Blueair Classic 480i Air Purifier, Your Guide to Cleaner, Healthier Air

Air quality these days is of growing concern: we are exposed to unhealthy outdoor pollutants, deadly cigarettes and indoor allergens mixed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). All factors together forming an injurious inner atmosphere that can seriously affect us and our responsibility to stay sound and well. Air purifiers represent a small but very effective stratagem in the quest for clean air in our rooms. The Blueair Classic 480i is a powerful yet energy-efficient air purifier, which creates a cleaner indoor environment for you.

It’s one of the best-selling highly-rated models, known for an excellent performance, an elegant design, and a remarkable whole-room coverage. It’s the best air purifier we’ve tested thus far. This in-depth review covers the Blueair Classic 480i features, performance, pros and cons, filter replacement, and more. The Classic 480i will be compared to its twin the Blueair 480i, so that you can make an informed decision for the best purchase.

Blueair Classic 480i: A Detailed Look at its Features

The Blueair Classic 480i emphasises Blueair’s commitment to performance. This unit cleans and purifies a large space with efficiency and great style. Whether you suffer from allergies, or you’re simply trying to create a healthier and more comfortable home, this device will provide the protection you expect, and much more. Here’s how it does so:

HEPASilent Technology: The Heart of Clean Air

At the heart of its efficiency is its HEPASilent technology, a proprietary combination of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration and silent technology that enables the machine to filter up to 99.97 per cent of particles as small as 0.1 microns, which is most, if not all, pollutants smaller than the filtration system. Some examples of pollutants hereby filtered are:

• Dust: everyday dust and dust mites, usually found in soft furnishings, as well as their droppings, cause most allergies and respiratory diseases. The 'machine' can collect the high proportion of ultra-fine particles in the air down to just 0.1 microns of size, preventing them from entering our lungs, like the HEPA filter in the £400 Blueair Classic 480i air purifier.
• Tree, grass and weed pollen: While odours might be obvious, allergy sufferers also have to contend with airborne pollen particles, primarily from trees, grasses and weeds. Sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes can be a regular nuisance caused by the smallest particles of pollen entering our airways. The Blueair Classic 480i HEPA captures and removes all sizes of pollen particles.
• Pet Dander: Pet dander is dandruff from animals, skin flakes that pets shed. This can be one of the biggest allergens in a home. The Blueair Classic 480i is good at catching pet dander, which can only further enhance the home environment for the thousands of people with pets and allergies.
Mould Spores: Mould spores and illnesses including asts no such risk with480i – its HEPA filter will capture these spores.
• Smoke: Cigarettes, can pump harmful particles and irritants into the air. Blueair Classic 480i eliminates irritating smoke particles, improving air quality andations. Bacteria and viruses: Not all are airborne but some in the air where they can infect us. The HEPA filter in the Blueair Classic 480i can catch some of the larger airborne bacteria and viruses, contributing to a healthier home.

High CADR Rating: Clean Air Delivered Quickly

With a 480 Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) – rating a purifier’s ability to clean a large area quicker – the Blueair Classic 480i is ideal for spaces up to 625 square feet, whether your living room is being besieged by dust and pollen, your bedroom by pet dander, or your home office by poor air quality. This air purifier works fast, quickly removing particles from the air so you breathe more healthily in a shorter time.

Energy-Efficient Operation: Clean Air Without Breaking the Bank

This makes the Classic 480i extremely energy efficient, which means that you can use it at the highest fan speed if your budget is tight and still benefit from cleaner air without worrying about sky-high electricity bills. The Blueair Classic 480i is a great asset in helping you live an eco-friendly life.

Easy-to-Use Controls: Simplicity at Your Fingertips

With such a simple, intuitive interface, the Blueair Classic 480i couldn’t be easier to operate, whether you’re an 11-year-old or an 80-year-old, technically saavy or not. You can switch the fan on and off, increase or decrease its speed, schedule cleaning periods and check real-time and historic air-quality readings on the unit itself. There’s no technical knowledge or instruction required to use this machine.

Sleek Design: Complementing Your Home Decor

The Blueair Classic 480i offers clean and modern aesthetics to improve your home décor. Its minimalist style with straight lines of the frame and a neutral colour scheme will match almost any kind of home and not stick out like a cooking pot on your bedroom wall or a frying pan on your crystal chandelier. You can comfortably afford to place the Blueair Classic 480i in any of your rooms without bothering about spoiling the aesthetics of your home.

Blueair Classic 480i Performance: A Real-World Perspective

It consistently performs very well at removing dust, pollen, pet dander, volatile organic compounds and other pollutants. And it performs extremely well at removing the smallest of particles with its HEPASilent technology – so much so that you’ll notice an improved quality to the air almost immediately. If you have allergies, you’ll find your breathing improved and, if you have pets, you’ll soon notice how much easier it is to breathe, and the air will feel fresher and cleaner. Aside from its effectiveness against allergens and pollution, what really impressed us was the super-quiet motor. The Blueair is hardly audible on high, and if our bedroom is near-enough a ‘sensitive’ area, this is truly a benefit since it allows for clean air without noisy appliances.

Blueair Classic 480i Filter Replacement: Keeping Your Purifier Performing Optimally

Keeping the Blueair Classic 480i humming involves replacing the filters regularly. The unit features a combination filter system composed of a pre-filter, a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter – a comprehensive filter system capable of removing a diverse range of indoor air contaminants and odours. Here’s a summary of the components of the filter system and a listing of the various filter replacement cycles:

• Pre-filter: Traps larger particles, such as dust and bunnies. Should be cleaned every two to four weeks depending on use and air quality conditions. Simply vacuum or wash with water and air dry thoroughly before installing.
• HEPA filter: According to the Blueair website, this section of the air-filter system is the most important, and the only part that should be considered ‘medical grade’. It’s what captures that teeny pollen, dust-mite, mould-spore crap You’ll need to replace you HEPA filter every six to 12 months, depending on usage. 
• Activated carbon filter: The activated-carbon filter will absorb odours, gases and VOCs, and needs to be replaced approximately every six to 12 months, depending on usage and exposure to odour sources. If you notice the unit has less ability to remove odours, then it is likely time for a new one.

A genuine Classic 480i Filter or Blueair Classic 480i Filter Replacement will be one that replaces the original filter set of the Blueair Classic 480i. Genuine Blueair Filters help to ensure optimal air purification results and you may void your warranty if you use non-genuine filters. You can choose to buy a genuine Blueair Filter or Blueair Filter Replacement directly from Blueair or from any authorized Blueair dealer. Furthermore, you may want to know that the filters in the Blueair Classic 480i and the Blueair 480i are designed to be interchangeable, which means you can reuse all your old replacement filters when you upgrade to the 480i, without having to buy new filters for the newer version.

Conclusion: The Blueair Classic 480i - A Worthy Investment for Clean Air

The Blueair Classic 480i is one of the best home air purifiers available today, offering powerful performance, satisfying user experience and high efficiency in removing airborne contaminants. The HEPASilent technology along with its high Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) and Energy Star rating makes it a reliable and efficient air purifying machine which is particularly good for families. The only drawback with a Blueair Classic 480i is the price, which is higher than that of many of its competitors on the market. Whatever your focus,480i is an investment in one of the most effective, efficient, reliable and long-lasting air purifiers available, and its ability to reduce common allergens provides the benefit of cleaner, healthier air for everyone in your household.