[SteveFord]

A subject near and dear to my heart: allergies.
I have bad sinuses and even after having sinus surgery 15 years ago I still have problems with sinus and ear infections.
Sinus surgery is a thing to be avoided if at all possible - it's really, really rough.
One thing that I'm allergic to is dog and cat dander which is one reason my pets are reptiles.
Our dog, Mollie, sheds like there's no tomorrow and it got so bad that I actually passed out and toppled off the can in the middle of the night two weeks ago. 
A Kodak moment, for sure.
A trip to the doctor confirmed that both ears were infected so a week of antibiotics and Flonase and I'm back on track.
Our very own AJZepp turned me onto this company:

www.furnacefiltersinc.com

and suggested that I get their NaturalAire electrostatic filters, stick one in the furnace and run it on fan full time.
I took his advice and all is right with the world.
If being cooped up in the Winter drives your honker berserk, these are worth doing. 
I went with the washable one so I can just reuse it.

[satfrat]

I use 2 Blueair 501 Hepa electrostatic air purifiers in my home year round for my spring/fall allergies. I love them for their quiet effective operation. I am also a firm believer in a daily sinus rinse with my neti pot. I've had a lifelong issue with allergies which have always affected my ability to breathe while sleeping. In the last 4 years since using both Blueair & my beloved neti pot, I'm able to both breathe better and sleep better w/o the use of drugs & nasal sprays.

Having baseboard hot water heating, I'm unable to do what Steve did for the benefit of his whole home. For my situation, Blueair was the next best thing and I can benefit year round.

Cheers,
Robin

Cheers,
Robin

[FullRangeMan]

In the 80s my transport was a bike and after several winters I contracts sinusitis, but in the 90s I got me totally cure from sinus with Crab Apple Floral, whick I took for a year/daily and today Iam yet free from sinus, the tratament cost was a bargain.

http://www.directlyfromnature.com/Crab_Apple_20ml_p/bfr-0010.htm
Crab Apple
 “This is the remedy of cleansing. For those who feel as if they have something not quite clean about themselves. Often it is something of apparently little importance: in others there may be more serious disease which is almost disregarded compared to the one thing on which they concentrate. In both types they are anxious to be free from the one particular thing which is greatest in their minds and which seems so essential to them that it should be cured. They become despondent if treatment fails. Being a cleanser, this remedy purifies wounds if the patient has reason to believe that some poison has entered which must be drawn out.” - Dr. Edward Bach

Keywords: Cleansing, poor self image, sense of not being clean, obsessive, poor self image
 Human indication:  When you feel unclean or have a hard time accepting your own self image.
 Cleansing: Use externally on ringworm, rashes and warts.
 Animal/Pet indication:  Obsessive cleanliness, fastidiousness; excessive grooming.  Pets with rashes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_flower_remedies

Of course your doctor will not want you to take this cheap floral medicine and heal sinus yourself...

[Ern Dog]

I don't have allergies, and I live in the mountains with my main source of heat being a wood stove.  I have an air purifier going 24/7 to help with the smokey smell from the stove and to help with the dust in the Summer.  My air purifier is in my living room along with my stereo.

This had a detrimental affect on my cd player.  I kept getting problems with my laser lens not reading SACD's and CD's.  After lots of trial and error I finally figured out what was causing it:  the problem was when I set my air purifier to negatively charge the ions.  For what ever reason, when I did this, those micro dust particles started collecting on my laser lens and it became unreadable.  I would need to keep cleaning the lens for it to work again.  Once I turned the negative ion feature off- problem solved!

[jarcher]

I'm in the IAQ (indoor air quality) inspection business, focusing on mold in particular, and honestly aside from good house keeping, as far as HVAC system components, I don't have a lot of faith in electronic air cleaners (i.e. electrostatic  / ultraviolet / etc), particularly in the passive / re-cleanable ones.  They claim that by applying an electronic charge / ultraviolet light / etc in one fashion or another they "kill" the offending spores.

First I have my doubts about the "kill" rate as an enormous volume of air particles are passing by at a great rate of speed through the element at any given time.  Also, at least in the case of mold spores, dead mold spores are also potential allergens. So "killing" them alone is insufficient - you want to physically remove them from the air as much as possible.   

