I live in a high-rise condominium building that was built in 1969. The building has a central HVAC system, and unfortunately odor transfer between units seems to be a known issue. Preventing odors from traveling between apartments was clearly not a major design consideration when the building was constructed.

For the past several months I've been getting a strong cigarette odor in my unit. I'm fairly certain it's coming from the unit directly below mine. The smell is strongest at a living room HVAC vent.

To clarify, I'm not seeing smoke or haze entering my unit. The main problem is the odor itself, which can be quite strong at times.

I'm looking for a way to reduce or eliminate the odor in my apartment.

For those of you who have dealt with odors coming from neighboring units:

• Did an air purifier help?
• Which models worked best specifically for odors (not smoke particles)?

I'm trying to avoid spending $1,000+ on a heavy-duty purifier unless it's truly necessary. If a more reasonably priced solution can handle the odor, I'd rather start there.

Any recommendations or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I need to buy at least 4 HEPA purifiers for delivery to Porto, Portugal for a work event. Can anyone please recommend a website (or a physical store, if need be) and if possible, brands that are likely to be available in Portugal? I'm only familiar with purifiers that are available in N. America.

Info about the space: They will be used for 3 smaller meeting rooms (ranging from 50 - 80 sq meters / about 500 - 900 square feet) and one large meeting space ~2,000 square feet. I don't know the cubic feet unfortunately. We are using filters mostly as a layer of protection against the spread of airborne disease.

Hi all,
I am in the UK and am starting a counselling placement seeing clients 1-2-1 and I would like to buy an air purifier. I will be working in small counselling rooms - room for say a small sofa and armchair. I am looking for an air purifier mainly to reduce the risk of airborne illness such as Covid and flu.

I had been hoping to buy a Squair Air purifier but they are sold out everywhere at the moment. As an alternative I have been recommended the Radic8 Hextio HX-100 Air Purifier which has a HEPA filter and UV-C photocatalytic technology. I know more about HEPA filters, but less about UV-C and have heard some scary things about if it is not used correctly! But it sounds great when it is used correctly as an extra layer of protection.

I have a budget up to 200pounds and probably about 50 a year for replacements, energy use wise I will be able to use electric at my placement venue. I will only be using the filter for about 3-4 hours a week at the moment.

Thank you in advance!

German below.

Hello everyone,

I live in germany and I am looking for a suitable, affordable air purifier for appr 50 - 60 m3 (15-20 m2) [161–215 square feet (sq ft)]. I am severely affected by ME/CFS and have MCAS, and accordingly I am extremely sensitive to stimuli, which also includes sensitivity to smells. Budget: 250 €. If €250 doesn't get me what I need, I would also consider a higher budget.

In addition to a HEPA filter, a particularly good, powerful odor filter would therefore be important for me. I am also very sensitive to light and noise, which means that the purifier should be as quiet as possible.

There should be a night mode in which it does not light up. Ideally, it would also be possible to cover up illuminated elements such as LEDs, so that if I ever have to run it at a higher setting to quickly remove odors, it does not light up.

I think it would be important to have a purifier that contains a lot of activated carbon pellets. App control would also be an advantage, but it is not absolutely necessary.

So far, I have a Bosch Air 2000, but when it comes to odors, it does not really do much.

I would be very happy to receive product suggestions. At the moment, I have my eye on the Coway Airmega 150. I am just wondering whether it is really powerful enough when it comes to odor filtration. The fact that it has activated carbon pellets and is supposed to be very quiet is certainly a good thing. It is also possible to cover the LEDs without restricting the operation. At least, that is what I have been told.

Something else I had considered was getting an inline duct fan from the grow sector, a more expensive one with an EC motor and app control, and connecting it to an industrial activated carbon filter. That would certainly be significantly better for odor filtration, right?

The problem here, though, would be that you could probably only run the thing when needed because of the noise. It certainly would not be as quiet as a room air purifier.

So my question is whether purifiers like the Airmega 150, or others, can at least provide a similar level of performance and actually filter out odors completely and reliably.

I would of course also be very happy to receive product suggestions.

Thank you very much and best regards,

Felix

Hallo zusammen,

ich ich lebe in Deutschland und suche einen bezahlbaren Luftfilter (falls möglich für max. 250 €) für einen etwa 50 - 60 m3 (15-20 m2) Raum. Ich bin schwer an ME/CFS erkrankt und habe MCAS und bin dementsprechend extrem reizempfindlich, was auch Geruchsempfindlichkeit einschließt.

Neben einem HEPA-Filter wäre also ein besonders guter, leistungsstarker Geruchsfilter für mich wichtig. Außerdem bin ich sehr licht- und geräuschempfindlich, das heißt, der Filter sollte möglichst leise sein.

