Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier – A COMPLETE Guide

Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier – A COMPLETE Guide

Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier

According to the data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 3.8 million people die every year due to high exposure to indoor air pollution.

That clearly shows the importance of purifying the air inside your home, and air purifiers are pretty handy in this case. However, typical units may sometimes not be enough, especially for people who are even more at risk. These include those with pre-existing health and breathing problems, or who are extremely sensitive to allergens lurking in the air!

This is where a medical grade air purifier may be needed!

More...


At a Glance: Our Top Picks of Hospital Grade Whole Air Purifiers


Not all air purifiers are the same.

Air purifiers equipped with True HEPA filters are one of the most common used filters commercially. They do an excellent job at filtering out contaminants up to 0.3 microns in size from the air. However, some units are also equipped with one or two low-quality HEPA type or HEPA like filters that also help in reducing pollutants but aren’t efficient in the complete air cleaning!

(Unsure about the different HEPA filters? We explain it here)

Then there are hospital grade air purifiers with multiple layers of long-lasting, powerful filters that capture contaminants of up to 0.1 microns in size.

Because of the effectiveness and efficiency of these units, they tend to be more expensive! So a quick solution is the installation of a hospital grade whole house air purifier.

Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifiers

  • Industry Standard - Used by the US Olypmic Team
  • Filters particles 100x thinner than ordinary HEPA filters used in traditional air purifiers
  • Overall BEST Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier
  • Cleans a room up to 1600 ft² in an hour
  • Tempered Glass panel (like your cell phone, easy to clean and won't scratch like cheap plastic models)
  • Ergonomic design for safety & easy maintenance
  • Completely replaces air in 350 sq. ft² room up to 48 times per day
  • 5-Stage Purification System eliminates 99.97% of allergens as small as 0.3 microns
  • Trusted product by many
  • Circulates air up to 1.5x per hour in a 800 sq. ft² room
  • Medical Grade ULTRA-DUO Filtration System
  • Budget choice
  • Coverage: Up to 2000 ft²
  • Fan assisted humidification for consistent, and gentle air-flow
  • Does not use filters meaning lower maintenance costs
  • Built to operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Electrostatic air cleaning technology removes contaminated airborne particles up to the size of 0.1 microns
  • Easy maintenance option

Where room air purifiers which are used to purify the air in individual spaces, whole-house air purifiers are installed at the inlet of existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to provide fresh air inside your whole home at one time.

In this article, we have shortlisted 6 hospital grade whole house air purifiers, including three portable and three in duct units, to give you the flexibility to choose the one that best matches your requirements!

Without further due, let’s dive deep into it.

OVERALL BEST HOSPITAL GRADE WHOLE HOUSE AIR PURIFIER:

#1 IQAir HealthPro Plus Medical-Grade Air Purifier


IQAir | HealthPro Plus

  • IQAir exclusive HyperHEPA filtration technology
  • MERV 16 rated
  • Triple-Seal design eliminates air leakage
  • Industry standard
  • Quiet operation
  • Excellent filter life (4+ years)
  • PTPA Certified
  • 10 Years of limited warranty
  • Can be costly

The arrangement of the filters are as follows:

PreMax Pre-Filter > Fan > V5-Cell (Activated Carbon & Aluminum) > HyperHEPA H13 True HEPA Filter

IQAir operates with an advanced micro-fiber filtration technology, which filters particles 100x thinner than ordinary HEPA filters used in traditional air purifiers. Thanks to their ultra-fine threads, the medical-grade HyperHEPA is extremely effective in barricading air contaminants.

MERV is the abbreviation for the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and this system was created by ASHRAE to analyze how efficient the filtration system is in cleaning the air. Its lowest value is 1, and the highest rating is 16.

best hospital grade whole house air purifier

(Click to enlarge)

The IQAir HealthPro Plus is the only product on this list that has got the MERV 16 rating, which is the highest rating in the domain of home air cleaning by the removal of mold spores, bacteria, pollen, viruses, dust, and other harmful contaminants which are injurious to health.

The purifier unit is designed for a massive 1125 ft2 with 5 air changes per hour, and IQAir claims that its whole-house air purifier is able to trap at least 99.5% of all particles, which is magnificent.

This makes the IQAir HealthPro Plus perfect for both large and small spaces.

Being the industry standard, it's unsurprising that even the US Olympic Team used the IQAir HealthPro Plus in their athlete housing and training centers! 

It has a very quiet operation as it doesn’t have any moving parts. Thanks to its innovative design, its newly updated fan is suspended with eight incorporated shock absorbers which emits a noise level of 25-59 decibels.

Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier

(Click to enlarge)

This unit provides another added advantage: it consumes less power - 27 Watts at the lowest speed - meaning you save on cost while passing and cleaning more air at one time

Most filters act as a resistance against the flow that puts the load on your purifier. This isn’t the case with IQAir HealthPro Plus. 

From our experience, if you intend to use this unit for 24 hours a day 7 days a week, its filter will still last one and a half years! By reducing the usage by ~50%, you can prolong its filter life up to more than 4 years.

This air purifier is also backed by the prestigious Seal of Approval from the Parent Tested/Parent Approved (PTPA) making it perfect for people suffering from Asthma and other allergies.

With the exemption of filter replacements, IQAir provides 10 years of limited warranty on its HealthPro Plus whole house air purifier, which builds the confidence of buyers on this unit.  

Other Great Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifiers (Honorable Mentions)

#2 Medify MA-40W V2.0 Air Purifier


Medify | MA-40W (ver. 2)

  • Four powerful filtration stages
  • Medical Grade H13 True HEPA Filter
  • Multiple Fan Speeds
  • Timer functionality
  • Integration of quality control sensor
  • Suitable for large rooms
  • Night Mode and easy to clean
  • CARB, Energy Star & ETL Certified
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Long Shipment delivery time

The medical grade H13 HEPA filter is very handy in removing even very thin pollutants up to the size of 0.1 microns. Its integration in the purifier enhances the effectiveness of the air purification process.

Three other filtration stages further nullify the chances of bacteria escaping through the purifier while air is purified. So, you’ll get germ free air in your house.

The arrangement of the three filters along with the ionizer is as follows:

Pre-Filter > H13 True HEPA Filter > Activated Carbon Filter > Ionizer

This unit operates at multiple fan speed settings, and its air quality sensor automatically controls the fan speed according to the environment.

This unit can recirculate the air once per hour in an area of 1,600 ft2. It will be twice in a room of 840 ft2, and similarly, you can estimate this value according to your room area.

Thanks to its programmable timer, you will have the flexibility to automate the air purification process for up to 8 hours.

There is also a night mode which dims all lights and turns off the ionizer for a sound sleep.

Having lifetime warranty along with CARB, Energy Star & ETL certification, this is one the most reliable and trusted hospital grade whole house air purifiers.

CARB certification marks this unit to be ozone-free, making it the perfect purifier to be used in hospitals or for patients at home.

For those that don’t want their naughty children to play with the purifier’s settings., Medify has added a child lock option in this unit to tackle this issue. With this enabled,  your children will unlikely disturb it unknowingly. 

According to the data provided by Medify, the MA-40W Air Purifier produces 66 dB of noise at maximum fan speed, which can be a bit noisy.

In addition, the filters installed in this unit are limited for only 2500 hours, so you’ll need to replace them every six months. Otherwise, Medify may not honor the warranty in case of any failure resulting due to clogged filters.

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that replacement filters take two weeks to reach your home before you order them, so do buy an extra one to deal with in case of any emergency.

#3 Hathaspace HSP001 Air Purifier


Hathaspace | HSP001

  • 5 stages of filtration
  • Auto and night mode
  • Timer Function
  • Whisper-quiet Technology
  • Two Years Warranty
  • Remote Control
  • CARB Certified
  • No Alexa Compatibility
  • No Filter Replacement Indicator
  • No Mobile App Connectivity

The arrangement of the filters and ionizer are as follows:

Cold Catalyst Filter > Activated Carbon Filter > Antibacterial Filter > True HEPA Filter > Ionizer

The Cold Catalyst filter works just like a pre-filter that filters out the large dust particles and mold. The function of other filters is explained in the buyer’s guide section.

This unit can operate on Auto-mode, of which smart sensors measure the air quality in real-time and control the purifier fan speed to ensure hospital grade purification in the room all the time.

This unit can cover the room as big as 700 ft2 with one air change per hour and 24 air changes per day. Similarly, in a room of 350 ft2, this unit will recirculate the air in half an hour and 48 times in a day.

Thanks to the whisper-quiet technology of this unit, it makes minimal noise during its operation, which is below 45 dB even at maximum fan speed.

By putting the unit on a sleep mode, it’ll dim all lights and will have an operational noise of even less than 20 dB. So, you can place the unit alongside your bed while sleeping.

You’ll get two years of warranty on all of its parts with lifetime customer support, and you can trust this brand as it has a good track record.

Although you can control the purifier settings with the help of remote control, the HathaSpace Air Purifier is not compatible with Alexa. You won’t enjoy the flexibility of mobile app connectivity!

