There is much confusion in the air purifier market about the difference between air purifiers, ozone generators and ionizers. Because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn t regulate the sale of air purifiers, there is a huge need for the public to be aware of what each product does and whether or not purchasing an air purifier will actually help reduce your home s indoor air pollution. Some do and some don t. Ionizers are generally the same as a typical air purifier in that they have several layers of filtration to clean your indoor air. They differ in the fact that they attach negatively charged ions onto positively charged dust and allergen particles. By attaching to the dust, the negatively charged ions cause the particles to drop out of the air in front of your ionizer unit. This element of an ionizer s air filtering process means you'll need to vacuum the floor around the unit frequently. Ionizers sometimes produce excess ozone as well. Ozone is a gas that occurs naturally in our atmosphere and unnaturally at ground level.

When it occurs naturally in the atmosphere, ozone acts as a protective layer against the sun s harmful UV rays. air rifle cleaning equipmentNearer to ground level, ozone is created when air pollutants expelled from power plants, cars, etc., react chemically to the sunlight   hence ozone creation is more common during summer months. do air purifiers work for dustGround-level ozone is harmful to the respiratory system, especially your lungs. rainbow air purifiers and cleaning systemsaccording to the Environmental Protection Agency, ozone has been known to reduce lung function, exacerbate asthma and make your lungs more vulnerable to infection. With all of the research against the creation and inhalation of ozone, it amazes us that ozone generator manufacturers still produce and market their products as air purifiers.

They may still have the some of the same technology as an air purifier, but because they also crate ozone, they should not be used by anyone suffering from asthma, or by health-conscious individuals. Ozone generators are mainly marketed for their ability to remove unwanted odors from a room. This is very true; the creation of ozone does eliminate pesky cooking, pet-related or smoke odors. In fact, when ozone is released in your home it will smell just like it does after a thunderstorm, fresh and clean   that smell is ozone. However, if you are truly looking to purify the air, look closely for air purifiers that advertise ozone-free technology. The scary truth is that many devices in your home produce ozone byproduct   anything with an electrical motor like TVs, computers, electric mixers, hair dryers and ceiling fans. The Food and Drug Administration and EPA regulates most of these types of products, requiring ozone output to be no more than 0.05 ppm. Air purifiers are not regulated as most home appliances are, thus there is a danger that the unit could be producing excess ozone.

When purchasing an air purifier, look for a filter that is UL listed, has an ETL mark or is certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. All of these organizations, though not government run, are independent companies that test for safe levels of ozone production and compliance with other safety codes. , www.epa.gov and www.airnow.gov to read the latest research. ProForm Smart Strider 935 Great reviews, articles, & videos are coming your way! Assisted Living Community vs. Living at Home: A Cost Comparison Considering whether or not you should put your elderly loved one into an assisted living community is a difficult decision, and not just because... Senior Tax Credit Tips: Claiming Caregiver Tax Deductions Taking care of an elderly parent can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year. When you consider food and basic amenities alone, caring for an... 10 Dangers of Seniors Living Alone According to the Administration on Aging, about 20 percent of men and 36 percent of women over 65 live alone.

In total, these percentages represent... Troubling Facts About Social Isolation in Seniors Social relationships are a critical part of the human experience. We need to interact with other people for our physical and mental well-being.... Assisted Living Home Care Partners Review Fall Detection Sensors Review GPS Medical Alert Systems Review Heart Rate Monitor Watches Review Medical Alert Bracelets Review Medical Alert Systems Review Medicare Part D Plans Review Nursing Care Services Review Online Diet Services Review Online Fitness Services Review Light Therapy Lamps Review Memory Foam Mattresses Review Mold Test Kits Review Pillow Top Mattresses Review Water Filter Systems ReviewI recently had a pretty bad kitchen fire, so I thought I'd post what I did to remove the resulting smoke odor in the hopes that it will help other people who face this problem. If you're looking for the highlights, probably the most original thing I did was use trisodium phosphate (TSP) for cleaning the walls (more on that below).

