Air Purifiers for Airborne Allergies

I have horrible allergies too, and I just wanted to also recommend a couple of natural remedies, to be used in addition to the air filter and whatever medicine your son is taking (if any). First, get a saline spray or nose flush. Simply Saline is a good one that is safe for kids as well. It contains no drugs. It also is fantastic for anyone in the house who gets dry nasal passages (though you each have to have your own bottle). My daughter has allergies too, and when she's plugged up we use the saline at night to help her breathe. It works wonders. There's also a product called a nety pot that a lot of people swear by. I haven't used it, but the idea is to flush out the nasal passages to help you breathe better and also thin the mucus.

The second thing to keep in mind is that allergens stick to clothing and skin. If your child is itchy or showing other allergic signs, try wiping his face down with a clean, warm washcloth. My 3 1/2 yo daughter thanks me when I do this for her! If his eyes are very itchy, you can also use a little baby shampoo on his eyelids and rinse well with a cloth. Also change his clothes...and make sure dirty clothes don't get onto his bedding because the particles will get on his bed. It's my experience that most people's allergies are worse at night or first thing in the morning.

And take heart: kids can outgrow allergies. Don't stress too much and don't try to keep his environment too clean (by keeping windows closed all the time, for example), especially when he's not showing symptoms. His body needs to adjust to the environment. Just keep his bedding clean and use the air filter where he sleeps. Eventually he may not need it anymore. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I have been using and recommending an Ecoquest Living Air purifier for over 6 years. They have been manufacturing for over 20 years, and have set the standards for the fda requirements of activated oxygen and no ozone. they are the official systems used by the space foundation. If you would like more information about these, and there are several different models, I think you your sons room, the smaller one that covers 1500 sq feet would be sufficient for him and you.
Please contact me if you want more information.
____@____.com ###-###-####

We have two Oreck Professional air purifiers and we have been very happy with them. They were about $350 a piece. I'm pretty sure it is a HEPA, but we don't have any allergy issues so I didn't pay a lot of attention to those things. It is easy and inexpensive to clean (you clean everything yourself with regular dishsoap - no filters or anything to buy). And it has a "silent" setting which is very quiet and we keep it right up against the wall. There is an Oreck store in Oceanside next to Barnes & Noble in the Mervyn's shopping center - they are very helpful. There are also other Oreck stores in San Diego County if you don't live near Oceanside.

I too have allergy issues and I love my Sharper Image air purifier. It is a little expensive initially, but you don't have to buy filters. I have noticed a BIG difference in my allergies. The machine is quiet and I just clean the colletion grid once a week!

A good air purifier is an excellant idea, but only at home. You might also want to consider a salt pipe. I am a big proponent of neti pots after having suffered from respiratory ailments all my life, but they are not likely to appeal to a 5 yr old. This site has a salt pipe specifically for children and it could benefit him greatly. Salt therapy is amazing.

http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/saltpipe.html

Hi C.,
I have a Honeywell Enviracaire for 10 years at home and it works like a champ. For the first hour after I change the filter, I run it on high. Then I run it on low until the filter needs to be changed again. It does make noise, but not more than an air conditioner. There is actually something quite relaxing about the sound it makes. I guess I would consider the noise akin to "white noise" which helps to drown out other sounds.

my husband is allergic to dust mites. so i researched quite a bit, an the best one we found is BlueAir ~
also go to www.allergycontrol.com they have all the encasings, the blueair filters, and much more....

The company I am affiliated with sells a great one. You can log onto my website www.ornelas.ltdteam.com and type in the password health. You should be able to type in "air treatment system" in the search and it should go right to the page with the specs, price, etc. If you are interested in purchasing, they are offering 90 days no interest and you pay in 3 installments. It is pricy but worth it for your son's health. Email me at ____@____.com with any questions. Good luck!

Hi C.,

I looked up room air purifiers on Consumer Reports online for you and it says that the Whirlpool Whispure AP45030 S is the best model for the money (it costs $230). I have attached part of the article for you here. My daughter also suffers from seasonal hayfever. It might help to also get new carpet or hardwood floors to help control the dust in his room. Good luck with everything; I wish you the best!

Best room air purifiers:

Whirlpool Whispure AP45030S $230
Kenmore Progressive 83202 $270

Both combine fine performance with quieter operation, especially when set on low. The Hunter Permalife 30547 costs a bit less in annual costs but was noisier when run on high. Though the Friedrich C-90B and Kenmore (Sears) K6 85264 were better at dust removal on their high settings, they emitted moderate amounts of ozone in our tests, so we don't suggest you buy them.

No air purifier alone will clean the air. Nor should it be the first thing you try. Based on increasing concern about exposure to even small amounts of ozone, we strongly suggest using whole-house and portable air purifiers that rely on filters and produce no ozone.

At their lowest and quietest settings, the top-rated portable air purifiers outperformed or matched most of the other portables in the Ratings. There's no reason to choose any others.

Stick with whole-house systems if you have forced-air heating. The top-rated furnace filters are a simple, inexpensive upgrade from the standard furnace filter. For performance comparable to that of the best portables, opt for a professionally installed system.

Ventilation is still the best way to remove odors from your home. Although our latest tests show that the IQAir HealthPro Plus and Austin Air HealthMate HM-400 removed cooking odors, that capability will be reduced with use. And those models aren't very effective at removing dust or smoke.

Hello C.!

