… and I’m not sure what the hell it’s supposed to do. It was marketed as an air purifier, and works by spitting out negative ions from a little wand that sticks out of a black box.
Is this thing for real? What real or imagined health benefits is it supposed to have?
an Ionizer emits ions that equalize the static charge on insulators, such as clothing, plastics, glass, and suchandsuch. Equalized charge means fewer static charges. Such devices are popular in clean rooms, where static can have serious financial consequences. If you don’t have a static problem in your home, it’s pretty much a waste of money…
Several years ago, a friend of mine brought one to the office where we worked. He was asthmatic and objected to the fact that people were allowed to smoke at their desks. The ionizer charged the dirt and smoke particles in his area and they were attracted to every piece of metal around. Over a very short time, the white walls were stained to the point that we could see where the metal studs were. Eventually, our boss made him take it home, had the wall painted, and banned smoking in the office. I’d say that thing worked pretty damn well.
Cecil Adams, briefly, on ionizers.
they also kill smells real well. for instance, let’s say you’re growing “tomatoes”. They stink bad in the closet with the lights.
But an ionizer really negates the smell. Almost creepily so.
jb
Your boyfriend is an alien!! It’s true!! He also flies B-2 bombers!!A quick search on the ever reliable internet led me to this worrying page. I always wondered what an aircraft’s black was for. And we all know what aliens do with their little wands :eek:
I second the dirt problem.
I guess the ions bind to dirt and dust. The entire wall, dresser and floor around it were nasty, dirty in weeks.