Portable air purifiers are one of the most effective ways to better the indoor air quality of any home or office. Many come with energy efficient motors and can save you green on your electricity bill. As mentioned in our previous post, some ionizing air purifiers emit ozone, the main component of smog. Look instead for a portable air purifier that includes a true medical grade HEPA filter with a carbon or carbon blend for removal of gases, odor and chemicals. Additionally, UV-C light is great at eliminating cold and flu-causing germs and zeolite is excellent for the added absorption of additional VOC’s including formaldehyde. Because air purifiers are not all created equal, be sure you know what you are getting. Here are some of our recommendations (in order of price points).
$ – The Filtrete Air Purifiers are an economical way to focus on a single room. These capture 96% – 99.9% of large airborne allergens that include dust mite waste and pollen. They also capture microscopic allergens such as smoke, pet dander and bacteria, and dust mite debris. Filters range between 100-350 square feet of coverage. They are offered in Ultra Clean or Ultra Quiet for large or small sized rooms.
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $60 – $183
$$ – The Lowe’s Idylis series of Air Purifiers. They offer filtration coverage from 64 to 434 square feet and are designed to be quiet, unobtrusive and easy to keep clean. They contain true medical grade HEPA filtration to eliminate 99.97 % of all airborne particles up to .3 microns or larger reducing tobacco, dust, pollen, dander and mold. The 200 & 280 CADR units have UV-C Light Technology and works using short-wave ultraviolet light to kill 99.9% of germs that cause colds and flu. These are also Energy-Star rated and certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). The 100 CADR is ideal for cleaning smaller rooms. It can be positioned to stand up or lie down.
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $99 – $200
$$ – The Sanyo Air Washer Plus™ has been tested and proven effective in suppressing airborne germs, bacteria, odors, allergens and mold through global third party certification institutions. The exclusive Electrolyzed Water Technology has proven effective in significantly reducing the level of viable airborne germs and bacteria. Filters up to 400 sq ft. Other features include:
- Removes Dust and Allergens – High Performance 4-Stage, HEPA Filtration Removes 99.97% of Airborne Particles and Allergens
- Reduces Pollen – Reduces Airborne Pollens with Allergy Blocking Filter
- Neutralizes Odors – Fights Common Odors Including Pet Dander and Tobacco Smoke
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $198-$249
$$$ – The HealthMate 200 & HealthMate 400 by Austin Air
Depending on the size of you home and the desired outcome, we recommend the HealthMate 200 (the junior version which will clean up to 700 square feet, and is about 16.5 inches tall and 11 inches wide) or the HealthMate 400 (the larger model which will filter up to 1500 square feet and is 23” tall and 14.5” wide). You can even customize these to fit your home décor! You have the choice of colors in: White, Sandstone, Black or Silver. They all include:
- Solid steel construction
- Non-Toxic Powder-Coated Paint
- Energy saving PSC motor
- 30-Day money back guarantee
- 5 year warranty on all parts and labor
- 5 year pro-rated guarantee for Filters under normal residential use.
- Made in the USA
- Average cost to run: 1 cent per hour
- CSA/NRTL Approved
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $339-$489 (plus, FREE ground shipping in the Continental US HERE)
$$$ – The Allergy Machine & Allergy Machine Jr. by Austin Air
Although all of these purifiers are effective for people with allergies and asthma, the Allergy Machine can be more effective for people who smoke or are in contact with more odor sources. It is also much lighter in weight and filters up to 1,500 sq ft. All of these specialty air cleaners consist of 30 sq. ft. of medical HEPA, certified to remove 99.97% of airborne particles of 0.3 microns or larger. The Baby’s Breath is Jr. version (filters up to 700 sq ft) of the Allergy Machine offered in suitable colors for a nursery including: pink, blue, white and silver! They all include:
- Solid steel construction
- Non-Toxic Powder-Coated Paint
- Energy saving PSC motor
- 30-Day money back guarantee
- 5 year warranty on all parts and labor
- 5 year pro-rated guarantee for Filters under normal residential use.
- Made in the USA
- Average cost to run: 1 cent per hour
- CSA/NRTL Approved
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $339-$519 (plus, FREE ground shipping in the Continental US HERE)
$$$$ – The HealthMate Plus by Austin Air
If someone in your house has Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), choose the Plus model, which has a True Medical HEPA filter, granular carbon and elite. The carbon in the Plus model is impregnated with potassium iodide. This makes the unit even more effective at removing formaldehyde and ammonia. Austin Air’s HealthMate Plus is best used in places like new homes, laboratories, beauty salons, funeral homes, etc to filter up to 1,500 sq ft. Also available in the Healthmate Jr. Plus version (for smaller spaces up to 700 sq feet). They include:
- Solid steel construction
- Non-Toxic Powder-Coated Paint
- Energy saving PSC motor
- 30-Day money back guarantee
- 5 year warranty on all parts and labor
- 5 year pro-rated guarantee for Filters under normal residential use.
- Made in the USA
- Average cost to run: 1 cent per hour
- CSA/NRTL Approved
SAVING GREEN: Total Cost: $379-589 (includes FREE ground shipping in the Continental US HERE)
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I can’t believe that the IQAir air purifier was not even mentioned. For years Swiss-made IQAir has been considered the most effective air purifier available. It is the number 1 choice for hospitals, dentists, and the American Lung Association but not even mentioned in this article while Austin is mentioned several times. Looks like commercial bias to me.
Hello Chris and thank you for your feedback. The IQAir air is a very good machine and we, in fact, recommend it in our book, Just GREEN It! However, the reason we did not recommend it in this post is because in our opinion (which is what this post is) at these specified price points, the Austin Healthmate was chosen on several occasions for various reasons. It was recommended in testing by the U.S. Army, used in 9/11 cleanup and by FEMA. The USA made Austin Air units promote our US economy and American workers.
The Healthmate was designed with health in mind and has a stainless steel exterior and non-toxic powder coated paint finish. It also comes with a money-back guarantee and five year warranty. It is superior in removal of gases, chemicals, and odors when comparing the competition at this price point. However, per the feedback we received, we plan on writing an upcoming post featuring the IQAir; shedding light on both it’s strengths and the differences between it and the above mentioned air purification solutions. It is an excellent machine and our goal was not to exclude it or create confusion. It falls into a higher price point and category altogether. Our goal is to clarify the features and benefits that make the entire series unique since they are not a direct, side-by-side comparison to the above units; rather, in a class of their own.
I had the very same thought… Austin products are the most expensive, and the highlighted box at the end makes a point of the simple fact that it uses an ordinary outlet (as they all do). Looks like shameless payola to me.
Rich,
We appreciate and encourage your feedback as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This post is our professional opinion and yes, the IQAir is a very high quality machine. However, we would disagree with the cost perspective which is why the IQAir is not featured here. As you can see, these are categorized by dollar signs, indicating the price category into which each unit falls. In a prior post, we included a link: http://www.greennest.com/pdf/airpurifiers_savemoney.pdf
which compares the cost of competing air purifiers, filter replacements and long- term costs. You can see the Austin is less expensive upfront (the HM-400 retailing at $489) and offers long-term savings on replacement filter costs (another factor in our recommendation at this price point). Whereas, the IQAir HealthPro series starts at $839, placing this group into another category of comparison. This post is not bias. We are not paid for this from any of the brand manufacturers we recommended. We do appreciate your input, however, and will be featuring the IQAir in a follow-up post to clear the air, so to speak.