Hey, you and I are in the same boat. I had a baby boy at 31 weeks, now almost 5 month adjusted, and I went down the air quality rabbit hole hard. I want to do whatever I can to keep him healthy and developing normally.
He sleeps with us in our room right now. I have a clean air kits luggable xl pc fan cr box and a IQair Health Pro Plus running on setting 2. Both run 24/7. This gives me a lot of air changes per hour and some gas filtration, while staying below 50 decibels.
In the rest of the house, I have more luggable xls, smart air blast, iqair gc and GCX, Coway 400 and 300, and an Alen 25i.
I think it’s important to get a standalone air quality monitor like the air gradient one or purple air zen.
I run the hvac blower fan 24/7 to circulate air through the house.
I also open windows every morning and bring in fresh air to keep CO2 low.
I don’t know what your budget is, but you can make your own cr boxes for really cheap and then throw a few nice hepa air purifiers on top.
I bought all the expensive units used (iqair, Coway, smart air) and saved a ton of money. Just gave them a good cleaning and new filters.
Another important thing is to always run your kitchen hood vent when cooking
I’ve been keeping my house between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit so that he sleeps his best and relative humidity between 45-55%. I have a Midea Cube dehumidifier I run when it’s really humid out and humidity in the house gets above 60%.
I also vaccum and mop the floors all the time now. We have an old dog that sheds a lot and the floors get covered in hair if I don’t stay on top of it.
I kindof rambled but that’s just been what I have been doing and what purifiers I bought to give you some ideas and things to look into.
I just got an Alen Air 25i for my little office and it’s been a really great unit for the last few weeks. Alen sells bundle “whole house” solutions that might work for you.
For me, I put a smart air blast in my living room, a iqair GCX in my kitchen, iqair gc in my dining room/front foyer, Alen 25i in the office, Coway Air Mega 300 and 400s in our spare bedrooms, an iq air health pro plus in the master bedroom, and 4 clean air luggable cr boxes spread out throughout the house. Do I have an addiction to buying air purifiers? Yes. Very weird addiction. But all were bought off Facebook marketplace and were pennies on the dollar compared to new. Just had to give them a good wipe down and put in a new filter.
Hey, you and I are in the same boat. I had a baby boy at 31 weeks, now almost 5 month adjusted, and I went down the air quality rabbit hole hard. I want to do whatever I can to keep him healthy and developing normally.
He sleeps with us in our room right now. I have a clean air kits luggable xl pc fan cr box and a IQair Health Pro Plus running on setting 2. Both run 24/7. This gives me a lot of air changes per hour and some gas filtration, while staying below 50 decibels.
In the rest of the house, I have more luggable xls, smart air blast, iqair gc and GCX, Coway 400 and 300, and an Alen 25i.
I think it’s important to get a standalone air quality monitor like the air gradient one or purple air zen.
I run the hvac blower fan 24/7 to circulate air through the house.
I also open windows every morning and bring in fresh air to keep CO2 low.
I don’t know what your budget is, but you can make your own cr boxes for really cheap and then throw a few nice hepa air purifiers on top.
I bought all the expensive units used (iqair, Coway, smart air) and saved a ton of money. Just gave them a good cleaning and new filters.
Another important thing is to always run your kitchen hood vent when cooking
I’ve been keeping my house between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit so that he sleeps his best and relative humidity between 45-55%. I have a Midea Cube dehumidifier I run when it’s really humid out and humidity in the house gets above 60%.
I also vaccum and mop the floors all the time now. We have an old dog that sheds a lot and the floors get covered in hair if I don’t stay on top of it.
I kindof rambled but that’s just been what I have been doing and what purifiers I bought to give you some ideas and things to look into.
I just got an Alen Air 25i for my little office and it’s been a really great unit for the last few weeks. Alen sells bundle “whole house” solutions that might work for you.
For me, I put a smart air blast in my living room, a iqair GCX in my kitchen, iqair gc in my dining room/front foyer, Alen 25i in the office, Coway Air Mega 300 and 400s in our spare bedrooms, an iq air health pro plus in the master bedroom, and 4 clean air luggable cr boxes spread out throughout the house. Do I have an addiction to buying air purifiers? Yes. Very weird addiction. But all were bought off Facebook marketplace and were pennies on the dollar compared to new. Just had to give them a good wipe down and put in a new filter.
Iqair is a great option. Have one in our bedroom with our 5 month old baby. But can only run it on setting 2 (75 cfm) without going above 50 db. We also have a luggable xl cr box in the bedroom to get more filtration without increasing the sound in the room. We have a Smart Air Blast in the living room and it’s a a quiet beast. Pushes a ton of air, however it’s power hungry. I’m also a fan of the Alens for how they sound and Coway AirMegas.
Both the IQAir GCX and GC series use a pre-filter that's EN 1822-1:2019 Efficient Particulate Air (EPA) E11. IQAir calls this "H11", but it is really EPA E11.
