Testing Portable Air Cleaning Units –Test Methods and Standards: A Critical Review

As the portable air cleaners are becoming more common in our buildings and the range of products on offer is growing, it’s becoming more difficult for the ordinary consumer to make the right choice. Manufacturers make claims about efficiency and safety and may promote their products for labelled uses, but the lack of a uniform and easily understood way of declaring capacity and performance makes it difficult to compare the products on the market.

The present review shows that four key information are important in choosing an air cleaner i.e., the size of the room and how many air changes per hour is recommended in different space, CADR rating for the room size, clean cumulative mass (CCM) grade for an air cleaner’s long-term performance and formaldehyde, and noise level. In addition, it is also important to consider the filter life to make sure the filter will work well over time. If you have an air ionizer or any other electronic device, you run the potential risk of generating some levels of ozone.

More studies are needed to investigate the long-term performance of portable air cleaner devices and integrate performance data of air cleaners into building system design in conjunction with source control and ventilation strategies for better IAQ.