Air purifiers? Help!

[dochas]

Does anyone know anything about air purifiers? I have considered getting one for a while because dust and dander is out if control in my house, but now my husband is sick again and has come down with one thing or another since Novemeber. Can they help at all with illness? I would like to get them either way, but if it helps with that I want to get one immediately. I think I'm also going to get a cool mist humidifier for our bedroom.

Are they really noisy? Do they have to run 24/7? All of the bedrooms are closed during the day. My house is a ranch under 1200 square feet. The front of the house is LR, Dining area, kitchen and I think one would do for that and I think 1 for our bedroom would be enough. (No issues in son's room or the other room/office) I would appreciate any thoughts or advice. There is so much to dig through online and I would like the experience of real people over ads!!

[Jalapeñomel]

We have a Levoit one...it's fairly quiet, has an app to tell us when it needs changing and when the air sucks and it needs to work overtime.

[VillainV]

We have a few Levoit air purifiers around the house. They help with odor (cooking odor, litter box smell, whatever the funk is that comes from my kid’s room). I haven’t noticed if help much with cat hair or dust.

If you have central air, you might consider changing your filters more often or getting your ductwork blown out to help with the dust. There’s also a way to install a UV light to your air system so it kills….stuff…. It I don’t know if this helps with viruses as much as it kills fungus and spores and stuff.

[wanderingback]

We have a Dyson. My partner is in charge of all that kind of stuff and he usually does a lot of research and knows things to look for and got that one. We got it last year the first day I had covid. It doesn’t really make any noise and we keep it running all the time.

[circa1978]

We have two from DH Lifelabs. At the lowest setting you can't hear them at all and they can be controlled via wi-fi and also automatically kick up to higher settings if air quality changes.

dhlifelabs.com/products/sciaire-hepa
dhlifelabs.com/products/sciaire-essential

The filters are the biggest drawback. They are pretty expensive and personally (maybe because we have two dogs) we need more than one replacement a year.

ETA: We did all get flu and COVID this year but we were exposed outside the house all at the same time and it couldn't help with that. At times when only one of us has been sick I do think it has helped with spread but who knows.

[dragon's breath]

Anecdotal-- my dad has a ton of different allergies, and the air purifiers definitely help him. The allergies seem to exacerbate any sickness he gets, since it hinders his ability to breathe and function well on top of having to fight off any bug that gets him.

They also keep filters under the air intake grates for the hvac system, and that has helped over the years as well.

I can't stand the noise from them (but hate white noise, running a fan when I'm trying to sleep, etc), but the sound doesn't affect their sleep at all. I have one in my room I run during the day sometimes, just to help filter out any dust, etc, but I can't run it when I'm sleeping.

[rhian]

We have Blueair air purifiers that seem to help with my partner's asthma and allergies. They're pretty quiet on the lowest setting.

[7costanza]

I have two of the Coway ones recommended by Wire Cutter and they work well. We have one set to auto so it runs on low constantly but turn up when it’s the air gets bad from cooking or using cleaning chemicals. The other we turn to high at night as white noise in our bedroom. They’re definitely loud on the highest setting but I don’t notice them on low.

[fn2187]

We have had several. From my research, blue air and Dyson is what we ended up with. If you have a medical spending account, your dr can write a prescription for a purifier to help with allergies or illness and you can use medical spending $. That helped a bit financially since we bought expensive ones.

I’ll admit I couldn’t tell if they were actually helping, however when we changed the filters (on schedule), I was horrified at how much particles it had cleared from the air. We are going on 10+ years of using them and I do get disappointed at the filter cost, but figure it’s worth it preventing all that gross stuff from going in our lungs.

I leave the blue air on 24/7 on lowest setting and cannot hear it at all. Anything above low I can hear. We turn the Dyson on when it’s hot or cold since ours has a heater and fan. I have not noticed a big change of electricity costs by keeping on all day (unless using the heat function)

Only feature I do not care for on any brand is the “auto detect” that chooses the level based on particle detection. It only seemed to work maybe the first 6 months and then the sensors get too dirty and it’ll kick into high gear 100% of the time due to dirty sensors. Even if I clean them it didn’t help. So we never use auto mode.

[dochas]

Feb 12, 2024 12:00:37 GMT -5 VillainV said:

We have a few Levoit air purifiers around the house. They help with odor (cooking odor, litter box smell, whatever the funk is that comes from my kid’s room). I haven’t noticed if help much with cat hair or dust.

If you have central air, you might consider changing your filters more often or getting your ductwork blown out to help with the dust. There’s also a way to install a UV light to your air system so it kills….stuff…. It I don’t know if this helps with viruses as much as it kills fungus and spores and stuff.

We don't have central air so we have to get something standalone.

