My Air Purifier: IQAir

We've spent the last 24 years in a country acres homestead built to escape the urban environment. My illness, multiple chemical sensitivity, was always more manageable in the cleaner air of quiet, rural Texas. Our country home sits on 2 wooded acres, surrounded by thousands of undeveloped treed acres. In our cul-de-sac the mailwoman is often the only traffic. It was dusty, but not toxic, the Honeywell HEPA air purifiers did ok.

Surprisingly, the new uptown Houston apartment is beautiful, with lush interior courtyards, a perfect health club, and 3 fabulous pools. The landlord company is aggressive about maintenance.

Maybe too aggressive, since the paint, carpets, and countertop sealer were all fresh. We were barely in the door when the notice arrived about resealing and paint striping the parking lot, just below my bedroom window.

I had an immediate negative reaction to the toxic new environment! Even after setting up a 24 inch fan in the bedroom window for exhaust ventilation, I couldn’t go in the bathroom. Several non-carbon air purifiers I had used at the house didn’t help. Sleep was out of the question. Problem.

BIG Problem: I want my IQAir

When the A/C came on, both Joan and I had itchy eyes, sore throats and noses. It was spewing particulates like crazy. Though stylish, the building was built in 1968. 37 years old means prior tenants were smokers, cats, hippies, big dogs, baby boomers: yikes! Major bummer.

After 100 16 hour days of researching air purifiers to prepare for Air-Purifier-Power, I knew that just any ol' vendor's air purifier wouldn't do! Funds are scarce with 2 boys still in college, and we agonize over every bill. To survive in my new situation there was only one best solution: I bought an IQAir. IQAir HealthPro Plus. Paid cash.

Not just the ordinary green paper regular folks call “cash”. Hard-earned over-the-road trucker cash that meant long nights without sleep and bad meals in places with air quality worse than some third world countries. With a social life to match.

Would my IQAir pay off?

I unpacked the IQAir Healthpro Plus, attached the power cord and wheels, and began wading through the extensive documentation. IQAirs' HealthPro Plus air cleaners come with 2 video DVDs, a user’s manual, easy online warranty stuff, and the certificate of actual tested air filtering performance.

My new clean air toy went in the bedroom right away, and sleep came in fits and starts. My wife couldn’t believe how quiet IQAir was on low. We sleep well with the unit running on speed 3. The bath was still impassible due to the chemical smell.

Over the next few weeks everything changed. Yes, the paint would have improved in time on its own. Of course the window fan ran every day, with “Big John”, the IQAir purifier, running on top speed (6) an hour before bed. (Joan names everything, the more it costs the sooner it gets its own name). But there is no question that the carbon made a big difference over plain HEPA filters.

When we go out, or to the house for the weekend, my entire collection of 7 air purifiers runs full time with the A/C blower and ceiling fan on too.

At bedtime the speed is reduced to "four" and we get in bed. When I start to feel sleepy I use the remote to start lowering the speed to third for sleeping.

At the end of the second month there was still some odor from remodeling of the “new” apartment. So I run the IQAir more than my plain HEPA units.

Two years have passed, and I have added ionizing air purification units, notably Sharp FPN40CX. I feel much better with the Sharp's ozone free negative ion function running, which is the only thing missing from the purifier by IQAir.

I have replaced the prefilter, $60. Owch.

I still adore my Healthpro, so obviously the best.