Before you Look For Allergy Relief with an Air Filter or Purifier, checkout the many causes of allergies in your home or office -- this will help you choose the right air filter for your needs...

This section isn't meant to scare you, but tells you the truth about the potential sources of allergens in your home.  Many people ignore many areas that could be contributing to the problem, so I've included them all.

Kitchen & Bathroom

Mold and mildew can be found in bathroom around shower or any moist surfaces that are not cleaned regularly.  Other common locations are in kitchen inside fridge, around sink, on window frames, and on concrete in moist basement.  If you've ever had a plumbing problem under any of your sinks that caused flooding, areas under sink or in ceiling and walls where water travelled can build up mold.  The mold gives off mold spores, which can cause severe allergies when higher concentrations are reached. 

Other allergens that can exist in kitchen are bacteria from foods, moldy foods, smoke from different types of foods or oils burning on stove.  Make sure to use a hood fan when cooking to reduce allergens in the air.  Some air purifiers can help reduce these cooking fumes.  

There are three types of air purifiers to deal with kitchen fumes:

1) High-end activated carbon filters
2) Ozone air purifiers
3) Nano Technology (UV without ozone)

The top filters or air purifiers in each of these categories are:

1) IQAir Air Purifiers - One of the top lines used by hospital isolation rooms.

2) NanoBreeze - A new breakthough in air purification technology using UV without Ozone to clean chemical fumes, smoke, and allergens from the air.

3) Biozone Scientific - The most popular ozone based air purifier on the market.  I love these units.

Fresh Air Intake -- is it really fresh air?

Is your fresh air return sucking pollen and other outdoor air pollutants into your home with your heating or air conditioning?  If you have an ordinary furnace filter then you are likely sucking in pollen through your fresh air intake from the outdoors during allergy months, and circulating it through your home.  There are different types of electrostatic furnace filters that can greatly reduce this problem.  Click here for some examples of electrostatic furnace filters.  By reducing the level of pollution entering your home through your fresh air intake, you reduce the overall level of pollution in your home.  You also reduce recirculation of allergens in your home with a high quality electrostatic filter. 

The best strategy is to look for source of allergens, rather than only applying a portable air purifer to each room and only catching part of the problem.   This way you reduce your air purification requirements by nailing the problem at it's source. 

Your Fire Place -- Is it a Toxic Tunnel into your Home?

There are many toxic fumes contained in creosote that builds up on the walls of your fireplace chimney.  Usually air travels up your chimney due to the "stack" effect, drawing air up out of your home.  But if you have exhaust fans on inside your house, like your kitchen stove fan, or bathroom fan, they can reverse the flow of the air in your chimney so it flows down the chimney into your home.  This can result in toxic allergens coming into your home.  There are a few solutions:

1) If you notice toxic fumes coming from your chimney when you turn on fans, open a window in the room where you use the fan, so air is sucked in through the window, and not down your chimney. 

2) Have your chimney cleaned and inspected at least once a year.

2) Seal off your fireplace with an air tight screen

3) Use an activated carbon, ozone, Nano Technology air purifier, or an electrostatic furnace filter with activated carbon in your furnace.  This would help keep the air in your room clean and reduce the pollutants from your chimney.

Is Your Vacuum Cleaner Really Cleaning Your Home?

It may be sucking up dust and allergens out of your carpet, but many vacuum cleaners blow the finer dust particles and allergens right back out the back of the vacuum cleaner, creating an allergy nightmare.  There are many models of vacuum cleaners that come with HEPA or equivalent built in filters to prevent this.  My favorite is the Miele Canister Vacuum (Made in Germany), which is an ultra quiet and one of the most powerful portable vacuums available -- sucking more of the dust and allergens out of your carpets.  With Miele you know that you aren't unnecessarily stirring up allergens in your home -- they are trapped in the vacuum where they belong.

The other thing to consider is a built in vacuum system with a canister located outside your home.  This way all air pollutants sucked up by your vacuum go outside.  Some people find the long hoses of built in vacuums to be a hassle to drag around the house, which is one reason some people prefer a portable vacuum.

Pet Allergens

Cigarette smoke

Chemical or paint fumes

Fumes from molded plastics & carpets