Is it time you bought air purifier? Probably, but make it this one

Do I need an air purifier? Are they worth it? Which one should I buy? These are just a few of the questions I get asked on a weekly basis. The short answer is yes, you probably do need an air purifier, especially around this time of year. The important element to add is that not all air purifiers are crafted equally.

Whilst some of the very best air purifiers on the market will set you back up to £700, most homes don't need all the extra, ultra-technical finishes and flourishes. That's why the MeacoClean is the one that I recommend to most people.

You’ll see Meaco talk about the dust filter (for large particles); H11 HEPA filter (which removed 95% of particles), charcoal filter (removes VOCs and odours), PCO & UVC (disinfects ,microbes), and Ioniser (makes particles heavier and easier to clean). It all sounds impressive, but I’m going to show you what that translates to at home and in your everyday life. It’s a breath of fresh air.

MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier review

You'll see a lot written about the filters used in the MeacoClean and it can feel overwhelming, but here's a simplification of what they do:

• Pre-filter: Captures larger particles like dust and pet hair.
• HEPA filter: Removes smaller allergens such as pollen and fine dust.
• Enhanced charcoal filter: Absorbs odours and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like smoke and pollution.
• Photocatalyst with UV-C light: Destroys bacteria and viruses.
• Ioniser: Helps trap airborne dust particles more effectively.

Who would the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier suit?

The MeacoClean is a great all-rounder, which makes it perfect for homes with medium-sized rooms (up to 78m³) and smaller. It can sit quietly in the corner and effectively clean your air without calling attention to itself.

If you have pets or allergies, this is also a great buy because the HEPA filter does a wonderful job of removing larger particulates from the air. With that in mind, it's worth adding that larger rooms or individuals who are acutely sensitive to allergens might need something a little more robust. The downside is, these would cost five times what the MeacoClean will set you back: it's exceptional value for money.

Unboxing the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier

The MeacoClean Air Purifier comes in a box that’s pretty true to the size of the appliance itself. The robust cardboard is easily flattened and packed up into the recycling, leaving you with some soft plastic bags, used to prevent the MeacoClean from scratching in transit. If you live near a large supermarket, you can recycle them in the soft plastics bin, but otherwise, they’ll have to go in the main bin.

Once you’ve dealt with what’s on the outside, there’s only one element left to fix up before you can get going with using the MeacoClean. This is the plastic bag that wraps around the CA-HEPA filter, protecting it so that you get maximum use out of your air purifier. This sits inside the back of the MeacoClean, so you’ll just need to lift the door off and take the filter out. This is standard for all air purifiers, so it’s not unexpected or overly involved at all.

You’ll also have an app that you can connect to, which lets you remotely control, set up schedules, and keep an eye on the status of your air purifier. It’s clever and yet also really simple: a great start.

What is the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier like to use?

Whilst I have mentioned an app, if you don’t consider yourself one of the tech savvy amongst us, you don’t have to digitally control your air purifier.

On the top of the MeacoClean, you’ll see some labels, which have soft lights that will come on behind them when the air purifier is plugged in. These will turn the air purifier on and off, they’ll let you choose a mode (xx, xxx, xx), let you turn the lights on or off on it, and set a timer. It’s subtle, without proving difficult to read.

I have a few tests that I put every air purifier through, as well as using this in my day to day life. These test how well the air purifier removes smoke, aerosols and perfumes, particulates from fires and burning, and more.

The first test that I carried out was on smoke. I start things off small: I light a large match, use that to light a candle, and then I blow the match out, let the candle burn for an hour and then blow that out too. This means there’s a fair bit of smoke and burning wick in the air, so I keep an eye on what the air purifier does. I also measure how smoky the room smells after both the candle and match have been blown out.

I have to say, I was suitably impressed with the MeacoClean. I almost couldn’t take a picture of the smoke, because this was so quick at whisking the stream of it out of the air. Leaving and re-entering the room immediately after, I could smell a slight hint of smoke. However, after five minutes, it was undetectable.

To step up the intensity of the task, I tried running this while I had a fire going in my open fireplace. This doesn’t have quite as strong a smell, but I’m aware that particulates aren’t always visible or detectable to the naked eye. You won’t be able to track your air quality without the app, so this is one of those models you just have to trust to steadily run in the background, keeping your air clear. The family agreed that when we came downstairs the next morning, the lounge didn’t have the same post-fire smell (which is a good thing if air quality, even though it did make me nostalgic for the fireplace smell that I know and love in my home).

The next test that I run is spraying aerosols, hair products, and various different fragrances in front of the air purifier. Again, this is the kind of pollution that might under the radar, but when you’re tracking the levels of particulates in your air, you become horribly conscious of how much these might be polluting your home.

The most obvious marker for how well this has purified the air is whether the products have left a lingering smell in the air. My test results marked the MeacoClean as the second fastest air purifier at removing fragrance from the air (drawing with Dyson, second place to Meaco). After spraying the various lotions and potions around, I was impressed at how instantaneously they were drawn out of the room. I could see the mist being funnelled away. It was around the four minute mark that I could no longer detect any traces of the fragrances in the products being left in the room.

All those tests are carried out in a medium sized room, which has high ceilings, so it’s not a breeze, but it’s also not setting the MeacoClean up for an impossible task. I placed this in my kitchen, which is an open plan dining room too and it has high ceilings. This is where I have to call the test out as ‘unfair’ on smaller air purifiers when they can’t meet the mark, but I don’t need to here. The MeacoClean was fantastic.

I burnt toast, cooked a roast, and kept this on whilst I cooked a range of different meals. Some of the most potent smells lingered for an evening, but I didn’t have any mornings where the room still smelt like my meal from the night before. I’d say this is slightly slower in terms of the impact that it has compared to the Molekule Air Pro, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. In fact, against all the other models I’ve tested, it’s fantastic.

Cleaning and maintaining the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier

The MeacoClean is delightfully low maintenance. Naturally, the white top shows up dust that collects over time. I’d recommend having a microfibre cloth to hand to give it a quick wipe over.

Beyond that, the only maintenance you need to know about is replacing your air filter. Meaco suggests that this’ll be a requirement every 6 months to a year, depending on your air quality. The app will tell you when it needs replacing, or, alternatively, you’ll see a light on the top which shows you when you need to replace yours.

How does the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier compare?

I’ve mentioned a few times that this has been the fastest, the second fastest, or the third fastest air purifier, which raises the question of which one beat this in our tests.

The model that I’m taking about is the Molekule Air Pro. This uses the same filter as the MeacoClean, but will also destroy pollutants, taking it to the next level. I’d say the Molekule has the edge when it comes to covering larger rooms as well as on the design front, but you pay a lot more money for those privileges. And, unless you have serious allergies, you won’t need an air purifier that is this high tech.

The MeacoClean strikes a wonderful balance of price and performance, which is best showcased by comparing it to models in the same bracket. At £169.99, you could go for the BlueAir. However, it's not nearly as compact and it was two times slower than the Meaco when it came to removing fragrance and smoke from the air. It's better in even larger rooms, but definitely makes itself more obvious and requires more technical aptitude.

Should you buy the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier?

The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 47x5 Air Purifier is a stand-out model when it comes to balancing performance, price, and air purity. I'd expect nothing less from air quality royalty. The only way you could get better is by spending another five times the amount.

How we test air purifiers

At woman&home we have a rigorous series of tests that each air purifier has to go through to secure itself a spot amongst the best models on offer on our site. We test it on smoke, perfumes, and food smells, as well as assessing how it looks, what it's like to use, and how it compares to other models on the market.

If you want to read more, you can see our page on how we test air purifiers.