MOOKA M05 Air Purifier Review: quiet little unit that actually clears the air

I’ve been using the MOOKA M05 air purifier for a few weeks now in a flat with one cat, a smoker who occasionally uses the balcony with the door half open, and a bedroom that gets a bit dusty. I bought it mainly for pet dander and lingering smells, not because of hardcore allergies. So this review is from someone who just wants the place to smell less like litter box and stale air, and more like “normal house”.

What interested me first was the combo of H13 HEPA filter, the supposed coverage up to 1250 ft², and the 15 dB sleep mode. On paper, that’s a lot of performance for a pretty compact and light unit. I was also curious about the aromatherapy thing and the night light, but honestly those were more of a bonus than the main reason I bought it. My priority was: does it actually reduce smells and dust without sounding like a hairdryer?

In practice, I’ve moved it around between the bedroom (about 12 m²), the living room (around 20 m²) and a small office area. I usually run it on low or medium. I only switch to high when cooking something smelly or after the smoker’s been out on the balcony with the door open. That gave me a decent idea of how it behaves in different rooms and noise situations.

Overall, it’s pretty solid for a small unit, but it’s not magic. It helps with smells and dust, especially in one room at a time, but I wouldn’t buy it thinking it will perfectly handle a whole big flat on its own. If you expect a quiet helper that improves the air rather than a miracle machine, you’ll be closer to what it really is.

In terms of value, I’d say the MOOKA M05 sits in a pretty fair spot. It’s not the cheapest purifier out there, but it’s also not in the high-end range with apps and sensors. For what you pay, you get a H13 HEPA filter, quiet operation, a timer, aromatherapy option, and a compact design. If your goal is to improve the air in one or two rooms without overcomplicating things, it’s a sensible choice.

You do have to factor in filter replacement costs. The official replacement filter (B0DQ1BVB6L) is what they recommend, and they say to change it every 3–6 months depending on how dirty your environment is and how often you run it. If you live with pets, smoke, or near a busy road, expect closer to 3–4 months. That means there’s a recurring cost you shouldn’t ignore. It’s not insane, but over two years it adds up, like with any purifier.

Compared to some bigger brands that add Wi‑Fi and mobile apps, this MOOKA skips those fancy features and keeps the price lower. Personally, I prefer that: I don’t really need to check my purifier from my phone. On the other hand, you don’t get air quality sensors or automatic adjustment of fan speed. If you want those smart functions, there are pricier models that might suit you better.

So, is it worth it? If you want something simple, quiet, and reasonably effective for pet smells, light smoke, and dust in a bedroom or medium living room, then yes, it’s good value. If you’re super sensitive to allergens, want full-house coverage with sensors and app control, you might be better off saving up for a more advanced model. For everyday use in a normal home, it hits a good price/performance balance, but it’s not the best thing ever made either.

Design-wise, the MOOKA M05 is pretty neutral. Pearl white plastic shell, cylindrical shape, intake around the sides, and air blowing from the top. It looks like a standard modern air purifier, nothing flashy. That’s actually what I like about it: it disappears in a corner and doesn’t fight with the rest of the furniture. The small blue night light ring on the top gives it a slightly techy look but you can control it if you don’t like lights at night.

The footprint is small, so it’s easy to place it next to a bedside table or in a corner of the living room without rearranging the whole room. Because it only weighs around 1.66 kg, I just pick it up with one hand and move it between rooms. Compared to some chunkier purifiers I’ve seen, this one feels more like a portable gadget than a piece of equipment you park and never touch again.

The touch controls on top are clear and responsive. The icons are simple: fan symbol for speed, clock for timer, a moon for sleep mode, etc. After one evening, I didn’t need the manual anymore. There’s also a small indicator for when the filter needs changing. No rotating knobs, no confusing menus, which is nice. One thing to mention: the surface is glossy enough to show fingerprints and dust, so if you’re picky about that, you’ll wipe it down once in a while.

In terms of design annoyances, I’d say cable management is basic. The cord just hangs there; there’s no integrated way to wrap it nicely when you move it. Also, if you like super minimal setups, the blue light (even though soft) might annoy you if you’re ultra sensitive to any light in the bedroom. Overall though, for a cheap-ish purifier, the design is decent, practical, and doesn’t look cheap from across the room.

The aromatherapy function is basically a small pad where you drop some essential oil, and the purifier blows air over it. First time I used it, I followed the tip to add a bit more oil to moisten the pad properly. With a few drops of lavender oil, you do get a light scent in the room after 10–15 minutes. It’s not super strong like an electric diffuser, more like a background smell. Which, to be honest, is fine by me. I prefer that to a perfume punch in the face.

One thing to be clear about: the oil doesn’t mix with the filter. It’s just carried by the airflow, so it doesn’t magically “purify” the air more, it just smells nicer. If you overdo it and put too much oil, the scent can get a bit heavy, so it’s better to start with a few drops and see how it goes. I used it a few evenings in the bedroom and it gives a small spa vibe, but I wouldn’t buy this purifier just for that feature. It’s a bonus, not the main reason to get this model.

