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?
2006-08-21 06:22:57 · 35 answers · asked by leedogg1981 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
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 ********" 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.
2006-08-21 13:02:56 · answer #1 · answered by ? 7 · 3⤊ 4⤋
Do Air Purifiers Really Work
2016-09-30 22:35:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-08-22 02:27:52 · answer #3 · answered by Ted Z 2 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Do Air Purifiers Work
2016-12-13 06:53:29 · answer #4 · answered by sittloh 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-08-22 04:52:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
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?
2006-08-21 17:54:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-08-22 05:12:52 · answer #7 · answered by MadforMAC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-08-22 05:48:40 · answer #8 · answered by a_delphic_oracle 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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!
2006-08-22 06:13:07 · answer #9 · answered by Cassiopeia 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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!
2006-08-22 08:06:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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
2006-08-22 06:57:17 · answer #11 · answered by ♥ Callie ♥ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