Air purifiers: hepa filters

paws · Aug 9, 2007

"Basically, if you're using a HEPA filter in a small, indoor room and one that isn't heavily exposed to airborne pollution, 99% filtration is fine. Unless you're a smoker or leave your windows open 8 hours of the day, you can get by with 99%."

LightNlife: So sorry for all the questions, but I have a couple more....

I have a pet that sleeps indoors and I just found out that I'm allergic to dog dander. I'd like a unit that can make enough of a difference to alleviate some of my symptoms (the dog is staying put). Do you think that this would qualify for "heavy exposure"?

What differentiates the higher priced air cleaning units from the more affordable ones?

paws · Aug 9, 2007

"Basically, if you're using a HEPA filter in a small, indoor room and one that isn't heavily exposed to airborne pollution, 99% filtration is fine. Unless you're a smoker or leave your windows open 8 hours of the day, you can get by with 99%."

LightNlife: So sorry for all the questions, but I have a couple more....

I have a pet that sleeps indoors and I just found out that I'm allergic to dog dander. I'd like a unit that can make enough of a difference to alleviate some of my symptoms (the dog is staying put). Do you think that this would qualify for "heavy exposure"?

What differentiates the higher priced air cleaning units from the more affordable ones?

paws · Aug 9, 2007

"Basically, if you're using a HEPA filter in a small, indoor room and one that isn't heavily exposed to airborne pollution, 99% filtration is fine. Unless you're a smoker or leave your windows open 8 hours of the day, you can get by with 99%."

LightNlife: So sorry for all the questions, but I have a couple more....

I have a pet that sleeps indoors and I just found out that I'm allergic to dog dander. I'd like a unit that can make enough of a difference to alleviate some of my symptoms (the dog is staying put). Do you think that this would qualify for "heavy exposure"?

What differentiates the higher priced air cleaning units from the more affordable ones?

paws · Aug 9, 2007

"Basically, if you're using a HEPA filter in a small, indoor room and one that isn't heavily exposed to airborne pollution, 99% filtration is fine. Unless you're a smoker or leave your windows open 8 hours of the day, you can get by with 99%."

LightNlife: So sorry for all the questions, but I have a couple more....

I have a pet that sleeps indoors and I just found out that I'm allergic to dog dander. I'd like a unit that can make enough of a difference to alleviate some of my symptoms (the dog is staying put). Do you think that this would qualify for "heavy exposure"?

What differentiates the higher priced air cleaning units from the more affordable ones?

paws · Aug 9, 2007

"Basically, if you're using a HEPA filter in a small, indoor room and one that isn't heavily exposed to airborne pollution, 99% filtration is fine. Unless you're a smoker or leave your windows open 8 hours of the day, you can get by with 99%."

LightNlife: So sorry for all the questions, but I have a couple more....

I have a pet that sleeps indoors and I just found out that I'm allergic to dog dander. I'd like a unit that can make enough of a difference to alleviate some of my symptoms (the dog is staying put). Do you think that this would qualify for "heavy exposure"?

What differentiates the higher priced air cleaning units from the more affordable ones?

lightNlife · Aug 9, 2007

No problem asking questions, I'm here to help!

The larger, more expensive, (and often louder) units are designed to handle more air at a time. Each unit has a measurement of "cfm" which tells you how many cubic feet or air per minute the thing can pull through the filters. It takes more sophisticated motors and so forth to pull that much air but still not overheat from its power usage. The higher the cfm, the more air you'll clean, but it will be at the cost of higher energy usage as well as added noise.

Some of these large units are great if they're already in a loud setting (such as a dentist's office ) or in an area that is likely to have more junk coming into the air more often. For example, a small shop with a door that opens to the street would want to use a larger unit, because each time that door opens, more things are going to be kicked up into the air.

