HEPA-filtered air purifiers -- your experience?

carolpetunia

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So we have six cats in the house, and no matter how often we vacuum and dust, we do have a bit of a problem. My brother will hardly visit anymore because of his allergies... and I must admit, I'm a little bit weary of plucking off kittyhairs that float by and stick to my lipgloss!


We've been talking about whether one of those air purifiers with the fancy HEPA filters might reduce the dander and fluff floating around in our house enough to be worth the expense.

Does anyone have one of these? If so, what brand and model, and how do you like it? Any and all recommendations much appreciated!
 

mom of 4

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We've had HEPA filters for over ten years. They are built into the furance/air conditioning system. Because they are older, I'm sure there are better ones out there now.
The filters run around 60 bucks each, but require changing only every 6 to 8 months.
I have three house dogs (two Old English Sheepdogs and a Golden Retriever) and a DSH. I also have three children, grown now.
I am allergic to trees, grass, weeds, dust, pollen, fungus and mold. Somehow I managed to avoid dog and cat allergies.

The HEPA filter makes a huge difference in how I feel and how the house looks. I can tell when the filter needs changing - drives my husband crazy!

We tried a couple of the small, room size HEPA air filter systems. They were worthless, IMO.
 

swampwitch

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I've used the portable ones for years. I think I've had about five different ones. The bigger the air purifier, the better it works, and the ones that are round with the charcoal filter going all around are the best IMO.

Make sure you get the most quiet one(s) you can, especially if you run it at night. They seem MUCH louder at night!

I have to replace the charcoal filters every month at least, but they are cheap. The Hepa filter has to be replaced about every year, and they are expensive and cost almost as much as the entire unit. Sometimes the Hepa filter has lasted two years, but I usually replace the entire thing since I'm paranoid about electrical things getting old and catching on fire, especially at night.

It's amazing how much dust and fur they get out of the air. We also use the "allergy" filters (not Hepa) on the furnace, and those make a big difference, too.
 

AbbysMom

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I use a Hepa filter in the cooler months when the windows are closed and I definitely notice an improvement in my allergies compared to when I don't.
 
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