Thank you all I am going to look up all of these names. My husband always runs a fan so I got used to that white noise. If I couldn't stand it even just running it when we're not sleeping would have to help. He had been having allergy problems at night and now he can't tell if allergies are making everything worse. I just want to do everything we can to put an end to this constant illness. And hoping I don't catch this latest one!

[doggielover]

We have a shark one and you can't tell its running the majority of the time. We keep it right outside the kitchen but it's large enough that it covers the main level (1200 sq ft). I can't really say for sure if it helps against illness but I'd like to think it does. I love that it helps with kitchen smells though (cooking fish etc).

[Jalapeñomel]

Feb 12, 2024 12:24:44 GMT -5 dragon's breath said:

Anecdotal-- my dad has a ton of different allergies, and the air purifiers definitely help him. The allergies seem to exacerbate any sickness he gets, since it hinders his ability to breathe and function well on top of having to fight off any bug that gets him.

They also keep filters under the air intake grates for the hvac system, and that has helped over the years as well.

I can't stand the noise from them (but hate white noise, running a fan when I'm trying to sleep, etc), but the sound doesn't affect their sleep at all. I have one in my room I run during the day sometimes, just to help filter out any dust, etc, but I can't run it when I'm sleeping.

My DH has horrible allergies, and he agrees! It makes a big difference, especially with pet dander!

[dochas]

Home Depot had a smaller bedroom size Levoit in stock so I got one on my way home. I wanted to get something right away for at least the bedroom. We left it on high for a few hours when we turned it to the low setting it was really, really quiet so I'm happy about that. We put it on sleep mode and you can't even tell it's on unless you're close enough to feel the air.

All of the ones mentioned here have great reviews so thank you. I will compare more before getting a larger one for the main area, but I really love how quiet this one is. Noise botherd me and I can hear every sound in the house so that has kept me from trying a purifier, but we really need it.

[dochas]

Feb 12, 2024 16:18:51 GMT -5 doggielover said:

We have a shark one and you can't tell its running the majority of the time. We keep it right outside the kitchen but it's large enough that it covers the main level (1200 sq ft). I can't really say for sure if it helps against illness but I'd like to think it does. I love that it helps with kitchen smells though (cooking fish etc).

You find it helps the whole area? I'm wondering if in a larger space it would only help the area right around it. We don't have a vent in the kitchen so it would be fantastic if it helped with that too.

[sadlebred]

Check Consumer Reports and Wire Cutter for recommendations.

I have this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN2MGV5H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's one of the recommended models. I've been pleased. It has helped with being stuffy at night in my bedroom, has a HEPA filter, and is very quiet. It has a "night mode" that you can use if you want to keep it on the quietest setting (note: if you have a really dusty home or pets/smokers they recommend you only use it at night).

[nsl]

We live in a city with notoriously poor air quality, so we run our air purifiers often. After a lot of research we bought Blue Air purifiers in both 2020 and again in 2023 (first were for large areas, second were for bedrooms) and have been very happy with them. We have an AQI detector, and the levels of unhealthy air go down quickly once the purifiers are on, and in 3+ years we’ve only needed to change filers once. We also have HEPA filters in our HVAC system, but the portable filter systems make a noticeable difference when they’re on.

[icedcoffee]

I put one in my bedroom when I was diagnosed with a dust mite allergy. It helps I think. I have this one. I run it on low 24/7.


www.walmart.com/ip/Levoit-Air-Purifier-for-Allergies-and-Asthma-Large-Rooms-Up-to-547-sq-ft-Core-300-RAC-White/856122885?comm-msg-vehicle=EMAIL&comm-msg-id=18d108a4-8265-4e25-9dae-5a906aa36908

[SusanBAnthony]

Another option is a DIY one to see if it helps and how much gunk it picks up: cleanaircrew.org/box-fan-filters/

[expectantsteelerfan]

We have blueair ones in all our bedrooms, and a larger one in between our kitchen/main living room. I don't hear it unless I've done something to make the air horrible (like burn dinner, or used hair spray in my bathroom. Hair spray is the thing it doesn't like the most and it goes crazy when I use it). I bought ones that were cheaper and didn't have the app access for my kids' bedrooms, and I think it's definitely worth it to pay a little more to have that.

[dochas]

Feb 13, 2024 6:53:02 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Another option is a DIY one to see if it helps and how much gunk it picks up: cleanaircrew.org/box-fan-filters/

This is fantastic! We built an "air conditioner" like this when our wall unit went out and we couldn't replace it right away.

[dochas]

Feb 12, 2024 22:24:35 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Check Consumer Reports and Wire Cutter for recommendations.

I have this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN2MGV5H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's one of the recommended models. I've been pleased. It has helped with being stuffy at night in my bedroom, has a HEPA filter, and is very quiet. It has a "night mode" that you can use if you want to keep it on the quietest setting (note: if you have a really dusty home or pets/smokers they recommend you only use it at night).

