Suggestions: Air Purifiers, do they work??

[PurpleMonkey]

I am considering buying an air purifier for my room and or the living room as well. People in my house have been coughing, getting sick every couple of months and I think maybe the air quality in the house is not good....then again, it could be the weather.

So....

Anyone suggest where and what brand to buy, and do they actually work???

Please advise. Thank You.

 

[alexmst]

I use a large round Honeywell HEPA floor model that I bought at Canadian Tire. It does do a good job of removing house dust from the air, which is what I wanted it for. Disadvantage is it is loud. Best thing for air quality in my opinion is to open a window (hard to do in winter, but now that spring is here...)

 

[PurpleMonkey]

I'm not sure what's good or not but do your research.
Some purifiers emit ozone which can severely damage your lungs.
Check out Govt. Health sites, Consumer reviews, Medical sites etc....

If you get any good info, let us know.

Yes! I've heard about that in an article as well...Ozone generators sold as air cleaners emit ozone that can cause damage to lungs says the EPA. Here is a except from an article:

"Manufacturers and vendors of ozone devices often use misleading terms to describe ozone. Terms such as "energized oxygen" or "pure air" suggest that ozone is a healthy kind of oxygen. Ozone is a toxic gas with vastly different chemical and toxicological properties from oxygen. Several federal agencies have established health standards or recommendations to limit human exposure to ozone."

It is so easy to research the bad stuff, but the hard question lies....what is good?

 

[tboy]

I am considering buying an air purifier for my room and or the living room as well. People in my house have been coughing, getting sick every couple of months and I think maybe the air quality in the house is not good....then again, it could be the weather.

So....

Anyone suggest where and what brand to buy, and do they actually work???

Please advise. Thank You.

House, you live in a house? If so: how about changing the furnace filter (which you are supposed to inspect every few months)?

If you don't know what I'm talking about then that's your problem right there.....

 

[PurpleMonkey]

House, you live in a house? If so: how about changing the furnace filter (which you are supposed to inspect every few months)?

If you don't know what I'm talking about then that's your problem right there.....

Yes tboy, I change the filter every 3 months, but eventhough the filter costs $30 a time it doesn't filter out all the nasty particles that air purifiers do. I mean, they do their job, but they are not the "experts" so to speak.

 

[tboy]

Yes tboy, I change the filter every 3 months, but eventhough the filter costs $30 a time it doesn't filter out all the nasty particles that air purifiers do. I mean, they do their job, but they are not the "experts" so to speak.

Good, but you'd be surprised how many neglect it and then look for answers as to why their furnace doesn't work very well etc.

I know there are better types of furnace filters (other than the fiberglass ones). I was in Homo Depot the other day and saw some for $50.00 and some for $8.00. Don't know what the $50.00 ones do differently but they'd better for that kind of money.

edit: yeah, they take out allegens as well as dust....

http://www.furnacefilters.com/resid...ilters/filtreteultraallergenfurnacefilter.cfm

Actually, I'm learning something along the way lol. Some washable ones have anti-microbial media that kills mold spores too....Pretty good idea actually.

http://furnace-filters.net/buyingwashable.html

 

[tboy]

does washing the filters in the dishwasher count?

LOL I put my paint brushes in mine......

 

[OnTheWayOut]

LOL I put my paint brushes in mine......

how do you get the paint brushes into the filters?

 

[fuji]

Putting filters into the vents may help as well rather than only the furnace. If the ducts are full of dust you really should get them cleaned, but short of that, a duct filter will help somewhat. Use a HEPA furnace filter as well.

Yeah you still may need a purifier but ever little bit helps if you are having a problem.

Depending on what is making you all cough opening up the windows more might help, or might make it worse.

Stay away from the ionizers... the ones that claim to charge particles so that they stick to its capture filter. Yes they do that.. but the particles that escape are still charged and they are more likely to stick to the insides of your lungs.. so you have maybe fewer particles in the air but they are stickier.

In terms of general air quality plants are also good, the more plants you have the better. Plants clean some nasty stuff out of the air but you need a lot of them if you have a big problem.

 

[PurpleMonkey]

In terms of general air quality plants are also good, the more plants you have the better. Plants clean some nasty stuff out of the air but you need a lot of them if you have a big problem.

Clever, I was also considering putting plants inside the house. Air purifiers are debatable since both ozone and ion purifiers are suppose to be no good.

Any suggestions on friendly indoor plants, where should I go to check?

 

[Duff]

I am considering buying an air purifier for my room and or the living room as well. People in my house have been coughing, getting sick every couple of months and I think maybe the air quality in the house is not good....then again, it could be the weather.

So....

Anyone suggest where and what brand to buy, and do they actually work???

Please advise. Thank You.

To save some money and not buy things that may or may not work for you, give the people at Pinnacle (http://www.pinnacle-environment.com/air_quality.html) a call for a free assessment of your air quality and they will suggest what's best for your specific needs.

You can also reach them at 416.422.HOME

 

[PurpleMonkey]

To save some money and not buy things that may or may not work for you, give the people at Pinnacle (http://www.pinnacle-environment.com/air_quality.html) a call for a free assessment of your air quality and they will suggest what's best for your specific needs.

You can also reach them at 416.422.HOME

Thanks Duff. I'll try them this week.