What to look for in a small room air purifier

The small spaces in our homes play large roles in our lives. They’re often versatile hubs that accommodate a myriad of activities from work to relaxation, and leisure. Just because a room is small doesn’t mean that its air quality is less important. When space is limited, pollutants like dust, pollen, and smoke can build up quickly and become an issue. That’s why ensuring good air quality in small rooms is essential for maintaining a healthy living environment in our homes.

This is where an air purifier can make a huge difference, especially when its features and abilities are selected for the unique needs of a small room. In this article, we’ll arm you with all the knowledge you’ll need to do just that.

When selecting an air purifier for a small room or area in your home, a few simple specifications should always be made available to help you assess its ability to ensure optimal performance and effectiveness based on your needs.

In this regard, one of the most important things to consider is room size. Matching an air purifier to the size of the room it will be treating can be determined by its coverage. Look for models that offer sufficient coverage based on the square footage of the space it’s going into so you can be sure the air there will be properly purified.

The next thing to consider is a specification called Air Changes per Hour, also known as ACH. This tells you how many times the purifier can treat all the air in a room within one hour.

Another important thing to look at is an air purifier’s Clean Air Delivery Rate, or CADR. Doing so allows you to get more specific when it comes to solving the air challenges your small room can face. CADR is communicated in Cubic Feet per Minute, or CFM. The purifier you’re looking at should have three separate ratings for CADR, one for smoke, one for pollen, and another for dust. Our Blue Pure 411i Max has the same CADR rating of 141 CFM for all three pollutants. This means that every minute, 141 cubic feet of air is getting treated by your purifier for smoke, pollen, and dust.

The CADR rating of the Blue Pure 411i Max is one of the reasons Dr. Priya Bansal MD, a triple-board-certified allergy, asthma, and immunology specialist at the Asthma and Allergy Wellness Center recommends this model* for capturing airborne particles that commonly exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms.

Look for highly efficient filtration capabilities that can remove the tiniest particles from the air with as little noise as possible. Filtration technology is among the most important aspects of an air purifier’s capabilities. We’re so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in this regard.

All Blueair air purifiers come with HEPAsilent™ filtration that removes 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.1 microns¹. Many of our award winning air purifiers are among the quietest², least intrusive air purifiers you can buy, which is important when looking to place one in a small area where you’re likely to be in close proximity.

Design is another consideration. Anything added to a small space is more likely to get noticed, so you’ll want to assess your purifier’s ability to blend in or stand out. Regardless of which appeals to you more, you’ll want an air purifier that takes up as little space as possible.

When it comes to the more functional aspects of an air purifier that are ideal in a small room, seek out models equipped with different operating modes and air quality sensors. It’s especially helpful if your air purifier has an auto mode that can adjust its settings to changing air conditions without you having to be there. This helps to conserve energy so that your air purifier is working smart, instead of working hard.

When it comes to the smallest spaces in your home, look to our smallest air purifier, the Blue Pure Mini Max. It’s lightweight, compact design is well suited to sitting on desks or nightstands in small spaces. When it comes to cleaning, the Blue Pure Mini Max is mighty tough on pollutants with the ability to remove smoke, pollen, and dust from 60 cubic feet of air in just one minute. Its Auto mode uses an air quality sensor to make sure the right settings are being used to ensure your air is always fresh and clean.

The Blue Pure 511i Max is ideal for small spaces up to 465 square feet and can completely refresh the air in a dorm room, nursery, or bedroom of this size in just 30 minutes. With its sleek & stylish Scandinavian design, and the ability to customize its washable, fabric pre-filter with up to five different colors, the Blue Pure 511i Max can look seamless or striking in your space, depending on your aesthetic preferences.

For spaces that are larger than 216 square feet, the Blue Pure 411i Max is a more suitable option in terms of coverage. In addition to the high performing Clean Air Delivery Rate we mentioned earlier, it also has the ability to completely refresh the air in rooms almost 5 times every hour with an Air Changes per Hour rate of 4.8 ACH.

Both the Blue Pure 411i Max and 511i Max work with the Blueair app, giving you access to its most basic functions as well as app-exclusive features that make remote control and monitoring of air quality quick and easy. With the Blueair app’s Welcome Home feature you can even have the Blue Pure 411i Max prepare the air in any room its in for your arrival when it’s alerted to your proximity to home.

Both the Blue Pure 411i Max and 511i Max have a night mode that turns down lights and puts their fans on the quietest setting for a great night’s sleep.

Whichever air purifier you choose for the small room in your home, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting the best air possible from it.

Some manufacturers have strict rules about where an air purifier can be placed, but you’ll be glad to know that this is less of a concern with Blue Pure Max air purifiers. With a 360º air intake that ensures thorough filtration and effective removal of pollutants from any location, you can place your Blueair air purifier to compliment the design of your room without any worries that you’re compromising on air quality.

Make sure that you adhere to regular maintenance and filter replacement guidelines so that the air in your room is guaranteed to be fresh. Our filter subscription program makes this easy, sending fresh filters to your door right when you need them.

Adding an air purifier to any room, large or small, is part of a holistic approach to improved air quality that we’re so glad you’ve decided to consider. Once your air purifier arrives, don’t forget to take into account other tips, like opening the windows often to improve ventilation, optimizing room layout for better natural airflow, and regular dusting and vacuuming that along with your air purifier can contribute to a healthier living environment.

Disclaimer:

1. When similar CADR was measured, Blueair models with mechanical and electrostatic filtration achieved less noise with less energy than same models with only H13 HEPA mechanical filtration. Noise refers to the dB(A) difference in acoustic power.

2. Based on removal testing of PM 2.5 (0.1 - 2.5 microns) and germs (H1N1, E.coli) up to 90min in a 30m3 room. Performance may vary. Not all Blueair air purifiers have been tested against SARS-CoV-2, and Blueair does not claim to kill/prevent transmission of COVID-19.

* Dr. Bansal is a Blueair sponsored partner. Dr. Bansal's review pertains to Blue Pure 411i Max and Blue Pure 311i+ Max models