Air purifiers: do they work?

[margomaps]

Our catbox makes the whole basement smell like...well, a catbox.  I'd really like to find a solution that doesn't involve getting rid of the cats.    It doesn't matter if we clean the catbox twice a day, it still makes the basement smell a little bad.

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with air purifiers?  I see them all the time at buy.com (and elsewhere).  They claim to remove various odors and airborne particulates, but I'd like to know how well they might work at making my basement smell less like a catbox.  Here are a bunch at buy.com:  http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=air+purifier

Prices vary from < $25 to hundreds of dollars.

Any thoughts?

[BaRbArIaN]

The higher the flow rate the better, clean the filters often and you will be fine.

[K. Darien Freeheart]

The "ionic" ones haven't worked in my experience, but ones that use HEPA filtration and actually move a large volume of air decently quickly.

[margomaps]

Alright, thanks for the feedback.  The marketing schtick for the ionic ones claims that "certain particles" like tobacco smoke and pet dander are "usually" positively charged, so that these particles are trapped by the negative ions in the purifier.  Seems like it's playing a bit fast & loose with the science.

The HEPA filter units seem a bit more expensive, but if it works, it's certainly worth the price.

If I get one I'll report my findings back here.

[mackler]

Let the cats go outside?

[margomaps]

Let the cats go outside?

Not a good idea for cats that have lived indoors exclusively all 10 years of their lives.  They'd run away and get eaten by Fisher cats. 

[MaineShark]

I have a portable purifier if you want to borrow it and see how well it works on your cat odor issue.

Joe

[dalebert]

The ionic ones have been pretty thoroughly debunked by Consumer Reports so yeah, take the advice and go with a HEPA if you get one. You need something that forces air through it. The air in a small room, even with the door shut, gets replaced by dirty air faster than the ionic ones can clean it so they do next to nothing to clean the air. They're all hype.

[MaineShark]

Heh... should have included the link for the description: http://www.sanuvox.com/sanuvox_P900GX.htm

Unlike the ionic nonsense, the UV process is proven.

They do have a UV&HEPA model, but that's pretty pricey.  If you're just looking to remove odor, HEPA is close to worthless - it's a particle filter, not a chemical filter.  The only effect HEPA has on odor is that it removes some dust particles that have odor-causing chemicals attached to them.  Not that removing dust is a bad thing, but it's not the same thing.  Proper purification really should do both, but that's not cheap.

Joe

[margomaps]

I have a portable purifier if you want to borrow it and see how well it works on your cat odor issue.

Joe

Wow, thanks for the offer Joe!  I just might take you up on that.  I'm routinely in the vicinity of the Lee traffic circle on 9/125 -- are you within 15 minutes of there?

[MaineShark]

Wow, thanks for the offer Joe!  I just might take you up on that.  I'm routinely in the vicinity of the Lee traffic circle on 9/125 -- are you within 15 minutes of there?

Depends how fast you drive.  Mapquest technically says 18 minutes,

Joe

[K. Darien Freeheart]

The ionic ones have been pretty thoroughly debunked by Consumer Reports

There is one REALLY neat thing those ionic ones are useful for... I've seen a computer built totally free of moving parts (which makes it very durable) and totally silent. It used the internals of an ionic filter to move air through a PC case and used massive heatsinks to disipate the heat from the processor. Totally silent and uber geeky.

[David]

Margo, I would suggest simple low light houseplants.  Common spider plants or ?rhododendron? or is it Philodendron? vines, cant remember.  I have read two different places that plants can effectively remove household pollutants, I assume including the ammonia from the cats as well.  I have'nt actually tried it yet, so I don't know if it is true, but worth a shot.  Oh, and you drive too fast.   

[margomaps]

Margo, I would suggest simple low light houseplants.  Common spider plants or ?rhododendron? or is it Philodendron? vines, cant remember.  I have read two different places that plants can effectively remove household pollutants, I assume including the ammonia from the cats as well.  I have'nt actually tried it yet, so I don't know if it is true, but worth a shot.

Hmmm, interesting idea.  I get veeeery little light in my basement though, so I'm not sure if those plants would survive down there.

Oh, and you drive too fast.   

Nah, you must be thinking of somebody else.  I'd probably take 21 minutes to get to Joe's place.   

[K. Darien Freeheart]

Margo, I would suggest simple low light houseplants.  Common spider plants or ?rhododendron? or is it Philodendron? vines, cant remember.

It's a good suggestion except for one thing. Margo is trying to remove cat odor which means there are cats in the house. Rhodendron and Philodendron are both some of the most poisionous to cats.

Having plants around is a good suggestion in general. They're environmentally friendly, aesteticly pleasing, remove toxins, create oxygen. That said, make sure the ones you pick won't kill your kitties. David's suggestion for Spider Plants (Chlorophytum) is a good one for kitty and theyr'e very easy to grow.