Should I get an ionized air filter?

October 15, 2007 2:53 AM

Should I get an "Ionized Air Filter"?

I have allergies. I've heard glowing reports about Ionized Air Filters (the sharper image brand first among them) being the Filtered Messiah of allergy sufferers. I've also heard that they don't work, are useless and even harmful from the Ozone they emit. Who do you think is right here? Do you have any personal experiences with Ionic air filters? Good/bad?

Also, the air is quite ridiculously humid here in Houston (I'm a transplant, can you tell?) so I'm wondering if it would help if I got a de-humidifier?

What say you, hive mind?

posted by Avenger to technology (16 comments total)

A dehumidifier will definitely help. HEPA-rated air filters are also very effective, but I wouldn't bother with any non-HEPA type, as there seems to be a lot of snake oil out there.

Ideally, you want both. I have a second-home in a humid/mouldy climate that bothers my allergies sometimes, but the HEPA filter makes some rooms obviously better to breathe in than others. So it's demonstrably doing SOMETHING. I don't run it when I'm not there; when I arrive, it takes ten or twelve hours to make a difference, but after that it manages to "keep up" running on its near-silent lowest setting indefinitely.

Highly recommended.
posted by rokusan at 3:20 AM on October 15, 2007

I paid the big bucks for an Ionized air filter before fully understanding what they did. From what I understand, its nothing, a total waste (you can buy my sharper image one if you want, umm, $20 plus shipping) its worthless. They somehow make the dust particles "charged" so like a balloon being charged with static electricity after being rubbed against your hair, the particles "stick or cling" to walls, or the floor. Ionizers are a fad, a fad going out of style fast,. Like Rokusan says, go with the HEPA.
posted by nintendo at 3:28 AM on October 15, 2007

Why ionizers don't work.
posted by caddis at 4:49 AM on October 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Complete waste of money. The best air filters are the ones they use in hospitals and clean rooms. They tend to use filters-on-top-of-filters designs--one filter for large particles, a HEPA filter or two for airborne pathogens, a gas filter for smokes and bad smells, etc., etc. The only one I've ever seen advertised for the general population that's of this quality is the IQ Air system. It runs about $700 and works like a charm (satisfied customer).

When I first decided I wanted an air filter, I bought a cheap one, then a slightly less-cheap one, then an "expensive" ionizer model, then (after hundreds had been poured down the drain) decided to just suck it up and get a commercial-quality device. I didn't want to spend what I considered "a shitload" just for a damned air cleaner, but in the end I probably spent just as much on systems that were a complete waste of money--not to mention the months of irritation, research, and stuffy air.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:05 AM on October 15, 2007 [3 favorites]

Ionized air filters are a way to seperate the gullible from thei money. Please don't buy one. They are a scam.
posted by Justinian at 6:22 AM on October 15, 2007

According to Consumer Reports, via engadget:
"And this time, it's not just that the Breeze doesn't work, as CR charged in 2003. The magazine's latest study charges that the units actually make air quality worse, by releasing excess ozone into the air — something that can cause serious respiratory problems, especially for asthmatics or other people with breathing concerns (who, not incidentally, are among the biggest purchasers of air purifiers)."

Additional links:
-- a post discussing the Consumer Reports article, with additional links/info
-- A washington post article discussing the issues with the ionizers.
posted by inigo2 at 6:23 AM on October 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Indeed, get a HEPA, avoid ionizers, and avoid ones that are just labeled "HEPA-like."
posted by wintersweet at 8:58 AM on October 15, 2007

Even with all the reports, I still like mine. It's in my closet where there is no fresh air and the ionizer keeps it smelling fresh, without adding any smells to my clothes.

Granted, it my be bad for my health but I figure its no worse than particles from an air freshener.
posted by mphuie at 9:00 AM on October 15, 2007

Ozone is considerably worse than an air freshener. Really.

It also damages BOOKS which is was the clincher for me. Nobody messes with my books.
posted by Justinian at 9:26 AM on October 15, 2007

Ozone in general may be considerably worse than an air freshener, but the output of an ionic air filter isn't going to do anything to you unless you're sitting 1 inch from it, huffing its output all day long.
posted by mphuie at 10:03 AM on October 15, 2007

The fresh smell created by ionizers is ozone, the same thing you smell from an electrical spark. It may be pleasant but it isn't good for you and is particularly deadly for asthmatics. (Cyanide has a pleasant almond smell too. That doesn't mean that it is good for you).

As well as the other effects of ozone noted above by others, ozone degrades rubber products, causing them to crumble. Examples are the rubber drive belts on your clothes dryer, in your furnace, you microwave turntable, gaskets and o-rings, etc.
posted by JackFlash at 12:12 PM on October 15, 2007

... the output of an ionic air filter isn't going to do anything to you unless you're sitting 1 inch from it, huffing its output all day long.

Wrong, according to the EPA.

In their tests ionizers produced levels that were 3 to 5 times greater than harmful levels in the entire room and also in adjacent rooms. Many homes are exposed to harmful ozone pollution that leaks into their homes from outside sources. It simply doesn't make sense to add to that harmful level using an ionizer.

In addition to the dangers to asthmatics, ozone can also make people more susceptible to colds and other viruses by irritating the airways.
posted by JackFlash at 12:18 PM on October 15, 2007

Maybe I'm the odd person out, but I've had good results from my Ionic Breeze air "filters" in terms of cutting down ambient cigarette smoke (my wife is a smoker; I'm not). For that, they work *great*.

Sucks to clean the grids every 2-3 days though.
posted by mrbill at 1:04 PM on October 15, 2007

EVERYTHING from Sharper Image is beautiful but doesn't do what they claim. It's 95% scam.

Ionizers do exactly the opposite of what the sellers claim. All they do is create ozone, which is TERRIBLE for your throat and lungs.

RUN AWAY.
posted by KRS at 2:24 PM on October 15, 2007

I think they can now use the purchase of an ionizer against you in a sanity hearing. ;)
posted by Kensational at 5:45 PM on October 15, 2007

One of my previous roommates got an ionized air filter soon after she moved in. The room was old and damp and she complained something about the air was irritating her throat. She said she felt better afterwards. I didn't feel a difference, but then I hadn't had trouble before that either. So it may depend on personal sensitivity.

It's possible that my roommate was experiencing just the psychological effect of having done something about her problem but it was still good enough for practical reasons.
posted by turtlegg at 6:45 PM on October 15, 2007