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Air purifying

12 Replies

Hi All,

I’ve been on steroids for over 20 weeks now and had two chest infections in the last two months.

I’m willing to try anything to get my breathing back on track.

I’m wondering whether an air purifier at home might be a good idea. Has anyone tried this? Did it make any difference?

Thanks

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12 Replies
Ground profile image
Ground

Been there and done that, an air purifier may help to some extent, but will not help in the long run if you do not get to the root cause of your trigger for asthma/chest infection,

What are you allergic/sensitive to.

Ayeup profile image
Ayeup

Hi there. I've got an air purifier (small one) on all day plus dehumidifier on to rid the house of any damp and I'm sure they help but not enough to make me feel so much better. You do need to find out what your triggers are and I would suggest you look at food triggers as well as the usual house dust mite, pollen, mould spores etc. Have you been allergy tested?

in reply to Ayeup

I’m working with asthma specialist & allergy specialist to try and find the trigger but we’re getting nowhere fast! Have had multiple allergy tests so know what I’m allergic to, but they don’t seem to solve the breathing issues.

Saassii profile image
Saassii in reply to

Then it's likely to be molds from a different class. Molds from water damaged buildings don't show up on IGE RAST testing, yet they're most definitely understood in medical literature to exacerbate and even cause asthma. If there's ever been a water ingress, even a slight one, unless the affected materials are cut out and replaced an unseen pathogen spreads. You may add to this another good source, carpeting. It's impossible to avoid mold and especially bacteria in carpeting. Add some window sills with condensation and a little mold in the tracks, open window and it seeds the house, humid keeps it going unseen. A bathroom with relentless microbial growth allowing another increase in unnatural environmental toxic exposure. Maybe the chemical warfare to clean bathroom induces sporulation right in the face to inhale regularly with the cleaning chemical fumes.

Your environment may need a critical clean and you may be best to declutter and have an empty clean home with lots of fresh air and avoid HVAC system where possible, if using is windows open still and regularly have it decontaminated. Although that also provides exposure so avoid where possible.

hilary39 profile image
hilary39

Mine makes a huge difference! I'm always impressed / grossed out by how much dust it has collected when I change the filters. We actually keep two running in the house. We also have a HEPA vaccuum that is excellent. Our apartment is sparkling clean and has very little dust and I think it's due to a combo of those three things.

in reply to hilary39

Thank you

ChrissieMons profile image
ChrissieMons

Well, they might help, but I agree with the others that there is more to your problems than an air filter can solve. Dig deeper with a specialist if you can.

su-mo profile image
su-mo

Started taking probiotic capsules 5 years ago. Now 75,no chest infections, no meds, no asthma after 45 years as chronic asthmatic. Worth a try!

RM33 profile image
RM33 in reply to su-mo

What probiotics do you take may I ask? As I have researched this and just started taking it

su-mo profile image
su-mo in reply to RM33

I take "Probiotic 14" from good health naturally but any equivalent capsule between 10-20 billion friendly bacteria count would be o.k.

0123fx profile image
0123fx

Air purifiers are definitely helpful, they're additional measures you can take for breathing.

It gets rid of pollution, dust, and odors.

I was looking for air purifiers myself when i came across this unique one

kickstarter.com/projects/ai...

Personally, dust allergies causes me to bleed from my nose quite frequently and air purifier are pretty helpful as far as i've heard.

diana_p profile image
diana_p in reply to 0123fx

Twice this. It's only an additional measure.

Back to your condition, nothing against room air purifiers, but what's the use in cleaning a single room when your furnace is spewing allergens all over the house.

Please correct me if I sound way too obvious, remove your triggers and pollen's first (if possible). If it's dust then a regular wet cleaning is a must.

As for purifiers, be careful with them - like, yes, they work but only if maintained properly. We are satisfied with a single room Honeywell air filter (HFD-120-Q, if I remember correctly) that has cleanable filter (cleaned by my husband - as I can't stand the dust - removing and vacuuming the filters).

If you'll use a vacuum cleaner for removing dust - be sure to use good quality filter bags (we prefer bags from the maker of the vacuum), and check the condition of the bag to make sure it is not damaged or full. But it's a bit loud, so in my bedroom I use this one: houseweather.org/best-small..., it's from Levoit.

Stay safe.

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