air purifier reviews needed
i need your help.
for weeks now, we all have the sniffles/sneezes/allergy sounding cough all the time.
it never goes away and it’s getting uncomfortable.
we are thinking that the solution to this is an air purifier. one that will work for a two story house, that is not that pricey. online search has been done, but i would like to hear it straight from the horses’ mouth so to speak…..
we are still trying to figure out the budget, but we are highly considering it. once the money is available, we’re definitely getting one. here’s my request:
if you have used or are using one in your house right now, please tell me how it worked for you. there’s nothing more reliable than REAL people recommending something they have REALLY used. PLEASE leave a comment, or email me if you’re more comfortable that way. it will be highly appreciated.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Go to your friendly local public library, and ask the librarian where they keep the issues of Consumer Reports. At the back of each issue is an index of their recent review (last year or two). Look up where they review air cleaners or purifiers, it was within the last year I think. You will see what works and what doesn’t, and can make your choice from there.
When we needed one (college-kid became very allergic to cats), a boxy model from Whirlpool came out at the top, and that is the one we got. It had some name like Whis-pure or something like that on the box, but there are only model numbers on the item itself. I can attest that it is close to silent when run on low, and that running it in kid’s room for a day before kid returned to visit made a big difference in her allergic symptoms. (No wonder the poor thing always seemed to have a cold).
Costco used to have this Whirlpool for a good price ($200) but I am not finding it on their website right now. They also have good prices of allergen barrier bedding.
Thanks for writing your blog, which I really enjoy reading. [Also it brings back to me how really great the UCLA nurses were to me when I had my broken leg operated upon.]
Comment by Lethe — March 27, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
Oh, I just re-read your post, and I see now you are probably looking for a whole house model. (Though you might find portable room models useful anyway.)
Another thing to consider is allergy testing, because knowing what you/they are allergic to can give you strategic info about avoiding it/them. For example, first time kid was tested, it was only cats and various local weeds that she was allergic to, so that told her to avoid the cats (who are not allowed in her room now) and don’t hang around outside when the weeds are in bloom. When she was tested again later, one species of dust mite had been added to her sensitivities, so then I bought all the allergen barrier bedding stuff for her bed, and again it seems to help. But it would have been a wasted expense if dust mites were not a problem for her.
Comment by Lethe — March 27, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
My wife has some pretty severe allergies, and we should probably invest in an air purifier at some point but haven’t as of yet. The one thing we have done that seems to have made a huge difference is putting special coverings over our pillows. I have forgotten what the covers are called, but they work like a hepa-filter, keeping dust mites and other allergens under control.
If you do end up getting an air purifier, I would be interested in knowing how well it works.
Comment by PD Warrior — March 27, 2008 @ 6:51 pm
Avoid any purifier that uses ozone. Go the EPA’s website for a discussion about why ozone air purifiers are dangerous and cause health problems. Adding ozone does not make air healthier to breathe. The reason it is dangerous to go out when their is a smog alert is because there is too much ozone in the air.
Comment by julia — March 28, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
I think this year is really a bad year for allergies-suffered folks in Southern CA like us. My husband and I think the air quality will get better in a couple of weeks after all the flowers have bloomed and the pollens settled. I am not sure if the air purifiers will work, especially for long-term use. They can get really expensive.
Comment by ttt — March 28, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
May, I just left you a comment, and my e-mail shows that I just received a comment from you. Isn’t that funny!? Commenting on each others blogs at the exact same time! I am looking forward to getting to know you better. By the way if your on Twitter, I would like to add you.
Concerning the air purifier, I don’t have one. However, those consumer books can be very helpful. They usually have several at the library. I consulted one before I bought my T.V. I’m sorry that I can not comment on it personally.
Comment by Awake In Rochester — March 29, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
May,
We put a whole house air cleaner unit and a humidifier unit in about 5 years ago when we replaced our furnace.Our family feels better.
Comment by Amy — March 30, 2008 @ 6:10 am
My daughter had two sugargliders (flying squirrels) as pets. They had them for a year and were having a problem with odors in the room they were kept in. I loaned them my Ionic Breeze air purifier by Sharper Image. After about two months they animals appeared to be poisoned and died suddenly. They had autopsies done and it confirmed it was due to the Ionic Breeze. I was using one at my home but after this experience, I would recommend that people think twice about getting one.
Comment by Dianne Stuart — April 14, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
Well, be honest, there are many air purifiers on the market that do nothing in terms of removing particles. You have really to buy one with a lot of HEPA, and with highest CADR rating approved the a third party.
Comment by air purifier — May 18, 2008 @ 11:57 am