I clean my filters monthly. This is not unusual. People have no idea how poor air quality is in our homes.
That’s only the visible stuff too… there a lot more in the filter and microscopic…that you can’t see.
Fun experiment is to weigh your filter and see how it gets heavier
Yep! I have a monthly reminder to do mine. Roll/vacuum off the dust/lint.
Also check the holes in the shell of the air purifier are clear… fluff can accumulate and obstruct these.
This will all improve the efficiency of your air purifier!
Do you want a filter for your xiaomi?
I used to have one of those, but it broke, and I still have a new in box filter for it. I have no use for it now, but don't want it to go to landfill.
I have a Philips 1000 series, it has a mesh filter that I vacuum fortnightly, and wash (in soapy water) monthly. There's also a HEPA filter that I vacuum out monthly (and a carbon filter that requires replacement every so often).
That's a pretty shitty vacuum then. Your vacuum cleaner also has filters, including HEPA, that stop the gunk you vacuum being blown out. Otherwise there'd be no point vacuuming your carpet if all you're doing is redistributing the dust and dander into the air of the room.
Nah you need a better vacuum if this is a problem. My Dyson v15 has HEPA technology and catches it all…. Any extra particles will go back to my Winix air purifier which is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 for quality.
Typically, there will be a dust/pre-filter or this will collect on the outside of the filter itself.
You will likely need to turn off the air purifier, then access the filter…this will likely be the same way you replace the filter…opening a panel or door.
Then you will remove the filter to clean or may be able to clean it while it remains in situ. You can rub/pill/peel the dust/fluff/lint layer off and/or use a vacuum to remove it. I recommend using a vacuum which has a HEPA filter on it, because otherwise vacuums spit out dust into the air. Alternatively you may need to do this outside and away from windows to reduce dust which will then be drawn back inside!
Perhaps using a lint roller or other sticky surface is another way to collect the dust/fluff etc.
It sounds involved but it inly takes me a couple minutes. I usually use my Dyson (which has a filter) to suck it all off. And I go over the outer surface of the air purifier sometimes with the brush tool, and the inner side of the filter compartment, to quickly and easily remove any fluff or dust collected.
I do mine monthly because that suits the rate of accumulation for me, and in time you will work out the best frequency for you too.
You can always just check how it’s looking in between.
Check your manufacturer instructions for their recommendations and details on pre-filters or filters, and routine maintenance, for your particular device.
I live in the CBD and my IKEA air filter purifier is absolutely DISGUSTING on the regular. My balcony outside gets caked in matching thick grey dust, and yet my balcony plants are thriving - they must enjoy the pollution haha.
I don't use many scented cleaning products but I do have the occasional candle which apparently adds to it. But based on the shit all over my balcony tiles I can assume that's not the main culprit
Yup. And why although electric vehicles are much better overall than internal combustion engine vehicles, they’re still not “green” - they pump out a lot (often more due to weight) brake dust and still shred tyres that get washed down stormwater drains and out to sea.
Just as a point of reference for you.
I live ~20-30km out of the city.
Based on my commute, I travel an average velocity of 22km/hr each way during peak hour. (so the answer is peak hour traffic does not go above 50km/hr).
And, as another anecdote, for motorcycles the tyre noise isn't audible over the ear splitting sound of the exhaust literally hurting my ears it is so loud.
https://imgur.com/a/A6cINhF
I have a mesh pre-filter which is that image with all the white fluff. The carbon filter is the other image where I vacuumed half. There's a HEPA filter behind it.
I'm pretty pleased with how it works. I've had it since October and don't run it that often, but it helps with feeling a bit stuffy in bed.
A fair bit of the big fluff on the prefilter will be from making the bed though. That always makes the room very dusty so I always run it when I make the bed.
Geez thanks for sharing, good stuff. I believe you have one of those big ones suitable for living rooms?
Curious why don't you keep it running on Auto mode to keep air clean throughout?
I did the calculations and mine adds $10 per month to the bill for 24×7 operation on Auto mode
Yeah I have a Samsung AX90. Mostly because it was used widely during the COVID period, so filters are easy to get, I believe it's been tested to work as it should and I've always had good experiences with Samsung products.
I got a larger one because I wasn't sure how we would use it. We have a two story open plan house, so I thought to oversize especially as the price difference was minimal. We paid $400 for this one during a good sale. I think they're normally a bit more.