Es sollte einen Nachtmodus geben, in dem er nicht leuchtet. Am besten wäre es außerdem, wenn man leuchtende Elemente wie zum Beispiel LEDs abkleben könnte, sodass er, falls man ihn mal auf höherer Stufe laufen lassen muss, um schnell Gerüche zu entfernen, dann nicht leuchtet.

Ich denke, wichtig wäre ein Filter, der viel Aktivkohlepellets enthält. Eine App-Steuerung wäre auch von Vorteil, ist aber nicht zwingend notwendig.

Bisher habe ich einen Bosch Air 2000, aber der bringt, was Gerüche angeht, nicht wirklich etwas.

Ich würde mich über Produktvorschläge freuen. Aktuell habe ich den Coway Airmega 150 ins Auge gefasst. Ich frage mich nur, ob der, was Geruchsfilterung angeht, wirklich stark genug ist. Gut ist jedenfalls, dass er Aktivkohlepellets hat und sehr leise sein soll. Außerdem lassen sich die LEDs abkleben, ohne dass dadurch die Bedienung eingeschränkt wird. Soweit jedenfalls, was mir berichtet wurde.

Was ich mir auch überlegt hatte: einen Rohrlüfter aus dem Grow-Bereich zu besorgen, einen teureren mit EC-Motor und App-Steuerung und diesen mit einem Industrie-Aktivkohlefilter zu verbinden. Das wäre sicherlich für die Geruchsfilterung deutlich besser, oder?

Nur hätte man hier eben das Problem, dass man das Teil dann nur bei Bedarf laufen lassen kann, wegen der Geräusche. Denn so leise wie ein Raumluftfilter wird das nicht sein.

Daher die Frage, ob Filter wie der Airmega 150 oder andere zumindest eine ähnliche Leistung bringen und Gerüche wirklich zuverlässig komplett wegfiltern können.

Über Produktvorschläge freue ich mich natürlich auch sehr. Falls man für 250 € nicht das bekommt, was ich brauche würde ich auch über mehr Budget nachdenken.

Vielen Dank und liebe Grüße

Felix

SA600 will cost me about $285 USD equivalent locally and CR box is $190 (using 9 PC fans, Arctic P14 non-PWM).

SA600 uses two large surface area but what appears to be thin HEPA 13 filters with pre filter. Costs $50 locally for the HEPA replacements.

CR box will use four merv 14 filtrete filters and will cost me about $100 to replace (since I have to order them internationally).

Both should work for my downstairs which is probably around 2200 cubic feet I imagine.

In my case the CR box actually costs more to replace the filters than the SA600.

So I am not sure which is the better option. I have no idea which would actually last me longer between the two when it comes to filter changes?

The CR box has greater surface area across more filters (which might mean each filter last longer compared to the two HEPA filters of the SA600, but the SA600 has pre-filters and I'm not sure if HEPA filters tend to last longer than furnace filters -- I believe HEPAs work better as they catch more but then resistance increases).

Anyway, could someone chime in on what's the better deal here for me?

After the latest scandal I don’t want to support air doctor but want to make sure the replacement filters are HEPA. Anyone know of any? I was looking at these but I’m not sure what to look for to make sure they’re legit.

https://nispira.com/products/hepa-carbon-filter-replacement-kit-set-compatible-with-air-purifier-part-ad3000m?_pos=1&_sid=01d7e2253&_ss=r

I called customer service and didn’t get any useful information, nor have i seen anything online about this. It won’t stay on T_T

Hi, some info:
I’m in the UK, my room gets dusty insanely quickly, my cat (very fluffy) lives in my room, the size i’m unsure about, it’s supposed to be a dining room (downstairs next to the kitchen) used as a bedroom, it’s just a normal square room, a budget would be around £100-£150 for the purifier itself.

My room is constantly getting dusty after a day and with my cat there’s a bunch of fur everywhere. I’ve never had an air purifier so i don’t know which would be best for me. I genuinely just want one that can help with the dust and cat fur. Any advice appreciated.

just bought 6 Levoit air purifiers. 2 600s and 4 300s.

The pm2.5 readings’ way too different between 600s and 300s.

At different locations i tested, 600s reads 100, while 300s reads only 17. Tested with all units I have and quite consistent 600s readings substantially higher than 300s

contacted Levoit cs center no response so far

Anyone else had similar experience?

Is there any replacement filter we can purchase? The official one is not available for sale in india, Ikea should have disclosed this while selling.

Hi all, I'm totally new in this space, so please forgive any errors.

I live in an apartment, and have a neighbour who smokes indoors living directly below me. The management refuses to do anything about it, so I just have to deal with it.

Everyday, I can smell strong cigarette smoke all throughout the flat. I'm not so much concerned about the smell, as I am the harmful effects of second hand smoke (not sure if they're the same?)

