I live in an extraordinarily polluted environment, and right now, the cost of breaking my lease and problems associated w/ relocating now would exceed the cost of this very expensive air purifier.
http://www.airpurifiers.com/products/iqair/gc-chemisorber.htm
If it works, it’s worth the money (esp. since I have chem sensitivities & allergies, so I’d probably find use for it anywhere), but if it doesn’t, it’s a huge waste for a glorified hepa filter (which is what it’d amount to if the chemical filtration didn’t work).
So my question is, how exactly does it filter out
Sulfur dioxide
Formaldehyde
Carbon dioxide
etc.
I’d be particularly interested to know how it can seriously filter Carbon dioxide, since that’s so prevalent in the air, I’d think that any filter for it’d be worn out within a day. That one in particular makes me question the validity of the product.
The sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, and particulates from deisel are all very important to me, since these are some of the worst problems in this place, wedged between a factory w/ high sulfur dioxide emissions and an expressway, in a building full of gas stoves and heat, aside from fireplace smoke wafting in from the neighbors on some days.
Can someone with some knowledge of how these advanced air purifiers work please explain this to me? Would I be throwing my money away? (Please note that this is not a small purchase for me, especially looking at the cost and frequency of replacing the filters)
My chest really hurts. My landlord had cleaned the mold problem in my room. But I find it hard to breathe in there. But I also went a little crazy cleaning with chemicals such as tilex, a great value disinfectant, and I sprayed perfume because I still smelt mold. I haven’t cleaned the carpet yet or my stuffed animals, could the chemicals and my stuff be the reason why I can’t breathe well? Or is the mold in the walls?
I also have an air purifier with a hepa filter, should I change the filter?
It really hurts to breathe and Ive been in my moms room for now, but I really want to go back to my room.
I have the door open and a fan
still no hope
=/
Forcing you to shut all windows on that side of the house unless you wanted to inhale the smoke in your home and peeling paint from your house from the tanic acid of the smoke that made you have to touchup paint every year?
This stove is not exhausted to a chimney. Rather it is exhausted into a 6" pipe out the back side of their cement cellar, fumes pushed towards my house.
I run an air purifier and if I have it on and it sucks in that smoke from outside to push out clean air in my house, it cakes up and eventually puts out the smoky air….looks like ash on top. I just threw out the home made filter and I have to clean the fan in side too and the vent. The ash is so fine it makes it through a hepa filter and makes even finer particles move into the air that made it by that micron filter and makes us sick in this house if I don’t clean it thoroughly and change the filter. I try not to leave windows on that side of the house open when they are running that stove.
I live in an old house and my husband is a smoker. Where should I go to buy a good air purifier? I would like one with a hepa filter but it’s not necessary.
Thank you
I have a basic Sears HEPA filter which is very loud, even at low. Any suggestions?
My hubby and I just moved into a condo. We did Everything imaginable to make it allergy free… we think (suspect) the prior owner smoked here- but arent sure. So, we repainted, recarpeted, renovated (brand new kitchen), new pergo hardwood floors (cleaner), you get the point. Even replaced the actual air duct work!
We installed IQ Air filter system-works well- but have to run it on Circulate all the time to keep allergies at bay, Hepa filter in bedroom (which is an old filter that wasnt used much) which we run while sleeping, have two air purifiers plugged in (that heat/clean air).
Im still suffering! I wake up in the night with all kinds of allergies, pain in sinus, etc. Its terrible!! I dont want to take drugs, b/c I was fine before I moved in here.
I have itchy ears, eyes, pain in sinus, yucky stuff in throat, etc. I know we have chlorine in water here and every time i do the dishes, i have burning in my eyes from the vapors, so we put a filter in shower.
What am i missing??!!
I have suffered from asthma since I was 11. I am posting this as a way of helping so many of you who are suffering from asthma on here.
There’s a great book called Reversing Asthma by a doctor who suffers from asthma himself. (name is Richard n Firshein)
Also a great website I’ve bought products from in the past www.allergyasthmatech.com.
I’m not trying to push products by the way. I’ve just found that asthma catalog and the book above very helpful to me personally.
These are things that can help you if you have not tried them already.
-Get rid of mold in your home. Keep damp areas like basements and bathrooms as dry as possible. Get a dehumidifier if needed.
-Get rid of pets if you can, or keep them out of the bedroom.
-Get rid of strong cleaning chemicals (especially bleach) use vinegar instead
-Get rid of mouse, rat, and bug poisons. Use natural bug killers if you can.
-Keep house (naturally) clean to keep roaches away. Their poop triggers attacks.
-Get rid of air deodorizers/air fresheners. They have been proven in scientific studies to trigger asthma and allergy symptoms.
-Wash your sheets and blankets in hot water once a week to kill dust mites which trigger attack
-Cover your pillows and mattresses in dust mite zip covers (you can vinyl ones cheap at Wal-mart)
-Get an air purifier for getting rid of mold and dust. Get one with a good HEPA filter. Do NOT get an ozone machine. Those trigger asthma, not help it. Do NOT get an ionizer type air purifier. Those produce ozone as a by product which can aggravate asthma.
