My search for relief and treatment for allergies and asthma has taken me down many paths, air purifiers being one of them.
I have owned over 73 air purifiers since 1974. I became a health professional in 1982 out of an interest in relieving and in some cases eliminating allergies and asthma naturally.
Since I was 12 years old I have owned: Ozone Air Purifiers, Ionic Air Purifiers, Zeolite Bags, HEPA Air Purifiers, Ultraviolet Light Air Purifiers, Catalytic Plate Air Purifiers, Water Air Purifiers, etc.
Brands I’ve owned: EcoQuest, Oreck, Oreck XL’s, Alpine Air, Hunter, Panasonic, Austin, IQair, SunAir, and 42 other “no name” Chinese brands. (I avoided Sharper Image because I knew Ionic alone wouldn’t cut it.)
So let’s just say I’ve seen it all in my 30+ years of air purifiers.
(Just last year Austin, IQAIR and Oreck called me about distributing their air purifier. I said no. I couldn’t justify the fact that some only have 2 or 3 technologies, or the $800 some want for an air purifier HEPA). purify)
Getting the Right Kind to Relieve Your Allergies
When people ask me:
“What is the best type of air purifier to relieve allergies?
My answer is:
“Does it depend on what KIND of allergies you have?
For pollen and animal allergies (dander), HEPA and a good pre-filter are a must.
For mold and mildew: UV light, negative ions, and Tio2 are a must.
For dust – HEPA
For environmental sensitivities – Activated carbon
For contamination (cars and trucks): electrostatic, ionic and HEPA
But the best way is to find the type that got rid of the main allergen, and then try to get as many other air cleaning methods as possible. The reason: Each type of purification has strengths and weaknesses, however, the more types you have, the more your immune system can relieve you of allergic responses.
WHAT TO AVOID IN AN AIR PURIFIER FOR ALLERGIES
Expensive HEPA Replacement Filters
Once you buy an air purifier, you’ll have to pay whatever the manufacturer wants to charge for their HEPA filter. (Like my $100 inkjet printer – each little replacement ink cartridge is $28!) So ask about HEPA filter prices first. Every 6-12 months will change the filters. Anything over $40 is too much.
Avoid “no replacement filter” air purifiers
Once you’ve seen a dirty HEPA filter (HEPAs are cloth filters that trap and hold dust and pollution), you realize that those without filters don’t hold dust or pollen – WITHOUT YOUR LUNGS! Especially the Oreck is guilty of this fact and they are also contradicted on his website. You have to replace the carbon filters, and without HEPA they do poorly with pollen
So get an air purifier that has affordable replacements. HEPA is essential if you have allergies.
Most air purifiers don’t circulate enough air
I called Oreck about the new $700 tower (it says it covers 1100 square feet). “How many times does the air in the room change per hour?” (ie how many times will all the air in that room change). They did not know. The answer: “One per hour.” That is poor.
So be sure to ask for 3-5 “Changes Per Hour” per square meter.
Choosing the Right Technology for Your Allergy
Here are some suggestions for combining basic technologies with your allergy:
#1 HEPA, Pre-Filter, Neg/Ion, Plasma Grid = Helpful for allergies and asthma, some odors
#2 Carbon, Charcoal, = for odors, smoke, animal odors, chemical sensitivity, VCO and immune system
#3 UV, TiO2, Plasma Grid, Ceramic = To combat colds, flu, viruses, pathogens, mold and fungus allergies
Pollen and Dust Sensors: A cool new technology from Japan that detects pollen and dust. A great help with allergy relief by continually adjusting the purifier to the level of dirt and pollen in the room. It also saves electricity and guesswork.
Bottom Line: Look for an air purifier that has HEPA and 4 or more additional technologies, like UV and ions. Stay away from overpriced and underperforming infomercial brands. You can still find all of this for less than $300 (and don’t pay more). Make sure replacement filters are reasonably priced. Check out my ALLERGY AND AIR PURIFIER REVIEW VIDEOS AT THE LINK BELOW