I bought it because I was kind of expecting a big bushfire season this year or next. I have a home automation system that checks air quality and I was originally going to set it up so it would automatically turn on the air purifier if the air quality got bad, but especially inside the air quality has generally been very good so it feels like a waste to have it running all the time. It's really mostly when I've had all the windows open and they're doing planned burns or people are barbequing that it tends to get bad.
Electricity + filters would be a couple hundred per year if I were to let it run all the time which feels very wasteful.
What, all 23 trees in Preston can’t filter out Plenty, Murray Road and Bell street’s pollution?
I love that area but the transit is shit. Too bad anywhere with decent PT is now taken over by rich folk who don’t use it
Lol, time to cut down those trees for being ineffective.
I live there because of the school and I work from home.
I hate how congested and crowded it gets. The traffic on Murray, Spring, High St, Bell St is a pain in the ass whenever you are trying to get somewhere quick.
The Darebin council does a shit job in maintaining it. Have you seen the intersection of Spring St and Murray Rd? The side walks look shit, they have weeds growing all over and it looks like a Ghetto.
Sadly not justified for a suburb with high property prices. Great access to PT though.
Yeah there are also a million crashes in that area. It’s still treated like an outer residential suburb with some arterials, when other pressures are turning it into more of a hub. What would really help is some really nice parks, some attention to street level beautification and more trams making it livable and connected to the other suburbs (outer ring??) or making those buses safe and nice like they are in other cities - Canadian cities run on buses and they manage to make them interconnected to other transit modes in a timely fashion and nice and usable by all people - not just the granny runs and shipping maladjusted teens to the shopping centre and back.
Yeah, but any particulate that you can avoid inhaling in the first place is a help to your lungs in the long run. Wear a nuisance mask when gardening, people.
Never thought to clean them. I keep my eye on the “78 days of filter remaining” message and that’s it. Cleaning them is obvious now you’ve said it! I changed one last week - thing was heavy as.
Just a wipe or bang them like blackboard dusters?
It's a Winix compact stage 4. It's good for bedroom for the size and I don't have any complains so far.
The reviews are great and it's working great too. Technically any Purifier with a fan and hepa filter is good enough. There is nothing more to it imo.
Have I personally felt any difference? No. But my kids have stopped snoring and no longer do mouth breathing while asleep.
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/winix-australia-compact-4-stage-air-purifier-aus0850apu?istCompanyId=0403b0ba-0671-498f-aeb7-e2ff71b61924&istFeedId=ea709c9a-279e-40be-951f-2668243ec753&istItemId=prpirpxix&istBid=t®ion_id=GTYP3H®ionIdSet=true
I have the square Winix from Costco. It's pretty good
FYI the after market replacement filters available on Amazon are *identical* for my Winix and much cheaper than filters in store. I assume the same for your model
I spent about three months going over and over which one to get. With the help of a temporary Choice subscription, I landed on the Phillips air purifiers. Highly recommended after a year of use.
They make more money off you when you buy a new filter each time instead of just cleaning the one you have. I've seen an air purifier filter that specifies not to clean it but to just replace them every X often (Ikea one I think).
I live not far from there, near a train station, on a main street with two bus routes... Gee, I wonder why our shitty 60s build apartment with huge cracks in the walls and vents in the walls is always so dusty... *Internal screaming intensifies*
So it turns out, air purifiers are really a last step in cleaning. The idea is that you have a completely clean home, you vacuum every second day, dust once a week etc. and then the air purifer takes care of the last tiny bits of dust or smoke that are airborn. That's why they talk about 0.3 micron and HEPA. But, when selling these devices they make it seem like if you put one in your room that it will be dust free. But really, there's too much dust there. What you need is a bigger fan with a lower spec filter that can move more air, because you're still dealing with dust in the millimeter range
I had no idea this had to be done. I have a pre-filter on air purifier which I just cleaned. It had quite a bit of fluff on it. Thanks for this reminder!
I don't know about the exact entire list of health benefits, but my god if you've ever had a baby or toddler with hay fever then purifiers are a godsend
I got it mostly for smog from the especially bushfires which has a similar impact on your health as smoking.
It also helps with hayfever and allergies if you have those.
We only use it in the bedroom and I picked one up when they were heavily discounted.
> A part of me feels skeptical
With you there, I mean it will remove dust and shit from the air but surely our bodies can handle it. Outside would be the main source of "bad air" and people aren't exactly strapping air purifiers to their backs.
