment smelling fresh. When I cooked steak, I was able to get a perfect sear without worrying about the fire department being called. After I was done cooking, I’d give the whole unit a quick wipe with a damp cloth and a little degreasing spray, and it went back to looking brand new. The oil filter is dishwasher-safe, but it’s easy enough to clean that it’s not necessary to do after every meal.

Though I don’t need to unplug it when it’s in use by my stove, I like that I have the option to use it on battery alone and can tote it around the house. Even when it runs on the highest of its three-speed settings, the AirHood can run for hours. It should be able to handle whatever smoke or steam you’re throwing at it.

The biggest downside to the AirHood is the noise, which is understandable. Exhaust systems with whirring fans are bound to make noise, but the AirHood is exceptionally noisy to the point where, when running on high, it’s difficult to hear anything else. The good news is that you can turn it down to the much quieter low setting when you’re not cooking anything that’s actively generating a lot of smoke.

The AirHood works just like a standard kitchen hood, but smaller. Like a standard air filter, it uses a fan to draw in air and filter out impurities. However, in addition to a charcoal filter, the AirHood also has a special exterior oil filter to trap grease, as well as any other large airborne particles. Dirty air gets sucked through the front; clean air blows out the back.

Though it’s possible to use the wired version of the AirHood with a gas stove, using the wireless version is not. According to the company’s website, the reason for this is because of the large amount of excess heat that gas stoves release with its open flame. Energy-efficient electric and induction stoves keep excess heat to a minimum. If you’re using a wired AirHood with a gas stove, you should keep it a few feet away from the flame to minimize intense heat exposure, which could damage the unit.

The exact distance will vary depending on your stove’s BTUs, as well as if you’re cooking over high, medium or low heat. To determine a good spot for your AirHood, turn on your gas stove, then use your hands to gauge the temperature in the surrounding area. Look for a spot on your counter where you can comfortably hold your hand for at least 30 seconds, despite the warmth.

The battery-operated wireless version requires special care. Use of the wireless version in combination with electric and induction stoves is recommended. Use of the wireless AirHood with a gas stove may cause high internal temperatures and is not recommended. This can potentially shorten the battery’s lifespan or lead to condensation inside the device, which may damage the battery’s electronic circuits.

“Using the AirHood has been a night and day difference in the kitchen,” writes one five-star reviewer on Amazon. “Our stovetop doesn’t have any place for a traditional exhaust hood, but now we don’t need one. We have a regular home air purifier that always used to turn on while we cooked as it detected poor air quality. Since getting the AirHood it hasn’t turned on once. I’m really pleased with this purchase!”

Five-star reviewer Paola P. writes on the company’s website that the AirHood is a “dream come true” when it comes to controlling smoke in her kitchen. “We’ve lived in our apartment for over a decade and our stove has never had a range hood so when I saw the portable air hood, I knew I had to get one. It’s super easy to set up, charge and use. Finally, our kitchen has a fan to capture and filter out cooking grease, smoke, and steam. Plus it takes up no space and looks great displayed on our island when not in use.”

Another Amazon customer, Misha Jane, writes, “My stove vent fan went out and this was a simple solution. Plug in and turn on. Came with extra filters, but you can wash the filters with dish soap and water and air dry. Quieter than my stove vent.”

The AirHood is very similar to the Ciarra Portable Range Hood but with a few key differences. First, the AirHood offers three fan speeds, while the Ciarra only offers two. Also, the Ciarra comes in five colors, whereas the AirHood only comes in four. The AirHood uses two filters—a charcoal one for odors and another one for grease—while the Ciarra uses three, adding a polymer filter to its design.

If you, too, have an unreliable range hood and a frequently smoky kitchen, the AirHood will be a godsend. I’ve been able to cook anything I want without having to open all my apartment windows in the dead of winter, and haven’t once had to break out my rickety stepstool to turn off my beeping smoke detector.

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This portable, ventless range includes activated charcoal filters, is easy to clean and is ideal for indoor countertop use.

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$199.99 at Amazon

You can purchase the AirHood directly from the company’s website or through Amazon.