I have one that I actually sell, but I bought it and tried it before I decided to sell it to make sure that it helped. Anyway it is run with Salt rock. I will leave you the link so you can read about it if you would like. I use this in my room at night and it really helps us to breathe. I use it at my place of work during the day. I work in a very small one woman salon at a senior assisted living home. It helps with the chemical smells. Here is the link and good luck with your search!
C.

http://www.chicksrocksngifts.com/Foryourhealth.htm

Hello C.! We have an Oreck purifier and we love it! It's small and we don't have to buy/replace any filters because of it's technology. You just have to clean the filter. It's quiet and you can put it on the wall or have it on a flat surface - http://www.oreck.com/air-purifiers/xl_air_purifier_tablet.... It has a 60 day money back guarantee too if you're not satisfied with it. We bought it mostly for my daughter who had open heart at 4 months because she is a child with Down Syndrome (she's turning 3 years old this month) , and we wanted to do what we could to keep the air clean. We have noticed a difference in her and in general the air in our house. However, I haven't compared to the one you've mentioned, but we just didn't want to buy filters all the time. Hope that helps! D.

My sister in law has major health issues and they got a whole house air purification system that has a HEPA filter and works in conjunction with their A/C. Check out the manufacturer's site www.abatementtechnologies.com click on "Residential HVAC Systems" -they're called "CAP Whole House Purifiers".

C.,
We bought ours from The Allergy Buyers Club. It's the IQAir HealthPro Series. http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/iqair.html - and we LOVE it. After 10 months we had to change the first layer filter - it was black! So it really works. We keep it in our baby's room. It is not that loud but does create some nice white noise which I think helps our baby sleep.
Check them out!
D.

Hi C.,
My daughter had the same symptoms as your son at the same age. I did invest in encasings for the bed and pillow and this helped with the dust mites. I also purchased the IQ Air air purifier from Allergy Buyers Club. It has turned out to be excellent, and I believe the best on the market. It is from Europe and has outstanding ratings. My daughter's allergies improved dramatically to where she is not as sensitive or reactive to so many allergens at this point in her life. She will turn 14 soon. Call Allergy Buyers club and talk with a Represenative. It will be worth your time.
Good Luck.

C. McWilliams

Christie P.

You might look into the Orek Air Purifier. It is a little spendy, but you can turn down the noise at night. You also DON'T have filters to worry about, they can be VERY expensive. All you do is open the top and take the filter out and wash the filter with soap and water. This has made a world of difference for my mother-in-law's COPD. Good Luck to you.

J.

Hi Christie,
I have a Yorkie with severe Rhinitis (caused from allergies) and I bought the Professional Plus Ionic Breeze Quadra. It has helped my dog tremendously. They are super quiet, tall and slim, and easy to clean. I have two of them in 5200 sq. ft. so it would definitely work in the space you need it to. The air is released out from the sides to I don't know if you'll like that.
Good luck,
S. g.

Christie ~
I just bought some Germ Gaurdian Air Sanitizers from Costco. They make a soft 'white noise' sound from the fan. They have different sizes for different rooms. My older daughter has been off her allergy medicine for a week now with no problems. YEAH! They also have humidifiers that are silent. I am VERY pleased with these products.

Aloha C.,

I use an AirSource 3000. It's effective against mold, airborne particulates and such. It's helping us here too with the VOG (from the volcano....it's very active right now and we barely see the sun). You can read all about it here:
http://www.shaklee.net/sarahs/product/55102

I even keep one in my second-hand shop to keep the air clean otherwise I would be a sneezing mess.

Marie-anne :O)

We have an Aireox, which was recommended to us by our physician/osteopath for my allergies. I believe it has worked wonders, and - from what I could gather - is the safest out there on the market.

We used an air purifier for a little while, I can't remember the brand, but it was loud and yes, you have to keep it away from the walls. It was so loud, in fact, that I couldn't sleep with it on so we switched to a whole house purifier that worked with a new central system. If you don't want to put the money into a whole house system, it wouldn't hurt to go to a local store and talk to the pharmacist about a couple of models. You can also get online with Consumer Reports (get a day or week membership) and look at the reviews. Then go to your store and buy one and try it out. If it is too loud, you should still be able to return it (or exchange it) within a month or two. Check your refund/exchange rules for this information before making the purchase. That way you can see if it is too loud for your family.
Another thing to remember with a child who has allergies (especially severe allergies to mold, dust, pollen, dander, or dust mites) is that your home and cleaning products could be affecting his allergies too. Go to www.saferforyourhome.com for more information about how to get the toxins and chemicals out of your home.

Hi C.,
The Airsource from Shaklee is fabulous and works beautifully without making a sound! I also saw that someone else mentioned that perhaps you might consider using non-toxic cleaning products as well and I agree; there's a correlation between incidents of asthma and the level of toxic chemicals used in the home. I'd be happy to share info with you on both topics- www.shaklee.net/mclemore

I love this one! It is called the Atmosphere. Go to www.we-us.mychoices.biz and search the site for it. It is real easy to find. When you want to purchase, you will need a customer profile which is easy to fill out. The "key" that you need to get a customer ID is 'WOL'. Contact me if you have any problems, there is a great money back gaurantee also, but this one is the very best. It is quiet, good looking and beats out every other filter out there. My husband has terrible sinus issues and I like the fresh air. When he is on his way home I close up the house and turn it on and it cleans the air at a rate of 250 Cubic Ft per Minute. That is an AWESOME rate. Good luck!

We have used Sharper Image and Honeywell and they all seem to help out a lot. A couple of other ideas once you decide, make sure it stays on. Sometimes it gets unplugged or turned off accidentally and allergies act up and we then realize it has been off. They are so silent we don't notice. Also, my son used to wake up stuffy every day, getting an allergy proof cover for his pillow helped out a lot. I just buy mine at Target. They have mattress covers too, but watch out for the vinyl ones, they make the kids sweat.