Do air purifiers really work?
I think I have allergies and was thinking of getting an air purifier, but have always had the feeling that they’re a sham. Anyone think to the contrary?
Categories: Air Purifiers Tags: Air Purifier, allergies, contrary, sham
I had to give your question serious consideration since a friend of mine was selling a brand of one, EcoQuest, and I wanted to help him professionally without just throwing money away, and I, like you, have allergy problems, along with a history of asthma, and I live in a very green part of Texas, in the middle of the woods by choice. I "researched" the matter as seriously as I could without feeling like I was going round and round with all the claims and counter claims about whether it worked or not. Finally, I just gave up and decided to trust my friend and his claims about how it cleaned the air, etc., and bought his product. It has a "filter" or whatever, that we put in each of our central airconditioning piping or whatever you call it, which amounted to three "filters" since we built a bigger house and had three central a/c units put in, and then it had a "blower" or whatever you call it that we put in our biggest downstairs room and have running 24/7 as recommended. Now, after all that information I gave you, and the fact that we’ve had it running almost as long as we have had our new house, about 3 years, I can tell you that I’m not sure whether it works or not. Oh, it works in that the "blower" blows, and our electric bill is slightly elevated because of it, but I can’t say whether my allergies have been "conquered" and my asthma held at bay or not. Currently, as we speak, I’ve got sinus congestion as usual for the time of year and living directly in the midst of all this wonderful greenery. Nothing severe, but just a discomfort. The amount of dust supposedly to be eliminated by such a mechanism is still a question, and I do need to clean my desk and dust it as we speak, but am too lazy as usual. And wouldn’t you know that as I was typing this reply, the commercial for the "Ionic Breeze Quadra" air filter was blabbing as usual on the television behind me. I think at this point it’s kinda psychological. I want to believe we didn’t waste our money, so, I’ll try to be optomistic, but, if the bare facts were to be gathered, I think it’d prove that I wasted my money. I can tell you that, in the Springtime, when all the pollen is bursting forth from the budding trees and other vegetation, and covers everything with a definite green color, the same pollen dust comes into our house, albeit to a lesser degree, and that’s the biggest indication that this "air purifier" stuff may just be "one big blow job" by the perpetrators of the bullshit, pardon my english here. My new house is well insulated and has tightly fit windows, but still, green pollen dust finds its way in, to some degree. Maybe I just expected too much from it. I know I’ve typed a lot of stuff for you to read in hopes of giving you some kind of idea of how the product I purchased, made by a company called EcoQuest, worked, or didn’t work. My wife just came in and learned of my attempt to answer your question and she just said to tell you that it doesn’t work immediately but takes about 6 months before you’ll notice anything. I do think she’s correct here, but, that’s her perception. She is very attentive to things like this, so, her perception might be more valuable than mine. One thing I can tell you is that you can’t leave your windows open for fresh air if you have one of these things and expect them to work. Also, using a fireplace makes it almost useless because of all the smoke and fine ash that a fireplace puts out, so, . . .. We do open our windows in more pleasant weather, and we do use our fireplace in the winter, so maybe our lifestyle, and many peoples’ similar lifestyles, makes these "air purifiers" useless, so . . .. Sorry for all the words, but as much as I gave thought to it all before spending the money, I just tried to give you the advantage of our "research" and experience. I wish you the best of luck in making a choice and having the product work for you if you choose to buy it. God Bless you.
well, my filters are getting clogged up with something.
Sham. One even creates air polution.
I have alergies. As needed, I take a decongestant. They actually work.
I have allergies too and yes they do help if you get a very good one. Good luck.
I got the one from sharper image and I’m glad I did. I use it in the bedroom and I like the air in their now.
I thought I’d buy another cheap one from Costo but I took it back because it was too noisy. I want to buy another but not ready to shell out the bucks again just yet.
I purchased two of those ionic pruifiers and yes…those work. I have tried the cheaper ones that use filters and they did not work so well so if you get one, spend the $$$ and get a good one. They are also easy to clean.
They really work. I have an enviracare from honeywell (It is hepa filter) and it is GREAT. It not only helped my allergies, but my cat’s, too. And I sleep better. My neighbor got one, too, and noticed a big difference in the air in her apt.
Yes they do … I have an Oreck and you’d never know I have an indoor rabbit… But you sure could before getting the air cleaner.
I actually sell them and I would be more than happy to get you a few names and numbers of my clients that have SEVERE cases of allergies and require numerous shots. The results are amazing. If you are interested, then let me know. I have a website you can look up all the info on. Just email me back to my work email, i answer that the most. FYI…I became a dealer AFTER I PURCHASED one for my own home because I realized how well they worked.
nathan.roach@loi.org
buy a good one and it will help. but you also need to know what you are allergy to so that u can reduce the allergen
I think that sometimes they make the stink worse. But others have a soothing effect.
