It is important to decide what air contaminants or health concerns you want your Air Purifier to address. A well chosen Air Purifier will filter out everything from basic allergens to tobacco smoke , viruses and chemical VOC's. However different units work better on different issues, for instance one purifier might be excellent at removing bacteria and viruses, but be poor at removing smoke. Another may be fantastic for asthma sufferers, but poor at removing of odours.
Room Size
Measure the size of the room where you want to purify the air. Choose a unit that can handle the total volume of air in the room. Remember that high ceilings affect the total cubic footage.
Operating Costs & Energy efficiency
Review the power rating and how much electricity the unit will use and see if it requires regular filter replacements and check the cost of the replacement filters.
Ease of Use
Replacing filters and periodic internal cleaning can be time consuming, while some Air Purifiers require no maintenance at all. Some filter can simply be turned on and some come with remote control operation and automatic sensors which control the unit based on the room air quality.
Noise Levels
Fortunately most modern Air Purifiers are extremely quiet and many are totally silent (see the Airfree Range). A level of greater than 45 dB indoors is identified as noticeable by most human ears. Most other air purifiers have a noise level of 5-50 dB
Aesthetic Design
Air Purifiers will occupy a new place in your room so how well it fits in (or how well its concealed) might be a concern for some. Many of the Air Purifiers we sell have won some of the most prestigious international design awards, most are quite compact and are nearly like works of art. Some include an attractive night light and some can also be hung from your ceiling (see the LightAirSky)
Standards & Certification
All the air purifiers we sell as standard meet the CE and S mark for electrical quality and safety as set out by the European Union. Some Air Purifiers also meet additional standards such as the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) indicates how much filtered air is delivered by the air purifier and how well the system removes pollutants (tobacco smoke, dust and pollen) from the air. CADR is sponsored by the Association of Home Appliances Manufacturers (AHAM), an independent organization that ensures testing results are accurate and impartial. AHAM has also developed a validated way to convert an air purifier’s performance into its room size coverage
Tests are performed in accordance with the standard ANSI/AHAM AC-1-2006, the only air purifier standard recognized as an American national standard. CADR is endorsed by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All Blueair Air Purifiers have CADR certification.
CE mark
For markets within the European Economic Area (EEA), all products sold need to be CE marked. With the CE mark, the manufacturer ensures that the product complies with essential requirements of EU directives including health, safety, function and environment. The CE mark assures that prescribed control procedure has been applied.
S mark
The S mark certifies that a product complies with European safety standards for fire, electric shock, mechanical injuries, radiation injuries, burns and certain types of environmental damage. Certifying a product with S mark is voluntary. Tests and certifications are performed independently and can function as a complement to the CE mark.
Particle removal efficiency
Small particles, below the size of 2.5 micron (PM2.5) and even more below 1 micron, are inhaled deeply into our lungs, entering our blood stream bringing other substances into our body. 90% of all particles in the air are below 2.5 micron and can because of their size stay airborne for a very long time. These particles are today considered to be a major cause of heart-and vascular disease, different forms of cancer as well as a serious aggravating factor to allergy and asthma reactions. Also less serious symptoms such as headache, fatigue, etc are the result of high concentration of small particles in the air. Most Air Purifiers remove particles less than .03 micron in size and some such as the Blueair range can remove particles less than .01 micron.
Warranty
Make sure that the air purifier carries a solid warranty. Most established manufacturers offer warranties ranging from two to ten years.