Air Purifier Question

[zingarette]

Hi all, I have a problem. Now that we have three feathered babies (CAG, Green Cheeked Conure, Indian Ringneck), the dander and floaty feathers issue has gotten out of hand. Not to mention, even with diligent cleaning, daily vacuuming and other housekeeping measures, the smell is becoming more noticeable. We purchased a HEPA-type filter, but it's NOT working at all. Tim, our CAG, is a very large Grey... much larger than most I've seen. He also produces a lot of dust, dander, and feathers.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my babies. I don't mind much, but my husband's and my allergies are starting to kick up. We need to get the dander issue under control, and cut the smell. We like to have guests in from out of town, and (when guests are not staying) the birds live in the spare room. So... that room needs to remain clean.

 

My question is two-fold.

 

1. What filters/purifiers do you use? Do you have any suggestions? I'm specifically interested in people who have multiple birds. Are you satisfied with the reduction in dust, dander, and teeny-floaty-feathers?

 

2. My mom has an Ionic Breeze (from Sharper Image) she's not using, and offered to give us. I have heard some reports of these purifiers being unsafe, but I don't know if the reports are true, or just hype. Do any of you use them? Having used this exact same purifier in the past (literally, this unit, it used to be in my room when I lived at home), I know it works, and works well... I just want to make sure that it would be safe around the birds.

 

Thank you so much for reading this, and helping me out!

[Dave007]

In a room that has birds that give off constant dander, an air purifier really doesn't work that well. The filter gets much dirtier extremely quickly in a bird room. The best things that work are strong exhaust fans that pull away the dust that has spread all over the place. Air purifiers work well with dust that stays airborne. That usually goes on in rooms that have no birds. That type of dust is microscopic and will eventually work it's way to a purifier. Bird dander isn't the same thing. It's heavy, falls down quickly and is thicker that normal room dust. An exhaust fan is much stronger and has the ability to pull in dander that's quite a distance from the machine. The type of dander in a bird room never gets purified because birds constantly throw it off. A strong exhaust fan will take in the dander much better if the birds are in an enclosed room or else the machine will also be pulling in air from other areas. Air purifirs usually come with an automatic shut off feature but that feature won't work very well if dust is constantly being taken in as soon as as the lighter part of dander finally gets close enough to a purifier. All bird dander is extremely heavier than normal airborne dust that stays in the air. That's why there's so much dander in a room that has a purifier in it. A purifier only works when dust is within 3 ft of the intake area. So,. an exhaust fan will work much better if it's near a window where the dander will go out of. Even with an exhaust fan, you'll see the bird's cagehaving a light layer of dander on it.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/08/20 19:46

[zingarette]

Dave, thank you. That was helpful. Have any ideas on where to get a good exhaust fan? Also... we live in a cold winter climate, any good suggestions for what to do in the winter time?

[Spinner]

With five greys, I feel your pain :laugh:

 

I worked out a simple solution that is working extremely well, and is very economical (especially when compared to air purifiers).

 

I purchased a $12 box fan and have placed a series of filters on the intake side of the fan. I have a standard 20x20inch furnace filter as the first dander capture filter, then a finer micron filter behind that. finally, an activated charcoal filter removes virtually all the odor.

 

The fan just sits in the corner of the room, between the cages and the sitting area. It is very effective. Total cost is under $25. For that amount, you can try it out and see how it works for you.

 

Here's my shopping list using Home Depot as an example (apologies for the long urls):

 

http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Portable-Fans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarrrZ1xr5/R-100405665/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100011568/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Filters/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zaq3n/R-100671908/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053<br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2009/08/26 16:34

[zingarette]

Oh, that is awesome!

 

Do you put the part that blows air toward the wall?

 

Thank you again!

[Dave007]

Yes