Give me advice about air purifiers for my home

[diddlysquat]

I need one that can really handle cats.. I know there are the HEPA and the ion types. What is best?

[yo-yo-ma]

1. HEPA

i assume you mean an indoor filter you plug into the wall (not some thing like an ac system)

i have cats and allergies and have had both types of filters.

for litter box smell the ion kind works better (although you shouldn't be in the room when it's on) but for allergies a HEPA filter works much better - filters out much more - but they are more expensive - mine cost several hundred dollars

[havocmom]

2. I need one that can handle LOTS of dust.

I'll take care of the cat and dog hair with the vacuum cleaner. But the dust! OMG the dust it trying to kill me.

[Tamarin]

5. Hepas are good but the filters are expensive,

I have lots of birds who give off dusty dander and my veterinarian suggested getting a box-type fan and attaching a quality furnace filter to it. Haven't tried it yet but it sounds inexpensive and easy.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. I have tried it, and it does work...

but it doesn't catch all the really small stuff.

Does help, though.

[havocmom]

8. "really small stuff" is my problem. Very fine dust that makes it in

through the window frames from outside.

As for heat, well, we are getting rid of the furnace and going to a European style boiler/radiator system. The duct work is gonna be OUTTA HERE! That will cut down on re-cycling the dust. Can only get down so far with the vacuum into those ducts and there is no one within 200 miles who has a duct cleaning service.

But the fine powder dust/soil mold spoors that comes in through tiny spaces around the old wooden windows, dirt roads in town and a population that loves to just drive around in circles = a big problem.

What I really need is to move back to some mountains. Less dust when you are on rock.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Sounds like the dust problem will be reduced...

significantly by changing the heating system, but it will still cost a bundle to HEPA the whole house properly. That's the way to go, though, if it's to be done right. If it's merely a cosmetic problem, and not a health one, it might not be cost-effective.

Dust collection always comes up as a prime topic in woodworking forums, since sanding dust is some of the nastiest stuff around. The answer is usually money, but lots of cheap, err... frugal, woodworkers, like me, have experimented with oddball solutions.

Furnace, A/C, etc. filters do some good, but let some stuff through. They can catch a fair amount of pollen, though. Better are paper towels and coffee filters, which catch all but the tiniest stuff-- even catch cigarette smoke. Problem is, I burned out a few cheap fans using them. Air volume is constricted too much for the cheap motors to handle.

One el Cheapo thing I've thought of, but haven't built yet, is using auto air filters. I'm looking at an air filter I bought for 5 bucks and a $10 fan from Walgreen's. I just have to get around to building a box for it all and see if it works.

[bananas]

14. sears unit with permanent hepa filter $150

I was in Sears a few weeks ago,
they had a unit with a permanent hepa filter,
you just take it out and vacuum it,
the whole thing was about $150 or so.

[Imalittleteapot]

3. Ionic Breeze - Sharper Image and others got bad press recently.

I think it was in "Consumer Reports". Article about the CR report was in my local paper - supposedly more harmful than helpful. Sorry, I don't have a link.
I used to have an Ionic Breeze, but it died.

I use HEPA air purifiers in my home and office. They're noisy, but they work.

[diddlysquat]

4. I think some ionic purifiers are said to give off ozone

I had also read the bad press on the ionic breeze.
Thanks.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. HEPA...

this month's Consumer Reports has the dope on the ionizers. Even if they don't kill you, they won't catch all the dust.

HEPA filters were invented for "clean rooms" and do the job on dust. A big charcoal filter on a HEPA cleaner helps with odors.

Just make sure you spend the money to get a big enough one-- if you don't the dust elimination won't keep up with the dust creation.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Here's a link to a site that has many indoor air products

http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/

I wasn't looking for air purifiers, but a search for a dehumidifier turned up this site. (I wound up buying a highly rated dehumidifier locally for less money, but that's another story.)

It seems that, like most anything else, there's lot of snake oil out there (capitalizing on yet another fear campaign - indoor air quality). But there are also good products that do what they say they do and do it well. Unfortuantely, they're not cheap.

We have three Honeywell HEPA filter air purifiers (Sparkly Jr. has respiratory issues and we have a cat) that work pretty well. Like this one:

The down side is the filters are very expensive. This is the HEPA filter it uses and the filter's about $50 to $60!

Also, the units fail to work well if the prefilter is not religiously changed. Fortunately, these prefilters are pretty cheap and are easy to change. Here's a site dealing specifically with the Honeywell line.
http://www.americanallergysupply.com/charcoal-prefilters/honeywell-charcoal-prefilters.htm

We also have an electronic air cleaner on our forced air heat and a/c system. That does a pretty good job of keeping dust down, but it isn't totally effective. Ours is a Carrier unit.

I also found that there are very large units that install in the wall, between the studs, like a gas furnace. They're said to be very effective, but they're also very, very expensive ... well over $1,000 for even a small one.

[LucasD]

10. For the money you'll spend on HEPA

filter replacements over the life of the machine, you
may want to consider getting a whole house electronic
air cleaner.

This model was installed on an episode of Ask This Old House. The
installation seemed simple, but your results may vary.
They installed the electronic model with pre-filter.

Nice unit, although it did make a slight popping noise
as it trapped the larger dust particles.

http://www.americanstandardair.com/Products.asp?Section=homeOwners&ProductID=101&CategoryID=11&SuperCategoryID=1

[Lady Effingbroke]

12. Here's a link to the Consumer Reports article on the Ionic Breeze,

as mentioned above by Imalittleteapot.

http://tinyurl.com/bmlga

[InvisibleTouch]

13. Lifelong asthma and allergies - I've tried them all.

The very best I've come across, is something called AirSource. It's a combination ionizer/UV-light "particulate zapper." The UV light kills airborne bacteria and pathogens, while the ionizer reduces particulates. No comparison even to Ionic Breeze, which works on a similar concept, but is far less sophisticated than the AirSource. It's light-years beyond the noisy HEPA filters for dropping allergens out of the air (this will help with your dust and dander too), nearly silent, and looks like a work of modern art rather than an ugly appliance. Covers a larger surface area than the others, too. It does give off a very faint ozone scent when you're right up close to it, but this cancels any unpleasant odors in the air, too.

I have dogs as well as other pets, and I'm not exactly a dedicated housekeeper. None the less, I notice the difference right away when I leave my own happy lair and visit my mother's immaculately kept home. Immediate allergy problems.

AirSource is somewhat pricey, and you have to replace the photoionization unit once a year (or thereabouts; I'm personally not too conscientious about replacement, and have let it go 18 months or more on occasion), but you'll find none better.

PM me for more info if interested, or if you want specs and comparisons.