Do air purifiers benefit people with allergies?

[JHE1967]

Any allergy sufferers here have experience with air purifiers? I get allergy shots and recently had sinus surgery but am still having some problems with allergies. I think the main problem is my cat sleeps in bed with us every morning. Might an air purifier help with this? Can anyone recommend a particular brand or model?

Thanks in advance!

[Napier]

I think they help, and would have to. Respiratory allergies are caused by airborn particles, and the filters reduce them. I have allergies and filters in abundance.

There's a company in Canada called AllerAir that makes very good devices having particle filters and carbon for vapor absorption. I have several of there cylindrical models that are on wheels. I think the model is Executive 5000 or something like that.

[Broomstick]

They can help, but don't always. Also, I find most models noisy enough to interfere with my sleep so it is somewhat a trade off from my viewpoint.

I think banning the cat from your bed might be more effective, but having been a cat owner I realize that that is a nigh impossible task.

Have you tried a neti pot? They've gained quite a following with folks around here.

[susan]

Yes, a HEPA air filter (the correct size for the room) makes a significant difference.

[JHE1967]

Thanks! I am using a Neti bottle. I'd love to ban the cat but all she would do is bang on the door all night whuch would keep us up..

[NadaHappyCamper]

i have a "venta," in my bedroom, that not only cleans the air it also adds humidity.
also i have an oreck console that has an elctrostic charge filter along with a physical filter., lastley i have a large bionaire air filter that also puts humidity in the air, it can be run without the water in the summer for example,i find i need the humidity in the winter.you will probably find tech., info online.

[gaffa]

The most effective method is to improve the filtration of the air in the heating/air-conditioning system. Try putting in better filters and change them regularly. A step up from that is to use an electrostatic filter system. We have those in my brother's home and they do a great job, far more effective than the passive filters. My older niece has allergies, and he went one step further for her home and installed a UV light in the duct system. It actually kills any living material like mold and bacteria.

The benefit of these approaches is that the apply to your whole house. All the air in your home passes through the furnace/AC any way, and it is far more effective than the tiny little fan in any stand-alone device. And electrostatic filters and UV lights installed in the furnace/AC system don't add any additional noise to your home. See this Popular Mechanics article for a decent overview.

[Really Not All That Bright]

You probably won't find one anywhere now that Sharper Image has gone under, but definitely don't bother with the Ionic Breeze- it doesn't work (and the resulting class action suit is why SI went under.)

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by gaffa

All the air in your home passes through the furnace/AC any way, and it is far more effective than the tiny little fan in any stand-alone device.

You are assuming everyone has central heating and cooling, right? As it happens, I don't, which is one reason why stand alone units have a market. My parents have central HVAC but since they rent they can't make modifications. Just a reminder that mileage varies.

[Napier]

Standalone devices offer the performance advantages that they can run full time, whereas whole house systems generally don't, and they can also let you partition your living space into different regions so that activity that exacerbates allergies can happen in one room while the allergy patient is safe in another (this second advantage only works if and to the extent that any HVAC system isn't mixing the room contents).

Filters have a way higher upside potential collection efficiency than precipitators. If you study clean rooms - I mean the special rooms used for things like manufacturing integrated circuits - you'll see they all use filters, not precipitators.

[gaffa]

Originally Posted by Broomstick

You are assuming everyone has central heating and cooling, right? As it happens, I don't, which is one reason why stand alone units have a market. My parents have central HVAC but since they rent they can't make modifications. Just a reminder that mileage varies.

Not necessarily. The electrostatic filters shown in the article don't require any modification of the system. It's exactly the same size as a cardboard filter and slides in just like one. The only external difference is that it has a place for a plug-in that goes to an external transformer. If they've been changing the filters (which they should be - they'll grow old waiting for the landlord to do so) they can stick in an electrostatic filter and plug it into an outlet.