How To Choose An Air Purifier

Air Purifier Specialists Since 1994
For over 16 years we have specialised in providing only the best quality air purifiers coupled with the best advice available.
This approach has seen us help thousands of customers choose the right machine first time and avoid the pitfalls of spending good money on bad or unsuitable products.

Pollen • Tobacco Smoke • Dust Mites • Mould Spores • Cooking Fumes • Animal Dander •Bacteria • Virus.... the list goes on.

Which Air Purifier Will Work Best For Me?
A well chosen Air Purifier will filter out everything from basic allergens to tobacco smoke , viruses and even chemical VOC's ( volatile organic compounds - ie. the glue found in many new carpets etc). However different units work better on different issues, for instance one purifier might be the best in the world for destroying virus, but be fairly ineffective against tobacco smoke. Another may offer fantastic respite for asthma sufferers, but be virtually negligent in the  removal of odours.  We answer some common questions further down to help you choose, but of course you can always just pick up the phone and ask the question if you want to get it right in double quick time!

My other half is a smoker and I am not, which type of air purifier should I choose?
You should choose a hepa type air purifier, but it MUST also have a carbon filter. Carbon (also sometimes referred to as baking soda) is the only thing that will adsorb the smell of the tobacco.
As a general rule the more carbon in the filter the better the tobacco smoke removal. Consider the Bionaire BAP9240 for smaller rooms or the BAP1550 Smokestop for even greater odour adsorption. However, if you want genuinely unbeatable tobacco smoke removal, then the BlueAir Smokestop models are the ultimate machine. The Blueair smokestop has almost a Kilo of carbon in the filter - vastly more than any other unit we have and when added to the Hepasilent Technology and superior CADR ( clean air delivery rates ) they deliver, it is easy to see why Blueair are regarded as the best Hepa air purifiers money can buy.  For more detailed information visit our Air Purifiers For Smoke and Odour removal section.

I suffer from Asthma, which unit would suit me best?
Over 5.4 Million people in the UK suffer from Asthma, 1.1 million of those are children. In fact more children suffer from asthma in the UK than in any other country on the globe.
There are various particles that can trigger an asthma attack, and most of these can be filtered out quite easily with a good Hepa filter. However if you want the best possible chance of destroying ALL the allergy triggers then an Airfree air steriliser  will be the most effective. Click here to visit our Air Purifiers for Asthma section will quickly point you to the best units for 

I get terrible hay fever what is the main cause and can an air purifier help me?
Grass pollen is the most frequent cause of hay fever counting for no fewer than 90% of the cases in the UK. However, there are other common types like tree pollen ( from alder, hazel, birch and horse chestnut) and also weed pollen ( from plantains, mugwort and docks). The good news is that a well chosen air purifier will filter out pollen ( all types) very easily. The trick is to ensure the air purifier is powerful enough to exchange all of the air inside your room through the filters at least 4 or 5 times an hour so you need to make sure the unit you choose has a powerful fan ( to suck the pollens in) but is not too noisy, otherwise you will not want to use it!  For smaller rooms consider the BAP242s or the BAP9240  or if you really want the quietest units that can give the most air changes per hour then look no further than the Blueair machines which are immensely powerful, yet are the quietest Hepa units you can buy. Incidentally, the Blueair 503 has the highest CADR ( clean air delivery rate ) ever recorded, and the ECO10 is the worlds most energy efficient Hepa Filter at only 7 Watts!

I have a newborn baby and want the air in her room to be as clean as possible.
This is an easy one, nothing cleans the air to a higher degree than one of the  Airfree Air Purifiers. These machines do everything the other machines to in addition to destroying all virus and bacteria as well as the usual general airborne contaminants from road traffic fumes etc. This coupled with the fact that an Airfree machine is totally silent and has no ongoing filter costs make it the best choice for any childs room. Many Airfree models also come with a built in nightlight!


The Three Main Types Of Air Purifier

Ionizers ( Ionisers)
Ionizer air purifiers are generally inexpensive, but also the least effective air purifiers because they simply make the particles fall to the surface in the room. So your air will feel fresher, but the impurities/allergens are still in the room and open to inhalation. Nowadays an Ionizer is generally only found as an added extra on a Hepa Air Purifier (see below). If you have an Ioniser already you will probably have noticed a build up of black deposit around the machine where the particles have been attracted to the unit and stuck to the nearby surfaces. In general an Ioniser on its own is not the most effective way of cleaning a room, but an Ioniser as part of a Hepa Air Purifier is a good idea and a much more common sight nowadays.
 
Hepa Air Purifiers ( High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter )
Hepa Filter air purifiers offer hugely better air cleaning efficiency than Ionizers. The contaminated room air is sucked into the machine and through the HEPA filter by a fan. The filter collects over 99% of the contaminants ( allergens,pet dander,dust mites, etc) and the cleaned air is then pushed back out to recirculate around the room. The upside of a good hepa air purifier is it's ability to filter out huge amounts of airborne contaminants for a relatively low cost. One downside however is the noise factor, a cheaply made Hepa machine can sound up to 10 times louder than an equivalent well made one. The more well known Hepa Filter brands like Bionaire for example tend to be quieter than the mass produced lesser known ones.  The Blueair range of Hepa Air Purifiers are simply the most powerful, quiet and energy efficient units you can buy with awards galore from all over the world. With any Hepa based machine, you will need to replace the filters regularly to keep the air cleaning efficiency at it's highest level. So always check the replacement filter costs before buying. Many Hepa Air Purifiers now come with an Ionizer built in to offer the best of both worlds in terms of freshening the air and actually trapping the particles ( as opposed to simply depositing them on the nearest surface).

Air Sterilizers ( air sterilisers )
Air Sterilizers like the Airfree models are generally considered to be the Rolls Royce of air purification. These units clean the air to the highest possible degree and even destroy virus and bacteria. They are also completely silent in operation and have no filters to replace. The downside of an Air Steriliser is usually the initial cost being a little higher than other types, however the cleaner air and cost savings in not having to replace filters is definitely a huge benefit. Choose an air steriliser if you are concentrating your efforts on one specific room and want the cleanest air possible.

I'm still stuck!
Well don't be, view all our air purifiers by clicking the 'View All Units' link on the right, or just pick up the phone and give us a call on 01207 507444 and tell us what your specific problem is and we will have you pointed in the right direction in minutes!