Litter box vs. air purifier: which one passes the sniff test?
25/3/2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
Foul smells are part of the deal if you’re a cat owner. But is there a way of at least neutralising the stench? I put an air purifier for pet owners to the test.
No matter what type of litter I buy, what cat food I serve, or how tightly the lid on any self-cleaning litter box closes – when my cats do their business, it stinks to high heaven.
That’s why I moved their litter box from the living room to a storage room a long time ago. However, I’m not happy with the solution, as the room has no ventilation and opens onto the living room. Frankly, this has really put my nose out of joint.
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about air purifiers that filter pet odours and hair out of the air. A cat loses about 100 to over 1,000 hairs every day. That’s an impressive amount.
I received countless enquiries from filter manufacturers that sell their products in our shop, asking if they could send me products to test. Looks like they sniffed me out. And so, I’ve decided to start a test series (more on that at the end of this article).
A 3-pack of smell busters
The first device I receive in the mail is the Petair AP-L2-SP201-B. At just under 130 francs, it falls into the mid-range price category. It’s also middle of the road in terms of space coverage. It’s designed for rooms that span up to 50 square metres. But there are also models for 40 and 80 square metres available. The Petair, which measures 66 x 34 x 35 centimetres, has a solid feel about it, but a slightly old-fashioned look. This is mainly due to the design of the plastic screen, which is where the hair and dust filtered from the air is collected.
The inner workings are all the more exciting. In total, there are three filters – a feature that sets it apart from standard air purifiers, which usually only have one:
- The outer filter is made of electrostatic cotton. Its job is to trap hair, dust and other visible particles.
- The middle filter is an H13 sterilising filter. It traps dander, dust mites, bacteria and other ultrafine allergens as small as 0.3 micrometres.
- The innermost filter is an activated carbon filter. It neutralises odours including ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, which are produced by urine and faeces.
A few simple steps are all it takes to remove the protective film from under the cover and close it again. What has me scratching my head is what I find in a separate package: toy balls and catnip. Hang on, I’ve unpacked an air purifier, not a toy, right? Apparently it’s both. The manual reads, «stimulates movement, curiosity and hunting instinct». What’s more, the cover’s designed to serve as a cat massage board. Astonished, I turn on the device.
The acid test: my storage room
There’s a hum followed by a blue glow. The LED light tells me the air quality’s excellent. The PM2.5 level is 5, which means there are very few dust particles in the air that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller. This type of very small fine dust particles are the ones that can penetrate deep into the lungs and, over time, cause diseases.
Standing in front of the device, I measure a sound level of about 48 decibels. Not exactly loud, but not «whisper-quiet» either, as advertised on the website. I walk over to the next room and can hear the filter humming when the door’s open. As someone who’s sensitive to noise, I’d find it a bit annoying if it were in the same room.
What’s practical, on the other hand, is controlling the purifier via the LED display or the «Tuya – Smart Life» app. There, you can set a runtime (up to six hours), a custom start time using the timer and your preferred mode (auto mode, sleep mode, fast mode). It also allows you to check the current air quality and control the device remotely via Wi-Fi.
All of a sudden, I can hear a scratching sound. «Uh-oh, the bomb’s about to drop,» I think to myself. Joy’s doing her business. As I approach our storage room, I catch a first whiff. The air purifier turns red and steps things up a notch. In fast mode, the noise levels measured in front of the device go up by about 65 decibels. Pretty loud, if you ask me.
But wait, where’s the acrid smell? It seems that the activated carbon filter’s doing its job. What’s more, my timid cat Joy isn’t freaked out by the noise of the purifier. After a few seconds, the air purifier goes back to auto mode. I leave the storage room with a spring in my step.
What’s up with the toys?
As soon as I get back into my office chair next door, I hear a rustling sound. I’m unable to identify it, but something seems to be rolling. Then it clicks: it’s the toy balls in the filter. I peek into the storage room and see Joy frantically chasing after the balls. Jasper’s also sticking his paw in. I wonder how long this will last.
Neither of them seem interested in the cat massage board. No wonder. After all, my hands give the best rubs.
And what about power consumption? In standard mode, the filter consumes 5 watts. On the higher setting, which runs briefly after the cats have seen a man about a dog, it runs on 30 watts. That roughly adds up to about 0.12 kilowatt-hours per day. However, the filter doesn’t run 24 hours a day, but about eight to ten hours. That’s about as much as a laptop uses during a typical workday. In other words, totally reasonable.
The replacement filters, on the other hand, are quite pricey. You should replace them about every six to eight months. The device’s display will remind you of this.
My verdict
Overall, the Petair purifier noticeably reduces unpleasant cat odours. As soon as I step into the apartment, I can tell if it’s been on or not. Obviously, it hasn’t got rid of all hairs and dust. That would be too good to be true. Nevertheless, after just a few weeks, a lot of dust and hair from the appliance’s immediate vicinity have accumulated in the filters.
Measurements taken with an external monitoring device paint a similar picture at a microscopic level. In other words, the filter does indeed effectively remove fine dust from the air, even though my cats hardly kick up any after using the litter box. The level drops from about 4 to 10 µg/m³ to 1 µg/m³ within just a few minutes. Assessing odour removal in detail is a more difficult affair. Metrics such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) only provide a limited picture. Based on my subjective impression, however, I’d say that it does a great job. When the air purifier’s on, there’s no stench.
In case you were wondering, my initial scepticism about the purifier-toy combo was justified. After just three days, the balls have lost their appeal, and Jasper and Joy now ignore them. It seems that their filter of attention is working perfectly, too.
I’ll be testing more air purifiers soon. Follow my author profile so you don't miss out.
In a nutshell
This air purifier goes the extra mile
The Petair AP-L2-SP201-B is a handy pet air filter that effectively removes odours, pet hair and fine dust. Granted, its overall look and noise levels have room for improvement and the built-in toys are somewhat unnecessary, but the filter is efficient.
Pro
- Durable plastic
- Effective filter with automatic speed control
- Intuitive operation and app
Contra
- Not «whisper quiet» as described
- Built-in toys not entertaining for long
Air purifier
Petair Petair L2-SP201-B Air purifier for pets - HEPA H13, odour filter, app control
50 m²
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love everything with four legs or roots – especially my rescue cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. I’m happiest following the scent of stories about police dogs and cat groomers – or cultivating thoughtful tales in garden flea markets and Japanese gardens.
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