Air Purifier Reviews & More

Reviews

This humidifier is actually being used at a local animal shelter in one of their isolation rooms. The cats in that room are all sick. It helps them breath better & it seems they are getting better just a little faster.

This is an excellent humidifier. It has one added advantage - two smaller than usual reservoirs make it easier to refill for those of us who are getting more seasoned - older that is.

The product is as described. It puts out quite a bit of steam which I need living in Las Vegas because it is so dry here. It helps my breathing and gives my skin moisture. It's a great product. I love the two tanks and the ease of use.

Last month I purchased another unit that ran out of water in the middle of the night. This one does NOT have that problem. Even on the highest setting it's running about a day and a half! Beautiful. The 'on' light is way too bright but a piece of black tape fixed that. You can't see any light from the germ light (that's good). It does it's germ killing on the water before it hits the hot plate. I'm not sure how needed this is considering it's generating steam but 'perhaps' (I don't really know) it may reduce the gunk amount in the cleanup. It came with 3 mineral pads that simply lay on a hot plate (use just 1 pad). Note they are the 'small' round pads. I see two sizes on Amazon. No other light comes from the unit. Gurgling isn't as bad as some other units I've tried but there is no way around a bit of gurgling. The TWO water side tanks can both be filled or just one. Lifting one tank off the unit while the other is full causes NO problems, water doesn't gush out. It is big so check the size. The only 'cons' are the way too bright on light (easy fix, tape) and when empty the plastic tanks can easily fall while moving the unit. They don't 'lock' in place and are quite light when empty. I haven't tried a lower steam setting but there is a constantly variable control for steam (not just low and high). So far I love the unit and I let it run all night!

I could not understand why my electric bill was as high this winter as they were during last summer when I used my central A/C. When I unplugged the humidifier, my bill dropped right back in line. It costs about $40-$50 a month to run it here on Cape Cod.

Reviews

i bought this with the hopes of clearing the bedroom air of allergens that keep my nose constantly clogged up. this unit did not help my allergies but it does take odors out of the air and is very quiet.

I really like this machine. I have been running it for a few weeks. It runs so quietly. It detects odors before I can and starts cleaning the air. I think this was a good purchase.

This filter is quiet and efficient. I was concerned about the reviews that mentioned how loud the unit was. I find it very quiet. Set on auto it stays on quiet mode. When it detects an odor or poor air quality it kicks up the power, usually only to low or medium, handles the problem air quality and then kicks right back down to quiet mode.

(I'm going to try and use a paucity of words but be informative. LOL !) MY PROBLEM: Six year Granddaughter's eyes would begin to burn after her being here 1-2 hours. My eyes also burned some. I have three dogs and (my steel trap mind) immediately suspected pet dander. MY SOLUTION: I have a small entry foyer with a doggie door through the storm door leading outside and a doggie door through the main door into my home. I bought a Surround Air S3500 for that small area because that unit moves about twice as much air (CFM) as the XJ3800 and will capture heavier contaminantes such as pet hair. The higher (CFM) air movement of the S3500 creates more noise but I don't care as that noise is outside earshot. SURROUND AIR XJ3800.....put the XJ3800 in the den where most (waking) time is spent. That unit is quiet - except on highest fan speed - cause that unit is not moving a lot of air. Also has all the other needed filters/filtration plus the HEPA. VACUUM CLEANER: Also switched to a HEPA bag in the vac. MY RESULTS: Granddaughter's eyes no longer burn. My eyes no longer burn. Success. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments: 1. To clean air two things are a 'must' 1) HEPA filter....2) ability to move air through the filter. Moving air makes noise. Moving a lot of air makes a lot of noise. (Remember boys and girls, there ain't no free lunch.) Additional filters/lights certainly help with various problems but it all starts with the HEPA. 2. Despite marketing claims to the contrary, these portable air purifiers are for ONE ROOM. (Just like window air conditioners are for one room.) 3) Most manufacturer square footage claims are exaggerated. Reduce square footage certainly by one-third and by one-half to be sure. 4. CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) numbers are suspect. Stick with square footage. You want to cycle (clean) the air in the room 5-6 times per hour. Get your room measurement - length and width PLUS ceiling height - and call/email the manufacturer/vendor with that info and have them calculate the needed CFM.