Avoid buying a larger unit thinking that since it moves more air it will be able to clean up the entire home. There should be one filter to a room. I have one upstairs near my bed which I leave on the lowest setting, since we don't have carpet in there. If I'm going to be grooming my rabbit or playing with him in a carpeted area, I bring the HEPA tower into that room with me. The unit I have downstairs I crank up to full blast when I'm using the stovetop so that airborne gases from our range top can be sucked up easily and quickly.

You mentioned that your pet sleeps indoors. I'm assuming he's outside most of the day where he can pick up dust, pollen, etc. Put the filter near where your dog sleeps, since that's probably where he's going to shake off the majority of his dander and other fun stuff. That way the filter will pick it up before it has a chance to float through the room and land on stuff you frequently contact.

Also, the CFF recommends the Febreeze allergen controlling spray. I have it and and impressed! Here's a little tip to making that fur and dander easier to control on upholstery--Scotch Guard cushions first, then follow up with the Febreeze. Not only will things be easier to pick up with a lint roller, but it won't become as airborne when you do!

I hope that helps.

lightNlife · Aug 9, 2007

No problem asking questions, I'm here to help!

The larger, more expensive, (and often louder) units are designed to handle more air at a time. Each unit has a measurement of "cfm" which tells you how many cubic feet or air per minute the thing can pull through the filters. It takes more sophisticated motors and so forth to pull that much air but still not overheat from its power usage. The higher the cfm, the more air you'll clean, but it will be at the cost of higher energy usage as well as added noise.

Some of these large units are great if they're already in a loud setting (such as a dentist's office ) or in an area that is likely to have more junk coming into the air more often. For example, a small shop with a door that opens to the street would want to use a larger unit, because each time that door opens, more things are going to be kicked up into the air.

Avoid buying a larger unit thinking that since it moves more air it will be able to clean up the entire home. There should be one filter to a room. I have one upstairs near my bed which I leave on the lowest setting, since we don't have carpet in there. If I'm going to be grooming my rabbit or playing with him in a carpeted area, I bring the HEPA tower into that room with me. The unit I have downstairs I crank up to full blast when I'm using the stovetop so that airborne gases from our range top can be sucked up easily and quickly.

You mentioned that your pet sleeps indoors. I'm assuming he's outside most of the day where he can pick up dust, pollen, etc. Put the filter near where your dog sleeps, since that's probably where he's going to shake off the majority of his dander and other fun stuff. That way the filter will pick it up before it has a chance to float through the room and land on stuff you frequently contact.

Also, the CFF recommends the Febreeze allergen controlling spray. I have it and and impressed! Here's a little tip to making that fur and dander easier to control on upholstery--Scotch Guard cushions first, then follow up with the Febreeze. Not only will things be easier to pick up with a lint roller, but it won't become as airborne when you do!

I hope that helps.

lightNlife · Aug 9, 2007

No problem asking questions, I'm here to help!

The larger, more expensive, (and often louder) units are designed to handle more air at a time. Each unit has a measurement of "cfm" which tells you how many cubic feet or air per minute the thing can pull through the filters. It takes more sophisticated motors and so forth to pull that much air but still not overheat from its power usage. The higher the cfm, the more air you'll clean, but it will be at the cost of higher energy usage as well as added noise.

Some of these large units are great if they're already in a loud setting (such as a dentist's office ) or in an area that is likely to have more junk coming into the air more often. For example, a small shop with a door that opens to the street would want to use a larger unit, because each time that door opens, more things are going to be kicked up into the air.

Avoid buying a larger unit thinking that since it moves more air it will be able to clean up the entire home. There should be one filter to a room. I have one upstairs near my bed which I leave on the lowest setting, since we don't have carpet in there. If I'm going to be grooming my rabbit or playing with him in a carpeted area, I bring the HEPA tower into that room with me. The unit I have downstairs I crank up to full blast when I'm using the stovetop so that airborne gases from our range top can be sucked up easily and quickly.

You mentioned that your pet sleeps indoors. I'm assuming he's outside most of the day where he can pick up dust, pollen, etc. Put the filter near where your dog sleeps, since that's probably where he's going to shake off the majority of his dander and other fun stuff. That way the filter will pick it up before it has a chance to float through the room and land on stuff you frequently contact.

