ClearFlite Air Purifiers -  Newsletters - Volume 4

Common Sense Things to Know About Mold and Air Purifiers

Mold is everywhere. It's one of Nature's most successful organisms. The type and amount of mold to which humans are exposed and the degree to which the exposure may or may not be harmful varies greatly. So when is it a significant problem and when is it a minor irritation? Does it really affect our health? A huge industry has grown up around the issue of mold so we will take a quick look at the common sense side of it.

Certainly the overwhelming growth of mold in the areas flooded by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, widely reported in the press, is the degree of mold that causes a range of health problems. As one person who visited her house for the first time said, “that mold – it smells like death.” Professional companies which remove mold must be engaged in these situations. After the mold is professionally removed, the use of an air purifier will be helpful in removing airborne spores that were left behind, and in keeping the air free of any more that are generated in the future.

There is a great deal of hard science that indicates the inhalation of mold spores contributes to asthma and allergy attacks, along with secondhand smoke, cockroaches, dust mites, pollens, and ozone. Adults and especially children with diagnosed allergies and/or asthma will benefit greatly from the reduction of mold in their environments.

The science is less definitive about the part mold plays in conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity. However, it is only logical that anyone suffering from an ailment that is related to the respiratory system will benefit from breathing cleaner air.

“Mold experts” have arisen in every town and city sometimes exaggerating the toxicity and negative effects of mold to scare people into investing in major cleanups. Like any other contractor, their credentials should be investigated. By reducing the moisture in your environment using a dehumidifier, and making sure the airborne spores are removed using an air purifier, you'll go a long way toward making your home or office a better place for breathing. After trying those things, if you still suspect major mold problems, it might be good to contact a reputable mold reduction company.

All of the air purifiers that ClearFlite sells are effective on mold. The brands with the best effectivity are IQAir, Blueair, and Austin Air.

Buying Air Purifiers for Your Aging Parents

When the holiday shopping season begins, we get lots of questions about the best air purifiers to buy for one's elderly parents. In addition to the general considerations about which model will help with their particular problems, it is important to consider maintenance and filter replacement, especially if you do not live near your parents, and won't be able to keep an eye on their air purifier use. Of course, you want to purchase an air purifier that will actually help them, but you should also consider whether or not they are physically capable of washing or changing the filters as needed, or mentally able to remember to change the filters at the appropriate time.

ClearFlite only sells high quality air purifiers that significantly reduce airborne irritants, allergens, and toxins. (If chemical sensitivity is also an issue, we recommend the IQAir HealthPro Plus or the Austin HealthMate Plus).

For the elderly who cannot change filters, or do any maintenance, the Austin HealthMates are a great solution. They are true workhorses that you can turn on and leave on for a number of years. The Hepa and carbon are integrated into one main filter surrounded by a prefilter. It's good to change the prefilter once every year or two but not critical. Your parents can simply turn the unit on and run it 24/7.

The IQAir air purifiers have multiple filters but also have monitors which indicate when they need to be changed so there is no guesswork involved. If your parents are capable of checking the monitors and changing the filters (it's pretty easy), IQAir would be our second recommendation. The filters do last quite a while.

The Blueair models are excellent but require filter changes every six months. It's very easy to change the filters but your parents would have to remember or be reminded to do it.

Friedrich C90B, (their newest model) have been Consumer Reports top air purifiers for the last few years. We believe it is primarily because the main filter is washable, so other than the inexpensive carbon filter, there are no significant filter replacement costs. We do not recommend this one for the elderly unless they are very capable of remembering to clean the filters periodically (possibly monthly), can put them in their dishwasher or wash by hand in a deep sink or bathtub, and can re-install them.

Replacement filters for existing air purifiers are also a thoughtful holiday gift. We have put a gift certificate program in place to make it easier to help you keep your parents air purifier filters accessible so there is no stress when it's time to change them.


ClearFlite's New Customizable Gift Certificate Program

At the request of many of our customers, we have finally set up a Gift Certificate program.  Click HERE to got to that program.

We will send a beautiful certificate to you or to your recipient which is easily redeemed by calling our 800 number. You can buy the certificates in denominations of $100, $250, $500, $750, or $1000, OR you can call our toll free number and tell us the specific amount you want your gift certificate to be in.

For example, if you want to give your parents a certificate for two year's worth of Blueair filters, you can call and purchase a certificate in the amount of $ 316 (4 filter sets @ $79 for required changes every six months). They don't have to use the entire certificate at one time. They simply call, give us the certificate number, and tell us how many filters they want, and we keep track of how much they have used. The certificates can be customized in any way you want simply by calling and talking to our sales representatives.

Thank you and have a Blessed Autumn.

Featured air purifiers
 

HealthPro Compact

HealthPro

HealthPro Plus

GC MultiGas

 
GC VOC

GC AM Air Purifiers

GC Chemisorber