In the past I've used just about every kind of air purifier that exists, and with varying costs and effectiveness, but this one just rocks my socks! It cleans everything, and I mean E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! Dust? Not anymore. Odors? Gone. Pollen? Not a single sneeze or watery eye. This truly is the best air purifier on the market hands down. Trust me, I've done the research not to mention have practical experience with other air purifiers. I definitely recommend this to everyone. My only complaint is with the shipping - the box was all bashed up, and it looked like it was taped by a monkey! The machine had several scuff marks and a black dust all over it and inside of it, but after cleaning it off and following the Manual instructions (of running it constantly for 8 hours and then unplugging it without turning it off so as to reset the sensors and make them more sensitive) everything worked perfectly. Not a single problem with the machine, and a persistent odor that I could never seem to get rid of was completely GONE in about 36 hours of running on high. My apartment has air vent registers in the floor of each room and for some reason dust and allergens come through it from my neighbors apartments but after putting in vent register filters and running this machine it's like living in a completely different apartment! (oh and I have a cat too, and there is no kitty litter/cat poopies smell at all)

Reviews

I purchased this because my home contained visable mold and who knows what's hidden behind the drywall. In addition, the lower level of the home often had a funny smell (not really moldy, just funny, kind of earthy), and since I moved, the dog and cat are really itchy. I read one of the reviews for this product on another site where someone had a mold remediator come in 4 times and it didn't work, so I decided to try this first, since it's cheaper, and it is supposed to remove more than just mold. I plugged this in in the family room on the lower level. It originally gives off a mild burning smell that subsides after a few days. Soon, the lower level of my home had no more funny smells and both the cat and dog prefer to sleep in that room as opposed to all other rooms. I just ordered a second one for the mid level of my home and plan to get a smaller one for the bedroom. I'm very pleased with it. Don't know that it got rid of the mold, but it did get rid of the smell and both the dog and cat think it's doing a good thing, since they had no interest in that room prior to the Airfree. To me, that says a lot. Ok, had to edit this because I got the second airfree for the living room level and that's been running about 2 weeks now. They say it takes a month to work, but my itchy dog, who had rubbed all the hair off her eye and had large scabs on her rear by her tail (the vet was the one who originally put the air purifier idea in my head) has stopped rubbing her face, her eye's no longer red and it appears that the hair's even making an effort to regrow and all the scabs on her rear are gone! She's not on any meds for this either so that's not the cause of her improvement. This is more than I could have hoped for. She's much more comfortable and will now hang with us in the livingroom. I just ordered a small one for my bedroom. Now we'll see how it does on my morningtime stuffy nose :-) Ps. still no funny smells on the lower level!

I purchased this item October 24th. I had pneumonia and was concerned about air quality. I cannot tell if it is working, but I have left it plugged in because I have faith that it is probably working. I think I will have to do a test with a strawberry to see if it molds quickly, or have an indoor air quality person do a test, which will cost $400. It is hard to tell if it works. It is true that it is silent and doesn't make the room any hotter or colder. It would be nice if there was something they could build into this product to measure air samples or something to show you it is working.

Overall very satisfied with the product. The wife's asthma attacks are much improved and my eyes aren't swollen shut in the morning anymore from allergies/dust mites/mold or whatever the heck it was that was bothering me (I am highly allergic). I was able to tell with my eyes within the first couple days, though per the literature it can take a couple weeks to get the entire room well sterilized. In response to the poster above, you can dim the blue light with a dimmer switch button on the underside if the light the airfree gives off bothers you.

I bought this unit for my bedroom. I wanted something quiet, rather than the air cleaner I currently have and I need something going all the time due to allergies. You cannot turn off the blue light. It is very bright. I moved the unit to a spare bedroom where I sometimes store dusty items from the attic and it works fine there where I do not mind the light.