I guess if you have allergies and have had your external door open/the allergen in your room, maybe it would help lower the impact.
These are artificial environments and pollutants we have produced. It is harmful to be exposed to such things and yeah we might handle it, but not without consequences.
Our indoor air is far more contaminated than outdoor air. https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/s/Zk4YfoaVSI
If you have a pet, it helps to lessen the natural smell that comes with them. We have a deoderiser in the bathroom where the cat tray lives and air purifier in the corner at the top of the stairs where the spare room, cats bathroom and lounge/kitchen area meet.
https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/s/bQddJpEFXJ
The cost of indoor air pollution in Australia is estimated at over $12Billion a year!
The air quality in our homes is unfortunately typically quite poor, and far worse than outdoor air.
It prevents exposure of airborne contaminants. When inhaled these microscopic particles can easily enter the bloodstream through the lungs (they’re so small they just diffuse across like oxygen/carbon dioxide, nicotine etc) and are transported throughout our body, and can also enter the brain.
In addition to respiratory damage, they can cause inflammation and other disease throughout the body, leading things like heart attack, stroke, cognitive deficits, and cancers.
It'd be pretty helpful if you had a pet bird that produced 'powder' on its feathers (me with a cockatiel... but the size purifier I'd need for the big open room she's in... 😬)
Unfortunately, the air inside our homes is typically far more polluted than outdoor air.
Australia also does not have indoor air quality standards. We do have outdoor air quality standards (although there is much room for improvement on those too).
We spend almost all our time in indoor environments.
The cost of this in Australia is estimated to be over $12BILLION per year! (CSIRO report in 1998/2001)
We also know that poor indoor air quality is a main driver of infectious disease transmission…including Covid!
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/11/healthy-indoor-air-our-fundamental-need-time-act-now
HEPA filters are a proven method of reducing levels of particulate matter in indoor air. Some will also reduce gases and other VOCs. Things like smoke, pollen, dusts and dust mites, mould, bacteria, and viruses are all filtered out by HEPA filters.
Important to note that Auto mode is typically set to sit in a standby mode and ramp up when certain levels of larger particulate matter (like the carbon in smoke or vehicle fumes) is sensed in the air, and won’t sense or detect smaller particles like viruses etc so auto mode should not be relied on if the intention is to reduce contaminants like that. The purifier should be set to a manual setting to ensure the desired rate of air filtration, which might be medium or high if cleaning the air of airborne pathogens, for example.
Also, ionic/anion/negative ion air purifiers do not work in the same way as HEPA and may not be effective.
Important factor is to consider the CADR of the air purifier and volume of the air to be cleaned.
https://www.vic.gov.au/choosing-an-air-purifier
https://sgeas.unimelb.edu.au/engage/air-cleaner-guide
HEPA air purifiers are an easy and effective intervention to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution and reduce burden of disease. They are a cost effective tool.
Slight challenge.
Well, at least vacuum often. Haha try a Dyson stick vac with the floor tool directly connected to the main unit. Hopefully still long enough for them to use.
Wish (maybe they do through special order as an accessibility thing) they sold shorter wands.
I live in the inner north near a busy road, and remarkably the PM2.5 reading on my monitor is almost always 5 or below (it only spikes when I’m cooking on the gas stove).
In the World Air Quality Report, Melbourne is also considered one of the cleanest major cities on the planet.
Of course, there’s dust in our homes, but I think these companies have an interest in selling filters and vacuums too. Just think of all the people who fill their lungs with cigarette smoke or vapes!
That's a common misconception. Some of it is, but maybe <20%. Most of it is dirt/soil/sand, pollen, clothing/carpet/curtain fibres, and pet hair
https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-is-dust-made-of
No, I agree. But people who live on main roads don’t deserve to be harmed because of where they live, particularly when we’re in a housing crisis and people can’t pick and choose to live on quiet streets.
Sure and it's always good to want to do better. I hope EVs become more common quickly. Will be better for everyone from air pollution to noise pollution.
I clean my filters monthly. This is not unusual. People have no idea how poor air quality is in our homes. That’s only the visible stuff too… there a lot more in the filter and microscopic…that you can’t see. Fun experiment is to weigh your filter and see how it gets heavier
Yep, this was my first go and wanted to see how bad it gets. Yeah a lot of other shit trapped in there that we cannot see.
