| The Misery Of Allergies | | | | ALLERGIES: POOR |
| As a young boy I was one of the kids who had | | | | Carbon and/or Zeolite |
| to stay indoors to avoid the misery that came | | | | These type of air purifiers are primarily for |
| with sneezing, sniffling and asthma which came | | | | smoke, chemicals, odors and fumes since these |
| from pollen, grass and leaves. Weekly shots at | | | | organic minerals absorb and trap gases. But they |
| the allergist and medications were a weekly | | | | do not trap dust and pollen. RATING FOR |
| routine. And even though I was only age 11 | | | | ALLERGIES: POOR |
| (1969) I began to experiment with air purifiers | | | | HEPA |
| and air cleaners of all kinds. When you can't | | | | HEPA is the first choice for pollen allergies because |
| breathe you'll do anything for relief. | | | | it traps and holds pollen and dust. Doctors and |
| Here are the primary types of air purification, with | | | | Allergists recommend it most. The downside is |
| a quick rundown on their effectiveness for pollen | | | | you have to replace it every year or so. So |
| allergies. | | | | make sure you find affordable replacement filters |
| Ionizers | | | | as some companies can soak you after you own |
| My first was an air ionizer, negative ion generator | | | | their Hepa air purifier. I would avoid the expensive |
| to be more precise. Good for some forms of | | | | ($500-800) air purifiers like IQAIR and Austin Air |
| mildew, pollution, and odor, but not very good for | | | | which are primarily HEPA. They're just too |
| pollen or dust since there is nothing to collect the | | | | over-priced for a HEPA filter, and even though |
| pollen in the air. RATING FOR ALLERGIES: POOR | | | | they are well made you can find a comparable |
| Ozone Machines | | | | ones for under $300. RATING FOR ALLERGIES: |
| Ozone generators were my next experiment. | | | | EXCELLENT |
| Good for odor, mold, and mildew, but again not | | | | WAIT BEFORE YOU BUY A HEPA AIR PURIFIER |
| good for gathering pollen and dust. Too much | | | | So while HEPA is the primary method of air |
| ozone will irritate the lungs, especially in asthmatics. | | | | purification for pollen allergies and asthma today |
| Ozone machines did little for allergies. Today's | | | | you can find affordable air purifiers that use |
| primary Ozone brand is Ecoquest (formerly | | | | multiple technologies including HEPA. The reason |
| Alpine). RATING FOR ALLERGIES: POOR | | | | you want more than HEPA is that pollution, mold, |
| Electrostatic Plates or "Truman Cells" | | | | mildew and other contaminants (besides pollen and |
| My next was an electrostatic machine with | | | | dust) all burden your immune system and can |
| positive and negatively charged plates. Oreck calls | | | | make pollen allergies worse. Little-known brands |
| it a "Truman Cell" ( for Harry Truman during | | | | like AliveAir and Airpodcleaner use a large HEPA |
| WWII is all we can figure) but they're all over the | | | | filter plus 8 other technologies including |
| market and often called "ionic" or "electrostatic". | | | | Electrostatic, Carbon, UV (to kill mold and mildew) |
| Good for pollution since carbon from car exhaust | | | | protecting your body and making cleaner, purer |
| is charged, and they're washeable. Since most | | | | air. Some of these models also use advanced |
| pollen and dust carries little charge however they | | | | pollen and dust sensors which detect pollen and |
| are not effective for pollen or dust RATING FOR | | | | dust levels and adjust the purification accordingly. |