I put one of these in my bedroom. Before installing it, I tossed and turned a lot at night and rarely dreamed. Now I sleep deeper and dream more often. I suspect my allergies were interfering with my sleep before. (I am primarily allergic to cats and dust mites, but also have a mild mold allergy.) The blue light on top does not interfere with my sleep, but sometimes I turn it off anyway. There is a small blue LED on the side that does not turn off, which I found annoying until I rotated the unit so that the LED does not shine in my eyes when I'm trying to sleep. The unit does not make any noise (the air is moved by heating, not by a fan). Before buying this, I needed 7-8 hours of sleep per night to function well during the day. Now I feel the same on only 6-7 hours of sleep. The product literature claims this can help remove odors from the air. It may reduce the pungency of odors, but it does not remove them completely in my experience.

Reviews

Instructions for removing UV bulb are not clear; I broke mine when cleaning because the instruction manual was not very informative in how to remove the bulb and had to order a new bulb. Also the warning indicator light for the electrostatic filter was lit, inicating the filter had to be cleaned. When I dissasembled the filter, the electrostatic filter was very clean without any collected dust.

Reviews

I have had this unit for over a year, next to my bed. It is the only room in the house that does not make me sneeze. It is not a massive filtered system that will clear a room in minutes but over time it is great.

We recently bought this air purifier after scouring the market for one that would meet all of our requirements--especially that would help my chemical sensitivities. The photo makes it look like it's metal, which is what we hoped for. But when we got it, it turned out to be plastic and emitted a terrible plastic smell as it heated up. We put it in a room where it couldn't affect us, hoping it would offgas enough to use it. Now, nearly two weeks later, it is still giving off that smell, although a little less intensely. Why on earth would a company that claims its product purifies the air use a plastic that gives off such terrible fumes? It also seems far too small to clean the air in the space we bought it for. Obviously we're sending it back.

I bought this product at [...], but wanted to share my feedback in this forum. It has dramaitcally increased the "breatheability" of my air. I suffer from MCS, astham, and severe allergies, and the use of this product has helped tremendously...and even allowed me to reduce the amount of medication I take! It has already paid for itself!

The AirFree P2000 literature claims that the product incinerates bacteria by heating the air to 400 degrees fahrenheit, and uses convection current to circulate air through the unit. I was skeptical, but as we were looking for a product to help with our kid's allergies, decided to give it a try. There was absolutely no difference in the quality of the air in their bedroom after a few weeks. The documentation does correctly state that the product does not work with allergens or dust that has settled on surfaces of the room, only for things floating in the air. However, the convection current is not nearly strong enough to really pull enough air through the unit to do any good at all. If you slap the carpet right next to the unit and look at the dust that billows up, most of it will settle right back on the ground next to the Airfree - even right next to the air intake vents, you can not see even the slightest pull of the dust towards the unit - it just settles right back down on the ground. The documentation also states that you need to keep it on for at least a week to notice any effect. However, just the airflow from under any bedroom door will replace more air in the room in one day than this unit can clean in a month, guaranteed! And that's if you leave the door closed. Think of it this way - you could get the exact same effect by leaving a burner on an electric stove turned on 24 hours a day. Would you even consider this as a solution to your asthma? It's just a waste of electricity. The unit is outrageously overpriced at $239. I opened it up to see what was inside. As expected, it's just a basic control circuit with a ceramic heating element. As far as the parts go, there is less here than what is used to build a regular $25 coffee maker or toaster. Ok, they don't manufacture this in mass produced volume, but they would still make a very good profit if it was sold for $50. There's not many products that I would give zero stars to, but this is one of them.

this product is recommended by doctors in Brazil ,and I asked the doctor here in USA because our allergies from pollen , mold and dust is so bad each year , so I bought this one here and it`s working wonderfull in our room, we ( my husband and I)are sleeping better because we are breathing better,I couldn`t think about the spring and pollen season, but now I`m waiting for ... .I had some problem with fedex delivery ,whose was resolved very fast by customer service and the guy that attend me , Barry Midwinter, was so polite , I appreciate it so much.So what you are waiting for ..., buy yours and breath and live better...

Reviews

Kill-a-watt meter says: 42 watts on low, 54 watts on high. I started with one of these in my bedroom. The air is so clean it refreshes you like diving in a pool of water. I bought another one for the living room. I run both on high power all day, and on low power at bedtime. My Cats like to sleep in front of the unit, letting the fresh air blow on them.