Some early "ionizers" actually produced excessive levels of ozone, a significant hazard to the upper respiratory tract & lungs even in small concentrations, and therefore were actively NOT recommended by many in the industry along w/ consumer organizations such as Consumer Reports.  Fortunately it seems these kind of consumer products - w/ Sharper Image unit(s) in particular being infamous, no longer seems to be actively sold.

So what I've always recommended is the most old fashion & cheapest solution : a 4 inch furnace mounted media air cleaner.  I.e. an oversized, high quality disposable air filter, preferably no greater than a MERV 11 rating, as higher rated ones can put an undue strain / pressure drop on your blower motor and cause premature failure.  Most HVAC contractors don't mention these as there is very little profit margin and of course no maintenance contracts required as you the home resident only need to replace the filter twice a year.

I usually direct people to the internet, have them buy the media air cleaner housing, then have a qualified HVAC or handyman install it typically at the air return just before the furnace.  These housings, such as the Honeywell F100 series, but there are many similar models from other companies, and can be had for as little as $150.  Filters when bought in packs can run as little as $25 each and can even be found in a pinch at Home Depot.

Obviously hospitals have very different requirements & standards in terms of isolating & controlling air flow & potential contaminants to much higher potential at-risk population, but for typical typical indoor residential & office environments, I believe the combination of a whole house media air cleaner (not electronic), good housekeeping, and a decent indoor / outdoor air exchange offer the best solution to offer good indoor air quality.

Hope that helps - health & your pocket book!

[Elizabeth]

I own two HEPA air cleaners from Honeywell.
One is on loan to some friends. the other I keep in the bedroom, and leave it on during the day when neccessary. I plop in on the bed and run it full blast. It is noisey, so the bedroom is fine when i am NOT in there.

[jarcher]

That's the beauty of a furnace / ductwork mounted media air cleaner : cleans the whole house - doesn't consume any additional electricity - doesn't make an extra noise - and costs about the same for the housing and replacement filters as a portable room unit!  Overtime it will pay itself back as it doesn't consume power.  There will be some marginal installation costs (i.e. cut ductwork to fit it).

[satfrat]

Blueair air purifiers kills nothing BTW, it's only purpose is to filter air particles with a paper filter,,, or filter odors with a carbon based filter. They're super quiet(one's right next to my bed) with good performance reviews coming from Consumer Reports and above all, it's worked wonders for my in-home environment in the last 4 years. At 61 with a lifetime of allergy issues, I'll personally swear by my Blueairs for what they've done for me personally, filtering particles from the air. While I paid fulll retail on my 1st 501, I paid less than half the retail price for my last 501 that wasn't even a year old from EBAY.

YMMV!

Cheers,
Robin

[jarcher]

Yes, of course if you don't have a forced air central system, then room systems for allergy sufferers become a pre-requisite. As you pointed out - the HEPA paper & the carbon filter being the most important parts. 

If folks have personal recommendations on these units - i.e. Blueair, Honeywell, etc, please let me know as occasionally I have a customer who doesn't have a central forced air systems and asks for a recommendation on a stand-alone unit.

[groovybassist]

I just bought a Blueair 203 for use in my bedroom/office.  It arrived yesterday and ran fine until mid-day today, at which point the fan started making a clunking noise on each revolution totally out of the blue.  Sounds like the motor is unbalanced for some reason.  Unfortunate as it seemed to help.  Boxed it back up and off for a replacement.

[satfrat]

I just bought a Blueair 203 for use in my bedroom/office.  It arrived yesterday and ran fine until mid-day today, at which point the fan started making a clunking noise on each revolution totally out of the blue.  Sounds like the motor is unbalanced for some reason.  Unfortunate as it seemed to help.  Boxed it back up and off for a replacement.

I too had an issue with an earlier 201 model,,, not as well made motorwise. It worked fine for a couple of years before the motor started to squeal. This model doesn't have the electrostatic device over the motor, whether that's what helps protect the 501 (or newer 503) motors from the dust, I don't know. But I've had zero issues with my two 501's.

