Can Air Cleaners Aid in Removing Mold?

Roughly 80% of people who purchase air cleaners / air filters from stores or online have allergies. Many of them have allergies severe enough to include asthma. Although there are some cases of asthma that are not allergic in origin, a significant majority are related to allergy. These people frequently receive recommendations from their physicians to obtain air cleaners of some type. As reported in the May 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, many “ionizing” air cleaners do a poor job of removing particles from the air. As well, these ionizing cleaners usually produce Ozone which can materially exacerbate asthma and other lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) or Emphysema.

We recommend that people with allergies, especially those with asthma, avoid “ionizing” type air cleaners. Instead, use filtration type air cleaners for such people. Filtration air cleaners are generally less expensive, but they do require regular filter changes or filter cleaning. Forgetting to do this results in having essentially no filter at all.

We also recommend that, if you want to get the most out of your air filters, you should use them mainly in your bedroom, where you spend about 1/3 of your life. It is suggested that you keep your bedroom windows closed, because, otherwise, your filters will be attempting to filter all the outdoor air that comes in through the windows, and that is basically impossible for any filter. If you live in a hot or very humid place, this likely will mean you need to purchase a window unit air conditioner, if you don’t have central air conditioning.