Does anyone have an air purifier?

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BigBuck

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I was thinking about getting a small HEPA filter air purifier for the bedroom. Anyone have any tips or advice on what to look for, or any experience with a smaller unit? Would prefer to use Amazon.
 
I've had one for 10 years. The issue becomes finding replacement filters after a while, as some models become obsolete and the filters become hard to find. At that point you'd have buy custom-made filters which can be expensive (not that OEM filters are cheap). I bought mine for allergies but it didn't seem to help at all
 
Been using Honeywell True Hepa filters for over 14 years. Filters can be found online and in many cases at home depot. Whole family has seasonal allergies and it makes a difference. In the winter, I find we get less colds.
 
I like the Hunter brand. 5-year motor warranties and they honor them when needed. I stopped changing the HEPA filter and just vacuum the charcoal one. It really cuts down on the dust in the house. I run my central HVAC fan 24/7 and that filter (pleated and electrostatic) clogs up after 2 months so I know it's doing something.
 
I have three in total and two different models. We have a BlueAir 203 for my daughters room and two Sharp PLasmacluster FPA80 in the guest room and master. The problem, as stated by xfactor9, is that finding filters can be a problem on certain models. A ton of the Asian brands, i.e. RabbitAir, Winix, and CoWay (who makes models for other companies like RabbitAir) can be problematic in that they change models often while not keeping the same filter format. Sharp has done this as well. The newer model, like the one I have, seems to have a standard format that they are using on some of their other models so maybe they have fixed this issue? Some brands like Austin Air, IQAir, BlueAir etc are really good at product support and filter replacements. You can get more technology for your money with the Asian brands, just know that filter replacement and support can be hit or miss. The others like Austin Air..etc typically have a higher initial cost, but with better support. This is what I have experienced personally and is not me saying this is the way the air purifier industry is. Your experience could be completely different. Getting a good one is the best bet for noticing anything. Some people don't notice anything at all, while others, me included, notice it immediately. The question is what are you trying to clean? Odor? Allergens? Smoke? The answer to these question will steer you to a appropriate brand and model.
 
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Simple idea that falls short on being able to filter out all the "culprit" particles for certain people. This depends on the needs of the individual of course. I say this because we initially did that exact setup and it did help. Adding the additional purifiers are what put my daughter under the threshold of immediate physical difference. This is really based on individual needs and some people can get away with doing just a quality air filtration on a furnace setup. Other people need more than that. We did. This is also dependent on what the space you are filtering is like. In our case the entire house is hardwood and tile floors except the bedrooms. They all have carpet. The carpet is our biggest source of trapping allergies for our daughter. The furnace filter does a decent enough job for the main part of the house, for us anyway, but doesn't do enough for the bedrooms while sleeping and playing (for my daughter that is) to make the difference. We just had to supplement in these areas.
 
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Originally Posted By: xfactor9
I've had one for 10 years. The issue becomes finding replacement filters after a while, as some models become obsolete and the filters become hard to find. At that point you'd have buy custom-made filters which can be expensive (not that OEM filters are cheap). I bought mine for allergies but it didn't seem to help at all
This, I bought one several years back and it seemed like as soon as the filter needed to be replaced they discontinued the model. I found them on Amazon but they where more expensive. I would also suggest getting one that filters more air then the room is large. The efficiency goes down as the filters accumulate dust. I have breathing problems tho so this is just me and my opinion.
 
i use a couple different ones,, buying whatever is on sale when they are discounted at stores. it is true that the biggest problem can be finding the filter after a particular model is no longer made. for this reason, i have had to make my one filters by buying the large furnace type filter with the best filtration rating. with the largest size i am able to make many small filters. i cut them out with tin scissors and sometimes use duct tape around the edges. i also bought one of the filter less models at target once and this is easier to use by simply washing the filter when dirty..
 
Originally Posted By: geekster
The question is what are you trying to clean? Odor? Allergens? Smoke? The answer to these question will steer you to a appropriate brand and model.
My room is the dustiest in the house. Fairly frequent dustings help but having something to catch it will probably be more beneficial. Just interested in cleaner air in the room I sleep. The rest of the house will stay as is.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Doesn't that assume forced hot air? I know I don't have that, nor central a/c. [Thankfully we've avoided filtered air, but I'm not sure if that's to our benefit or not.]
 
I had the Trane 'clean effects' electronic air cleaner installed on my HVAC system 8 years ago. No complaints here and I haven't bought a filter in years. YMMV.
 
I have 6 air cleaners in you house 3 filter based units - each lasts 6 months. Blue-air 650E 2 small Allen airs 3 electrostatic (cleanable) units- I clean every 7-10 days Brookstone pure ions None move the air you think they do so if you want it to actually create a noticeable diff with a small unit you probably need to run the unit 24x7 with the door closed. UD
 
Originally Posted By: BigBuck
Originally Posted By: geekster
The question is what are you trying to clean? Odor? Allergens? Smoke? The answer to these question will steer you to a appropriate brand and model.
My room is the dustiest in the house. Fairly frequent dustings help but having something to catch it will probably be more beneficial. Just interested in cleaner air in the room I sleep. The rest of the house will stay as is.
What I've noticed with mine is that neither one of mine reduce the amount of visible dust in our rooms. That being said the Dylos scanner that I have show's a huge reduction in the particulates per cubic foot in my room. Prior to filtration it was 220,000 part per cu ft and after it is in the 13-14,000 part per cu ft. So a good reduction for sure. I still show dust on my dressers and night stands. In fact I don't think it reduced the amount of surface dust or large particles on any of the furniture in my bedrooms. We leave our units running 24/7 and keep the bedroom doors closed at all times.
 