Both the GCX and GC are meant for gaseous removal, so it makes sense to use EPA E11. This prevents excessive pressure drop.
The IQAir GCX MultiGas is very good for gaseous removal, although it's expensive compared to heavyweight sorbent media purifier brands like Airpura (max 26 lbs. carbon canister) and AllerAir (max 34 lbs. carbon canister). However, I'm quite certain the GCX MultiGas pre-filter has far more surface area compared to mechanical filters present in comparable Airpura and AllerAir models.
Do you have elevated levels of gases/vapors/odors (includes VOCs)? I would recommend having air testing performed with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis *first* to determine the gaseous species in your airspace.
AirDoctor doesn't have much activated carbon in their filters... definitely not thick.
You're right about IQAir, specifically the GC series purifiers.
AllerAir and Airpura purifiers tend to have heavier carbon/sorbent media canisters for the money.
Most common air purifier brands do not have enough nor the right type of sorbent media for gases, vapors, or odors. Sorbent media in air purification = activated carbon, activated alumina, or synthetic zeolites.
Heavyweight sorbent media purifiers are very expensive, very loud, and clean the air more slowly than particulates-focused units. This is due to the need for ["dwell time"/"residence time"](https://www.airscience.com/carbon-filters) and the thick media beds.
The two major heavyweight brands in the USA & Canada are **Airpura** or **AllerAir**. You want to look for models with 15 lbs.+ carbon canisters.
Most standard options for these purifiers are plain/chemically untreated sorbents, which do *not* have high removal capacities for all gaseous "species". This sometimes presents problems where an odor emanates from the sorbent bed (possibly the not-well-adsorbed acetaldehyde) or there's a spike on tVOC monitors despite a reduction in odors.
Assuming you don't live near a refinery or have really bad air chemistry otherwise (e.g., from fires), you may want to look into potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) impregnated activated carbon from Airpura or AllerAir. You'd have to contact the respective company first to specify this.
KMnO₄ works in part via redox (reduction oxidation) reactions by breaking down certain gases. This can be problematic in unknown and/or highly complex air chemistries where resulting gases may be problematic. It can also off gas as it saturates or loses efficacy.
Your best options are likely the IQAir GC or GCX series purifiers. As for the exact model, you may want to choose one with potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) impregnated carbon or alumina. See [my other comment in this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AirPurifiers/comments/1oco7i5/comment/nkoz4yw/).
I would add IQAir to this, especially the Multigas GCX (emphasis on X, it's superior to the GC which is already a great unit.)
Oransi has a standalone carbon model as well.
But yeah this list including your comment is very complete. I spent months researching and created a comprehensive brand list and narrowed it down to the exact same brands you mentioned for actual decent VOC filtration.
Real world performance is a different issue however and the one thing I would emphasize to OP is that 2,000 is a *lot* of square footage and these types of purifiers are very expensive and if you're looking to consistently purify the entire dwelling then you'd need at least a half dozen 250CFM units to make a difference. It will be expensive and loud and the filters will saturate and need replacement very often if you have a smoker nearby.
yes there is a lot of hyperbole around them, good marketing, less on air filtration. 1) The UV works to disrupt the dna, but it's not really relevant. The hepa is trapping the spores that are floating around your environment, the UV doesn't need to disrupt them as they haven't colonized yet... and you are replacing your filters regularly if you are half bright because it's mold and you don't want allow them to do so). So the UV does nothing to the air ducts and other places where the mold is actually colonizing... which puts it back to the main issue which is air flow.
The unit can only ever filter as much air as it touches, and how fast the filter gets saturated with mold in your environment. It is highly dependent on your place. That said, if I recall the company said the filters last up 2 years and I found that they were fairly useless after 3 months with a 40% efficacy after that time (running on high 24/7).
If I were you I'd go with the GC units (they are more expensive IQAIR) but you are already compromised and you don't need the VOC exposure, RADON, etc... and they will mitigate RADON believe it or not I have an Air things unit that tells me my RADON exposure and I see a stark difference with the GC unit. The new ones (and I need to think about upgrading mine) have some pretty good API options too, their software puts together a good summary page and shows you what you are filtering from what I understand.
IQAir Health Pro Plus or MultiGas units are the best you can buy for apartments. The IQAir Perfect 16 (may have newer models now for all these) is the way to go for whole house. They are the defacto best of the best. They are on Airforce 1 for the last 2 decades. In hospitals, clean rooms. They are the best.
that's because you are using a 'feeling', I am using a $5,000 laser particle scanner and have used and tested literally hundreds of them because until I got iqair I was getting pneumonia 3-4 times a year because that's how bad my allergies are. I haven't had pneumonia in almost 10 years now and I continue to test other air purifiers yearly. When I tell you the brand is the best it's because I'm absolutely certain and I have an financial freedom to pursue it in a way a lot of people cannot. Trust me. I'm doing you a huge favor. I can test up to .002 micron size particulates per cubic foot, and I can tell you that IQAir is the only unit that after several years with no filter change achieves 90% efficacy while the 2nd runner up is at 3% after 9 months. What I am not doing is making these statements out of brand loyalty.
yes there is a lot of hyperbole around them, good marketing, less on air filtration. 1) The UV works to disrupt the dna, but it's not really relevant. The hepa is trapping the spores that are floating around your environment, the UV doesn't need to disrupt them as they haven't colonized yet... and you are replacing your filters regularly if you are half bright because it's mold and you don't want allow them to do so). So the UV does nothing to the air ducts and other places where the mold is actually colonizing... which puts it back to the main issue which is air flow.