The night light is a soft glow, not a bright lamp. In a dark room, you clearly see it, but it’s not blinding. If you like sleeping in total darkness, you might want to turn it off, which is possible. For me, it’s actually practical when I wake up at night and don’t want to turn on the main light. Visually, it makes the purifier look a bit more modern, but again, not a big deal.

Overall, the fragrance and night light features are nice add-ons. They don’t change the core function of the purifier, but they make it slightly more pleasant to use in a bedroom or living room. If you’re into essential oils, you’ll probably like playing with it. If not, you can just ignore it and use the device purely as an air cleaner.

In daily use, the noise levels are probably the best point of this purifier. Sleep mode is honestly very quiet. The 15 dB figure seems realistic: it’s basically a soft background whisper. If you need total silence to sleep, you might still hear it, but for me it blended in after a few minutes. On low, it’s slightly louder than sleep mode but still very acceptable for a bedroom. On medium, you definitely hear the airflow but it’s not annoying; it’s more like a normal fan on low. On high, it’s clearly audible and not what I’d call quiet, but that’s expected if you want strong air circulation.

The airflow itself feels decent for the size. If you put your hand over the top, you feel a good stream of air on medium and high. In a 15–20 m² room, you can feel the air in the room getting “fresher” after an hour or so, especially if the windows were closed before. It’s not like an AC that blows cold air, but you notice the room feels less stuffy. The timer (2/4/6/8 hours) is handy if you want to let it run and forget about it, for example when you leave for work or before going to sleep.

Power consumption isn’t clearly felt yet on the bill for me, but it’s a small unit, so I don’t expect it to be a huge drain. I usually run it on low or sleep mode for several hours a day and on medium or high only when needed. If you plan to run it 24/7 on high, any purifier will show up a bit more on your bill, so that’s something to keep in mind.

In practice, daily handling is simple: you press one button for power, tap to select speed, and that’s it. No app to pair, no firmware updates, no nonsense. The only slightly annoying thing is remembering to check/clean the filter occasionally, but the filter light helps with that. Overall, performance is solid for a compact unit: quiet on low, decent airflow on medium/high, and simple controls that make you actually use it instead of leaving it off.

Out of the box, you get the purifier itself, the filter already inside (you still need to unwrap the plastic, like most purifiers), a small manual, and that’s it. No remote, no app, no Wi‑Fi. The controls are on the top: power button, fan speed, timer, sleep mode, and a light/aroma area. It’s very basic and straightforward, which I honestly prefer. Fewer gimmicks, fewer things to break or bug out.

The unit is pretty compact: about 28 cm high and 17.8 cm wide/deep, and only 1.66 kg. It’s light enough to move with one hand, so I often shift it from my office during the day to the bedroom at night. The brand advertises coverage up to 1250 ft², but realistically, I’d say it’s more suited to a normal bedroom or medium living room if you want noticeable results. For a whole big open-plan space, you’d probably want something larger or a second unit.

Feature-wise, the highlights are:

• 3-speed fan (low/medium/high)
• Sleep mode at around 15 dB (basically a very soft hum)
• Timer at 2/4/6/8 hours
• Aromatherapy pad for essential oils
• Built-in night light
• Filter change indicator

In short, the overall package is simple but complete for the price. No smart features, but you get the basics that matter: HEPA filter, multiple speeds, quiet mode, timer, and a small bonus with aroma and night light. If you’re not into apps and just want a plug‑and‑play device, this fits that profile quite well.

This is the part that matters: does it actually work or is it just a noisy fan in a fancy shell? In my case, I noticed a difference mainly with smells and general stuffiness. With a cat and some occasional smoke drifting in, the living room sometimes had that “closed room” smell. After running the MOOKA on medium for a few hours, the air feels less heavy and the pet smell is clearly reduced. It doesn’t erase everything like magic, but it brings it down to a more neutral level.

For bedroom use, I ran it on low or sleep mode most nights. After 2–3 nights, I noticed less dust collecting on the bedside table and I woke up with less of that dry throat feeling. I’m not a hardcore allergy sufferer, but I am a bit sensitive to dust, and this definitely helps. You still need to clean and vacuum, obviously, but the layer of fine dust seems to build up slower when this thing runs a few hours a day.

On the smoke and cooking side, it does a decent job. When someone smokes on the balcony with the door a bit open, I put it on high in the living room. After about 30–40 minutes, the smell in the room is much lighter. Not gone 100%, but way less noticeable. Same after frying something strong in the kitchen: if I leave the purifier running on medium or high near the living room entrance, the food smell clears out faster than without it.

I wouldn’t rely on this single unit to properly cover a whole big flat or house up to 1250 ft² like the marketing says. Realistically, it’s very effective in one room, decent if you leave doors open between two rooms, and that’s it. If you expect industrial-level purification, this is not it. But for a bedroom, office, or medium living room, it gets the job done and that’s already pretty good for the price range.