Reviews

We chose this model because it was reputed to clear the air of not only dust and allergens but mold as well which was a key selling point. Another selling point was that it did not require replaceable filters. The unit is quiet. Particles collect on flat metal slats and a light comes on that tells you it needs cleaning. The slats are quite dirty when cleaning time comes so you know it's collecting something. We've found however that our unit starts to make a crackly noise sort of like static electricity when the slats need to be cleaned, long before the cleaning light comes on. So we clean it when the static noise comes instead of waiting. It's easy to clean. The slat house pops right out and you wipe it down with a damp cloth or paper towels. The towels are always black with whatever the unit has collected from the air which really makes you wonder what's in the air. The unexpected benefit is that we don't need to dust as often. The area stays much cleaner. I wish I could put several more throughout the house just for this benefit alone! Anything that makes cleaning easier is a big plus in my book!

I originally bought this for my mother who had severe breathing problems. It is fabulous! It worked great for her and I am now using in my home. It by far surpasses ALL of the other air units I have purchased... hepa filters, hunter, air tamers... It is silent until it needs to be cleaned - and when you clean it, the debris is so disgusting you know it is working!!! I am buying more for my childrens rooms, as they dont like the sound of the air pulling purifiers. 100% superb product. Jan Randall

Reviews

I bought the V4500 at a local Target one night out of desperation. I've dealt with nighttime congestion for years (my nasal passages close up completely and makes sleep very difficult; rx or saline sprays and allergy pills don't help). Mind you, I live in S.Florida where the climate is humid as it is. But I need a humidifier for allergies. Saw the filter-free feature and thought this would be easy. The first night, it ran very quietly and my nasal passages opened up completely that I remembered what it was like to really be able to breathe again. However, the honeymoon stage ended very quickly after that and while I was able to breathe better than before when I didn't have a humidifier, my nose would still get stuffy. And you have to dedicate an hour or more to clean and disinfect it enough to use (it'll still have hard to reach places with mold and mildew). It's hard enough to dedicate time as a young single person with hardly any daily routines and responsibilities; I can't imagine what it's like for someone who deals with work, children, etc,etc. to have to also deal with this. -Very noisy (Kept waking up everytime it would gurgle, and esp when it would get very loud all of a sudden) -Wouldn't clear nasal passages as well as I hoped. -Very hard to reach areas for cleaning. -Manual does not instruct on how to clean actual motor house (only the base and tank). -White dust (made unit very sticky and dusty at the same time, hard to wipe clean). I will attempt to return this at Target. Has anyone been able to return it successfully? And does anyone have any suggestions for someone who deals with moderate to severe nighttime congestion (any very low-maintenace options)?

We purchased this when our daughter was an infant, and what a mistake. After just a few weeks of use, it started to get louder and louder- rumbled like a freight train even at the lowest setting. Not exactly ideal for a sleeping infants room. So we contacted Vicks, because surely we though that the one we purchased was either broken or defective in some way. They honored their warranty, and sent us replacement of the same model free of charge, which was very kind of them. Within a week the new one started to rumble louder and louder, to the point where the noise from the humidifier would wake us through the baby monitor! Needless to say we are extremely dissatisfied with the product, we expected a higher quality from the Vick's brand. The only positive thing I could say was how their customer service was fantastic, too bad their product stinks. We are now looking for a new humidifier, and we will be sure to steer clear of the Vick's brand.

As so many others have stated, this product is a complete waste of money, and, I believe, a health hazard. If I could give it "0" stars I would. Despite my best efforts to use filtered water, a ProTec cartridge, and disinfect all reachable parts on a weekly basis with vinegar and/or bleach, mold has grown in the motor housing that is impossible to reach in order to properly sanitize this product. After contacting Kaz, I was told the same thing as so many others (I was hoping maybe they had changed their policy), that I would have to send the item back on my own dime, just to receive the same piece of junk as a replacement. Then, once I received the new one, I should "empty all the water from the tank and base (daily). Then run the unit without any water in it for at least 1 hour to dry the fan housing. If you do not want to run the unit without any water I would just remove the fan housing and unscrew the bottom cover and lay the fan housing on its side so it can air dry." Yeah, like I have the time to do that every day with two small children and one on the way. So this humidifier will probably end up in the trash, a waste of $45 + tax. FYI, in the last couple of weeks I have purchased a Crane humidifier which doesn't require a filter either (unless you have hard water), for less money, and so far I haven't had any issues with it. It does its job perfectly! From now on, I will not be purchasing any more Vicks/Kaz products due to their complete lack of concern that they have sold a health hazard and aren't taking any responsibility to rectify the situation.