Also, the CFF recommends the Febreeze allergen controlling spray. I have it and and impressed! Here's a little tip to making that fur and dander easier to control on upholstery--Scotch Guard cushions first, then follow up with the Febreeze. Not only will things be easier to pick up with a lint roller, but it won't become as airborne when you do!

I hope that helps.

lightNlife · Aug 9, 2007

No problem asking questions, I'm here to help!

The larger, more expensive, (and often louder) units are designed to handle more air at a time. Each unit has a measurement of "cfm" which tells you how many cubic feet or air per minute the thing can pull through the filters. It takes more sophisticated motors and so forth to pull that much air but still not overheat from its power usage. The higher the cfm, the more air you'll clean, but it will be at the cost of higher energy usage as well as added noise.

Some of these large units are great if they're already in a loud setting (such as a dentist's office ) or in an area that is likely to have more junk coming into the air more often. For example, a small shop with a door that opens to the street would want to use a larger unit, because each time that door opens, more things are going to be kicked up into the air.

Avoid buying a larger unit thinking that since it moves more air it will be able to clean up the entire home. There should be one filter to a room. I have one upstairs near my bed which I leave on the lowest setting, since we don't have carpet in there. If I'm going to be grooming my rabbit or playing with him in a carpeted area, I bring the HEPA tower into that room with me. The unit I have downstairs I crank up to full blast when I'm using the stovetop so that airborne gases from our range top can be sucked up easily and quickly.

You mentioned that your pet sleeps indoors. I'm assuming he's outside most of the day where he can pick up dust, pollen, etc. Put the filter near where your dog sleeps, since that's probably where he's going to shake off the majority of his dander and other fun stuff. That way the filter will pick it up before it has a chance to float through the room and land on stuff you frequently contact.

Also, the CFF recommends the Febreeze allergen controlling spray. I have it and and impressed! Here's a little tip to making that fur and dander easier to control on upholstery--Scotch Guard cushions first, then follow up with the Febreeze. Not only will things be easier to pick up with a lint roller, but it won't become as airborne when you do!

I hope that helps.

lightNlife · Aug 9, 2007

No problem asking questions, I'm here to help!

The larger, more expensive, (and often louder) units are designed to handle more air at a time. Each unit has a measurement of "cfm" which tells you how many cubic feet or air per minute the thing can pull through the filters. It takes more sophisticated motors and so forth to pull that much air but still not overheat from its power usage. The higher the cfm, the more air you'll clean, but it will be at the cost of higher energy usage as well as added noise.

Some of these large units are great if they're already in a loud setting (such as a dentist's office ) or in an area that is likely to have more junk coming into the air more often. For example, a small shop with a door that opens to the street would want to use a larger unit, because each time that door opens, more things are going to be kicked up into the air.

Avoid buying a larger unit thinking that since it moves more air it will be able to clean up the entire home. There should be one filter to a room. I have one upstairs near my bed which I leave on the lowest setting, since we don't have carpet in there. If I'm going to be grooming my rabbit or playing with him in a carpeted area, I bring the HEPA tower into that room with me. The unit I have downstairs I crank up to full blast when I'm using the stovetop so that airborne gases from our range top can be sucked up easily and quickly.

You mentioned that your pet sleeps indoors. I'm assuming he's outside most of the day where he can pick up dust, pollen, etc. Put the filter near where your dog sleeps, since that's probably where he's going to shake off the majority of his dander and other fun stuff. That way the filter will pick it up before it has a chance to float through the room and land on stuff you frequently contact.

Also, the CFF recommends the Febreeze allergen controlling spray. I have it and and impressed! Here's a little tip to making that fur and dander easier to control on upholstery--Scotch Guard cushions first, then follow up with the Febreeze. Not only will things be easier to pick up with a lint roller, but it won't become as airborne when you do!

I hope that helps.

wallflower · Aug 9, 2007