Do you know why they say to run at night?

[shauni27]

Feb 13, 2024 8:12:07 GMT -5 dochas said:

Feb 12, 2024 22:24:35 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Check Consumer Reports and Wire Cutter for recommendations.

I have this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN2MGV5H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's one of the recommended models. I've been pleased. It has helped with being stuffy at night in my bedroom, has a HEPA filter, and is very quiet. It has a "night mode" that you can use if you want to keep it on the quietest setting (note: if you have a really dusty home or pets/smokers they recommend you only use it at night).

Do you know why they say to run at night?

I am curious about this as well. Also, thank you for this timely post. We just got a cat and I want to add a purifier due to allergies and pet dander/dust. I am comparing all of these suggestions now and will grab one tonight!

[dochas]

shauni27 I bought the Levoit VortexAir 220 square foot last night and thus morning the bedroom was already different. This is one of the cheaper ones and it's so quiet, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ones here. I'll take a little more time looking at the bigger ones and I will probably want one that can be controlled with an app. But based on one day with this one I'm definitely getting g one for the main area and I'll look into this brand first.

[shauni27]

Feb 13, 2024 9:57:23 GMT -5 dochas said:

shauni27 I bought the Levoit VortexAir 220 square foot last night and thus morning the bedroom was already different. This is one of the cheaper ones and it's so quiet, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ones here. I'll take a little more time looking at the bigger ones and I will probably want one that can be controlled with an app. But based on one day with this one I'm definitely getting g one for the main area and I'll look into this brand first.

this is great to know! I need a large room one and I looked at the stores local to me and none of them have one for less than $500, so I think I will need to order it.

[sadlebred]

Feb 13, 2024 8:12:07 GMT -5 dochas said:

Feb 12, 2024 22:24:35 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Check Consumer Reports and Wire Cutter for recommendations.

I have this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN2MGV5H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's one of the recommended models. I've been pleased. It has helped with being stuffy at night in my bedroom, has a HEPA filter, and is very quiet. It has a "night mode" that you can use if you want to keep it on the quietest setting (note: if you have a really dusty home or pets/smokers they recommend you only use it at night).

Do you know why they say to run at night?

I sort of mis-said that. They recommend only using "night mode" at night if you have a really dusty home with smoke, pets, etc. NOT to only use the air purifier at night. Just night mode aka don't use "night mode" during the day. The recommendation is to use the auto mode during the day-this lets the air purifier pick is own speed depending on how much particulate is detects.

[dochas]

Feb 13, 2024 11:51:32 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Feb 13, 2024 8:12:07 GMT -5 dochas said:

Do you know why they say to run at night?

I sort of mis-said that. They recommend only using "night mode" at night if you have a really dusty home with smoke, pets, etc. NOT to only use the air purifier at night. Just night mode aka don't use "night mode" during the day. The recommendation is to use the auto mode during the day-this lets the air purifier pick is own speed depending on how much particulate is detects.

Ah, that makes sense! I have a dog and dust, I need all day action LOL

[doggielover]

Feb 12, 2024 21:34:15 GMT -5 dochas said:

Feb 12, 2024 16:18:51 GMT -5 doggielover said:

We have a shark one and you can't tell its running the majority of the time. We keep it right outside the kitchen but it's large enough that it covers the main level (1200 sq ft). I can't really say for sure if it helps against illness but I'd like to think it does. I love that it helps with kitchen smells though (cooking fish etc).

You find it helps the whole area? I'm wondering if in a larger space it would only help the area right around it. We don't have a vent in the kitchen so it would be fantastic if it helped with that too.

We have a split level house so I keep it right outside the kitchen.  It's enough to cover the entire first floor.  On our "main level" is the kitchen, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms and a living room.  The lower level is the family room and it doesn't reach there.  Our main level is about 1200 sq feet and our lower level is 600 sq ft.  This is similar to the one we have:  www.amazon.com/Shark-HE601-Purifier-allergens-Household/dp/B08QZTP239/ref=sr_1_19?crid=NTI3WQAZ30OY&keywords=shark%2Bair%2Bpurifier&qid=1707849706&sprefix=shark%2Bai%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-19&th=1 

We never turn ours off and it's incredibly quiet.  

[sadlebred]

dochas The one I have is REALLY quiet. I keep it in the main BR and use night mode at night. I don't even hear it.

[dochas]

Feb 13, 2024 14:15:34 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

dochas The one I have is REALLY quiet. I keep it in the main BR and use night mode at night. I don't even hear it.

I'm so surprised by how quiet it is!

[sagelily]

We have been considering getting one for the main level of our house and a smaller one for the bedroom of a family member with severe seasonal allergies. A co-worker recommended Air Doctor but I am not seeing them mentioned in here. If anyone considered Air Doctor but decided to go with one of the other brands, can you give details on how you made the decision?