Reduce Outside Air with GPS' IAQ Spreadsheet Used on Over 600 Projects! Reduce OA to 5 CFM Per Person or Less! Based on ASHRAE 62 IAQP ASHRAE & IMC Compliant Find a Residential GPS Certified Contractor How Does the Technology Work?For four years, I lived on 58th street in Manhattan. My apartment was basically on the Queensborough Bridge, right where cars enter and exit. I know what you’re thinking—"How loud was that?"—and you'd have a point. In all honesty, it was pretty noisy. But as it would turn out, that was only the most obvious problem, not the most important one.I turned my A/C to the "fan" setting each night to cover up the noise and kept my double windows closed pretty much at all times. While it was annoying, I didn’t really mind, since leaving them open meant that, within a day, the glass itself, the windowsill, and everything around it would be covered in black dirt. We’re not talking about your normal dust—this was straight soot and pollution from the constant flow of motors outside.

So keeping them closed meant less cleaning up, which was OK with me.Looking back, it’s funny that I only ever thought of the thick soot with disgust in terms of my needing to sacrifice time to clean it. It probably should have raised some other alarm bells. Like the fact that I was actually inhaling all the crap coming in from outside.Let me start by saying that I am one of those people who's kind of always coughing. It’s not terrible, and it may even be more of a tic than an actual biological need, but I do tend to cough more than the rest of the population. I’ve always had slight allergies so I just wrote it off as a symptom, popped a Zyrtec, and figured it was helping. Maybe that's why I didn't notice how bad it had gotten.I was coughing constantly—like all day, all the time. When I would lie down for bed, that's when it got even worse. I'd cough for about 10 minutes before falling asleep. I also cleared my throat—a lot—and it would take a couple tries before it actually felt like it was clear.

I'd find myself apologizing to the people I worked with, saying things like, "sorry—I have no idea what's wrong with my throat today."One afternoon my mom was over at my place and pointed out how frequently I was doing it. We were rearranging and cleaning out my room, and suddenly she zeroed in on the problem. “It’s this pollution,” she said. house plants air purifier“I don’t know how anyone could breathe in a place with this much dust.”buy an air purifier in chinaShe decided to buy me an air purifier that day and let me tell you…life changing! air purifier uk bestYou just plug it in, turn it on, and let it run. I’d leave it on even when I went to work or out for the night so it could constantly be cleaning the air in my room.

The machines aren't exactly small (this is the one I have), but they are so worth the space they take up—even in a Manhattan apartment. My cough got so much better. I actually felt like I could breathe again, and I wasn’t having a coughing attack every night when I would lie down to go to bed. Amazing.I’ve since moved down a couple streets so I’m no longer living on such a busy intersection. But I still have an air purifier in my apartment to help keep my health in check. If you’re wondering whether or not you should invest in one, here are some reasons you may want to:Like me, you may forget that pollution really does affect your health. “Proximity to an urban highway can increase the risk of less optimally controlled respiratory symptoms,” explains Clifford Bassett, M.D., founder and medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York. “Indoor air filtration has been found to provide a statistically significant improvement in a variety of respiratory symptoms.” Read: If there are a million cars outside your window, an air purifier in your house will help you breathe easier.

Pollution isn't the only thing making its way in your windows. Pollen and other allergens might be sneaking in there as well. Air filters last a decent amount of time, so you won’t need to change yours as frequently as you may think, given all the stuff it's sucking up. Plus, it’s easy to find and purchase new filters online—look for ones that have a HEPA rating; they capture more than 99 percent of the particulates that can irritate your respiratory system. Most machines have a light that comes on to let you know when it’s time to replace the old filter.It's possible that you're so used to the coughing and throat cleaning that you don’t notice how it’s affecting your respiratory system. Bassett says that an air purifier can reduce your exposure to pet allergens in your home. It could even help if your boo is coming over with Fido's hair stuck to his or her clothing.There’s no question about it—your lungs are being affected. While an air purifier won’t be able to prevent you from inhaling the smoke all together, it can help make the air cleaner.

“They’re very effective in removing indoor airborne pollutants, namely tobacco, by trapping them on the filter materials,” says Bassett.If you’re able to get an air purifier, there’s really no downside to it. (Note: some are louder than others so do your research first!) “Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” explains Bassett. “So you should strive to eliminate or reduce sources of pollutants in your home.” If you’re not ready to make the investment just yet, Bassett also recommends certain plants that can help clean your home, such as peace lily, bamboo palm, and English ivy.Photo Credit: Mykeyruna / Getty ImagesPutting the Tesla HEPA Filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode to the Test The Week that Electric Vehicles Went Mainstream Leave this field blankLet’s play a quick game of word association: If we were to say, “air purifier,” what words immediately spring to mind? The likely responses are things like “HEPA,” “humidifier,” “allergies,” and “asthma.”

Overall, we tend to think of air purifiers as clinical devices, brought in to alleviate sickness or discomfort. On rarer occasion, we might imagine hulking appliances filtering contaminated air in labs, factories, and hospitals. One can easily assume that the average, healthy, youthful person doesn’t need to worry about filtering their air. Pollution is something that happens outside. Cars, trucks, factories, ozone, and other pollutants are all out there. Our homes are a safe place. Indoor air is much dirtier than conventional wisdom might imply. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is anywhere from two to five times as polluted as outdoor air, and the World Health Organization says some 4.3 million people die due to household pollution each year. In fact, there are more sources of pollution indoors: Outdoor pollutants, like pollen and ozone, come in through open windows; burning candles, cooking, smoking, and other daily activities release particulate matter;

and chemicals and manufactured materials, such as plywood and carpet, release potentially dangerous compounds. All that’s before the contaminants that we already know might be there, such as dust, pet dander, carbon monoxide, and lead. Truth is, even those average, healthy, youthful people can be affected by impure air. While health risks are higher for those with pre-existing conditions like asthma or emphysema (asthma rates in the U.S. are on the rise, by the way), prolonged exposure to airborne contaminants can trigger or contribute to a host of other conditions, as well. Beyond ear, nose, and throat irritation, pollutants can lead to breathing difficulties, a weakened immune system, reduced alertness, and an increased risk of heart disease. Sometimes the effects are so minor, they can even go unnoticed. Research has shown air quality to have a direct impact on the how we exercise, our ability to concentrate, and how well we sleep. Now more than ever, people are paying close attention to how they treat their bodies.

Clean eating, regular exercise, and the composition of everything from shampoo to household cleaners are big concerns for the health conscious. “You are what you eat,” the old adage goes, but now “you are what you eat, do, and touch.” Clean air is the missing piece of the puzzle: On a given day, we take in more air than any other substance (nearly 3,000 gallons’ worth, in fact). You are what you breathe. There are plenty of tactics we can use to improve the quality of our air. Venting cooking gases and using fans and HVAC systems to keep air exchanging and circulating can help. But the most practical, and powerful, solution is an air purifier, the burliest of which can clear the air of more than 99 percent of pollutants. Trouble is, the popular assumptions about purifiers are not entirely unfounded. By and large, the devices, which need to be placed centrally in order to do their best work, evoke mini fridges more than end tables or high-end speakers one would be proud to put on display.