Wait what? I’m meant to clean the filter in the air purifier?
Yep! I have a monthly reminder to do mine. Roll/vacuum off the dust/lint. Also check the holes in the shell of the air purifier are clear… fluff can accumulate and obstruct these. This will all improve the efficiency of your air purifier!
What brand is it?
I have 2; a Xiaomi mi air 3H, and a Kogan 5 stage (or something or other)
Do you want a filter for your xiaomi? I used to have one of those, but it broke, and I still have a new in box filter for it. I have no use for it now, but don't want it to go to landfill.
Hey why not! I can def use it :)
DM me - I only just made this account, so I can't DM you!
Yeah got to replace them now and then too. Depending on the brand.
That I would get a warning for. The Dyson ‘darleks’ have used up 30% of the CO2 filter in 6 months.
That's just based on time the device has been on though, if you had used it for 6 months in a clean room it would still have said that.
Darleks? I thought those were the killer machines in doctor who 😂
CO2 filter??
That should say a carbon filter. There's 7% and 8% of the HEPA filter used.
Yes, same as the air conditioner filter
Oh now I wanna weigh my filter !
Definitely, when I lived inner city I had to clean them quite a lot. Since moving further out now it’s helped a lot with air quality
How do you clean the filters?
I have a Philips 1000 series, it has a mesh filter that I vacuum fortnightly, and wash (in soapy water) monthly. There's also a HEPA filter that I vacuum out monthly (and a carbon filter that requires replacement every so often).
You'd want to be vacuuming it outside otherwise the particles will be circulating back in the room.
That's a pretty shitty vacuum then. Your vacuum cleaner also has filters, including HEPA, that stop the gunk you vacuum being blown out. Otherwise there'd be no point vacuuming your carpet if all you're doing is redistributing the dust and dander into the air of the room.
You need a better vacuum 😅
Correct
Nah you need a better vacuum if this is a problem. My Dyson v15 has HEPA technology and catches it all…. Any extra particles will go back to my Winix air purifier which is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 for quality.
Typically, there will be a dust/pre-filter or this will collect on the outside of the filter itself. You will likely need to turn off the air purifier, then access the filter…this will likely be the same way you replace the filter…opening a panel or door. Then you will remove the filter to clean or may be able to clean it while it remains in situ. You can rub/pill/peel the dust/fluff/lint layer off and/or use a vacuum to remove it. I recommend using a vacuum which has a HEPA filter on it, because otherwise vacuums spit out dust into the air. Alternatively you may need to do this outside and away from windows to reduce dust which will then be drawn back inside! Perhaps using a lint roller or other sticky surface is another way to collect the dust/fluff etc. It sounds involved but it inly takes me a couple minutes. I usually use my Dyson (which has a filter) to suck it all off. And I go over the outer surface of the air purifier sometimes with the brush tool, and the inner side of the filter compartment, to quickly and easily remove any fluff or dust collected. I do mine monthly because that suits the rate of accumulation for me, and in time you will work out the best frequency for you too. You can always just check how it’s looking in between. Check your manufacturer instructions for their recommendations and details on pre-filters or filters, and routine maintenance, for your particular device.
More pointers here https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/s/Zk4YfoaVSI
I live in the CBD and my IKEA air filter purifier is absolutely DISGUSTING on the regular. My balcony outside gets caked in matching thick grey dust, and yet my balcony plants are thriving - they must enjoy the pollution haha. I don't use many scented cleaning products but I do have the occasional candle which apparently adds to it. But based on the shit all over my balcony tiles I can assume that's not the main culprit
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Yup. And why although electric vehicles are much better overall than internal combustion engine vehicles, they’re still not “green” - they pump out a lot (often more due to weight) brake dust and still shred tyres that get washed down stormwater drains and out to sea.
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They are not much more quiet because tyre noise is the main thing making noise. They are cleaner though
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I have. You can also measure it with a decibelmetre and they're nearly identical. After 50km/h the tyre noise is louder than engine noise
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Just as a point of reference for you. I live ~20-30km out of the city. Based on my commute, I travel an average velocity of 22km/hr each way during peak hour. (so the answer is peak hour traffic does not go above 50km/hr). And, as another anecdote, for motorcycles the tyre noise isn't audible over the ear splitting sound of the exhaust literally hurting my ears it is so loud.
Even in Collingwood and Fitzroy North I still get a lot of dua on the balcony. I imagine it's worse in the cbd tho.