The unit can only ever filter as much air as it touches, and how fast the filter gets saturated with mold in your environment. It is highly dependent on your place. That said, if I recall the company said the filters last up 2 years and I found that they were fairly useless after 3 months with a 40% efficacy after that time (running on high 24/7).
If I were you I'd go with the GC units (they are more expensive IQAIR) but you are already compromised and you don't need the VOC exposure, RADON, etc... and they will mitigate RADON believe it or not I have an Air things unit that tells me my RADON exposure and I see a stark difference with the GC unit. The new ones (and I need to think about upgrading mine) have some pretty good API options too, their software puts together a good summary page and shows you what you are filtering from what I understand.
Iqair bar none. Simply the best money can buy. Anything less is honestly wasting your money because your filter will be clogged up in a few weeks and you will have nothing being purified. Seriously, I've tested these things extensively with a laser particle scanner. The cost in filter replacements (contrary to mfg saying replace every xx) drives your total cost of ownership through the roof. The mfg suggest on every major brand allows for a 85% reduction on average in performance because it is still "making a difference". I've tested my iqair machines and after 5 years with no replacements (just cleaning out the pre-filter with my air compressor every few years) is still operating at over 90%. They under promise and over deliver. /end my rant I live with severe allergies that can cause pneumonia so it's a big deal for me. I haven't had it in 10 years because of IQAir. Prior to that it was 2-3 times a year.
IQAir is really the best air purifier, it's about the filter quality and how long the efficacy lasts. Most air filters on the market to very well for about 2 months and then drop to 3-15% efficacy (from 100%). The IQAir is the only one on the market that I've seen stay consistently over 90% for YEARS.
I have Austins and IQAir MuliGas. The Austins were recommended by a clinic which treats individuals with extreme chemical sensitivities. You want a unit where the fan feeds the filters (1st in the chain) to avoid contamination from the fan itself.
No filter is going to eliminate all VOCs.
I have a couple of models: Immunity Machine, Healthmate Plus, bedroom machine.
There have been some reviews stating that Austins are slower at clearing a room of particulates. My main concern is VOCs and since I run 3-4 filters in each room that isn't a concern for me.
Am now testing the immunity machine. Seems to do a much better job with VOCs, although final results will take a while.
What is your concern with IQAair?
I run 3 filters, Austin and IQAIR, in each of 2 spaces - one 300 square feet the other 600 square feet. If the air is poor outside my Purple Air sensors will still show green.
However there are so many chemicals in wildfire smoke, particularly if structures have burned, that they don't get everything. I am sensitive to terpenes and right now they don't help with the Camphor tree flowers.
So they can greatly improve air quality but don't expect all VOCs to be removed from the air.
For best VOC removal, such as mycotoxins, you need a lot of absorbent media. Checkout Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir. All are in the $1k range.
I'm unsure whether any filter will eliminate mold sensitivities. Did see an improvement when upgraded my Austins with Immunity Machine filters but molds still aren't totally controlled.
There are clinics which can treat mycotoxin sensitivities. Can be quite expensive.
The 4 vendors with the best VOC filters are Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir.
Absorbent media composition and weight vary by manufacturer. IQAir has models that go up to 32 pounds of media, at least according to google search.
Note that no VOC filter will remove all VOCs. They do well with some chemicals, partially control some, and totally ignore others.
I use IQAirs and Austin Immunity Machines, multiple units per room unless you want to put up with the noise running the fans on high speed.
Had a room repainted and requested a low VOC paint. Was pleasantly surprised that I had no problems with the paint even though I am extremely chemically sensitive. It is possible that the renovations don't cause a VOC problem at all, or maybe just for a few days.
My Austin, IQAir, Honeywell and Whirlpool filters all work with smart plugs.
When you purchase make sure you can return if it doesn't work as features change over time.
Those units have very small carbon filters. They either will be ineffective or won't last that long.
A good VOC filter has 10 or more pounds of absorbent media and run in the $1K range. Checkout Airpura, Allerair, Austin, IQAir.
Just be aware that the VOCs will only be reduced in the bubble of clear air around the filter. If you have a very large room multiple filters may be required.
Austins are in the same price range as all of the good VOC filters with 10 or more pounds of activated absorbent media. All are in the $1K range.
Filters with less media, such as a Winix, will either be less effective or require more frequent filter changes.
Being chemically sensitive I use multiple Austin and IQAir units.
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