Blueair Classic 405

The air inside our homes can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside, and given how much time we spend indoors, ensuring the air is clear and free of allergens and irritants is important for good health. We put a range of air purifiers to the test to determine which ones were up to the task, and the Blueair Classic 405 hit all the right marks in our tests and with parents who tried it out at home thanks to its quiet and easy operation and handy app. 

Designed for mid-size rooms, the Blueair Classic 405 uses “HEPASilent” technology—a combination of electrostatic charges and three-stage HEPA filtration—to capture up to 99.97 percent of airborne particles such as dust, animal dander, pollen, cigarette smoke and viruses, as small as 0.1 microns. To test its effectiveness, we placed the unit in an air-tight 8- x 8- x 4-foot space along with an ultra-fine particle counter and then sprayed dry shampoo into the space for five seconds. This air purifier made quick work of cleaning the air, bringing the particulate levels down to under 100 particles per cubic centimetre (well below what’s considered clean air) in less than five minutes. Editors also looked at the clean air delivery rates (CADR), a score that indicates how quickly a device filters the air; this independent testing is carried out through the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. According to the CADR scores, the Blueair Classic 405 does an excellent job of filtering the three particulates tested (tobacco smoke, dust and pollen) in rooms up to 434 square feet. In fact, it has some of the highest CADR scores of any of the air purifiers we tested.

Parents who tested the air purifier at home had it running in high-traffic living spaces, including a main living room and basement. Though the Blueair Classic 405 doesn’t come with a built-in air-quality sensor (you can buy the compatible Blueair Aware Indoor Air Quality Monitor separately), our testers found using the machine on the medium or lowest settings still made a difference in their air quality, removing odours, reducing dust and alleviating allergy symptoms. They also loved the ease and convenience of the Blueair Friend app, which allowed them to control the fan speed or turn the unit off, even if they weren’t home.

Parent testers were especially impressed with how easy it is to set up and use the Blueair Classic 405, including connecting the air purifier to the Blueair Friend app. Instructions are clear, and the control panel on the air purifier is intuitive, with icons for fan speed (three illuminated bars representing low, medium or high), Wi-Fi connectivity and change filter reminder. But the app is where the functionality really shines: It adds the ability to activate night mode and a child lock so settings can't be changed by them, plus you can control the air purifier from anywhere. Replacing the filter—which Blueair recommends changing every six months—is also very straightforward: you simply open the door on the back and it slides right out. You'll need to vacuum the inside of the unit before replacing the filter, but it's a quick and simple task. 

Noise is always a consideration for parents (the last thing you want is an air purifier that wakes a sleeping baby), and the Classic 405 is quite quiet. All of our parent testers said the Blueair Classic 405 was either silent or very quiet on low and medium fan speeds. There is a big jump in volume between medium and high, but that's pretty typical of air purifiers, and you're really only going to crank it up to high when you know there's something in the air and you want to clear it fast. That said, to change the fan speed on this unit you can only cycle up, which means you'll very briefly activate the high fan speed when you want to change it from medium to low—something to think about if you plan to place the air purifier in or near a child’s room.

FINAL WORD 

The Blueair Classic 405 air purifier is a great option for families. All parent testers gave it a very good rating for ease of use, and two out of three also rated the quality very good (the other tester gave it a good rating). This wasn't surprising given how impressed they were with its effectiveness, the easy-to-use app and even the child lock that meant their littles couldn’t mess with the settings on the control panel. Plus, they felt it offered good value at its price point. Editors similarly appreciated the simplicity and effectiveness of this air purifier. It gets the job done well, quickly and easily, and that's really what you want.