Hepa Air Purifiers

Neighbour smokes like a chimney?

Ok so here’ my problem. My neighbour is insane, I really think she belongs in an institution of some sort. I can probably write a book about her but that’s not the point of this post. She smokes like crazy, probably 3 packs a day… I don’t know I’m just guessing but the problem is that I smell it all the time. Sometimes I can see her smoking out her window which you’d think would be a good thing, but I can visually see the cloud of smoke rolling it’s way into my window. So much for getting fresh air in the apartment.

I should also mention that I live in France and the building was probably built 500 years ago, so ventilation is not very good. Insulation is not very good.

I would try talking to her but that’s not really an option since she’s incoherent most of the time. Yes I was serious when I said she should be in an institution. People often think I’m just exaggerating and blowing things out of proportion yet as soon as they come over they agree with me that she’s nuts.

So I’ve been thinking about getting one of those air purifier/filters (with a hepa filter). Although I’m wondering if it would require good insultation to actually do anything, or if it will help at all. The apartment is not very well insulated, and there’s no A/C so I generally want the windows open (French people are scared of air conditioning… sucks for me). Any other suggestions on how to deal with this situation would be great. I am considering moving but until that happens… Thanks.
In response to the "if it’s only the smoke answer", it’s not… like I said I could write a book. But moving is definitely something I’m thinking about.

Certified air purifier/vacuum?

Is there a vacuum out there it is a certified air purifier? I recently learned that vacuums blow out dust, even ones with expensive hepa filters leak some form of bacteria into the air.

I’m looking for facts only, not opinions. Sources preferred.
If you take a high power flashlight and shine it at the exhaust, you can see dust coming out. Even on the new dysons, orecks and kirbys.

My 4.5 year old son has dry eczema. What helps the chronic itch?

He’s very itchy & he often gets short tempered from it. He’s allergic to dust mites,pollen,mold,rice,corn, soy, & egg. I bought a Hepa filter vacuum,encased his bedding to keep dust mites away, run air purifiers,change the furnace filter frequently,use fragrance free detergents,run clothes through a second rinse cycle,use no dryer sheets,keep baths tepid & brief, lotion with Eucerin immediately afterward, & have him wear only cotton clothes. I can honestly say NONE of this has made a difference. He starts Kindergarten in the Fall & I worry about him. How can he concentrate if he’s itchy? Keeping my child drugged on Benadryl indefinitely isn’t an option to me. I currently started him on probitotics with his allergists approval & give him 2 tsp. ground Flaxseed in his cereal every morning. I’m now trying Emu oil on him. I spend all my free time searching for answers. Has anyone found relief from dry eczema? Perhaps a Homeopathic Dr. is my next step. Thank you in advance for any help!

carpet and dust?

i have bad dust allergy and im allergic to mold im pretty sure its the dust causing my problems though..the carpet in my room has been neglected for years hasnt been vacummed in years untill recently ..no matter how much dusting and vaccuming i do theres dust particles in the air and dust build up on furinture begins almost instantly..i have a humidifier i have an air purifier with hepa filter and nothing seems to helps i feel it on my skin i feel on my hair..and i feel the urge to sneeze but dont since im on so many allergy medications..my question is the odds good that most of this dust coming from my carpet and its just to far gone…if i get rid of the carpet and put down hard floor do you think it would get rid of a good majority of the dust..i know its impossible to get rid of dust completly and carpets are just one of the problems but i can clean all the other stuff the carpet just seems like a lost cause,give me your thoughts

how can I breathe easier in my room without a window?

My chest really hurts. My landlord had cleaned the mold problem in my room. But I find it hard to breathe in there. But I also went a little crazy cleaning with chemicals such as tilex, a great value disinfectant, and I sprayed perfume because I still smelt mold. I haven’t cleaned the carpet yet or my stuffed animals, could the chemicals and my stuff be the reason why I can’t breathe well? Or is the mold in the walls?
I also have an air purifier with a hepa filter, should I change the filter?
It really hurts to breathe and Ive been in my moms room for now, but I really want to go back to my room.
I have the door open and a fan
still no hope
=/

Does anyone know how to reset the filter indicator light??

I have a HEPA type Holmes Air Purifier (Model # HAP422SRC-U) with a filter indicator light. It’s light came on, so I changed out the filters. While I was at it, I added carbon/odor grabbing filters. The instructions included with the carbon filters said to remove the foam pre-filter (it wasn’t needed), so I did. The indicator light is still on, but I can’t find anything online or in the manual about HOW to reset it. The box just says "reset when changing the filters" … grrrrrr!!! Shouldn’t it auto reset??
I just got an email from Holmes … if you hold the power button down for about 3 seconds (while the unit is on) this will reset the indicator light. It worked!

Air Purifier Not Working?

I just bought an air purifier off of Craigslist, model #HFD-123-HD. Thing is, I cleaned the prefilter and the hepa filter, yet my room seems to have MORE particles in the air (i.e. lungs seem to have inhaled dust). Thoughts?
Also, there seems to be a distinct smell from the air coming outta the purifier. Might be a remnant from the previous owner’s place, but that seems unlikely. Also, to the first poster: I’ve had 2 fans on high and I could not perceive a difference in the dust levels.

Yikes! Did I ruin my permanent HEPA filter?

I just bought a Honeywell Air Purifier off of craigslist.com and when I turned it on, it gave off the smell of the guy’s house! So I decided to clean the filters since they are not supposed to be replaced, by rinsing them with warm water. As I was about to rinse the 2nd one, I saw a sticker on it that said to clean, run a vacuum hose down the side- DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER. Uh oh! Although I only ran water on the first one, did I ruin it? I can’t find replacement filters anywhere online!

carpet and dust?

i have bad dust allergy and im allergic to mold im pretty sure its the dust causing my problems though..the carpet in my room has been neglected for years hasnt been vacummed in years untill recently ..no matter how much dusting and vaccuming i do theres dust particles in the air and dust build up on furinture begins almost instantly..i have a humidifier i have an air purifier with hepa filter and nothing seems to helps i feel it on my skin i feel on my hair..and i feel the urge to sneeze but dont since im on so many allergy medications..my question is the odds good that most of this dust coming from my carpet and its just to far gone…if i get rid of the carpet and put down hard floor do you think it would get rid of a good majority of the dust..i know its impossible to get rid of dust completly and carpets are just one of the problems but i can clean all the other stuff the carpet just seems like a lost cause,give me your thoughts

carpet and dust?

i have bad dust allergy and im allergic to mold im pretty sure its the dust causing my problems though..the carpet in my room has been neglected for years hasnt been vacummed in years untill recently ..no matter how much dusting and vaccuming i do theres dust particles in the air and dust build up on furinture begins almost instantly..i have a humidifier i have an air purifier with hepa filter and nothing seems to helps i feel it on my skin i feel on my hair..and i feel the urge to sneeze but dont since im on so many allergy medications..my question is the odds good that most of this dust coming from my carpet and its just to far gone…if i get rid of the carpet and put down hard floor do you think it would get rid of a good majority of the dust..i know its impossible to get rid of dust completly and carpets are just one of the problems but i can clean all the other stuff the carpet just seems like a lost cause,give me your thoughts