Anyone use air purifiers around their house?

[pete6032]

I just bought a few Winix air purifiers and plan to use them around the house this winter in an attempt to fight cold and flu virus. Of course things like washing hands, getting vaccines, etc. will be the first line of defense, but last year proved very challenging with sick children in the house. Has anyone else used air purifiers as a method for preventing the spread of airborne pathogens?

 

[lxskllr]

I'm skeptical of them doing enough good to justify the costs.

I use my personality to repel pathogens(and everything else) :^P

 

[dullard]

My in-laws use it. Mostly because my mother-in-law is generally unhealthy and has severe asthma. A common cold usually turns into month's long pneumonia for her. We usually stick the sick (or potentially sick) nieces right next to the Winex air purifiers if they come over for dinner.

Is it perfect? No, it won't prevent a sneeze to her face. But, she has had fewer colds since using it. And even if she does get a cold, a lower initial viral load gives her body many hours more to ramp up it's immune system. Meaning the cold is a bit more mild.

 

[Ken g6]

I use a box fan with a HEPA furnace filter on one side and a carbon filter on the other. (Leaving the motor clear for cooling.)

 

[WelshBloke]

I use one as a (possibly futile) method of cutting down on dusting! It got a hepa filter so I guess that should catch any circulating dust!

 

[Brainonska511]

I have a Winix D360 I purchased refurbished over the summer. It's nice because it doesn't have the ionizer that can sometimes lead to gross, sticky dust. It also has a charcoal filter for smells, so we keep it in the kitchen area of our open floorplan apartment. Helps to more quickly dissipate kitchen smells and cooking smoke.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I hate the idea of having to rely on trying to find proprietary filters or worse, they stop making them for that specific model, so I built my own that uses furnace filters. It's 3 stage. Regular dust filter, hepa filter, and carbon filter. The carbon filters I have to make myself as I can't find any in that form factor so I buy sheets of activated carbon on Amazon and duct tape them to a dust filter and cover any gaps but this is fairly versatile as I'm not necessarily relying on a specific size sheet either. I built it mostly for the cat's litter box room to try to tame the smell and dust but if ever there is lot of forest fires and lot of smoke in the area and everyone is going out trying to buy these at least I have that one so it would help.

 

[pete6032]

I have a Winix D360 I purchased refurbished over the summer. It's nice because it doesn't have the ionizer that can sometimes lead to gross, sticky dust. It also has a charcoal filter for smells, so we keep it in the kitchen area of our open floorplan apartment. Helps to more quickly dissipate kitchen smells and cooking smoke.

I bought two C610 refurbs from their site. List price $199.99 refurbished price $69.99. Hoping it also helps with dust.

 

[Brainonska511]

I bought two C610 refurbs from their site. List price $199.99 refurbished price $69.99. Hoping it also helps with dust.

Yeah, the D360 was like $85 from a list price of $150 or something like that (maybe a bit more?). Been working perfectly 24/7 since July. And if it dies I have the one year warranty with Winix + 1 extra via AmEx CC benefit.

 

[herm0016]

we have the Honeywell with washable electrostatic filters. they have been great and are always filthy when i clean them about once a month. I think it makes a difference, we also have 2 large dogs and a cat.

 

[iRONic]

Low tech:

 

[BoomerD]

The closest thing to an air purifier in our house is the filters on my PC fans...