Need Advice Air purifier recommendations

Looking for recommendations for a portable air purifier. We have a dog and seasonal allergies. Filter or reusable filter? Ionizer? TIA.

 

After a lot of research, I bought an Austin Air Purifier. It isn't a simple $60 tabletop model so I had to do some serious thinking about spending the money but it's been at least a year now (maybe a little longer) and I don't regret it. It also is excellent for removing odors from the air, so when I clean the shower with sprays that smell (and are toxic) I roll the purifier in the bathroom to help with that.

Where you place it makes a difference as well. What I read stated that generally people spend more time in the bedroom than any other room, which makes that the best place to keep it.

We have the Healthmate Jr. and it's not too heavy to carry up and down stairs, although I wouldn't want to do it every day. It's also on wheels, which makes it easy to move from room to room. The filter inside needs to be changed around every 5 years - for regular maintenance you just vacuum the outside once in a while.

Good luck!

http://www.austinairpurifiers.com/

http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/

http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=18&cont=233

http://www.achooallergy.com/airpurifiers.asp

Obsess much? Who, me? Yeah...

 

Thanks for the reply and links. I'll do some research. I'd like to get one for each bedroom, family room and possibly basement. I somehow miscalculated my FSA and need to use up the funds by the end of the year. I've always thought about buying air purifiers especially since our seasonal allergies get worse with each year.

 

If your family has allergies try to stay away from units made with plastic as they will off-gas. Another big consideration is the cost of filter replacement and the frequency required. You can rack up $$$$ on filters especially since you want one for every room. Have you looked into a whole house air purifier?

We have 2 Austin Air Purifiers purchased from Achoo Allergy. http://www.achooallergy.com/airpurifiers.asp. The Bedroom Machine tackles our main floor and the Healthmate Jr. for the Bedroom because it is only 230 sq.ft. Austin has various models depending on your needs...odors, pets, noxious fumes, etc., or a combination of needs. Best of all? It is made in America and the Austin offers a 5-year pro-rated filter warranty.

Achoo Allergy matched the price I found at iAllergy.com which at the time was the lowest price I could find in the market.

And watch out for the ones that produce ozone. It aggravates allergies and asthma. Just a thought.

Good luck

 

What do you do when you become allergic to the air? When your lungs begin to shut down because the air is too contaminated? Kamal Meattle suffered from this fate and guess what his solution was? Grow new air. Based on years of NASA studies, other scientific research, and 15 years of his own testing, Meattle discovered that three common houseplants, used strategically throughout a home, could vastly improve the indoor air quality.

Here's the breakdown:

Areca Palm is "The Living Room Plant" - This plant is a daytime oxygen factory and Meattle recommends having 4 shoulder height plants per person.

Mother-in-Law's Tongue is "The Bedroom Plant" - This plant is an evening oxygen factory and Meattle recommends having 6-8 waist-high plants per person.

Money Plant is "The Specialist Plant" - This plant is the filter that removes formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemicals from the air.

If maintained appropriately, Meattle claims you could live inside a bottle with a cap on top and these three plants would generate all the fresh air you need.

Not looking to live in a bottle? These plants will certainly still improve your indoor air quality (even if you don't have quite so many). And, if you're not satisfied with just three options, other new research has identified five "super ornamentals" that demonstrated high effectiveness of contaminant removal.

These include the purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternataa), English ivy (Hedera Helix), variegated wax plant (Hoya cornosa), Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus) and the Purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida).

Of the 28 plants tested, these five were effective at reducing levels of a number of common household VOCs, including benzene, toluene, octane, alpha-pinene and TCE. The work, funded by the University of Georgia's Agricultural Experiment Stations, was published in the August 2009 issue of HortScience.

Ready to grow your own fresh air? NASA studies recommend that you use one good-sized houseplant in a 6 to 8-inch diameter container for every 100 square feet of your home. Though, additional research is being done to identify exactly how many of each type of species is necessary for remediation (as in Meattle's work). You should also be sure to keep the foliage clean and dust free (so the leaves can do their job). And, keep the top of soil clean and free of debris, as in some cases, that's where the bulk of the filtering is taking place.

The healthier your plants, the more vigorously they'll grow, and the better they'll clean the air for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tEyU1UBX0Y&playnext=1&list=PL6E8330FEBE5A4524&feature=results_video
Read more: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/growing_fresh_air_with_8_powerful_plants/#ixzz2BLv1PaaO