If you are suffering from any lung disease, then this unit would be best for you as it is ozone free and fully approved by the CARB.

HathaSpace suggests replacing the filters every 4-6 months, which you will have to check  manually for overuse as this unit does not have a filter replacement indicator.

Being equipped with all advanced features and having more than 82% 5-star ratings on Amazon, you can trust this unit.

#4 Okaysou AirMax8L Air Purifier


Okaysou | AirMax8L

  • 5 Stages of filtration
  • Silenceboost Technology
  • Timer Functionality
  • Night-mode
  • 5 Years Warranty
  • CARB, RoHS, CE Certified
  • No Auto-mode
  • No Remote-control

This purifier lets the air pass through 3-Stage Ultra Filtration and 2-Stage Duo filtration and has nearly the same filtration power as HathaSpace Air Purifier.

Filters are arranged in the following manner:

Pre-Filter > HEPA Filter > Antibacterial Filter > Honeycomb Activated Carbon Filter > Cold Catalyst Filter

With the Okaysou Air Purifier, you will have to replace the filters every six months, althoughthe replacement period may vary depending on the usage.

Its replacement filter indicator will notify you when filters need to be changed. But, our recommendation for buying an extra filter beforehand will be very handy.

This purifier unit operates on a Silenceboost technology. Due to its 45 vanes and large motor turbine design, the air enters into the unit from a wider area, which greatly reduces its operational noise.

There is no exact data about the upper limit of the noise level. However, it makes a 22 dB noise while operating at night mode.

This purifier can recirculate air 3 times in an hour, in a 500 ft2 room.

With CARB certification, the unit is rated for its ozone-free operation. Apart from that, Okaysou has also got RoHS, CE and ETL certifications listed as well.

You can also lock the settings of the purifier unit by putting the unit on child lock so that your children may not disturb its settings.

The timer function will allow you to automate the purifiers operation for up to 8 hours. In this way, you can save energy as well.

Even with its certifications and advanced features, there are some drawbacks that you’ll have to consider before buying this unit.

One area where this unit lacks is the absence of an air quality sensor. In addition, with no auto-mode, you will have to manually control the fan speed, which isn’t an effective way of purifying the room’s air.

You also won’t enjoy the flexibility of controlling the unit while sitting on your couch. With no remote access, you will have to operate this unit manually.

#5 Clean Comfort In-Duct Air Purifier (UA2000DV)


Clean Comfort | UA2000DV

  • UV Lamp technology
  • Effective UV light intensity
  • Automatic control
  • Available in multiple sizes
  • Silent operation
  • Three years of limited warranty
  • No hefty maintenance cost
  • CSA C/US certified
  • No air filters
  • Not suitable for large homes

The UA2000DV use UV lamp technology to kill any kind of germs or bacteria.

It uses two types of UV lights, the first one UV-C germicidal light to kill the viruses, bacteria, and mold while the other one UV-V light deals with chemicals and odors, and transforms them into inactive substances.

To increase the exposure time of air to UV light, a ‘Turbulator’ installed in the purifier unit slows down and spins air containing microbial contaminants in the chamber.

Due to the highly reflective surface of the chamber, the effective intensity of UV light is increased to make the air leaving the chamber germ-free. 

For automatic control, there is a thermistor installed in the unit. However, there isn’t enough information provided by the Clean Comfort about the remote control of this device.

This air purifier unit is specially designed to purify areas of up to 2000 ft2. Moreover, this purifier unit doesn’t have too many moving parts, so it operates silently. Thus, operating this unit even during the night won’t disturb you in your sleep.

Its UV lights replacement indicator will be very useful in giving an early heads up!

You will get three years of warranty on all its parts, and due to their responsive customer support, you can expect to get quick assistance while claiming warranty.

We would recommend you not to install this unit on your own. Give this job to a professional to avoid any trouble in the future.

As there are no air filters in this unit, so there won’t be any major maintenance cost. Just replace the light bulbs when required.

This air purifier is also CSA C/US certified, which certification is given to household and gas appliances to ensure that they are risk-free to use.

Overall, this unit is inexpensive and no filter replacement cost is involved in it. However, you may find that the UA2000DV may lose efficiency over time as pollutants tend to get accumulated on the surfaces of UV lamps. In comparison with devices like IQAir, they greatly lose in terms of reliability, efficiency, and performance!

