A CHOICE investigation has found that while air purifiers can be useful, they play a limited role in keeping homes virus-free.
The consumer advocate commissioned new Australian testing recently, finding some models to be particularly poor performers.
CHOICE Household Expert, Chris Barnes says the devices are not the solution to keeping your home COVID-19 free.
“We’ve seen a lot of talk and advertising from air purifier manufacturers and retailers, some of them claiming to filter out viruses or bacteria during COVID-19,” said Mr Barnes.
Google search trends show significant spikes in searches for air purifiers as major retailers promoted the products heavily during the 2019/2020 bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic.
“An air purifier with a HEPA filter can be surprisingly good at trapping viruses and bacteria out of the air,” said Mr Barnes.
“The issue is that it can only process what’s in the air that it happened to suck in at the time,” he said.
In response to increased community interest, CHOICE commissioned new Australian testing, finding some models to be particularly poor performers.
“Originally I was a skeptic about air purifiers and while they aren’t a miracle solution to bushfire smoke or viruses, there can be some benefit,” said Mr Barnes.
“A good model can definitely help clear smoke from your home, and could be especially useful for people with allergies or hard to clean homes,” he said.
“Regarding COVID-19 and other germs, an air purifier might help, but it’s not a solution on its own. Your best options are still the same as before: minimise unnecessary contact, clean any hard surfaces that people often touch, and regularly wash or sanitise your hands.”
To read more about the CHOICE testing:
CHOICE advice on air purifiers and effectiveness against viruses: https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/cooling/air-purifiers/articles/do-air-purifiers-trap-viruses-and-other-germs
The worst air purifiers from CHOICE tests:Â https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/cooling/air-purifiers/articles/the-worst-air-purifiers
