GermGuardian - AC4825E

GermGuardian and Molekule. We’re in 1800 sq feet and I have four GermGuardians running. One in each of the rooms we hang in the most.

I run hepa with UVC (POC tech) on low speed 24/7. UVC degrades mycotoxins but “single pass efficiency” of my mycotoxin breakdown is very low. This means that only a small portion of mycotoxins that slowly pass very close to the UVC bulb are degraded. Because of this, best practice is to run the filter on low speed 24/7 It’s my belief that hepa without UVC quickly becomes counter productive as the filter accumulates spore. As spores desicate on the filter surface they (spore fragments/mycotoxins) breakdown in smaller particles and are able to pass through the hepa filter. The filter quickly becomes a mycotoxin broadcasting machine

I agree that no purifier will solve the problem. UVC lights are not strong in the sense that you can’t simply put a UVC light in a room and sanitize the area simply by bathing it in light. UVC has been shown to kill/destroy mold and mycotoxin particles that are passing very close to the bulb and a longer amount of time near the bulb equates to higher kill rate. Hence running the purifier low speed 24/7. PCO technology adds a titanium dioxide reflector near the UVC bulb that magnifies the effective killing surface of the bulb. You can google “PCO hepa” for a pretty good selection, I have these two https://www.vornado.com/shop/energy-smart-line/air-purifiers-energy-smart/pco575dc-energy-smart-air-purifier-with-silverscreen-and-true-hepa-filtration?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Mij8qP9iwMVGEf_AR2KOAKsEAQYASABEgIcafD_BwE https://www.amazon.com/GermGuardian-AC4825-Sanitizer-Allergens-Guardian/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=asc_df_B004VGIGVY?mcid=5ff4cc898f773d0c9fd8ddedb832eb2b&hvocijid=6141039508973740702-B004VGIGVY-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=730312820598&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6141039508973740702&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001648&hvtargid=pla-2281435182658&psc=1

I’ve been using this one from Amazon for years and it’s held up really well!! It’s also on sale right now 👏 [Germ Guardian Hepa Air Purifier](https://a.co/d/cJ7wOTJ)

Yes have same one and been running 24/7 for over 15 years loveee it. Just bought the larger 28 inch model wish would have years ago! You can see it pull smoke across room- this brand has never let me down!  Love how they have four types of filters too!  Regular, smoke, pet, and toxin options.

Oh yes air purifiers are a must with Greys. We have the Winix 5300-2 and use it on the 2nd highest setting 24/7 (Plasmawave turned OFF) in the main living area. In her bedroom we have a smaller Germguardian "AC4825CA 4-in-1 Air Purifier with True HEPA UV-C" and use it on the lowest setting overnight (UV-C turned OFF). I vacuum the filters weekly and replace the carbon filter monthly and HEPA every 3-6 months depending on how it's looking. I also have a plant stand with some bird-safe houseplants near her large cage as they help with air quality too. I've been for formal allergy testing 3 times over ~25 years and they've always told me I have a feather allergy (among many others). I haven't had any noticeable ill effects, possibly in part to the air purifiers and keeping floors and surfaces clean.

Firstly, pandemic never ended. People just stopped caring about us "disposable people" (the elderly and disabled) dying 🤷 Having multiple air purifiers around the house would be useful to improve overall air quality. The Costco near me almost always has Winix C545 purifiers on sale for $200 or less (Canadian dollars). They come with an extra set of filters which is convenient. They're affordable, well trusted, and having an app to set them to a certain schedule is really nice. The pre-filter and carbon foam layer help catch a lot of pet hair and dust, as well as the HEPA helping with my allergies immensely. I also have a GermGuardian from Costco, but I don't like their design as much. The pre-filter is insufficient and the HEPA filter gets dirtier much faster. They're affordable though, which is nice.

In response to u/spacex_fanny Unless you buy a cheap fan and constantly have it cranked up to its highest setting, CR boxes are not as noisy as you seem to think they are. Having several set to low will be significantly quieter than one large air purifier cranked on high. Last time I was around several CR boxes, it was literally in a church during a mourning service. And I can promise you that it wasn't too loud. And yes there are several different configurations using 1 large or a several smaller fans. In my experience, even cheap CR boxes are much more tolerable than cheap air purifiers. The Germ Guardian air purifiers from Costco are incredibly noisy and create a constant high-pitched noise at *any* setting. Winix is a good option for cheap air purifiers that aren't horribly noisy, but not as cheap as just making several CR boxes. And trust me on this, I'm autistic so I notice these kinds of things literally constantly. I am unable to tune out the noise like other people do. And things like the Nukit torches are **not a replacement for an air purifier at all.**. That's genuinely just bad advice.