1 thing to remember, it's mandatory to replace the filters every 6 months or the warranty isn't valid. Blueair keeps strict account of filter purchases as they are not cheap and you can only get them through Blueair.  I didn't do this so I ate the 201 purchase. I haven't replaced the filters in my 4 year old or my 2 year old 501's either but I take them out monthly and vacuum the filters. If you can afford the $80-$90 every 6 months, I'd highly recommend replacing them. I simply can't afford to do so,, so I'm effectively to date rolling the dice. 

I run my 501's on the third of 4 settings and they are quiet enough to have by my bedside even though the other 2 lower setting are ultra quiet at the expense of less filtering effectiveness.

Cheers,
Robin

[JLM]

I know we technocrats want to find a gizmo based solution, but allergy testing is the first step (at age 10 was found positive for 71 of 75 contaminents, but ragweed pollen was by far the worst).  I live on Flonase during spring/ragweed season.

Have worked around healthcare for 20+ years.  So it drives me nuts, sorry Elizabeth, when folks say they have a home/vacuum cleaner HEPA filter.  It just can't be (vendor aught to be sued/shut down for false advertizing).  Real HEPA filters must be pressure tested to ensure a proper seal and are huge.  Plus they produce large pressure drops that would also require a big fan.  For a house or vacuum cleaner you'd probably need a fan/filter the size of a walk-in closet.

The effectiveness of electrostatic filters drop from the moment they start as the grid fills with debris.  Newly cleaned/installed they typically would be rated about a MERV 11.  Killing isn't all that important either as endotoxins (bodily remains of the spores, mold, viruses, and bacteria) can still be in the air and can do more harm than the intact organisms).  By the way, no residential filter is effective against chemicals.

Have owned and added one again when building our house pleated filter (current brand name April-Aire) approximately 6 inches thick (roughly MERV 11 as Jon mentioned above).  As my allergies present during warm weather and come from outside, central air conditioning is another weapon.  When we built 8 years ago central vacuum was included.  Any other type of vacuum returns the smallest particles (that travel deepest into your lungs) back into the room via their "stupid" filters.  With central vacuuming, all the dust leaves the house, no questions asked.  And we remove shoes before coming inside.  So all together we have a pretty clean house.

Overall I'd rank the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) control efforts available for residential use in the following order:

1.  Testing (including environmental testing, like hidden mold in the house)
2.  Drugs (better living from better chemistry)
3.  Filtering (2 - 6 inch pleated, tightly fitting)
4.  Central vacuum
5.  Air conditioning
6.  Taking off your shoes and wash outdoor clothes (work/sports) immediately

[Guy 13]

Hi all Audio Circle members.

When I was about ten years old and we moved from downtown Montreal
to the country side, my reaction to allergies was so bad,
that I could not go to school,
my nose was dripping and my eyes full of water and much, more more.
When I came to Vietnam when I was 47 years old,
everything stopped, no more allergies, nothing, 17 years of heaven.
I guess here in Vietnam there is nothing I am allergic to,
except the Vietnamese themselves... (LOL)
Four years ago, I went to Montreal to visit my mother during the month of August
and three days after my arrival, my allergies started again.
The worst time for my allergies is in June and August and September, especially September.

Guy 13 

[groovybassist]

I bought the Blueair 203 through Amazon. This morning I set up an exchange through Amazon for the 503. Thanks for the warranty heads-up Robin - I plan to change the filter every six months.

[satfrat]

I bought the Blueair 203 through Amazon. This morning I set up an exchange through Amazon for the 503. Thanks for the warranty heads-up Robin - I plan to change the filter every six months.

You won't be sorry. The 203 only has air leaving the back through 1 paper filter and with no internal ionization. The 503 uses 3 paper filters with a fiber sheet on each so you have air exiting both sides and from the top, along with the internal ionization unit over the intake motor for more effective filtering of the charged particles. I'm sure you'll be very happy with the upgrade, I know I was with my bedroom unit.   