-Get rid of new carpeting and replace with hard wood floors if you can afford it.
-Vacuum once a week and wear a dust mask when you clean or vacuum.
- Get tested for food allergies. Stop eating dairy, nuts (especially peanuts) and processed foods for at least a month to see if you improve. Try to eat organic and more vegetables and fruits. Eat lots of garlic which is a natural anti-inflammatory. (you can get supplements.)
-Check your work environment. Are you being exposed to chemicals or allergens or mold there? Is your job making things worse? If so, it might be time to change jobs or get a doctor’s note for your boss.
- Get a second opinion if you feel your current doc is not helping you.
- Get a neti pot for sinus infections (they have worked wonders for me and you can get one cheap at Wal-greens) You poor salt or saline solution into warm water to irrigate your sinuses.
- Get tested for general allergies and get allergy shots if you can afford them. They can be very helpful for some asthmatics. (they’ve helped me)
- Some folks are sensitive to extremely dry air. If you must get a humidifier, get one that’s easy to clean and replace the filters often since they can grow mold themselves
- Get good high filtration filters like Filtrete for your heating and cooling system in your house. Those alone, can make a difference. Remember to replace them regularly.
- Stop smoking, if you smoke. (I know it’s hard but the reason I have asthma is because I was around my mom’s second hand smoke growing up) Don’t smoke around your kids if you can help it.
- Stop drinking. Alcohol is a nervous system depressant. A beer every once in awhile is probably fine but if you’re a heavy drinker, it could be affecting your lungs.
- Learn breathing exercises. Take yoga classes which are great for asthma. Listen to relaxation tapes when you get home from work.
- Wean yourself off of prednizone if you can little by little and gradually get onto an inhaled steroid instead. They have less side effects and get directly into the lungs better. (I’m personally on Asmanex which is a brand new one) Oral steroids have long term side effects. Get off of them if you can and switch to an inhaled steroid.
- Exercise. I know exercise can irritate asthma for some, but build up slowly. Start with walking. It’s one of the best ways to build up your breathing capacity over time.
- Get tested for acid reflux. Have heartburn, or tightness in your chest after you eat? Chronic acid reflux can result from overuse of oral steroids. They make the esophagus weak, and acid comes up more easily. This can eventually, irritate the lungs. Stay away from spicey foods or high acid foods like tomatoes. If you notice tightness in your chest after eating things like icecream or chocolate, those are acid reflux triggers. Stop certain foods for awhile and see if you improve. Stick to a bland diet for at least a month to see if there’s a difference.
- Use your peak flow meter. If you don’t have one, ask your doc for one. It measures your true breathing capacity if you’re not sure how "tight" you are getting.
- Use a scarf in the winter to keep the air going into your lungs warm and moist. Extreme temperature changes can trigger symptoms.
- Close your car windows and use the air in the summer on especially hot days. Ozone triggers asthma.
- Are you an artist? Is your favorite hobby making you sic
Ok so here’ my problem. My neighbour is insane, I really think she belongs in an institution of some sort. I can probably write a book about her but that’s not the point of this post. She smokes like crazy, probably 3 packs a day… I don’t know I’m just guessing but the problem is that I smell it all the time. Sometimes I can see her smoking out her window which you’d think would be a good thing, but I can visually see the cloud of smoke rolling it’s way into my window. So much for getting fresh air in the apartment.
I should also mention that I live in France and the building was probably built 500 years ago, so ventilation is not very good. Insulation is not very good.
I would try talking to her but that’s not really an option since she’s incoherent most of the time. Yes I was serious when I said she should be in an institution. People often think I’m just exaggerating and blowing things out of proportion yet as soon as they come over they agree with me that she’s nuts.
So I’ve been thinking about getting one of those air purifier/filters (with a hepa filter). Although I’m wondering if it would require good insultation to actually do anything, or if it will help at all. The apartment is not very well insulated, and there’s no A/C so I generally want the windows open (French people are scared of air conditioning… sucks for me). Any other suggestions on how to deal with this situation would be great. I am considering moving but until that happens… Thanks.
In response to the "if it’s only the smoke answer", it’s not… like I said I could write a book. But moving is definitely something I’m thinking about.
i currently have a honeywell 18155 i dont know my rooms exact measurements its an average bedroom i figure its between 500-700 sq feet well the honeywell doesnt seem to be doing the job ive had it since febuary of this year,my room has alot of dust and i know i have to dust but it should make some what of a difference and it hasnt when i clean the hepa filter and replace the pre filter theres dust in there but still i see tons of air born particles in the air…so im looking for a new purifier for my sized room that will do a much better job then this and that either doesnt need filter replacement or doesnt need it often and if it needs replacement every few months it cant be to expensive price of the purifier should be no more then 400 would love to spend less then that but really need something thats going to do the job this one truely i dont see a difference in my allergies or anything else in the air
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Is there a HEPA filter that can be attached to my (incoming) vent cover?
Like something for a dorm room, where the occupant has no control over the furnace. Something that fits either just inside the vent cover or on the outside of it, that filters both dust and allergens, because I want something that will supplement the air purifier so it doesn’t blow through filters so fast, and also because I’m very allergy sensitive.