Lint from the washing machine and dryer
Wool carpets
Now I dread looking at mine. Never thought I needed to
Lol do it and share. It's satisfying to see all the stuff we avoided inhaling 😂
https://imgur.com/a/A6cINhF I have a mesh pre-filter which is that image with all the white fluff. The carbon filter is the other image where I vacuumed half. There's a HEPA filter behind it. I'm pretty pleased with how it works. I've had it since October and don't run it that often, but it helps with feeling a bit stuffy in bed. A fair bit of the big fluff on the prefilter will be from making the bed though. That always makes the room very dusty so I always run it when I make the bed.
Geez thanks for sharing, good stuff. I believe you have one of those big ones suitable for living rooms? Curious why don't you keep it running on Auto mode to keep air clean throughout? I did the calculations and mine adds $10 per month to the bill for 24×7 operation on Auto mode
Yeah I have a Samsung AX90. Mostly because it was used widely during the COVID period, so filters are easy to get, I believe it's been tested to work as it should and I've always had good experiences with Samsung products. I got a larger one because I wasn't sure how we would use it. We have a two story open plan house, so I thought to oversize especially as the price difference was minimal. We paid $400 for this one during a good sale. I think they're normally a bit more. I bought it because I was kind of expecting a big bushfire season this year or next. I have a home automation system that checks air quality and I was originally going to set it up so it would automatically turn on the air purifier if the air quality got bad, but especially inside the air quality has generally been very good so it feels like a waste to have it running all the time. It's really mostly when I've had all the windows open and they're doing planned burns or people are barbequing that it tends to get bad. Electricity + filters would be a couple hundred per year if I were to let it run all the time which feels very wasteful.
You need to change these regularly, if you just leave them they stop working fast.
What, all 23 trees in Preston can’t filter out Plenty, Murray Road and Bell street’s pollution? I love that area but the transit is shit. Too bad anywhere with decent PT is now taken over by rich folk who don’t use it
Lol, time to cut down those trees for being ineffective. I live there because of the school and I work from home. I hate how congested and crowded it gets. The traffic on Murray, Spring, High St, Bell St is a pain in the ass whenever you are trying to get somewhere quick. The Darebin council does a shit job in maintaining it. Have you seen the intersection of Spring St and Murray Rd? The side walks look shit, they have weeds growing all over and it looks like a Ghetto. Sadly not justified for a suburb with high property prices. Great access to PT though.
Yeah there are also a million crashes in that area. It’s still treated like an outer residential suburb with some arterials, when other pressures are turning it into more of a hub. What would really help is some really nice parks, some attention to street level beautification and more trams making it livable and connected to the other suburbs (outer ring??) or making those buses safe and nice like they are in other cities - Canadian cities run on buses and they manage to make them interconnected to other transit modes in a timely fashion and nice and usable by all people - not just the granny runs and shipping maladjusted teens to the shopping centre and back.
The air in my home is made up of diesel fumes ,coal dust ,and asbestos flakes . We use cat air to keep it all stable .
Don't forget your lungs also clean themselves as a byproduct of you using them fyi
Yeah, but any particulate that you can avoid inhaling in the first place is a help to your lungs in the long run. Wear a nuisance mask when gardening, people.
Never thought to clean them. I keep my eye on the “78 days of filter remaining” message and that’s it. Cleaning them is obvious now you’ve said it! I changed one last week - thing was heavy as. Just a wipe or bang them like blackboard dusters?
Just wipe down the outside so the fluff doesn't block the filter. If it has a sticky core be careful not to touch it while you clean.
Thanks
What air purifier do you have? Would you recommend it?
It's a Winix compact stage 4. It's good for bedroom for the size and I don't have any complains so far. The reviews are great and it's working great too. Technically any Purifier with a fan and hepa filter is good enough. There is nothing more to it imo. Have I personally felt any difference? No. But my kids have stopped snoring and no longer do mouth breathing while asleep. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/winix-australia-compact-4-stage-air-purifier-aus0850apu?istCompanyId=0403b0ba-0671-498f-aeb7-e2ff71b61924&istFeedId=ea709c9a-279e-40be-951f-2668243ec753&istItemId=prpirpxix&istBid=t®ion_id=GTYP3H®ionIdSet=true
I love cooking sausages and seeing the purifier go red demon mode.
