1) Do air purifiers help in reducing indoor allergens like pollen?

2) Once I turn on a purifier, how long does it take to cleanse the room of allergens usually? I read a product's review which stated that it can clean up 90% of the room in about 10 days and that seemed like an awfully long time

2) I'm looking at a maintenance-free non-HEPA product which doesn't require change of filters. Do these work as good as HEPA-based ones?

Thank you

I can tell you that 90% of air purifiers will never fully clean a room given their rate of air cleansing and the rate of ambient air exchange. They are usually a compelte waste of money.

I have an air purifier and I don't think they're a waste of money. You should see the gunk that it collected over months of usage.

But that gunk it collected was from an extremely small portion of the air. Think about it physically: If you have a closed window and door and never open them, at ambient temperatures, you will still have significant air exchange through the non-vacuum seals that will far exceed the rate of purification of the air. So unless the purifier is right in front of your face, it is not having much of an effect on the air you actually breathe.

Bought the best one Honeywell made----yes it cleaned(gunk) some air--but I did not notice any difference in my symptoms--very disappointed was I

I have 2 Ionic Breeze machines. I have to clean them about every 2 weeks from all the gunk it gets out of my house. I have 4 cats and my bf is highy allergic to them plus he has asthma. On top of a monthly and daily cleaning routine I can pledge that the machines have helped him greatly. One is by his side of the bed and the other at his computer desk. They are a bit pricey. One alone cost $399.95 if you buy a second on it's $199.98. They have the ones that plug into your car lighter,

I own a Dyson and it's the best sweeper I've ever had. I have to vaccum daily and I shampoo the carpet once a month. When I swept with the Dyson I could not believe the amount of dirt that I was picking up. I thought I had been doing a good job.

There is a new kind of air machine called Sharper Image Hybrid GP Germicidal Air Purifier. I will be trying that one next. If it;s not as good as the one I have I'll bring it back.

Just make sure you do a copious amount of research before you invest anything. Even if its air circulation is good, many air purifiers produce Ozone which is a pollutant. I have read many scientific papers on this and they have shown that they can be extremely harmful.

Ultimately the air is going to be as clean as the area you live in. If you are extremely concerned about the cleanliness of the air because it is impairing your health, you should consider moving.