I bought this product because I was excited about a filter free humidifier. Never again! It has multiple parts that are hard to clean including a tube that gets mold and mildew inside it. The fan housing is covered in mold after 3 months and there is not a way to clean it. We own a Vicks humidifier with a filter that we have been thrilled with for 3 years, so we thought we were buying a good product. Boy were we wrong. We have used the Protec cartridges to clean it and tried to clean it regularly. This has not prevented the mold and mildew buildup. We have also had trouble with it not coming on when set to the highest humidity setting in a dry room. I've fiddled with it and found that if I turn the humidity meter all the way down before turning the unit on, then turn it up, I can often get it to come on. This little trick does not always work and is working less and less often as the product "ages". This is one of THE WORST purchases I have ever made for $50.00.

This is such a waste of money! We bought this for our baby to ease his breathing at night and 1 month later found mold growing inside the tank and all over. We cleaned it out and used the "purifier ball" but the mold still grew EVERYWHERE in it. The worst part is you can't even take the machine apart to properly clean it. So we are stuck with a moldy humidifier that you can NOT clean... whats the point??

Reviews

This is the most annoying, frustrating piece of machinery I have ever used in my life. We bought multiple units and both have the same problems. Though regularly cleaned and filled, both units seem to have faulty air humidity and water level sensors. the machine NEVER runs because it is always sure that the tank is empty because the poorly designed mechanism initiated the brake. I would never recommend this product unless I really didnt like someone.

This is the most annoying, frustrating piece of machinery I have ever used in my life. We bought multiple units and both have the same problems. Though regularly cleaned and filled, both units seem to have faulty air humidity and water level sensors. the machine NEVER runs because it is always sure that the tank is empty because the poorly designed mechanism initiated the brake. I would never recommend this product unless I really didnt like someone.

We keep this on all the time and it works well. The water tank is big enough to last through the night on the low setting, and low setting is a pleasant hum that helps drown out street noise. (Higher settings use water faster and are louder.) This is definitely a low maintenance item. Every 7 hours or so, it needs to be refilled (for low setting), and it works just as well as it did when we bought it 2 years ago. We have noticed, as other reviewers have mentioned, that the water in the base does look yellow and disgusting, but we also haven't noticed any problems stemming from not cleaning it out regularly. (No health issues, no smell, etc.) This does not mean none could arise, but we use it constantly and haven't yet had a problem with it. So having one with a proper filter is better if you care about what the water in the base looks like, but otherwise we have no complaints.

this is sucks water upwards and if it loses suction somehow the water will spill over the side of the bottom reservoir and damage your flooring. I have wood floor and it has spill over a few times and now my floor is bulged because of this humidifier. It is also very noisy, I have placed it far from my bedroom and shut my bedroom door so as not to disturb my sleep; compare this to the gurgling sound of the steam humidifier I would prefer my noisy steam humidifier. This is by far the worst humidifier I've ever owned.

I purchased this humidifier 5 years ago and it has run every winter from December till March nearly 24 hours a day. I like this unit because it humidifies my bedroom well and is easy to disinfect. I see people complaining about how they have to clean this unit so often.... I can tell you if you're using ANY humidifier for weeks on end without disinfecting you're going to be spreading pathogens. This is not based on hearsay, but from my college education in pathogens. You cant disinfect other humidifiers like you can with this one. I disinfect this Hunter Humidifier once a day with Peroxide and every once in awhile with Vinegar. It takes ten minutes and I do it while getting ready to go to bed....not a big deal. The vinegar is a weak disinfectant but does remove the scale. I'm in the midwest with hard water. The permawick filter lasted 3 years. The motor just went out after a calculated 3000 hours of use. I think the reason why so many people have burnt out motors is because they let the unit run dry or dont let the lower resevoir fill completely before turning the unit on to high. Running it dry spins up the fan and probably burns out the motor Needless to say I will be purchasing another one.