Winix 5520 Air Purifier Review: a quiet workhorse for dust, smoke and pet people

I’ve been running the Winix 5520 in my living room for a few weeks now. It’s a medium‑size open space, dog, cat, and I’m in an area that gets wildfire smoke every summer. I bought this mainly because my old cheap purifier was always screaming on high and barely moved any air. I wanted something that could handle a bigger room without sounding like a jet engine.

Out of the box, setup was dead simple: pull off the front panel, unwrap the filters, pop them back in, plug it in, done. No assembly, no tools. First impression: this thing feels like a proper appliance, not a plastic toy. It’s not tiny, but it’s slim enough that it sits against the wall and kind of disappears. The controls on top are clear, and you don’t really need the manual unless you want to mess with the Wi‑Fi/app stuff.

The first evening I ran it on Auto and honestly forgot it was on until the air quality light suddenly went red while I was cooking. Fan ramped up on its own, then dropped back down once the smell cleared. That’s when I felt like, okay, this is actually doing something. I also started noticing less dust on the TV stand and fewer sneezing fits from my partner, who’s usually wrecked by cat dander.

It’s not perfect. On the highest speed it’s noticeable, and the app is useful but a bit overkill if you’re not into smart home stuff. But overall, it feels like a pretty solid balance between power, noise, and running costs. If you’re just trying to get cleaner air in a normal home with pets, dust, or smoke, this is more “plug it in and forget about it” than “fiddle constantly and hope it works.”

Price-wise, the Winix 5520 sits in that mid-range bracket. It’s not the cheapest purifier on Amazon, but it also doesn’t cost as much as the fancy “designer” brands. For what you’re paying, you get: a proper 4‑stage filtration stack, decent CADR, smart sensors, auto mode, Wi‑Fi, and pretty low noise. If you break it down over a couple of years of daily use, it feels like fair value, not a bargain, not a ripoff.

The ongoing cost is mainly the filter pack once a year. Genuine Winix filters aren’t the cheapest, but they’re also not insane, and the fact they’re rated for a year helps. I’ve tried knockoff filters in older Winix models before, and they usually cut corners on the carbon layer and fit. That leads to worse smell control and sometimes weird odors from the filter itself. Here, the stock carbon filter is clearly better than the generic ones I’ve seen – actual charcoal pellets in a honeycomb instead of a thin dark sheet that barely does anything.

If you just want a purifier for a small bedroom and you don’t care about odor control, you could easily spend less and get something basic that still helps with dust and pollen. Where this unit makes more sense is: larger rooms, homes with pets, or places that deal with smoke or strong cooking smells. In those cases, the stronger fan, better carbon filter, and auto mode justify the extra cost in my opinion.

So overall, I’d call the value good but not mind-blowing. You’re paying for quieter operation, better odor control, and a bit of smart convenience. If those matter to you and you’re okay with yearly filter costs, it’s money reasonably well spent. If you want rock-bottom price and don’t care about smells or noise, there are cheaper options that will “kind of” do the job.

Design-wise, the Winix 5520 is pretty straightforward. It’s a black tower, about 22.7" tall, 13.6" wide, and 8.3" deep. So yeah, it’s not tiny, but it’s slim enough to park against a wall or beside a TV stand without feeling like a big block in the middle of the room. It doesn’t scream “medical device” like some white plastic purifiers. In my place, the black finish blends in fine with the TV, speakers, and other random black electronics.

The front panel pops off with magnets, which I like a lot more than the usual plastic clips that feel like they’re going to snap every time you open them. You just pull from the top, it comes off, filters are right there. No tools, no wrestling. Behind that you’ve got the washable mesh pre‑filter, then the carbon honeycomb, then the HEPA. The layout is simple, so cleaning the pre‑filter or swapping the consumables doesn’t turn into a project.

Up top, the control panel is clear and not cluttered: power, fan speed, auto, sleep, PlasmaWave, and Wi‑Fi. The air quality light ring is front-facing, so you can see it from across the room. At night, it can be a bit bright if it’s in a bedroom, but sleep mode tones everything down. There’s no built-in handle like some portable units, but at about 13 pounds you can still move it around without feeling like you’re hauling gym equipment.

Overall, the design is just practical. No fake chrome, no weird shapes, no silly gimmicks. It’s a black box that moves air and doesn’t draw too much attention. If you’re into fancy décor pieces, this isn’t it. If you just want something that disappears visually and is easy to open and clean, it gets the job done.

Comfort-wise, this is where the Winix 5520 shines for me. On the lower fan speeds and in sleep mode, it’s very quiet. You get a soft whoosh, more like HVAC vents than a fan. I can watch TV, work calls, or sleep with it on low or medium without it bothering me. If you like a bit of white noise at night, it’s actually pretty nice. It’s rated at 27 dB on the lower setting, and subjectively that feels right – it’s there, but barely.

On high, though, you do notice it. It’s not crazy loud like a box fan on max, but if it kicks into high while you’re watching something quietly, you’ll hear it. The upside is, it usually doesn’t stay on high for long in auto mode unless your air is actually bad (smoke, heavy cooking, lots of people moving around). I’ve only had it blasting for extended periods when the outdoor air was rough or I intentionally forced it to high after cooking.