So my experience with air purifiers is they suck the moisture out of the room as well, at least the Germguardian I bought years ago does (and also still works very well). Is it all purifiers, including these, that do that? Thank you for putting this together, btw, despite what I read about its flaws it still helps a ton.

Air purifier is a great purchase. I have the popular Levoit purifiers in my daughter’s nursery and our bedroom. Quiet asf. I vacuum the filters at least once or twice before I change them out to extend the life. I have a larger GermGuardian downstairs that is less quiet, but does the job. Air purifiers (and open windows) will also help in mitigating airborne sicknesses. Humidifier is a good idea—you likely don’t need to run it year round. We run ours at night in the winter bc of the radiator heat, and any time our daughter has a cough/cold, but again, only at night. You can use an ultrasonic humidifier if you use distilled water, or if you know your tap water is very soft and super clean. Otherwise it will leave a white dust around your house. (I found this out when there was a pile of dust around my Levoit purifier lol.) Evaporative work fine with tap. The cost you save on distilled (and plastic waste) you make up for in buying filters and the labor of cleaning. I have a Honeywell that I only change the filter maybe once a winter, and I clean it when I fill it. We use a Vicks in my daughter’s room, which has a built in filter and warm mist. (She can’t get to it at night, otherwise we’d go with cool mist bc of the heat.) The downside is the filter gets very easily crusted with minerals due to our hard water, and I have to wipe it either daily or every other day to prevent an impossible-to-remove crust from forming. And be sure to check the warnings on any diffuser, as oils and such can be harmful to babies and pets.

Agree with other poster - if you have dog smells, get a filter with an activated carbon layer. Other than that, if I'm being totally honest, your filtration results are going to be pretty similar across the board, so whatever unit works best for your budget, space, and aesthetic. Personally, I really like my [Winix 5500-2](https://amzn.to/46hbNkH) unit, which you'll see recommended pretty frequently around reddit. I actually did some testing in a 10'x10'x9' room to compare the [Winix 5500-2](https://amzn.to/46hbNkH) vs [Germguardian](https://amzn.to/4mYBXQt) vs a DIY duct fan +4 hepa filters put together in box form (see attached picture, which I hope works) The Winix performed the best, but the others would honestly be acceptable, and more budget friendly. Pros of the winix: \- quiet (both other units were a good bit louder) \- can back all the way up to a wall (this is actually uncommon) \- auto on/off seems to work well \- can set it for 2/4/8hr cycles https://preview.redd.it/uwdd8mhv6fof1.png?width=749&format=png&auto=webp&s=779eec1baaad24c3d9de0fade0fab35bba2f18f7

Similar boat - I have absolutely murderous pollen allergies for 2ish months of the year so I've gone deep down this rabbit hole. Good news: most air purifiers are pretty effective, including the low priced ones. The difference in pricing normally comes from features and aesthetics. I actually did some testing in a 10'x10'x9' room to compare a few units: the [Winix 5500-2](https://amzn.to/46hbNkH) vs [Germguardian](https://amzn.to/4mYBXQt) vs a DIY duct fan +4 hepa filters put together in box form. link to charts: [https://imgur.com/a/is5RQHN](https://imgur.com/a/is5RQHN) The Winix actually performed the best, but the others are acceptable and more budget friendly. Pros of the Winix: \- quiet (both other units were a good bit louder); I sleep with this on every single night \- space savings - can back all the way up to a wall (this is actually uncommon) \- auto on/off works well \- can set it for 2/4/8hr cycles, or just keep it cranking I also hear great things about the [Coway Omega](https://amzn.to/4gfiCI0), but haven't personally used it. End of the day, the unit that best fits your aesthetic and has the features you want is the one you should go with. Efficacy is gonna be pretty similar, at least according to my testing.

I have this exact one, it’s great!

Germ guardian AC4825 - you can get it on Amazon