Suggest an Air Purifier

[Theb]

I want to buy an air purifier and the online reviews don't seem trustworthy (so many of them claim they turned the product on and were instantly cured of everything from cancer to halitosis).
I'm not looking for anything too fancy I really just want it to pick up dust and mold spores, but I still want to get the best performing, most reliable unit that fits my budget.

-I don't want it to ionize
-I don't care if the unit cleans up bad smells (my apartment doesn't stink)
-I'd prefer replaceable filters to permanent filters because I don't trust my vacuum not to just re-expel the dust into the air while cleaning it.

 

[maximus maximus]

i saw one on sharper image a few days back. They had some good deals on it.

 

[maximus maximus]

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catal...eid=lw9MynSeamY-ctq072HLIgVW.uLpYPGVNA

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catal...eid=lw9MynSeamY-Xw89ThzmrAmhIFUo5ol.bg

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catal...eid=lw9MynSeamY-tEpCcp.DfX4HAYoRopEmCQ

Looks like those deals are still going on. Hope this helps.

 

[jlmadyson]

I got the Oreck Xl, you can turn the Ionizer option on and off. I have had it for about 2 years or so now, personally, I would buy another one if the need arises. I?m quite pleased with it up to this point.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
I got the Oreck Xl, you can turn the Ionizer option on and off. I have had it for about 2 years or so now, personally, I would buy another one if the need arises. I?m quite pleased with it up to this point.

What difference does it make for you? I've never had a purifier.

 

[Bateluer]

I have a Holmes HAP650 unit, owned it for almost 2 years now. It has 3 HEPA filters, with a carbon filter one each HEPA.

At my old apartment, the amount of crud it would pull out of the air boggled the mind. Supposedly, you can replace the HEPAs every 12 months, but they were so dirty after a mere 3 months, I had to replace them. The carbon filters were changed on a monthly basis.

At my current apartment, its only been active for a few days. The new place isn't as dusty as the old place, and the filters cost some money to replace. The HEPA filters come in two packs for 35 dollars, and the carbon filters come in packs of 4 for 15 dollars. I did get the unit itself for about 20 bucks due to a pricing error though.

There's definitely a marked improvement with the unit being on, after a few days anyway. My allergies don't act up near as much.

Those Sharper Image units are all useless junk though. Consumer Reports tore them all up. Ionic filters don't clean air very well, but they do put out a lot of ozone. If you've got younger children or infants around, this ozone can be hazardous to their health. The OzoneGuard unit that Sharper Image puts on some of their models mean that they effectively do nothing.

I'd look at HEPA filters from Honeywell or Holmes.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
I have a Holmes HAP650 unit, owned it for almost 2 years now. It has 3 HEPA filters, with a carbon filter one each HEPA.

At my old apartment, the amount of crud it would pull out of the air boggled the mind. Supposedly, you can replace the HEPAs every 12 months, but they were so dirty after a mere 3 months, I had to replace them. The carbon filters were changed on a monthly basis.

At my current apartment, its only been active for a few days. The new place isn't as dusty as the old place, and the filters cost some money to replace. The HEPA filters come in two packs for 35 dollars, and the carbon filters come in packs of 4 for 15 dollars. I did get the unit itself for about 20 bucks due to a pricing error though.

There's definitely a marked improvement with the unit being on, after a few days anyway. My allergies don't act up near as much.

Those Sharper Image units are all useless junk though. Consumer Reports tore them all up. Ionic filters don't clean air very well, but they do put out a lot of ozone. If you've got younger children or infants around, this ozone can be hazardous to their health. The OzoneGuard unit that Sharper Image puts on some of their models mean that they effectively do nothing.

I'd look at HEPA filters from Honeywell or Holmes.

I remember reading about the headaches that people were getting a few years back with the Shaper Image models. Yikes!

Do the HEPA filter models cover one room, or a house, or what? Is it just like a fan or a personal space heater - plug it in the corner and turn it on?

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Kaido


I remember reading about the headaches that people were getting a few years back with the Shaper Image models. Yikes!

Do the HEPA filter models cover one room, or a house, or what? Is it just like a fan or a personal space heater - plug it in the corner and turn it on?

They come with a square foot rating. My unit covers my main living room, with diminishing effects in the adjoining rooms. Ideally, I'd want units in every room, but that could get pricey quick.

I'd stick the filter in the room you want to have the most benefit, such as the bed room, and turn it on in there.

 

[Doodoo]

I actually just picked up a Hamilton Beach 4161 from Amazon. I've only had it for 2 days, but it seems to work pretty well. It has a air quality sensor thing on it that tells you the quality of the air. The reviews from Amazon seem pretty good. I mean aren't all purifiers basically the same? A fan that sucks air through a filter and blows it back out?

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Doodoo
I mean aren't all purifiers basically the same? A fan that sucks air through a filter and blows it back out?

In principle, yes. Its the quality of the air filter itself and how much air is moved, versus noise and power draw.

 

[vi edit]

Don't. Buy some houseplants instead.

 

[DaiShan]

I purchased one from Amazon about 6 months ago made by hamilton beach. It was $99 and had a $25 MIR. It's fantastic, my room mate occassionally smokes upstairs in his bedroom which would occasionally reach my room through the A/C, for the past 6 months I haven't smelled any smoke at all. Several things to note: it's for a small room, so don't think it will work for your whole house, it has a carbon pre-filter to remove odors, a hepa filter to remove particulates, and a U/V chamber to kill mold/germs. I've been very impressed with it so far, the carbon pre-filter needs to be changed about every 3-4 months, the hepa filter needs to be changed every 6 months, and the uv light lasts 6000 hours IIRC.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Don't. Buy some houseplants instead.

That would actually make things worse, as many plants put stuff like pollen into the air. Not to mention the fungi that can grow in the potted dirt.

 

[Doodoo]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
I purchased one from Amazon about 6 months ago made by hamilton beach. It was $99 and had a $25 MIR. It's fantastic, my room mate occassionally smokes upstairs in his bedroom which would occasionally reach my room through the A/C, for the past 6 months I haven't smelled any smoke at all. Several things to note: it's for a small room, so don't think it will work for your whole house, it has a carbon pre-filter to remove odors, a hepa filter to remove particulates, and a U/V chamber to kill mold/germs. I've been very impressed with it so far, the carbon pre-filter needs to be changed about every 3-4 months, the hepa filter needs to be changed every 6 months, and the uv light lasts 6000 hours IIRC.

Sounds like the exact same one i got from amazon....cept i didn't have the MIR. And yes its only for a small room...i think up to 200 sq ft.

 

[shortspanishguy]

This is what I have. Very highly regarded company.

 

[Glayde]

Bumping this from the february discussions,

Anyone else with any experience with home air purifiers?

I'd like to get one for my apartment, (pet birds....) so there's a lot of dust in the air.

Ideally I'd be able to find something under 75 bucks that will just be able to help clean the air to protect my nose and the computers.