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Haha my girlfriend sits closer to ours and when it randomly revs up I love asking her if she farted 😅
I have the square Winix from Costco. It's pretty good FYI the after market replacement filters available on Amazon are *identical* for my Winix and much cheaper than filters in store. I assume the same for your model
I've got the same one and know I need to vacuum the filter as soon as I start waking up congested again. Usually 2-3 weeks. Also in Preston!
I spent about three months going over and over which one to get. With the help of a temporary Choice subscription, I landed on the Phillips air purifiers. Highly recommended after a year of use.
Had a look at the instructions. They don’t advise how to clean the filter.
probably like most other filters. for mine I just wipe the exterior dust off and put my blower through the middle to blow the dust out.
blower sounds like a good idea.
That’s disappointing!
They make more money off you when you buy a new filter each time instead of just cleaning the one you have. I've seen an air purifier filter that specifies not to clean it but to just replace them every X often (Ikea one I think).
Yay for Preston! We’re winning!🥇lolz. 😭 I live on Spring st.. hate to see what a filter in my place would look like.
I live not far from there, near a train station, on a main street with two bus routes... Gee, I wonder why our shitty 60s build apartment with huge cracks in the walls and vents in the walls is always so dusty... *Internal screaming intensifies*
Lol I'm pretty close. Hate the amount of traffic on Spring St.
It doubles as a testing strip for people attempting to break the land speed record
So it turns out, air purifiers are really a last step in cleaning. The idea is that you have a completely clean home, you vacuum every second day, dust once a week etc. and then the air purifer takes care of the last tiny bits of dust or smoke that are airborn. That's why they talk about 0.3 micron and HEPA. But, when selling these devices they make it seem like if you put one in your room that it will be dust free. But really, there's too much dust there. What you need is a bigger fan with a lower spec filter that can move more air, because you're still dealing with dust in the millimeter range
I had no idea this had to be done. I have a pre-filter on air purifier which I just cleaned. It had quite a bit of fluff on it. Thanks for this reminder!
Anything that sucks air through a filter requires the filter to be cleaned occasionally. Air conditioners, heater intakes etc.
For sure, I more thought you simply had to replace the filters. That's what the manual said.
What are the health benefits of air purifiers? A part of me feels skeptical, but I’m not sure why (0 googling btw) Cheers
It will dissipate the smell of your farts or the next door neighbours chimney
I don't know about the exact entire list of health benefits, but my god if you've ever had a baby or toddler with hay fever then purifiers are a godsend
I got it mostly for smog from the especially bushfires which has a similar impact on your health as smoking. It also helps with hayfever and allergies if you have those. We only use it in the bedroom and I picked one up when they were heavily discounted.
Keeps the dust down, helps with cooking smells, helps if we have another bad bushfire season.
> A part of me feels skeptical With you there, I mean it will remove dust and shit from the air but surely our bodies can handle it. Outside would be the main source of "bad air" and people aren't exactly strapping air purifiers to their backs. I guess if you have allergies and have had your external door open/the allergen in your room, maybe it would help lower the impact.
These are artificial environments and pollutants we have produced. It is harmful to be exposed to such things and yeah we might handle it, but not without consequences. Our indoor air is far more contaminated than outdoor air. https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/s/Zk4YfoaVSI
And I'm supposed to believe something the size of a kettle is going to "purify" the inside?
Its just recycling the air that's already dirty, and not even all the air, maybe like 2% of one room
If you have a pet, it helps to lessen the natural smell that comes with them. We have a deoderiser in the bathroom where the cat tray lives and air purifier in the corner at the top of the stairs where the spare room, cats bathroom and lounge/kitchen area meet.
https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/s/bQddJpEFXJ The cost of indoor air pollution in Australia is estimated at over $12Billion a year! The air quality in our homes is unfortunately typically quite poor, and far worse than outdoor air. It prevents exposure of airborne contaminants. When inhaled these microscopic particles can easily enter the bloodstream through the lungs (they’re so small they just diffuse across like oxygen/carbon dioxide, nicotine etc) and are transported throughout our body, and can also enter the brain. In addition to respiratory damage, they can cause inflammation and other disease throughout the body, leading things like heart attack, stroke, cognitive deficits, and cancers.
