Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Relatively good industrial design
- Solid performance
- Reasonable price tag
Cons
- No smart features
- Expensive replacement filters
Our Verdict
Hamilton Beach’s Clorox-branded air purifier leans heavily on the household cleaner’s name for its street cred.
Price When Reviewed
$259.99
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If any company knows a thing or two about getting rid of germs, it’s Clorox. And while the brand isn’t often associated with hardware—this air purifier is manufactured by Hamilton Beach—the appliance at least meets expectations.
There are three models of its Clorox-branded air purifiers, each designed with a different size room in mind. We tested the Large Room model 11010 purifier, which is designed in a familiar tower-style form factor, with air drawn in around the base, filtered, and then exhausted through the top. The cylindrical, three-layer HEPA filter is sizable and inserts into the unit through a hatch in the base.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best air purifiers, where you’ll find reviews of the competition’s offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.
Hamilton Beach
Unusually, the filter does not arrive wrapped in plastic, requiring removal before it can be used: Unlike most purifiers, this unit is ready to go after merely plugging it in. Aesthetically, it’s fairly attractive and compact at 19 inches tall, 11 inches across, and weighing less than 12 pounds. The large Clorox logo on its front, however, is perhaps not its most appealing design element.
Designed for rooms of 320 square feet and up, the unit can perform five air replacements per hour at its highest speed (and at this smaller room size), with a maximum supported room size specified at 1,500 square feet. CADR ratings are 206 cfm for smoke, 219 for dust, and 232 for pollen. Those are all good numbers for an air purifier at this price.
Controls are mounted on the top of the device and are intuitive and touch-sensitive, albeit minimal. In addition to power, there’s a fan speed mode (four speed options, plus auto), a light mode toggle (full, minimal, or zero lights), and an auto-off timer with 1-, 4-, and 8-hour countdown options. The unit includes a numeric display of PM2.5 particulates and a color-coded LED on the front of the device that indicates air quality in up to six levels, from green (good) to purple (hazardous). As is the norm, the fan can get very loud at its highest levels, but it’s much less deafening than other units I’ve tested in recent months.
Hamilton Beach
Filters are rated to last from 6 to 12 months, depending on use. Replacement filters run a hefty $90 each.
The bummer with this unit is that it has no smart features at all. An Alexa-compatible unit—which will work with the Amazon platform but will not feature a standalone app—is in the works, but wasn’t ready at press time. Voice control is a nice plus with any air purifier, but at this price, its absence is probably not a dealbreaker.
Ultimately, this is a purifier that looks good enough, works well enough, and costs little enough to merit a modest recommendation. And considering how crowded this field is at present, that’s about where I’d leave it.