Surface cleaning apparatus

A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end and a longitudinal axis extending from the front end to the rear end, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising:

• (a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
• (b) an air treatment chamber comprising an air treatment chamber air outlet, a stationary portion and a moveable portion, the moveable portion can move with respect to the stationary portion between an open position and a closed position, the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a rigid porous member that is moveably mounted to the stationary portion wherein, in operation to clean a surface, particles entrained in air that enters the air treatment chamber are separated from the air due to a flow rate of air decreasing as it enters the air treatment chamber whereby the particles separated from the air remain in the air treatment chamber and air free of the separated particles exits the air treatment chamber air outlet;
• (c) a porous filter media removably positionable in the rigid porous member;
• (d) a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage,
• wherein, when the air treatment chamber is opened, the rigid porous member is moveable from a first operating position to a filter removal position while the rigid porous member is attached to the stationary portion and, when the rigid porous member is in the filter removal position, the porous filter media is removable, and
• when the hand vacuum cleaner is in use to clean a floor, the hand vacuum cleaner has an upper end and a lower end, and the moveable portion rotates downwardly from the closed position to the open position, and
• wherein, when the moveable portion is in the closed position, each of the stationary portion and the moveable portion have a mating edge that mate with each other and that extend from a front end of the air treatment chamber to a rear end of the air treatment chamber.