Yes…
They do..
I have several..
Yes they do work. My mom has one and it helps her breath better.
i have the ionic breeze and you should see the stuff that i wipe off of the collection plates. So i think it works.
in the long run it does have an effect on you. my dad even fixed a mini version in his car. it has this nice smell though so i don’t mind.
Wow. Seems like you got some pretty good answers there. Yes, air purifiers does work and is great if you have asthma. However, if you have allergies, I suggest you buy some allergy medication instead of spending hundreds or even thousands on an air purifier. Make sense?
I have asthma, and it sure works for me. Be sure to get a HEPA filter.
No, they’re only for paranoid people.
yes they work if properley taken care of . yes ?
They are good. Although sometimes they dry out the air too much. Try one with a humidifier. If you don’t have that, a big pot of water will work too.
they dont work.. well i have one and ..a–a- achoo!!
It all depends on how many rooms you want to purify. One room ok for one purifer. Mutiple rooms call for more than just one.
they work
i have 2 one an ionic breeze and one an orick every 3 months i clean out the filter and there is nothing on it i had them for three years and clean the plates and still nothing
Yes, if you get the right kind and apply it correctly.
To clean the air you have to move the room air though the cleaning system (seems simple). Therefore you need a fan. Consumer Reports has panned all the non-fan units for not working.
The cleaning system should not add polutants to the air it should remove them. Don’t buy anything that adds Ozone, it is a pollutant. This leaves HEPA and Electrostatic (Friedrich).
The area must be clean to begin with – dusted and cleaned by a non allergenic. There can be no off-gassing items like new carpet or plywood paneling.
You must be clean
If you have been out in the pollen you will need to wash this away. An air purifier will not keep up with pollen eminating from your hair into your nose.
Leave the area closed when not in use and the air purifier on high. At night turn the fan down so that it does not bother you.
Many people want a magic bullet to solve their problems. An air purifeir is only part of the complete solution to allergies.
Yes they do, I have asthma and they work for me.
No, not really. No the home type and infact there is NOW a controversy over ionized air, some say it is worse and possibly unhealthy.
Commercial air cleaners are cool, but expensive and the moment you open the front door pounds of stuff get inside.
But these commerical units filter out dust and dirt down to microns. Like for NASA clean rooms.
You generally can’t buy them.
Most home units use a mesh filter like an Air Conditioner and it’s ok and gets out a lot of dust, but the hole are huge.
1/16th of an inch or so. That’s like 150,000 microns while industrial filters go down to a few hundred microns.
Then, to be effective you have to circulate a whole room full of air in less than a few minutes, that takes a unit capable of moving tons of air.
A central AC can do this, but the filters are no better. They are a simple mesh fabric or sponge material.
I had to purchase one 5 years ago and did my homework researching them. Purchase one with a HEPA filter, those work the best. Check with the Consumers Digest magazine to find out which ones they recommend today. I bought a Hunter, which was highly rated 5 years ago.
When you use the air purifier, close all of the windows and turn it on high. After an hour you can put it on low and let it run as long as you are in the home. Remember to turn it off when you are not there. Change the filter when they suggest, that helps to keep it running at its optimum.
get that new one thats always on TV!
The air purifier helps my asthma. I also buy a good quality filter for the central A/C in my house. One that filters out 99% of particulates, etc. I also got a Himalayan salt lamp and it seems to help with the air in my sleeping area.
Try an air purifier, I think you’ll benefit.
NO! I read a news article on Yahoo!News and studies have shown that ionizers and air purifiers can actually pollute the air in your house more. They tested one model in a closed room and it emmitted more smog than is legally allowed in the state of California. They are a sham. The scientific explanation behind them is pretty much bogus. Just get Febreze and Oust! Spray away the germs and bacteria!
i have allergies too, but even if air purifiers do work….what’s going to happen to you when you go outside? the way i see it, if i have allergies..then i have allergies and i have to learn to deal with them and find allergie relief by medicine…which i do take from time to time when they get real bad..but not all the time so i can still try to build immunities to some of them! I’m not going to purify the air in my home, only to go out and suffer worse…well, good luck
Be very careful! Mine made me very ill, three winters ago. I actually ended up with pneumonia, never suspecting it was the devilish little machine in the living room doing it to me. I got rid of it, at my doctor’s urging,and got well.
I may be the odd statistic here, but just a word of caution.
yes
I don’t have one but a close friend does and she loves it
I would definitely go for a unit that costs a little more.
Yes, they really do work – but you have to get one of the really good ones. They can get to be expensive! But it will probably be worth it to you. There are bunches of articles and home pages on "air purifiers". Using (whichever search engine you use) Yahoo – I just typed in "purifiers" and hit enter and I got more than enough info just on one page and there were many, many more pages!
Not well anyway.