Hoover H-Purifier 500 review: chic and cheerful air purifer with an app

The Hoover H-Purifier 500 review in a sentence: proof that air purifiers can be affordable, attractive and effective. 

No matter where you live, or the type of property, homes are susceptible to dust and a raft of microorganisms all of which can degrade the quality of the air in your rooms. That means you need an air purifier.

The best air purifiers can effectively filter out much of the crud in the atmosphere, pinpointing those pollutants – even the tiniest of particles – so that you can breathe easier. A purifier can quickly and quietly remove allergens, particles and pollution from the rooms in your home and some, including the new model you see before you, infuse the clean air with pleasant smells too. Perfect for hiding the pong of last night’s fish curry.

Hoover is an iconic brand, one which is synonymous with vacuum cleaners and getting rid of dust and dirt. However, alongside its vacuum cleaners and cordless stick vacuums Hoover also has a range of air purifiers, which include this model, the Hoover H-Purifier 500 along with a cheaper model, the Hoover H-Purifier 300 and a premium edition called the Hoover H-Purifier 700.

The model names are similar and, to be honest, the set of features you get on each isn’t a million miles different either. Step up through the range though and with each price increment you get some neat additions that make each model good value. While the Hoover H-Purifier 700 might therefore seem like the best of the bunch, it’s also got humidifying functionality, so we’ll save that one for a rainy day.

Hoover H-Purifier 500 review: design

It seems like Hoover is on a roll with its product design currently, with the H-Free 300 stick vacuum that we tested recently leaving a lasting impression with its practical but funky looks. The Hoover H-Purifier 500 is similarly easy on the eyes, and it's more important here as this is an appliance that’s likely going to be on show in your home, rather than hidden away in a cupboard under the stairs.

As you can see from the accompanying pics, it’s a cylindrical design with the emphasis on keeping things clean and simple. The white and silver/grey plastic casing looks premium enough and, once you’ve manhandled it out of the box, the feel is one of quality too. Dimensions-wise this unit is reasonably sizeable at 31.7 x 28 x 57.5 cm, but not so much that it’s intrusive in the average-sized room. It weighs 6.9kg so can also be repositioned easily enough too, especially thanks to the built-in handles.

Most of the action happens on the top of the unit, with all of the manual controls located inside an LED circle, that delivers a visual overview of air quality. There are minimal controls really, with the power switch, Wi-Fi indicator and diagnostic readings displayed, plus the core Sleep, Auto and Max operational settings. You can get more from the supporting app hOn app, which gives a much bigger picture on what the appliance is doing for your air quality.

Hoover H-Purifier 500 review: setup

The Wi-Fi setup is straightforward enough if you’ve ever done the same thing with other wireless-enabled appliances in your home. The unit has three different settings to choose from with an Auto option that essentially removes the need for any real setup as such. This sets the fan speed for you, based on the air quality the appliance has detected.

If it reaches optimal levels for over 30 minutes then the Hoover H-Purifier 500 switches to stand-by, which helps save energy and avoids the machine running when it doesn't have to. The unit still monitors air quality and will switch on again if it sniffs out any pollutants in the atmosphere.

There’s a Max setting if you want to have an extra bit of oomph going on with your purifying sessions. More usefully, there’s a Sleep mode too, which is all well and good although curiously Hoover hasn't incorporated a middle-ground setting, but that's probably because the Auto option does such a good job of keeping performance just about right on the money.

We used the accompanying hOn app in order to control the settings and this allows you to make tweaks but, more importantly, track what the purifier is handling in terms of airborne particles. Better still, you get a great visual indication of the air quality in a room as the unit has an LED traffic light effect on the top that, unsurprisingly, glows green if it’s good, yellow if it’s not so good, orange for poor and red if the air quality is really cruddy.

Hoover H-Purifier 500 review: performance

As you’d expect from something carrying the Hoover logo, this appliance seems to be pretty good at purifying air, based on our experience with it over a few weeks. It’s also very capable at covering sizeable areas too, with suitability for rooms up to 100m2, which will suit most household needs we think.

It’s a bit of a surprise when the system starts informing you that it’s detecting VOC (volatile organic compounds) or GAS mind you, but the real-time monitoring is effective and very responsive. The machine can not only keep tabs on those gasses or VOCs - handy if you live next to a busy road for example - but also the temperature and humidity. 

We found the app was great at providing quite a lot of detailed information, and can also deliver forecasts that help improve conditions moving forwards. It is also a little buggy in places though and we’re keen to see how it copes with staying on top of pollen settings come hayfever season.

The Hoover H-Purifier 500 has three levels of filtration and its H-Trifilter setup includes a HEPA (H13) filter, which Hoover claims can tackle 99.97% of particles up to 0.3 microns. The unit has also been tested by the British Allergy Foundation, which has given it the seal of approval while the Clean Air Delivery Rate (or CADR) dust rating is 330 m3/h. If you’re so inclined there’s also a diffuser, which can circulate 100% natural essential oils or probiotics.

While pollen, dust mites and bacteria can all be handled as a given, the active carbon filter promises to filter out more pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, fumes and odours. Depending on who you live with the latter pair might be more useful than you think. We found the Hoover H-Purifier 500 was more than capable of taking on the foul air produced by a Sunday roast-sized portion of Brussels Sprouts, so it’s essentially game for anything.

In terms of what to expect on the noise front then, if you’re running it at the standard mode, then Hoover’s official figures are 50dBA. Move it into the Sleep mode though and this goes down to 21dBA, which isn’t bad at all if you’re going to need to keep the unit running at night.

Hoover reckons that the internal filter should last around a year, although this is obviously very much reliant on how much you’re using the appliance and how hard it has to work. 

Hoover H-Purifier 500 review: verdict

If you’re looking to improve the air quality in your home then the Hoover H-Purifier 500 makes a solid middle-ground model that’s well worth considering. It’s been nicely designed and feels like a quality purchase. We love the simplicity of the setup process and there’s actually very little you need to do if you’re running the unit on Auto mode most of the time.

In our relatively short time with the appliance we’ve found that the Hoover H-Purifier 500 is great at adapting to changes in air quality. The glowing LED ring outlined above isn't just a party trick either, as it’s brilliant to get a reassuring visual indication that all is well and, if it isn't, the appliance is doing something about it. 

Dip into your hOn app and you can get even more detail on what it is that’s attempting to ruin the air quality in your valued space. Even the noxious odours produced by eating a plateful of Brussels Sprouts cannot escape the precision sensors inside this little box of tricks.