The airflow direction is straight up, which I prefer. It doesn’t blast cold or filtered air straight into your face like some front-venting units. You can sit next to it without feeling a draft. That also helps it mix air in the room better instead of just cleaning one corner. Heat-wise, it doesn’t really warm up the room; even after hours on, the body is only slightly warm, nothing concerning.

For bedrooms, I’d say it’s very usable as long as you’re okay with a gentle fan sound. The only minor annoyance is the indicator lights if you’re super sensitive to light, but sleep mode handles most of that. Overall, for something that moves this much air, the comfort and noise levels are one of the main reasons I’d pick this over the cheap, whiny purifiers I’ve used before.

In terms of build, the Winix 5520 feels decent for the price: mostly plastic, but not flimsy. The housing doesn’t creak every time you touch it, and the magnetic front panel still snaps in firmly after a bunch of filter checks. Other users mentioned theirs surviving toddler attacks and getting knocked over without dying, and I’m not shocked – it feels more like a solid appliance than a fragile gadget.

The real durability question with purifiers is the filters. Winix claims about a year for the HEPA and carbon filters with normal use. That lines up with what I’ve seen with similar Winix models. The washable pre‑filter is a big deal here: it catches a ton of hair and big dust, so the HEPA doesn’t clog as fast. Rinse that pre‑filter every few weeks and you’re basically extending the life of the more expensive parts. Replacement filter packs are easy to find, and while they’re not cheap, you’re not changing them every three months like some brands push.

Internally, I haven’t seen any weird rattles, fan wobble, or electronic glitches so far. The buttons still respond well, and the air quality sensor hasn’t completely lost its mind – just the occasional odd spike, which seems to be normal with these consumer sensors. No error codes, no random shutoffs, nothing like that.

Long term, based on other Winix models people have had for years, I’d expect this to last a while if you actually clean the pre‑filter and don’t block the vents. It’s not bulletproof, but for a daily-use purifier that might run 12–24 hours a day, the build and filter system feel up to the task. Just budget for yearly filter changes and treat it like a real appliance, not a disposable gadget.

In practice, the air cleaning performance is pretty solid. Within a couple of days, I noticed less dust buildup on shelves and the TV stand, and my partner’s allergy symptoms (sneezing, itchy eyes) dropped a notch. Not magically cured, but clearly better. During a smoky day (wildfire haze in the area), I closed the windows, set this in the main living space, and the indoor smell went from that burnt campfire vibe to basically neutral in under an hour. Not perfect, but way more livable.

The auto mode is actually useful, though a bit quirky sometimes. It reacts fast to obvious triggers: cooking, spraying cleaner, opening the door when it’s smoky outside. You’ll see the ring go from blue to red and the fan jump to high. After 5–10 minutes, it usually drifts back down once the sensor thinks the air is clean. Sometimes, like a few other reviewers said, it randomly jumps to red for a short burst when nothing obvious is happening. My guess is small VOC spikes (maybe from the kitchen or bathroom) that you don’t notice, but yeah, it can feel a little random.

Odor control is where this does better than cheaper units I’ve used. The pellet carbon filter actually cuts cooking and pet smells instead of just masking them. Litter box smell is reduced, not gone completely, but definitely less obvious if the unit has been running nearby. Frying food or cooking something strong, it clears the lingering smell faster than my old purifier. For smoke, it doesn’t make the room smell like nothing, but it cuts the harshness a lot.

As for fine particles, I don’t have lab gear, but based on allergy symptoms, visible dust, and the way the filters look after a couple weeks (pre‑filter and HEPA both collecting a surprising amount of junk), it’s doing what it claims. If you’re expecting hospital-level air, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want cleaner, less dusty, less smelly air in a normal home, it’s more than decent.

On paper, the Winix 5520 is built for fairly big spaces. It’s AHAM verified for around 392 sq ft, but the marketing claims up to 1,882 sq ft in an hour at full blast. In real life, I’d say it’s best for a large living room or an open main floor, not your entire house. The CADR numbers aren’t printed everywhere in the listing, but based on the AHAM rating and airflow, it’s clearly stronger than the small bedroom purifiers you see for half the price.

The filtration stack is pretty serious for home use: washable pre‑filter, pellet-style carbon filter (not just a thin sprayed sheet), a True HEPA filter rated for 0.01 microns, and then their PlasmaWave ionization thing you can switch off if you don’t want it. The HEPA and carbon filters are meant to last about a year, which is nice compared to brands that force you into 3–6 month changes. Replacement filters aren’t cheap, but they’re not outrageous either, and they’re easy to find.

Feature-wise, you get auto mode, multiple fan speeds, a color air quality ring (blue/amber/red), sleep mode, Wi‑Fi, and Alexa support. No batteries, no separate remote on this model, which I actually see as a plus because I always lose remotes. The unit is Energy Star certified and max power draw is listed at 50W, so leaving it on low/auto all day doesn’t feel like it’s murdering your power bill.

So on specs alone, it sits in that middle ground: stronger and smarter than budget purifiers, less fancy than those overpriced designer towers. If you care about VOCs and smells (cooking, pets, smoke), the better carbon filter is the main selling point. If you just want pollen and dust removal, it might be more purifier than you strictly need, but at least it’s not underpowered.