If you're reading this because you're in the same boat as me, let me start by saying that as bad as things may seem, there probably will be light at the end of the tunnel. It just might take a month and a lot of cleaning. I was boiling some dried soy beans and thought I turned off the stove before I went out of the house; I came home two hours later to find the house filled with thick smoke.For the first week (after I had done a lot of cleaning) there was little change in the odor and I was convinced that I was going to have to hire a fire recovery service, but sure enough the odor eventually faded. And the odor was really bad at first -- it smelled like a chain smoker lived in the house. I was hesitant to involve my insurance company because there wasn't any direct fire damage -- and no appliances were broken. The problem was the odor. So I wanted to try cleaning things myself before I went to them. So here are the details of what I did:I bought two high velocity fans at Home Depot ($50 each), positioning one blowing air into my home through the front door and another facing outwards at the back door (which is in the kitchen).

Getting fresh air into the house and pushing out the dirty air is pretty much the best thing you can do for removing odors. I did this whenever I was home for about three weeks. I replaced the air filter with a MERV 13 filter. This is going to be a bit controversial because some people say to shutoff the HVAC system after a fire so smoke doesn't getting into the system. My system was running when the fire occurred, so that ship had already sailed. MERV 13 filters are used in commercial buildings and are strong enough to remove smoke and odors. But you should know that they do heavily restrict airflow and can damage a home HVAC system -- so I just used it for two weeks. I do feel it made a difference helping to clean the air in my home. I scrubbed down *every* surface in my kitchen -- including the ceiling and inside cabinets -- using TSP. I found that the smell of smoke was clinging pretty tightly to paint with a gloss finish, and neither vinegar nor all purpose spray cleaner with bleach did much to remove the smell.

TSP was pretty effective, though the places that got hit with the most smoke required several passes. TSP is powerful stuff, so be sure not to get it on your skin and not on metal -- it will stain it. Every object in the kitchen was cleaned. I put whatever I could in the dishwasher and washing machine, and scrubbed the rest down with all purpose cleaner that included bleach. The smoke odor clung particularly tightly to soft plastics and anything with a laminated surface for water protection -- this included cardboard boxes for things like salt and plastic wrap. In most cases I put the contents of the boxes into something else and tossed the boxes. Let me just emphasize that I cleaned absolutely everything in the kitchen. If you don't remove the smoke molecules from surfaces and objects, they'll just keep smelling up the air in your home. Outside of the kitchen the smoke only really clung to fabrics and soft plastics, so I washed every single fabric I had in my house (clothes, curtains, bags, shoes, etc.), and sent the carpets out to be cleaned.

I also kept all my cleaned clothes in my car for two weeks until I felt that air in the home had become sufficiently clean. For my sofa I washed the covers twice and sprayed the cushions with a Fabrize fabric spray.I did all of this within the first 3 days of the fire, and it took at least 7 days until I noticed in improvement in the odor (among the worst week in my life). After two weeks there was significant improvement, and by the fourth week the odor was 90 percent gone (that's where I am at this point). I think continually blowing fresh air through the house will take care of the last 10 percent. Ultimately I'm not sure what a fire recovery service would have done that I didn't do. I was pretty meticulous and the TSP is strong stuff. Vinegar: lots of people on the internet rave about its cleaning and odor absorption abilities, but it didn't do much for me. The best thing I can say about it, is that I had some rubber objects that the dishwasher could not fully clean; soaking them in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water did the trick.

For removing odors I found used coffee grounds to be pretty effective. Despite my cleaning efforts some of the odor seemed to be trapped in my cabinets (probably because it was hard for fresh air to get into them). I put the grounds into plastic containers and placed those in the closed cabinets -- they definitely helped neutralize the odor. The one thing that gave me the most trouble was the microwave. It's mounted above the stove and took the brunt of the smoke. I never use the microwave, so I unmounted it and placed it outside. I've tried cleaning it with everything imaginable, as well as boiling vinegar and lemon juice in it, and it's been very slow going getting the smell out of it. I'm kinda inclined to just junk it, but I also have the luxury of time to just keep airing it out. Ozone Generators: I read up a lot about them, and while some people swear by them, the EPA claims there is little scientific evidence that they actually work, there are health risks, and they can damage various things in your home.