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I am also in complete agreement with UncleDave on the air movement part. It seems that none of them will clean the max area that they claim to clean effectively. The Sharps that I have say up to 454 sq ft and I have them in rooms that are roughly 360 and 250 sq ft in size and the BlueAir in my daughters room only has to account for 150 sq ft.
 
Originally Posted By: geekster
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Simple idea that falls short on being able to filter out all the "culprit" particles for certain people. This depends on the needs of the individual of course. I say this because we initially did that exact setup and it did help. Adding the additional purifiers are what put my daughter under the threshold of immediate physical difference. This is really based on individual needs and some people can get away with doing just a quality air filtration on a furnace setup. Other people need more than that. We did. This is also dependent on what the space you are filtering is like. In our case the entire house is hardwood and tile floors except the bedrooms. They all have carpet. The carpet is our biggest source of trapping allergies for our daughter. The furnace filter does a decent enough job for the main part of the house, for us anyway, but doesn't do enough for the bedrooms while sleeping and playing (for my daughter that is) to make the difference. We just had to supplement in these areas.
Originally Posted By: geekster
What I've noticed with mine is that neither one of mine reduce the amount of visible dust in our rooms. That being said the Dylos scanner that I have show's a huge reduction in the particulates per cubic foot in my room. Prior to filtration it was 220,000 part per cu ft and after it is in the 13-14,000 part per cu ft. So a good reduction for sure. I still show dust on my dressers and night stands. In fact I don't think it reduced the amount of surface dust on any of the furniture in my bedrooms. We leave our units running 24/7 and keep the bedroom doors closed at all times.
If it's that bad, then why not simply replace the carpet with hardwoods in the problem areas? You get a cleaner product all the way around and you eliminate the issues your child is having without simply masking the source of the problem.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: geekster
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Simple idea that falls short on being able to filter out all the "culprit" particles for certain people. This depends on the needs of the individual of course. I say this because we initially did that exact setup and it did help. Adding the additional purifiers are what put my daughter under the threshold of immediate physical difference. This is really based on individual needs and some people can get away with doing just a quality air filtration on a furnace setup. Other people need more than that. We did. This is also dependent on what the space you are filtering is like. In our case the entire house is hardwood and tile floors except the bedrooms. They all have carpet. The carpet is our biggest source of trapping allergies for our daughter. The furnace filter does a decent enough job for the main part of the house, for us anyway, but doesn't do enough for the bedrooms while sleeping and playing (for my daughter that is) to make the difference. We just had to supplement in these areas.
If it's that bad, then why not simply replace the carpet with hardwoods in the problem areas? You get a cleaner product all the way around and you eliminate the issues your child is having.
Because the air cleaners were cheaper than replacing the carpet. I went with the cheapest solution first before going that route. Personal choice for sure. Plus we take her air cleaner with us when we visit Grandma and Grandpa. We now keep the doors shut to all the bedrooms and this has brought everything down to a completely suitable environment for her. This all depends on the persons needs for sure. The reality is there is not one good simple solution for each individual based on their own unique environments.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Doesn't that assume forced hot air? I know I don't have that, nor central a/c. [Thankfully we've avoided filtered air, but I'm not sure if that's to our benefit or not.]
Yet we have forced air heating as well as central air conditioning, and we don't have the dust or pollutant problems that seems to be very prevalent in this thread. Nor do we have any allergy issues or the need to run separate air purifiers, humidifiers, etc. Yes, it assumes forced air heating since the original poster didn't specify which he has. If the original poster isn't fortunate enough to have force air heating then he'll need to condition the air in the house with a variety of devices, or live with the problems that dry, non-filtered air causes.
 
Originally Posted By: geekster
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: geekster
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Why not just install a quality air filtration system on your furnace? That way the entire house is filtered all the time, in both winter heating and summer cooling, and you don't need to worry about filters or several small units.
Simple idea that falls short on being able to filter out all the "culprit" particles for certain people. This depends on the needs of the individual of course. I say this because we initially did that exact setup and it did help. Adding the additional purifiers are what put my daughter under the threshold of immediate physical difference. This is really based on individual needs and some people can get away with doing just a quality air filtration on a furnace setup. Other people need more than that. We did. This is also dependent on what the space you are filtering is like. In our case the entire house is hardwood and tile floors except the bedrooms. They all have carpet. The carpet is our biggest source of trapping allergies for our daughter. The furnace filter does a decent enough job for the main part of the house, for us anyway, but doesn't do enough for the bedrooms while sleeping and playing (for my daughter that is) to make the difference. We just had to supplement in these areas.
If it's that bad, then why not simply replace the carpet with hardwoods in the problem areas? You get a cleaner product all the way around and you eliminate the issues your child is having.
Because the air cleaners were cheaper than replacing the carpet. I went with the cheapest solution first before going that route. Personal choice for sure. Plus we take her air cleaner with us when we visit Grandma and Grandpa. We now keep the doors shut to all the bedrooms and this has brought everything down to a completely suitable environment for her. This all depends on the persons needs for sure. The reality is there is not one good simple solution for each individual based on their own unique environments.
So let me understand. You have two almost-new cars in your signature, but you can't afford/won't afford to replace dirt-catching carpets in order to improve your child's health because carpet is cheaper?
 
Pop_Rivit So let me understand. You have to understand why I bought air cleaners? I never said I couldn't afford it and frankly it's none of your business. Thanks for taking a stab at my parenting choices and financial decisions. I try and make smart choices with my money not brash ones. Oh and thanks for being concerned about my child. In fact as I said before..her health is fine now with the air cleaners and even with the carpets.
 
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