Ionizer/Air Purifier?

[Canelek]

Howdy,

Looking to buy a decent Ionizer to keep the amount of dust to a minimum. There is still some leftover sheetrock dust, along with the regular household dust. Also, my living room gets a bunch of sun, so it shows up easily on the hardwood floors, etc.

I am looking for something relatively cheap, quiet easy-to-clean and effective. If it worked well enough, it would be nice to have one for the bedroom also. My apartment is 900 sq ft, and the floors are all travertine stone and hardwood (no carpet anywhere).

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[Winnow]

I don't like the sharper image style ionizers. They actually produce positive ions.

I bought an Ionizer made in someone's garage that works great and uses a simple sewing needle so the part that loses effectiveness over time (the point of the needle) is easy to replace every few months. My ionizer literally has a plastic bottle cap that protects the needle. The device you stick the needle in is a cable connector. Most important thing is that it works well and the guy designed it in a smart way that allows for super cheap needle replacement (store bought sewing needles)

Here's what I use. This thing pumps out serious negative ions:

http://www.mysticmarvels.com/ionprojector2.html

I did a ton of research before buying this one. It probably costs $10.00 in parts to make if you knew how but since I don't, $140.00 it is!

I've owned multiple negative ionizers and this one is the best by far. Sharper Image and Sharper image clones have never worked for me and I hate the way they're designed. I also had one "pipe cleaner" negative ionizer that pumped out so many negative ions it was scary. (pumping out negative ions in the trillions per second range)

Anyways, this will clean the air for you. It has more of a tunnel effect though and is designed for the health effects and not as a full room cleaner. Either way, My kitchen and living room area are free of dust and smells (in the air) although that doesn't help with dust on the ground and on furniture etc.

You really need a good mass air moving Hepa filter thingy to get rid of dust.

There's a really cool new negative ionizer out of Japan that creates it's negative ions in the same way waterfalls and natural running water create them in nature but it's around $600.00 and I still haven't taken the plunge as I can't get any solid stats on it yet.

NEGATIVE IONS

Remember what it's like to stand in front of a waterfall or step outdoors after a lightning storm? You feel calm and relaxed, yet refreshed and energized - the experience can be inspiring. Humans have been experiencing the exhilerating effects of waterfalls and summer thunderstorms for thousands of years and never really knew why. The mystery first began to unravel during the late 18th century when it was observed that static electricity could affect the growth of plants.

Giuseppe Toaldo, a famous Italian physicist and professor, noticed that plants growing next to a lightning rod grew almost ten times taller than identical plants only a few feet away.

A French physicist by the name of Jean Antoine Nollet, planted several dozen mustard seeds in two separate containers and electrified one of them using an electrostatic generator. At the end of the week, every seed in the electrified container had sprouted and grown a few millimeters, while the other container showed little progress.

A friend of Benjamin Franklin, Abbe Bertholon, noticed that vegetables watered from a can that was electrified by an electrostatic generator, grew to an extroardinary size. He even invented an "electrovegetometer," to collect atmospheric electricity by means of an antenna and pass it on to plants growing in a field.

Even though it was repeatedly shown and documented that static electricity can improve the growth of plants, no one really understood why. It wasn't until 1899, when German physicists Julius Elster and Hans Friedrich Geitel, proved that electrostatic fields were based upon the existence of electrically charged particles called ions. Experiments later conducted at the Air Ion Laboratiry of the University of California verified that these electrically charged particles did, in fact, have a physiological effect on plants.

It was Dr. Clarence W. Hansell of RCA Laboratories who was the first to discover that ions could also have an impact on a person's state of mind. One day, in 1932, he started noticing the wild mood swings of a co-worker who worked beside an electrostatic generator. After investigating the matter further, he found that his colleague was happy and ebullient during the days when the generator was adjusted to produce negative ions, but more depressed and ill tempered on other days when it was producing positive ions.

Dr. Hansell then started noticing the effects of naturally occuring atmospheric ions. One day, while watching the approach of a thunderstorm, his ten-year old daughter suddenly began to dance across the grass with a radiant look on her face. She leaped up on a boulder, threw her arms wide to the dark sky, and cried, "Oh, I feel wonderful!"

Research conducted during the late 1950's by Albert P. Krueger, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of California, may have uncovered the mechanism underlying the mood altering effects of ionized air. He found a significant and consistant reduction in blood levels of serotonin (a powerful neuro-hormone) in mice exposed to air ion densities of 400,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. He hypothesized that negative ions stimulate the action of monamine oxidase, speeding up the metabolic removal of serotonin. Further tests indicated that positive ions produced the opposite effect by blocking the action of monomine oxidase, causing blood serotonin levels to rise.

Dr. Felix G. Sulman, head of the department of Applied Pharmacology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, corroborate Krueger's findings when he discovered the underlying cause behind the unpleasant symptoms experienced by people that are sensitive to hot desert winds. These winds, also known as the infamous "witches' winds," are synonymous with the winds of Sirrocco in Italy, Sharkije in Egypt, Sharav in the Middle East, the Foen in Central Europe, and the Santa Ana in California. He found that the high concentration of positive ions that are carried by these winds would stimulate an over-production of serotonin and histamine in their bodies, causing allergies, migraines, difficulty in breathing, irritibility, and anxiety. In addition, he found that an excess of positive ions would also stimulate the production of adrenaline and noradrenaline, which initially induces a state of euphoria and hyperactivity, but quickly leads to depletion, exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. Although serotonin is extremely crucial to the functioning of our bodies, he concluded that these "weather sensitive" individuals were producing too much and were being poisoned by their own serotonin. He thus coined the term "Serotonin Irritation Syndrome."

