Need your help with air/room filtration

[MagicMtnDan]

My wife has chronic asthma and is in the hospital tonight due to a severe asthma attack.
I want to do all I can to make the air in our house as clean as possible. What kind of filter should I buy? There seem to be at least two kinds and all kinds of vendors/sources. Which one? Where to buy?
I know there are some folks on HBF who sell them and I'd be happy to buy from one of you but first I want your advice - what's the best product? Which one and why?
Thanks

[Some Kind Of Monster]

Have you tried one of those Ionic air purifiers like on TV? I have always wanted to try one. I heard from a buddy with asthma that they work real well!

[Some Kind Of Monster]

Something like these:
http://www.startremodeling.com/air_purifiers.htm
Or this:
http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productview.jhtml?sku=SM977GRY&source=10716&siteid=C1TULCtfQo0-SIhLMPpyjT1rR2N7r5O44g

[Raisin Wake]

Both of my kids have asthma, and I love the Quadra style from The Sharper Image. They work great. No filters to replace, just clean them. We use one down stairs and one upstairs, where the kids take their nebulizer treatments. good luck and I wish you and your wife well...

[HOOTER SLED-]

Hey Dan. Our oldest has asthma too, if you remember. The cold crisp weather does kinda agitate it. Especially up where you are at. Try to keep the house from being too cold. If she has a cold, her asthma was bound to act up. I'm sure you know all this. Anyhow, those air purifiers you are talking about are pricey. Around the $600 to $800 dollar range. We don't have one. But from what I hear, they are supposed to work really well. One purifier is supposed to be effective enough to work on a home up to like 3000 sq. ft. I believe they don't have replaceable filters too. They have washable filters.
Our boy takes Singulair and Advair. This past year has been waaaaay better for him. We seem to have it in check. Hopefully he grows out of it, like some do. Michelle still gets wheezy from time to time too. Hope the Mrs. feels better soon. Asthma sucks. :( And I don't even have it. It sucks to have to watch them suffer through it.
I don't remember who was selling those. I wanna say River Dave. ???? Maybe I'm wrong.

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

you also might want to take all the carpet out of the house and replace it with hardwood or tile.. anything but carpet..
sorry to hear she is ill .. we have to go through that with my mother inlaw also.. hope she is feeling better after her treatment. ;)

[Mandelon]

Didn't we go over this already? The Ionic ones do not physically move much air. They do pick up some dust but not as much as a filtered unit would.
The Ozone generators and Negative Ion machines have a usefullness, but not so much what is advertised by them. Ozone can help control odors, but will not kill bacteria and mold as claimed unless it is cranked up so high it will hurt you as well.
The negative ion part will help dust clump up and drop to the ground, but it needs to be cleaned up with a HEPA rated vacuum or it is just respread into the air with a normal vac.
www.epa.gov has more info than you will care to read.
Buy a good quality unit from Walmart, Home Depot or Sears. The filters will last years. Even as the filters clog up, they actually become more efficient and catch even more. Clean air from outside is usually better 50 to 100 times better than indoor air. Newer homes are built too tight and don't allow enough fresh air in. Appliances like dryers, fart fans, and cooking vent hoods blow air out, but where does the makeup air come from.......
This is a big part of what I do for work so if you have specific questions PM me.

[MagicMtnDan]

Didn't we go over this already? The Ionic ones do not physically move much air. They do pick up some dust but not as much as a filtered unit would.
The Ozone generators and Negative Ion machines have a usefullness, but not so much what is advertised by them. Ozone can help control odors, but will not kill bacteria and mold as claimed unless it is cranked up so high it will hurt you as well.
The negative ion part will help dust clump up and drop to the ground, but it needs to be cleaned up with a HEPA rated vacuum or it is just respread into the air with a normal vac.
www.epa.gov has more info than you will care to read.
Buy a good quality unit from Walmart, Home Depot or Sears. The filters will last years. Even as the filters clog up, they actually become more efficient and catch even more. Clean air from outside is usually better 50 to 100 times better than indoor air. Newer homes are built too tight and don't allow enough fresh air in. Appliances like dryers, fart fans, and cooking vent hoods blow air out, but where does the makeup air come from.......
This is a big part of what I do for work so if you have specific questions PM me.
Thanks everyone for your help!
Sounds like filtered units are best. OK, so which one? Is there one that's better than the others?
I'm going to buy this week just gotta figger out which one.

[Mandelon]

Consumer Reports did some studies. Ionic Breeze was rated worst I think. Honeywell makes some...
http://content.honeywell.com/yourhome/eiac-air_cleaners/air_cleaner.asp

[100mbs]

I dont have asthma but do have some allergies and i have been thinking about buying this air purifier.
I have heard of the "Living Air" on the Radio but never seen one until I was at the mall the other day and there was a kiosk that was selling them. They were demoing the "Fresh Air, the manufacture is EcoQuest". The lady took a rag and put some Amonia on it then let me smell it. Then she put it in front of the air purifier, within about a 10 seconds the rag didnt smell like Amnonia anymore. I was shocked.
They are a little pricy but one will cover a 3000sq ft house and they are freakin quiet.
Check out this website and look at the new one they have called the "Fresh Air". I believe they have a in home trial that you can do to see if it works or not.
http://www.cleanairliving.com/800pureair/product.html
I hope this helps.

[Mrs. HOOTER SLED]

I know how all this feels........not only our oldest has it but Igrew up with it as well :yuk: it's not a fun thing!!!! I still get wheezy and hard to breathe at times but i'll use my inhaler or sometimes advair. Like Jason said so does our son and it seems to be doing great for him at the time being. He's been in and out of the hospital since he was 5 or 6 yrs. any where from 2 to 6 days at a time :yuk: with I.V, oxygen,nebulizer,,steriodand aother med's at times
He HATES it. Does a lot of :cry: and I end up with no sleep and a major back ache from sleeping in a funky chair for so many days :frown:
I hope alls well for her soon. tell her we're thinking of her :)
:p Michelle :p

[SHAKEN Not Stirred]

I dont have asthma but do have some allergies and i have been thinking about buying this air purifier.
I have heard of the "Living Air" on the Radio but never seen one until I was at the mall the other day and there was a kiosk that was selling them. They were demoing the "Fresh Air, the manufacture is EcoQuest". The lady took a rag and put some Amonia on it then let me smell it. Then she put it in front of the air purifier, within about a 10 seconds the rag didnt smell like Amnonia anymore. I was shocked.
They are a little pricy but one will cover a 3000sq ft house and they are freakin quiet.
Check out this website and look at the new one they have called the "Fresh Air". I believe they have a in home trial that you can do to see if it works or not.
http://www.cleanairliving.com/800pureair/product.html
I hope this helps.
I have the Fresh Air unit and it ROCKS !!!!!
One unit really does take care of the whole house....
Really.....NO BS, my two kids 6 & 4 are sick 50% less....
I swear by the thing.....
CJG
:D

[MagicMtnDan]

Found some good stuff online (still looking and reading):
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/acr/acr_53.shtml#f
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-air.html?source=googleadphraseairfiltration