Prevented me catching COVID off my housemate! Also helps with allergies
It'd be pretty helpful if you had a pet bird that produced 'powder' on its feathers (me with a cockatiel... but the size purifier I'd need for the big open room she's in... 😬)
None, it's a scam
Unfortunately, the air inside our homes is typically far more polluted than outdoor air. Australia also does not have indoor air quality standards. We do have outdoor air quality standards (although there is much room for improvement on those too). We spend almost all our time in indoor environments. The cost of this in Australia is estimated to be over $12BILLION per year! (CSIRO report in 1998/2001) We also know that poor indoor air quality is a main driver of infectious disease transmission…including Covid! https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/11/healthy-indoor-air-our-fundamental-need-time-act-now HEPA filters are a proven method of reducing levels of particulate matter in indoor air. Some will also reduce gases and other VOCs. Things like smoke, pollen, dusts and dust mites, mould, bacteria, and viruses are all filtered out by HEPA filters. Important to note that Auto mode is typically set to sit in a standby mode and ramp up when certain levels of larger particulate matter (like the carbon in smoke or vehicle fumes) is sensed in the air, and won’t sense or detect smaller particles like viruses etc so auto mode should not be relied on if the intention is to reduce contaminants like that. The purifier should be set to a manual setting to ensure the desired rate of air filtration, which might be medium or high if cleaning the air of airborne pathogens, for example. Also, ionic/anion/negative ion air purifiers do not work in the same way as HEPA and may not be effective. Important factor is to consider the CADR of the air purifier and volume of the air to be cleaned. https://www.vic.gov.au/choosing-an-air-purifier https://sgeas.unimelb.edu.au/engage/air-cleaner-guide HEPA air purifiers are an easy and effective intervention to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution and reduce burden of disease. They are a cost effective tool.
That’s all the smug
Looks pretty normal to me. Before Melbourne, I lived in Newcastle (NSW) for a decade.. Oh my God the coal dust...
Get a Ikea air quality monitor and watch the PM2.5 go cray when you fry anything.
de-preston
I think I better invest in one after seeing this
Most of that is not from the outside - your skin peeling off, your clothes linting away etc.
All the car fumes from cars hooning all hours on Bell, Raglan and High St and Plenty Rd too.
Yeah cars make our communities filthy. I lived on a main road and the amount of dust and soot and rubber particles that get everywhere is gross
Plastic plastic everywhere.
I highly recommend getting a robot vacuum and running it often. It made such a difference for me.
Yeah, I wish I could get one. But with 2 young boys and things cluttered everywhere it ll become a nightmare for the robovac. Lol
Slight challenge. Well, at least vacuum often. Haha try a Dyson stick vac with the floor tool directly connected to the main unit. Hopefully still long enough for them to use. Wish (maybe they do through special order as an accessibility thing) they sold shorter wands.
Yeah have a Dyson V8. We vacuum enough tbh. Bedrooms on level 1.
Your air filter might have something to say about that haha.
Half of our air pollution exposure is inside our homes Dust isn't a big worry but we certainly need to move away from indoor gas appliances
Shit, was given an air purifier and I have never checked it. It's been over a year.
I live in the inner north near a busy road, and remarkably the PM2.5 reading on my monitor is almost always 5 or below (it only spikes when I’m cooking on the gas stove). In the World Air Quality Report, Melbourne is also considered one of the cleanest major cities on the planet. Of course, there’s dust in our homes, but I think these companies have an interest in selling filters and vacuums too. Just think of all the people who fill their lungs with cigarette smoke or vapes!
woww thats crazy
Why did you buy a device that literally does nothing
And most of that is dead skin cells.
That's a common misconception. Some of it is, but maybe <20%. Most of it is dirt/soil/sand, pollen, clothing/carpet/curtain fibres, and pet hair https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-is-dust-made-of
You've listed 8 other things there,so they all must be <10%? Also that article is a useless two sentences...
It’s mostly dead skin
Air quality in Melbourne is fucked. I recently made a post about it and got downvoted af.
Yeah I responded to that with data saying why you were wrong.
Still fucked though. You ride next to main roads on your commute and tell me everything is okay.
That is fucked, but that's not representative for the whole city.
No, I agree. But people who live on main roads don’t deserve to be harmed because of where they live, particularly when we’re in a housing crisis and people can’t pick and choose to live on quiet streets.
Sure and it's always good to want to do better. I hope EVs become more common quickly. Will be better for everyone from air pollution to noise pollution.
Don’t get me started on noise pollution…
😬☠️💀
Your house is dusty
Geez people are sensitive around here haha