Clean Air Ltd

14/10/2026

We recently welcomed Yasmin Qureshi MP to Clean Air to show her the work going on right here in Farnworth.

Top of the agenda? Keeping people safe in laboratories and developing more sustainable ways to test the fume cupboards that protect them.

And that meant talking about SF₆.

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) is an extremely potent greenhouse gas traditionally used as a tracer gas in fume cupboard type testing. We showed Yasmin how we’re pioneering the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to assess and improve containment without releasing SF₆.

This computer modelling gives our engineers a detailed picture of how air moves through a fume cupboard, helping us refine our designs while avoiding emissions from the test gas.

It’s specialist work with a practical purpose: protecting scientists, technicians, teachers and students. And it’s happening here in Farnworth, thanks to the knowledge and dedication of our team.

Thank you, Yasmin, for visiting, meeting the team and taking such a keen interest in our work!

13/10/2026

Looking for a fume cupboard? Come and meet the people who know them inside out.

We’ll be joining GPE Scientific on stand F80 at Lab Innovations, NEC Birmingham, on 4–5 November, with a large Clean Air walk-in fume cupboard for you to take a closer look at.

One of our experts will be on the stand both days to answer your questions and help you choose the right fume cupboard for your work, your space and the people using it.

Got a project in mind? Exploring your options? Stop by for a chat. We’d love to see you.

12/10/2026

Ever wondered why our fume cupboards have curves? There’s some smart science behind them.

It’s called the Coandă Effect: flowing air tends to follow a curved surface. Our curved inlet profiles put that principle to work, helping guide air along the chamber walls and reducing places where fumes can swirl and linger.

That smoother airflow helps carry harmful fumes away from the working area, supporting effective containment and helping protect the people in your lab.

We use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model and refine the airflow too. A little curve, a lot of science!

Looking for a fume cupboard? Have a chat with our friendly, expert team. We’ll help you find the right solution for your lab.

At Clean Air, we don’t just design fume cupboards to look good…our signature curved side panels are doing some serious scientific heavy lifting. Let’s talk about the Coandă Effect. It’s a fascinating bit of physics where air naturally “sticks” to a curved surface as it flows past. We’...

07/10/2026

Some fumes need more than a safe route out of the lab. If your process generates fumes that need neutralising before they reach the atmosphere, let’s talk fume scrubbers.

The fume cupboard pictured has a rear-mounted scrubber to treat highly toxic or corrosive fumes. Because protecting your team inside the lab goes hand in hand with caring for the environment outside it.

We design and manufacture the cupboard, scrubber and plastic ductwork here in our Bolton factory. Sunny Bolton, to be precise. And yes, our rooftop solar panels put that sunshine to work, helping to power production.

The scrubbers shown are built and tested here before heading to site. Then our own experienced teams install and commission the complete system, bringing all those parts together.

From the cupboard to the scrubber to the extract ductwork, it’s one complete package, with one team seeing the job through.

Find out more about our fume scrubbers: https://www.cleanairltd.co.uk/fume-cupboards/fume-scrubbers/

06/10/2026

Ready for a new term of experiments, discoveries and practical science at Christ’s College, Finchley!

We've manufactured and installed six fixed ducted fume cupboards as part of the school’s science lab refurbishment, helping create a safe, practical space for GCSE, A Level and STEM learning.

Built for busy classrooms, they combine robust, industrial-grade construction with features designed for education, including permanent ducted extraction and clear visibility for demonstrations and supervision.

And our engineers have been busy up on the roof too! We fabricated and installed the ductwork, stacks and fans, giving the school a complete extract system, all taken care of by the Clean Air team.

Proper engineering, ready for the next generation of scientists.

05/10/2026

Looking for a fume cupboard? Then keeping your team safe is clearly high on your list. It’s high on ours too.

But the cupboard is only part of the job. It needs an extraction system designed to work with it, and an experienced team to bring everything together. That’s where we come in.

We design, manufacture, install, commission and maintain the whole package. From a bespoke cupboard for an awkward space to one of our established ranges with a few tweaks for your application, we’ll make it work for you.

And the ductwork? We design and fabricate that too, right here in our Bolton factory, to carry hazardous gases, vapours and fumes safely away.

Our own experienced installation teams put it all together on site. We then test the installed system’s performance before it’s put into use, and offer ongoing maintenance to keep it working as it should.

One team, taking responsibility from the first drawings to the final checks and beyond. We like to see a job through.

Take a look at this polypropylene PPX fume cupboard and its extract stack being installed. By us. Of course.

03/08/2026

32 years of Clean Air!

On 25 July, we celebrated 32 years of serving the laboratory community and helping to provide the safety and containment needed for vital work.

Over the years, our fume cupboards have played a small but important part in work across diagnostics, life sciences, recycling, education, advanced materials, nuclear research - and a few projects we can’t talk about!

They’ve helped protect scientists, researchers, academics, technicians, teachers and students as they learn, experiment, discover and develop new ideas.

A lot has changed since Clean Air began, but we’ve never stopped looking for ways to make fume cupboards safer, higher-performing and more sustainable. Today, that includes challenging conventional design, reducing carbon emissions and working to remove the harmful greenhouse gas SF6 from fume cupboard testing.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far - our team, customers, suppliers and partners.

Here’s to the next chapter and to continuing to lead the fume cupboard industry in safety, innovation and sustainability.

Happy 32nd birthday, Clean Air!

29/07/2026

What does safe, accessible and energy-efficient containment look like in the University of Oxford’s largest-ever building project?

Our latest case study explores the 22 specialist fume cupboard systems Clean Air supplied, installed and commissioned for the award-winning Life and Mind Building.

From high-performance VAV and height-adjustable units to radio-isotope containment and specialist fume scrubbing, each element supports world-class research while contributing to the building’s low-energy ambitions.

Read the full case study:

27/07/2026

Just ask us. We’re fume cupboard specialists. It’s what we do, it’s what we know, and it’s why education, research and life sciences organisations rely on us for safety-critical equipment.

So, if you’re thinking about replacing or specifying fume cupboards, talk to us. We can help you map your processes, assess what you actually need and, just as importantly, tell you honestly what you don’t.

Our team genuinely loves talking about fume cupboards. Give them the opportunity and you’ll be surprised how interesting airflow, containment and extract systems can be.

And frankly, you’re their only hope. Nobody at home or in the gym wants to hear about their specialist subject, and there are only so many places available on Mastermind.

Ask us a question, arrange a no-obligation consultation, complete a contact form on our website or go old school and give us a call. Go on. Make a fume cupboard specialist’s day…

15/07/2026

A fume cupboard is only part of the solution.

Yes, ours deliver outstanding containment to help keep people safe. Yes, we can customise them to suit your application, your process and your lab. And yes, they look the part too.

But that's not what always makes the difference.

Recently, we visited a customer planning a phased laboratory refurbishment. They wanted to replace three existing fume cupboards.

Our first question wasn't, "Which models would you like?"

It was, "Why are you replacing like for like?"

A lab refurbishment is a rare opportunity to step back and rethink how a laboratory works. Could the layout be improved? Could the workflow be more efficient? Could one piece of equipment do the job of three?

In this case, it could.

Instead of three fume cupboards used for ovens, we recommended a single ventilated enclosure. It was a better fit for the application, freed up valuable laboratory space and reduced the overall project cost.

That's what more than 30 years specialising in fume cupboards and extract systems brings. Not just designing and manufacturing high-performance equipment, but asking the questions that help customers make better decisions before an order is ever placed.

Sometimes the biggest saving isn't on the quotation. It's in the brief.