Dr. Sulman also studied the biological effects of artificially produced postive and negative ions. When he exposed a group of people to high-density positive ions in an enclosed room, they became irritable and fatigued. Yet these same people, when exposed to high-density negative ions, experienced increased alertness and relaxation. They also exhibited slower and stronger brainwaves (alpha waves), which were recorded on an electroencephalogram.

[Aabidano]

Aren't you guys talking about devices with two separate purposes? No first hand experience, my Dad has an ionic air cleaner installer in his home AC system, does a fantastic job. I think maintenance is just shut it down and wipe the collectors off every month or so when the "clean me" light comes on.

We've got an electrostatic air filter in the house AC system, knocked the dust level way down. Between 3 cats and general FL grubbiness it's effectiveness was very noticeable the first month after I installed it.

Consumer reports has some good info on HEPA filters. After reading on it I wouldn't buy one.

[Winnow]

Well, my attempted point is that a good negative ionizer will definitely take the dust out of the air but it doesn't keep the dust off the walls, ground or furniture. You still need a regular Hepa Air Cleaner for that.

I care less about dust than having clean, odorless air to breath along with the added benefits of negative ions flying around.

Stay away from the sharper image (those tall three metal plate things)

[Canelek]

I don't have A/C...my place is a newly-renovated 1898 Victorian. Just need to ditch the dust!

[Xouqoa]

I have this Honeywell thing that works pretty well. There is significantly less dust in the living room/dining room area where it sits than I find in the rest of the house. The downside is that it is pretty loud, even on the low setting. They may have improved that though in the last few years, as the one I have was purchased in like 2004.

[Canelek]

I'll check that out, thanks. It is often difficult to weed through amazon.com reviews, etc....too many obvious shils countered against too many retards that were unhappy with shipping or whatnot... I go to VV for HONEST TRUTH FOR REALS. =D

Ultimately, I would like one to handle living room and another smaller one to handle bedroom. Thanks all!

[Winnow]

I'll check that out, thanks. It is often difficult to weed through amazon.com reviews, etc....too many obvious shils countered against too many retards that were unhappy with shipping or whatnot... I go to VV for HONEST TRUTH FOR REALS. =D

Ultimately, I would like one to handle living room and another smaller one to handle bedroom. Thanks all!

As Xouqoa mentioned, with Hepa Air Cleaners, it comes down to noise levels and cost per month/year of replacing the filters.

[Canelek]

Thanks again guys. And good call on the Sharper Image shit, Winnow--they are like an expensive Wal Mart. Cheap plastic shit. I have a couple of Honeywell fans that work well, so will see what they offer as far as air cleaners. Noise will be an issue. I have argon-filled double pane windos to keep noise out, so why would I want to add droning/buzzing inside? That shit would keep me up all night.

[Fash]

I ordered the Ion Projector that Winnow linked, yesterday... They've already sent me the shipping information.

I'll post my comments after I've had it for a little while.

[archeiron]

I have one of the Ion Projector's in my office now. Unfortunately, I haven't identified a good way to know if it has improved air quality, my concentration, or anything else, so I don't really have a good idea of what (if anything) it is doing.

[Fash]

It's all subjective, but I've noticed positive qualities since getting the ion projector. I do feel like my concentration and focus has increased, and I've had less congestion lately as if the air is cleaner.

[Winnow]

I have one of the Ion Projector's in my office now. Unfortunately, I haven't identified a good way to know if it has improved air quality, my concentration, or anything else, so I don't really have a good idea of what (if anything) it is doing.

What is the make/model of your projector? (remember the sharper image type ionizers aren't going to have any positive effects besides cleaning the air due to the way they function)

The "feeling" you get from negative ions is subjective but the clean air shouldn't be...although it depends on how much shit was in the air in the first place. Coughing less, etc is a good sign since you're not breathing in particulates. Also, you should be able to put the ionizer near your kitchen and the odors should go away pretty fast after cooking, etc.

Sometimes I stick my nose right in front of the projector and take some deep breaths...oh yeah! It's better than se...taking out the garbage!

I do love the "waterfall" smell that comes from negative ion generators though.

[archeiron]

I have one of the Ion Projector's in my office now. Unfortunately, I haven't identified a good way to know if it has improved air quality, my concentration, or anything else, so I don't really have a good idea of what (if anything) it is doing.

What is the make/model of your projector? (remember the sharper image type ionizers aren't going to have any positive effects besides cleaning the air due to the way they function)

The "feeling" you get from negative ions is subjective but the clean air shouldn't be...although it depends on how much shit was in the air in the first place. Coughing less, etc is a good sign since you're not breathing in particulates. Also, you should be able to put the ionizer near your kitchen and the odors should go away pretty fast after cooking, etc.

Sometimes I stick my nose right in front of the projector and take some deep breaths...oh yeah! It's better than se...taking out the garbage!

I do love the "waterfall" smell that comes from negative ion generators though.

http://www.mysticmarvels.com/ionprojector2.html

Clean air isn't always the easiest thing to measure, especially for a former smoker with a poor sense of smell. While I could bring the ionizer home, I think that I will leave it at work. Unfortunately, our kitchen, living room, dining room, and bedroom are a single space in our studio so finding an ionizer that will make a dent in 800 open sq.ft. isn't easy.