Air Purifiers
 

So I live in the Southeast US, in a city with one of the worst springs for those with respiratory allergies. The amount of pollen in the air is enough to cover an entire car with green dust overnight. Thinking of this I've decided to buy an air filter.

Since we rent we can't really install one of those central ones, so I've been looking at portable solutions. After reading extensively on the subject, other than finding out that the ionic ones do more harm than good by releasing ozone, I've yet to find a definitive answer on what is a good air purifier.

Granted, I've found professional grade, hospital use ones that for $1000 but those seem to be overkill. Does anyone here have an experience with different air purifiers? What seems to work well, especially at catching pollen?

As far as "what makes a good air purifier," check the CADR rating. The higher, the better. And more expensive, usually. Purifiers should have 3 CADR ratings - one for tobacco smoke; one for pollen; one for dust. You're probably most interested in the pollen rating.

Back when my wife smoked, we had some success with a Blue Air model 501. They're pretty quiet, too, if kept off the highest fan setting. Filters (there are 3 per machine, and they last one year) are around $75/set; double that if you want the carbon filters for cigarette smoke. I'm sure our model is obsolete now, but here's their website Blueair - Air Purifiers

The website has a page for dealers near you.
Check Amazon, ebaY & craigslist, too. They'll run $300-$600, and should come with a new set of filters. I bought ours on ebaY a few years ago for $150 (it was a floor model in a showroom). That's a good place to find filters, too, when the time comes.

Back two years ago, the best prices I could find were here: Air Purifiers Compared and Reviewed

We got an Austin Air Jr., which was sized right for our basement, and the air is much more pleasant down there now.

Dippin, I feel your pain. I have terrible Spring and Autumn allergies. I've found that the best way to deal with it is to just have a few HEPA air filters around the house. I have this one in the living room/dining room and in my bedroom, and along with an antihistamine I can manage my symptoms well enough.

thanks for the suggestions. Ill check them out.

Not strictly on topic but relevant. My sister has bad allergies and says that it really helped her when they removed carpet and went with smooth hard surface flooring.

Lindy

Lindy is correct! When I removed by carpeting and went with hardwood flooring, my allergy symptoms decreased significantly indoors. Be sure you use a decent duster and replace your central air/heat filter regularly and being indoors will be a more pleasant experience.

The best I have ever used is a FilterQueen Defender. Cleans the air 3 times better than HEPA filtration. Great product.

Sneeze on allergies and airpurifiers
 

ah... aaahhh.... aaaahhhhh.... AAAAAAcccchhhhhoooooooooooooooo! Please Excuse me!!!

After spending WAY TOO MUCH time researching air purifiers I concluded that there's no best air purifier - just the best one for each persons needs. I did like the alive air purifier which is the first on on a youtube search