Question:
Table-top air cleaners = allergy relief?
Answer:
I have allergies to tree/grass pollen and I'm thinking about buying
one of those table-top air cleaners like the Bionaire that claim to
filter out stuff from the air. If you suffer from allergies and have tried one of these air cleaners,
I'd appreciate hearing of your experiences/recommendations. The only air cleaners that are REALLY effective are those using HEPA
filters which take 99.97% of particles out of the air. I have been using
an Enviracaire Model 12500 for about two months and find it works
wonderfuly well! Believe it will clean the air in a 12X14 (or larger,
can't remember the size room) about 8 times and hour! If you want pollen, try Alabama in the spring! In my case, I suffer from
asthma caused by the allergies. Using this HEPA filter air cleaner in my
office and home has made a GREAT difference. Note, the HEPA filter air cleaners are not cheap. Mine cost $176 + tax.
The results were so good, however, I got two. Also, some insurance
companies will cover this as a medical device if prescribed by your
doctor. This idea won't work for everyone, but when I was a kid, my bedroom had
a window air conditioner. The filter on that thing was never very effective
at filtering out the pollen that would annoy me so much so one night, an
idea ocurred to me. I took a t-shirt and draped it over the area of the
AC where the room air gets sucked into it. The t-shirt stuck to the filter
area because of the suction and shortly, my eyes stopped watering and my
nose stopped itching and I didn't take medicine (I hate taking alergy stuff).
This idea works wonderfuly and it never seemed to hurt the AC at all. I
know because I did this same thing for a few years since all the way up until
the time I moved out of my parents house and that airconditioner still works
well. Of course, if you don't have a window AC, this idea won't help you.
If you do have a window AC, and its in a room where you can shut the doors,
give this a try before you go out and spend what might be a significant
amount of money on a specialized air filter device. If it is a filter, it might give you relief, but only if it is
rated as being able to filter particles of 5 microns or
less. If you are also trying to get some even smaller
particles, meaning mold spores, you will need a HEPA
filter with an efficiency of 99.97% and has a .3 micron
ability. If it is an ozone generator, forget it. There are too many
safety issues involved to be confident you are getting
your money's worth. We purchased the "mid-sized" Bionaire table-top air cleaner for our Son who
has Asthma. It does an EXCELLENT job for his bedroom. He runs it at night
with the door shut to his room and it does an excellent job! Some nights he
doesn't even need his medication. We purchased our Bionaire at Service
Merchandise on sale (they also carry the replacement filters). I second the HEPA recommendation. I've been using an early Enviracare model
for about 4 years and it helps. Recently, I notice, the Enviracare
company was purchased by Honeywell and a wider range of HEPA units are
now offered. A company called CLOUD-9 also makes a wall mounted HEPA
unit which I've seen in the waiting room of my allergist. Originally, my insurance company purchased the Enviracare EV-1
HEPA unit for $219 as my insurance policy reimburses for medical devices
(with physician prescription).
Recently I purchased a second unit for my son who unfortunately also
has allergies. The local Venture store sells entry level Enviracare/Honeywell
HEPA air filters for $95, the best price I've ever seen on a HEPA unit,
so I bought it. This was about 2 months ago.