#6 Aprilaire 5000 Electronic Air Purifier


Aprilaire | 5000

  • Multiple air cleaning settings
  • Electrostatic air cleaning technology
  • Quiet Operation
  • No frequent cleaning requirements
  • It can be controlled remotely
  • Adjustable temperature
  • Filter replacement indicator
  • ASHRAE 62.2 certified
  • Five years of limited warranty
  • Customer support leaves more to be desired

The Aprilaire 5000 is a Ducted, non-portable whole-house air purifier that removes contaminated airborne particles, up to the size of 0.1 microns, by using a combination of electrostatic air cleaning technology and a normal air filter, as claimed by Aprilaire.

The polluted air is allowed to pass through the ionizing wires where  pollutants get charged and collected on the air filtration system due to the electrostatic effect.

The rest of the air  gets purified after passing through the air filter, and goes into the duct where it is distributed into the whole house via your HVAC system.

It perfectly fits into most air ducts, with the rest of the space perfectly sealed to stop contaminated air from getting mixed into the purified air, so you’ll get germ free air being distributed.

This unit has minimal operational noise, and as it is installed in the air duct, you won’t hear any noise. Thus, this silent whole house air purifier won’t disturb you any time during the day or night.

The overall maintenance of this device is quick, and it doesn’t require frequent cleaning. Apart from replacing the air filter twice a year, you’ll just have to wipe the ionizing wires and control electrode once a month.

Installing such a unit prolongs the life of the HVAC duct system as well. With complete absorption of harmful contaminants, there are no chances of corrosion.

This unit can be controlled by the simple to use remote control panel that you can install in any room.

One great feature is that during winters, you can heat up the air passing through the air purifier, and its temperature can be controlled using this control panel.

This panel also shows the temperature of the air entering into the purifier and temperature at which it is exiting the air purifier.

You can also schedule the operation of the purifier unit using the same panel. There are three main air cleaning options of which air purifier can operate.

  • Constant Cleaning – At this mode, the air purifier will keep on cleaning the air continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Automatic Cleaning – In order to have better energy consumption, the air purifier is made to run for 30 minutes minimum after every hour to clean energy without spiking the energy bills.
  • Event Clean – This feature is useful when you turn on the purifier after coming from vacation. It will clean the air for 3 hours continuously and then automatically shut off.

There is a filter replacement indicator as well on its control panel that gives an early heads up when the filter needs to be changed.

The performance of this purifier unit is tested against ASHRAE 62.2, which is a recognized standard for acceptable indoor air quality and ventilation system design. Needless to say it passes with flying colors.

It is also listed by the UL, which is a global safety certification company that guarantees that this product is safe to use.

You’ll get a limited warranty of five years, which won’t include the replacement of disposable filtration media. But, you should hire a professional to install this unit as it may require some duct modification. Otherwise, you may lose the warranty.

Additionally, in case of any damage to the purifier unit during its installation, Aprilaire won’t entertain you in any way!


What is a medical-grade air purifier?

What is a medical-grade air purifier?

A medical Grade HEPA filter is the advanced version of the HEPA filter, and it doesn’t let contaminants up to the size of 0.1-micron to pass through it. It is mostly used in hospitals and for patients at home due to its greater particulate retention rate. 

HEPA filters have different levels (per liter of air):

  • HEPA H10: Filters more than 15% of particles of 0.1 microns in size
  • HEPA H11: Filters up to 5% of particles of 0.1 microns
  • HEPA H12: Filters more than 0.5% of particles of 0.1 microns
  • HEPA H13: Filters up to 0.05% of particles of 0.1 microns
  • HEPA H14: Filters up to 0.005% of particles of 0.1 microns

Medical grade air purifiers are typically equipped with H13-H14 tier of HEPA filters, which, by far, provides the highest level of air purification. Some of the medical-grade purifiers also use lower tier (H10-H12) HEPA filters and can be equally as effective, and even more effective!.

On the other hand, typical air purifiers either don’t have any HEPA filter or use HEPA Type/HEPA Like filters. These have far less purification efficacy than hospital grade whole house air purifiers.

But keep in mind, it’s the high cost of HEPA filter due to which medical-grade air purifiers are more expensive than the typical air purifiers.

How do hospitals purify the air?

Hospital-Grade-Whole-House-Air-Purifier

Most of the hospitals have their central filtration system that purifies the hospital air by removing all types of contaminants, including the dust, pollen, dander, fibres, and fungus.

These systems are sufficient to filter out the harmful germs to provide fresh air to patients and to limit disease transmission.

But most of the medical facilities require additional air purification in support of the central filtration system to make the air purification process more efficient.

For that purpose, they use portable air purifiers in isolation wards where the requirement of fresh air is more in comparison with other parts of the hospital and are very handy in more localized air purification. 

What is the difference between HEPA and True HEPA?

What is the difference between HEPA and True HEPA?