Cheers,
Robin

[Elizabeth]

I own two of the larger Honeywell units. They have a foot in diameter drum for the Hepa, with a wrrap of black foam.
They have not needed replacing in fifteen years.. The foam can be vacuumed off every so many months. I wouuld say five years ago i did replace one foam wrap for $15.
So the Honeywell just last.
They say replacement when the fan starts making a pumping warble like sound. Not yet.
Like i said, 15 years of use.
The giant flaw with the Honeywell is NOISE. They are just plain noisy.
So either in an unoccupied room, or on when out of the house.
For me, one in the bedroom certainly clears out the whole apt.

[ajzepp]

I used to use a little Austin Air machine in my bedroom and it was great....but it just can't compare to the furnace filter thing. I actually had no idea about the one that Steve picked up so I can't take credit for that...I was using the disposable ones. I love the idea of one I can just wash, though, so I want to check out that one that he bought. But yeah, I read an article a while back that suggested that I find a good quality filter that was geared toward those with allergies, choose an acceptable MERV rating that matched well with my HVAC, and then leave the fan on 24/day. They indicated that leaving the furnace fan on around the clock woudl only increase the electric bill by like $20-$30 per YEAR, so it was a no brainer. I did pay close attention to my bill once I started this, and sure enough there was very little difference. I have had great results with the NaturalAire filters and I change them out every 2-3months. As I told Steve, the first time I changed it out I was SHOCKED at how disgusting it was. Thinking about all that crap going into my lungs horrified me. After the first 24 hr of using this method, it was similar to the same improvement Steve has already noticed. The air quality was clearly different....I began to have less of a need for my inhaler (Im an asthmatic) and my sleep improved, as well. It was like a small miracle and I'll never go back to NOT using this method.

The saline rinse thing that Robin mentioned is also a life saver. I got hit in the head with a discus when I was in the 8th grade (you can laugh, it's okay...lol) and my R orbital suffered a blowout fracture. Oddly enough, at the time Ididn't even know it. When they took xrays following the accident, the ophthalmologist said there was nothing broken. It wasn't until I was in a minor car accident over a decade later when a CT showed an old blowout fracture at the site. Well anyway, my frontal sinus on the R side was disrupted, and as a result my sinsues don't drain properly. Sinus infections are a HUGE deal due to their proximity to your central nervous system, and when you have one that becomes difficult to treat it can be a very dangerous proposition. I used to get HORRIBLE sinus infections where my eye would start swelling shut. I'm pretty popular at theEmory Clinic here in Atlanta because of one of my infections. Well, several years ago I started using a sinus rinse (the squeeze bottle one from Neilmed with the saline packets). I use it anywhere from 3-5x per week and I haven't had ANY serious sinus infections in years. My sinus pressure and headaches have also improved significantly. Just be sure to use distilled (or filtered or boiled) water for this, cause tap water can have impurities and bugs that you don't want getting into your sinuses.

But yeah, these two products/techniques have quite literally changed my life. I dont need to take sleeping pills....dont have as many asthma attacks...dont need to take decongestants....have avoided sinus surgery....lots and lots of benefits, friends!

[wharfrat]

Hello fellow allergy sufferers 

Have suffered from mold, grass and tree pollen allergies for most of my life.  Allergy shots never helped.  After 2 sinus operations within 10 years I finally figured out what I need to do to stay healthy.  Preventive measures like flonase during peak allergy seasons, air cleaners, sinus washes all help immensely.  The other one, during the Winter, is maintaining humidity levels in my house.

Of course, all these don't guarantee I won't have an allergy attack or allergy induced asthma.  Last night I was drinking one of my favorite red wines and I had a sudden and brutal allergy attack.  Nose, eyes, sinuses, the works.

[Nass027]

I too suffer from allergies and asthma and have been looking at Air Purifiers and was wondering has anybody have any experiences with Whirlpool Purifiers? I'm looking at the Blue Air and the Whirlpool units.

[wisnon]

Do any of you find that vitamin D3 supplementation helps? Also, avoiding dairy? Talking more asthma than hay fever symptoms here.

D3 helped a lot and avoiding dairy helped even more for me with dust allergies.