Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I live in a 930sqft apartment with 2 dogs, a cat, and a ferret....and though I keep up on the litterbox, and taking out the trash, I don't want my apartment to ever smell like animal or feel stuffy....I have a few of those Airwick airfresheners that go off every 18minutes (Harvest Spice), but even then, I don't know if those actually ELIMINATE oder or just masks it....
I'm looking to purchase an air purifier for my living room....do they work? How do you know if they work? What kind do you have and how much did it cost? I dont want to go out and spend a lot of money for something that does nothing. Any help would be great, thanks!
Until I lost my last dear dog early this year, I've lived with up to three dobermans in a 1,200 sq ft house for 30+ years. And I've bought quite a few air purifiers over the past 10 years...everything from the relatively inexpensive Sharper Image floor models to the very expensive "professional" ones. The less expensive models dont really do much. The more expensive ones do work well but they're very loud..so much so that I couldnt stand to use them (and I love "white noise"). I ended up giving all of them away.
Now I just clean with Lysol. I also use Lavender-scented Clorox Wipes for quick clean-ups; they're awesome but the scent doesnt last as long and smell as clean as Lysol. I also use a Fresh Orange essential oil (what a clean smell) when I'm expecting company.
If you only want to remove odors, you don't need a HEPA air purifier. There are some small air filter units that plug directly onto an electrical outlet. They're cheap and they do help to remove odors. I'll post a link to show an example of one of them. Another option is to get a higher quality central air filter that also removes odors. I'll post a link for one as an example. Plug in air fresheners don't work. Febreeze aerosol and the Lysol version all work but only for that time you spray. Traditional Lysol works great for trashcans. I don't have cats. Spraying Lysol on the litter box will help to cover the odors but then your cat may not want to use it again. As I said, I don't have cats so I don't know.
After I have been sick, I take my pillows and tent them under my comforter and run it on high to kill any germs. Also, one time I accidentally locked one of the cats in the closet for the whole day. I left the unit on for two days and all the odor was gone. No one ever reports any animal smells in my house (thank goodness!)
Stupid woman alert: Are the furnace filters the ones that go into the wall vents -- or do they go into the a/c-heat unit itself?
They're the ones you change every month for your central air unit. Some pleated models say they can last up to 3 months. Not all pleated air filters remove odors but many do remove smoke, pollen, dander, and other small particles. I go with a low to midlevel pleated air filter at home. MERV rating of between 8 to 10. 3M Filtrete Ultra offers near HEPA filtering quality but can reduce your air flow resulting in slightly higher utility bills. They cost about $20 per filter. The low to midlevel pleated filters cost between $5 to $10 per filter but they provide a much greater filtering capability than the traditional polyfiber 4 for a $1 type air filters. Though much cheaper, those polyfiber filters allow a large amount of particles to pass through and eventually clog up your AC coils. Using a pleated air filter will not prevent dirty coils. They'll help to keep the coils clean longer. AC specialty stores carry tablets that you place in your AC condensate drain pan. These tablets help to prevent mold growth in the drain pan and to help keep the pan drain line free flowing. They're not expensive and they do work.
NO more poisons! Use the Hamilton Beach small air purifier recommended above in bathrooms (do not put in an optional "scent cartridge"). Just replace the charcoal filter.
As recommended, try to find online air furnace filters with charcoal to get rid of odors.
all of these synthetic scents are toxic to you and animals. Keep them out of your home altogether.
In no way a response to your question but just wanted to say I have an old air purifier in my bedroom that's on whenever I sleep. Not sure that it 'purifies' the air anymore (most likely dirtifies it by now) but it's GREAT for a white noise!! Can't sleep w/o it!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
