"TVOC Levels Deemed 'Very Bad' by Air Purifier"
When I turned on the power, the gas indicator on the air purifier showed a red light. Formaldehyde (HCHO) and ammonia (NH3) were both rated as good. Only the toxic TVOC was marked as "very bad." It was strange that even though it wasn't a new house and no interior work had been done, the air quality remained poor. Could cleaning the bathroom with bleach have been the cause? Even after running it for several hours, the air quality did not improve.
LG Electronics' "LG Puricare AI Object Collection 360° Air Purifier M7" emphasizes its filter performance over any other product. The M7 is the name of the filter. It incorporates a material called Metal Organic Framework (MOF), which won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year and was selected as one of Korea's top 10 technologies.
The M7 filter can effectively absorb everything from household odors to harmful gases. The persistently high "very bad" indicator for TVOC even after several hours raised doubts about its performance. In suspicion, the filter was checked.
To my surprise, the unpeeled plastic was still sealing the filter. This meant that the fine dust and various gases that had been sucked in for several hours had accumulated inside the air purifier without passing through the filter. The precision of the AI air quality sensor was evident in detecting even the fine gases and TVOC emanating from the sealed plastic.
After removing the plastic, the M7 filter showed its true performance. To test it, I burned a scented candle that I had avoided burning due to the dust it produced. While the candle was burning, there was no significant change in the dust levels. However, when I blew out the candle, the concentrations of ultrafine dust (PM1.0), fine dust (PM2.5), and dust (PM10) all increased to around 60㎍ in less than a minute.
The air purifier, which had been quietly running its fan, immediately detected the rising dust levels and activated the Clean Booster on top, quickly sucking in the dust. When the air quality was sensed as "not good," the "AI+" function, which starts the fan and display to begin cleaning, was activated.
In less than a minute, the air in the house returned to its original state, and the fan noise subsided. Only a pleasant, subtle scent remained in the living room. The confidence in having the highest purification ability for harmful gases among air purifiers registered with the Korea Air Purification Association was well deserved.
By using the LG ThinQ app, the usability of the air purifier is further enhanced. It is possible to attach a dedicated filter and select the ideal operating mode for one's home. By choosing a filter tailored to one's lifestyle, such as the "Pet Mode" for pet owners, "New Home Mode" specialized for new house syndrome, or "Cooking Mode" for capturing cooking fumes, optimal air quality can be managed.
The sensitivity of the sensor and the performance of the filter are satisfactory. However, for gases like TVOC, there may be some frustration as the device only provides indicators like "very bad" or "good" rather than specific values. Of course, this frustration may be largely due to the reporter's mistake of not removing the plastic.