I tested the Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier and it cleans and sanitizes air at the same time

If you’re after the best air purifier that can filter the air, sanitize and keep it germ free, the Blueair Class Pro CP7i air purifier can seemingly do it all.

It comes with a five-stage air cleaning process that promises to attack pollutants from a variety of angles, including filtering, removing odors and killing germs.

Additionally, the CP7i is suitable to handle large rooms, can run in automatic mode and its excellent app makes adjustments quick and easy. So is there a catch?

Read our Blueair Class Pro CP7i air purifier review to find out what happened when we put it to the test in a busy home office.

Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier review: Price and availability

The Blueair Class Pro CP7i air purifier is currently available for $699 on Amazon, and on the Blueair website.

It may be moderately priced at $700 but the CP7i’s $100 filters are on the expensive side. Plus, its grounded power cable can get in the way in an older house so one to consider.

However, if you're on a strict budget, the Clorox Large Room True HEPA Air Purifier is great value for money.

Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier review: Design

The Blueair Classic Pro CP7i is for those who revel in the industrial modern aesthetic.

Made of white and gray steel, it reminded me of an old school box fan with rounded corners and large cutouts for air to pass through. However, if you're after aesthetics, The Windmill Air Purifier is more eye-catching and will seamlessly blend in with your decor.

At 23.6 x 19.7 x 9.9 inches and 32 pounds, it’s large and heavy, however, its handle and pair of wheels can ease its movement.

It was easy to unpack and set up the CP7i by following the directions printed on the box. The unit easily slid out and I pulled the two red tabs to open the back and remove the HEPA filter’s plastic wrap. After about five minutes, it was ready for action.

Its 7.5 foot power cord is heavy duty and requires a grounded outlet, making it a tough sell in older homes.

Unlike the Molekule Air Pro, there’s no place to stash the extra cord so all you can do is coil it up. Although its feet make the unit stable, it lacks a tip-over shut off but has a child safety lock.

Inside, its laser particulate measurement device not only shows the current air quality level on its control panel, but can be set in Automatic mode to react to air quality changes; there’s no Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) sensor or provision for an external sensor, as is the case with Air Things products.

Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier review: Ease of use

Located at the top of the CP7i is the 9 inch (diagonal) LCD screen showing the basics, such as the on and off switch, as well as choosing between manual, auto and sleep modes.

The four fan blades showing the CP7i’s air flow are also lit. Simply tap the two arrow heads on the right, and the 3.5 inch front display toggles among the PM1, PM2.5 and PM 10 particulate readings.

There’s also a Wi-Fi connection light and a prominent LED below shows the current air quality based on color. The five colors range from red (very polluted) to blue (healthy and safe).

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The CP7i lacks a remote control, although the iOS and Android apps do even better. Controls are laid out in a long vertical strip, which requires scrolling up and down to go between turning the filter on and off and seeing the graph of the particulate level.

In addition, you can select the mode and fan speed, while a switch in the middle of the app is for using the air cleaner’s HINS Pure light to sterilize the filter’s surface. This added cleaning process can be especially helpful for those susceptible to infections.

What's more, you can set the screen’s brightness, check the filter life and turn the child lock on or off.

The CP7i has its own scheduling protocol for setting when the device turns on and off but lacks single tap sunrise/sunset options.

It's also worth noting that it can be voice controlled with Alexa but not Google Home Assistant.

Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier review: Performance

First, I set up the Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier in my 25 x 12 foot office, before exploring its varying options, settings and tasks.

I ended up using the Auto mode because it ran quietly in the background and rose to meet air quality challenges.

Inside, its laser particulate sensing device keeps track of the PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 particle level and adjusts its output accordingly. It doesn’t have a VOC sensor, though, so the filter’s action is based solely on the particulate level.

That said, the CP7i’s 4-speed fan moves a lot of air but can get noisy. It hit 59.1 dBA when running full blast at its highest setting; still, the Molekule Air Pro hit a peak at a much louder 70.1 dBA.

The CP7i’s lower three fan speeds rated 38.7, 45.1 and 50.2 dBA in a room that registered a 37.6dBA background noise level.

With two clean air outlets, the CP7i had lower individual air speeds than the others but if you add them together the CP7i is among the best.

I measured the flow at 0.6 miles per hour at the slowest speed and 3.3 mph at its highest. Factor in both outlets and that equals about 6.6 mph, just over the The Windmill Air Purifier's 6.5 mph.

After I lit my candle, the air filter’s PM2.5 was boosted from 1 micrograms per cubic meter to a peak of 70 µg/m^3. The fan went into overdrive, clearing the air. After 15 minutes, I was impressed there I could no longer smell the remaining candle or burnt match aroma.

What's more, the perfume test showed similar results, although the device doesn’t track VOCs.

When I dusted the cleaner with 10 puffs of pastry flour, its PM2.5 display rose to 60 µg/m³. And was quickly compensated for with the display soon showing 1 µg/m³.

Finally, I opened a nearby window and allowed a blast of witch hazel pollen into the room. The CP7i briefly registered a red alert, which was quickly reduced to blue at 3 µg/m³.

With its pair of high-output fans, the CP7i used a lot of power compared to the others. At its lowest setting, it used 7.6 watts, while that rose to 15.2 and 24.5 watts at the midrange settings and a peak of 42.2 watts.

Using a full day of typical use and you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, expect to pay $33.75 a year extra electricity bills. That’s just short of the Air Purifier’s $38.40 a year in power bills.

In addition to cleaning the pre-filter, the CP7i will require new HEPA filter elements roughly between 9 and 12 months.

The pair costs $100 and after three weeks of being left on had 98 percent of its usable life remaining. The app can notify you that it’s time to order new ones.

Blueair Classic Pro CP7i air purifier review: Verdict

With the power for clearing the air in a large room, the Blue Air Classic Pro CP7i can process twice the amount of air compared to smaller units.

Plus, it stands above most air purifiers with a comprehensive five stage cleaning process, that includes a germ killing layer.

The CP7i’s automatic mode reacts quickly to changes in air quality and its low air speed is compensated by the fact that it has two exhaust outlets.

It may be large and heavy but its wheels help in moving it around the house. Aside from its bulk, our major criticism is its three-prong grounded plug that might get in the way in an older home.

Several buyers online reported buying a second CP7i unit, probably the sincerest form of praise for a machine these days. It was praised for its quiet operation and ability to clean the air of anything from pet fur to cooking odors. On the other hand, some had problems with the air cleaner’s control app.

In any case, this is the air cleaner to get if you want comprehensive cleaning that covers everything from dust and mold to germs and odors.

It may not be pretty, but the Blue Air Classic Pro CP7i does a good job of clearing the air.