HEPA and true HEPA filters are mainly differentiated on the basis of their filtration efficiency. Where normal HEPA filter can capture the contaminants up to the size of 2 microns, true HEPA doesn’t let particles up to the size of 0.3 microns to pass through it during the air filtration process. Normal HEPA filters are cheaper than a true HEPA filter.

What To Consider When Buying A Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier?

1) Filtration System

This is the main part of the air purifier where whole air purification is done. Air is passed through a layer of filters, with each having a specific purpose, where harmful contaminants from the air are filtered out to recirculate the fresh air again into the room.

Some of the generally known filters include a HEPA filter, pre-filter, and activated carbon filter. However, additional purification is also done with the help of ionizer, UV Lights, and ozone generators in a few air purifier units.

The purpose of other filters is listed below:

  • Pre-filter: Filters out large particles, including the pet hair and dander, to lower the filtration load on the main HEPA filter. the auto shut-off feature allows the humidifier to turn itself off when it runs out of water, the timer option will let you choose when the unit works and when it doesn’t, allowing you to save energy and water.
  • Odors and gases are removed from the air while passing through the activated carbon filter.
  • Ionizer, by charging the harmful pollutants with a negative charge, attract and collect them in a positively charged plate.
  • UV lights are used for advanced bacteria and virus removal needs, and they aren’t present in most of the air purifier units.
  • To deal with the mold issue, few purifier units come with ozone generators, but it is recommended not to use them due to the direct effect of ozone on the lungs.

You can check the functionality of the above-mentioned filters in more depth here!

2) ACH and CADR Ratings

ACH and CADR Ratings

ACH’ is the abbreviation of Air Changes per Hour. It shows the number of times the air is recirculated in a room after purification. It is represented by 2x, 4x,6x, or any other multiple of ‘x.’

If any purifier has an ACH rating of 2x, it means room air can be exchanged by the purifier unit twice in one hour. The higher the number, the more efficient the purifier unit will be!

CADR is the clean air delivery rate that deals with the removal of Dust, Smoke, and Pollen from the room air. It is represented by constant values in different orders.

If CADR is represented by 167/229/189 with the order of pollutants as Dust/Pollen/Smoke, then 167 refers to dust, 229 to pollen, and 190 to smoke!

Other Factors

3) Filter Replacement Frequency

All filters need to be replaced after every few months, and that is normally mentioned by the manufacturer. This adds to the total cost. It is advised to change the filter before it becomes fully clogged as it can significantly drop the purifier performance.

4) Presence of a Filter Replacement Indicator

In most of the cases, filters become clogged way before the expected date due to excessive use. Having a filter replacement indicator is pretty handy in this case as it gives us an early heads up!

5) Programmable Timer

To save energy, most of air purifiers are equipped with a timer function which automates the operational time of the unit.

But keep in mind that you can’t typically set the unit to automatically turn itself on, it will only be turned off, and you’ll have to restart it again in the second cycle!

6) Having Multiple Fan Speeds

All advanced air purifiers can operate at multiple fan speed settings, and its speed is controlled by the air quality sensor in air purifiers.

7) Noise Level

If you end up placing the air purifier close to you, check its noise level before buying it. A noisy fan will irritate you!

In this regard, non-portable purifier units are mounted on the duct, so going for these kinds mean you don’t have to worry if it isn’t too close to your bedroom. If it is, better check its noise as well.  

8) Child Lock

This feature puts the settings on lock mode so your children may not change them during operation in case of portable purifier units.

As you’ll be mounting the non-portable units with your duct system at a certain height, you won’t have to worry about this domain. 

Bottom Line - What is the Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purfier?

Best Hospital Grade Whole House Air Purifier

Here is the list of six best hospital grade whole house air purifiers that can fulfill the demand for whole house air purification.

Each unit has its working principle, types, and numbers of filters. Moreover, they’re backed by a limited warranty and certifications.

The IQAir HealthPro Plus is the best hospital grade whole house air purifier that incorporates all the features you need:

  • An all-round medical grade product that performs ten times better than a typical air purifier
  • The highest ASHRAE ratings ensuring the best performance
  • Perfect for both large and small spaces
  • Operates quietly but efficiently
  • Superb filter life results in less filter replacement cost
  • PTPA certified for allergy sufferers
  • Warranty of 10 years for greater peace of mind

Although it’ll be a bit costly at first, getting such a unit in your home will purify your house for nearly four years without any overhead cost. 

It's impossible to give a perfect score to something that costs this much, but the IQAir HealthPro Plus is among the elite both in power and design! 

It's provided my family and I with a noticeable difference in air quality, especially in these uncertain times. Hopefully it will for you too!