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Here's a question from a reader:
"I have asthma, is it worth it to go buy an air purifier for it or will it not do anything? Please help!"
Air cleaners can give you some relief, but they aren't perfect. Here's what they will do to help with it:
Remove allergens that are already in the air
They are very effective at getting rid of smoke, so if your asthma is being aggravated by living with a smoker they will be helpful
Remove dust from the air that contains allergens
Here's what they can't really help with:
Allergens stuck in the carpet (and to a lesser extent, drapes, furniture, etc.) - no matter how much you move the air around, it won't get rid of the dust that accumulates in carpet and that can aggravate asthma whenever it gets kicked up
"Temporary" allergens - sometimes allergens are kicked into the air from you disturbing something (often this happens during sleep, when you put your head on your pillow, etc.), and it will take time for them to be cleaned by the purifier
Other rooms - most air purifiers are limited to cleaning a certain area. Unless you get one for every single room, part of your house may not be covered. However, if you spend a lot of time in one area, or the allergens are in one area (i.e., smokers), getting a single air purifier may give you a lot of relief.
So basically, it will be an improvement but not a cure-all.
One big warning: avoid any air cleaners that produce ozone. It can aggravate your asthma. Most brands don't actually have ozone generators anymore because of consumer wariness, but sometimes ionizers can produce ozone in small quantities. For an asthma sufferer, that may be enough to irritate you.
As far as what kind of filter you want, the main thing I would do is make sure it has a HEPA filter. These are just a kind of filter that picks up extremely small particles and gets the vast majority of them. Carbon filters can also be good if you're dealing with smoking (they help get rid of odors). Most brands combine multiple types of filters, so it's very easy to get something with one or both of these.
If you have a question you'd like answered, send us an e-mail.
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