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The Consumer Council tested ten air purifiers on the market and found that some manufacturers claimed that larger air purifier-applicable areas would have stronger purification capabilities, but the test results showed that the two are not necessarily directly proportional.
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The Council purchased ten models of air purifiers from different retailers and conducted the test in collaboration with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD). Priced between HK$1,798 and HK$7,880, all tested models came with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which claim to effectively filter cigarette smoke, dust, viruses, bacteria, etc.
The consumer watchdog pointed out that one of the models claimed to be suitable for a space of 700 feet, but its purification speed in removing smoke and dust was slower than the three models that claimed to be suitable for rooms with an area of less than 300 feet.
It was also found that the purification speeds of four air fresheners with air purifier-applicable areas ranging from 646 to 1,000 feet vary greatly in removing smoke and formaldehyde, with the maximum difference being 2.7 times and 12.3 times, respectively.
Some samples also had a slow formaldehyde removal rate, purifying less than 15 cubic feet per minute.
The Consumer Council pointed out that the applicable room area test standards and calculation methods claimed by manufacturers are different, making direct comparison difficult.
It is recommended that manufacturers instead use the value of clean air volume to show the air purification ability of the product.
When consumers choose an air purifier, they are urged to not only consider the selling price but also calculate the frequency and cost of replacing the filter.
