Odor Air Purifier Ashtray - Smoke Removal & Anion Purification Ashtray

Most of the smoke never came from your drags

A cigarette burns for several minutes. You are actually drawing on it for a few seconds of that. The rest of the time it sits in the tray smouldering, sending a thin column of smoke straight up into the curtains, the sofa and the ceiling. That is the smoke that makes a room smell like a room where somebody smokes.

This is an ashtray with a fan in the base. While the cigarette is resting in the tray, the fan pulls that column downward into the body instead of letting it climb. Ash and butt stay in a lift-out tray. That is the whole idea — and it is worth being precise about what it is and what it is not, because plenty of listings for this kind of product are not.

What it does, in plain terms

Press the button on the side and a small fan under the floor of the tray starts pulling air down. Air enters around the black rim at the top and leaves through the ring of louvres around the base, so the draught runs down through the middle of the tray, past a filter, and out underneath. A cigarette left resting in one of the notches sits directly in that draught.

The effect is local, and it depends on where the cigarette is. One of our own reviewers put it more bluntly than we would have: it only takes the smoke if the cigarette is in the ashtray. Rest it in a notch and the fan has something to work on. Hold it in your hand and it does not.

What it is not

We would rather you knew this before you ordered than after. This is a fan and a filter inside a tray about the width of a saucer. It is not a room air purifier and we are not going to describe it as one.

• It does not clean the air in a room, and it will not clear a room that has already gone hazy.
• It does not protect anyone else in the room and it does not make smoking indoors safe. If other people are in the space, open a window or step outside.
• It does nothing about smoke you exhale, or about a cigarette held in your hand away from the tray.

The timer, and why you should know about it first

Each press of the button runs the fan for about five minutes, then it shuts itself off. That is deliberate — it stops the unit draining its batteries in a pocket or on a table you have walked away from.

It is also the thing buyers of this style of ashtray complain about most, because a slow cigarette outlasts the timer and the fan stops mid-smoke. If that would irritate you, press it again; if it would irritate you every single time, this is not the product for you, and we would rather say so here than take the return.

Two AA batteries, and no cable at all

There is no lead and no charging port. It takes two AA batteries, which are not included, so add a pack to your order if you do not keep them in a drawer. The battery hatch is underneath; buyers report it is held by small screws, so have a small screwdriver to hand the first time.

The trade is a real one. Nothing to plug in means it goes out to the balcony, on to the patio table, into the garage and back again without a thought. It also means you will be buying batteries — this is not a unit you charge overnight.

Emptying it, and keeping ash out of the works

The black tray on top lifts straight off. Tip the ash out, rinse the tray, dry it and drop it back on. Under it sits a washable filter that catches the coarse stuff before it reaches the fan; rinse that too and let it dry fully before it goes back in.

One honest warning, from customers rather than from a spec sheet: fine ash works its way past the tray and down into the body over time, and a unit left to fill up is the one that gives trouble. Empty it often rather than letting it load, and stub cigarettes out properly rather than leaving them to burn down against the plastic rim.

Green, white or gray

Same unit in all three: same black tray, same fan, same filter. Only the colour of the band changes. The white and the gray read as a plain matte puck on a table and disappear into most rooms; the green is the one people notice.

Specifications

• 5.2 in (13.2 cm) across, 3.0 in (7.5 cm) tall — about the width of a coffee-cup saucer
• Downdraft fan in the base; one button, press on and press off
• Timed run of roughly five minutes per press, then automatic shut-off
• Air drawn in around the top rim, exhausted through the louvred ring at the bottom
• Removable black ashtray insert with moulded cigarette rests
• Washable, removable filter inside the body
• Runs on 2 x AA batteries — not included. No cable, no charging port
• Colours: green, white, gray

What you get

• One ashtray, with its removable black tray and the filter already fitted
• A user guide

Batteries are not in the box, and nothing else is either — no spare filters, no carry case, no adapter.

Frequently asked questions

Will it stop my flat smelling of smoke?

It reduces what a resting cigarette puts into the room, which is the largest single source of it. It does nothing about smoke you exhale, about a cigarette held away from the tray, or about the smell already in soft furnishings. The people who report the biggest difference are the ones who leave the cigarette in the tray between drags.

Does it purify the air?

No, and we do not claim it does. It is a fan and a filter inside an ashtray. Treat it as smoke containment at the tray, not as air treatment for a room.

Is it safe to smoke indoors with it?

This product makes no health claim of any kind, and neither do we. It is a tidier, less smelly ashtray. Ventilate the room as you otherwise would, and take the same care around other people that you would take without it.

How many batteries, and are they included?

Two AA batteries, and no, they are not included. Fresh alkalines rather than half-used ones make a noticeable difference to how hard the fan pulls.

Why does it turn itself off?

It is on a timer of roughly five minutes per press, so it cannot be left running. Press the button again if your cigarette outlasts it.

Is it loud?

It is a small fan in a small plastic body, so there is an audible hum — quiet in a room with a television on, noticeable in a silent one. Anyone selling you a silent one is guessing.

Can I use it in a car?

People do, because it needs no power lead. It is too wide for a standard cup holder, so it wants a flat spot, and it is not secured to anything — do not leave it loose on a seat while you are driving.

Can I buy replacement filters?

Not from us, and we could not find a source that states compatibility with this exact unit. The filter is washable, so plan on rinsing and drying the one that comes fitted rather than replacing it.

Does the white one work differently from the green one?

No. Identical unit, three colours.

An ashtray that keeps the smoke where the ash goes

Not a purifier, not a promise about anybody's health — just the smoke from a resting cigarette going down into a tray instead of up into the room. Pick a colour, put two AA batteries in it, and stand it where the ashtray already lives.