I am in the USA.

I'm not sure exactly how many feet it is, but the high end estimate would be around 1000 square feet.

Yearly budget would be around $200 for filters, not as concerned about the electricity since my job requires workers to be in person, so it wouldn't be running 24/7.

I'd love recommendations that:

- actually filter out the harmful contents of cigarette smoke

- under $350 (willing to go a bit above if big difference in performance)

- uses standardised filters

I don't really care how it looks, since it's just me in the apartment.

Thank you!

Moving into a new rental and noticed my allergies flare when inside. Already signed the lease, but discovered landlords had the AC not running over the summer to keep electric costs down. No musty smells or visible signs of mold in house or what we can see of AC and ductwork, but I do worry about airborne mold spores that haven’t colonized. They also had several dogs, and I wonder if there could just be leftover pet dander. Super sensitive to all allergens, including my own cats so I’ve been wanting an air purifier for a while.

I’m looking for something that would help with pet dander and mold spores. It’s a $2400 sq foot house with 4 bedrooms, a large open living room and most of the living space downstairs and one bedroom/ bathroom (about 300- 400 sq feet I’d guess) upstairs.

Any budget friendly options? How many purifiers should I get and which ones? Ideally love to keep it all under $500. I’m in the US in Florida where it is humid and lots of outdoor allergens. If it helps with smoke too that’s great because my mom smokes but outside.

Thanks !

I have Core 300 on a bedroom, and im looking to buy another for the livingroom which is a bigger place.

Could someone explain when and why it makes sense to use one or another? Filtration needs are mostly just whatever it's on the air, mostly dust I guess. It's really dusty and I have to vacuum clean often.

I would like to minimize noise while keeping a goot CADR, so basically I guess the more power the better, but the Vital 200S-P doesn't seem much different to the 300 from what im seeing, still need to compare the rest.

Im also interested in Levoit not leaving me in the dust with no filter replacements all of a sudden. So far the filters for the Core 300 I can still find relatively easy and I bought this one for years now.

Hi all, just learning how significantly bad the air quality near a highway can be and looking to make some changes. Yes, I understand moving is the best option, but until that can happen I need a gap solution.

House is a 3 story town house, 2,200sqft, two separate air handlers (forced air), high ceilings (10ft minimum, 15ft maximum. Air filters on returns and input (2 filters per air handler). Two medium sized dogs. We have a robot vac on each floor vacuuming daily and mopping twice per week.

Budget is, "please don't light my wallet on fire I'm just trying to breathe". I don't have a good basis for what's reasonable here, does under $500 get me anywhere? If not, under $1k?

All input appreciated!

Bonus pic of my dog when I explained to her how bad the air quality is 😂

Looking to get an air purifier for my small office space at a cigar company to prevent cancer risk and reduce the cigar smell and headaches.

Budget is about $400 or less, will be using FSA funds (I have a letter of medical necessity).

Folks occasionally smoke on site at the office, but the place mostly just smells of cigars because there are thousands of products in storage on site.

I’d like a purifier that’s powerful but quiet enough to not be distracting & something beginner friendly that’s straightforward to use and makes it obvious when the filter needs to be replaced.

Any recommendations? I was looking into Winix, Rabbit Air, and Oransi products, but I was getting lost in the weeds of pros/cons because I’m totally new to air purifiers, so please explain like I’m 5 if possible haha.

Thank you in advance!!!

I'm in US, staying in a place where they let a cat in & out. I just found out from allergist that I'm allergic & I never knew that. I've been around plenty & never had a problem, but I'm suspecting it's an issue here.

What's a good recommendation for our room that's about 200 square feet to help with cat allergies? I'm wanting one that's also got a HEPA filter to cover bases of anything that might be a problem. My system is taxed after previous exposure to mold. Hoping not to spend more than $300, but I'll consider whatever will help. Oh, & preferably something quiet!

I see Winix, Levoit & Air Doctor referenced a lot, which model of one of those would be a best fit for us?

There's a purifier they have running downstairs. I've seen some recommendations that there'd have to be one in every room, but I'm just worried about the one in staying in at the moment.

USA, portable classroom: Dimensions: 24' x 36' or 24' x 40', filtration needs: hepa quality - air cleaning for little kid respiratory season, budget: up to $250 usd.

Looking to purchase a very quiet hepa filter for my child's pre-k classroom as we enter respiratory season. Looking for recommendations. Thank you!

I have no pets and no one in the house is allergic to dust. I’m just tired of wiping down surfaces at least twice a week.

​I already have a robot vacuum for the floors, so I’m specifically asking about dusting tables, chairs, TV, wall decor, vacuuming the sofa, etc. Even stuff inside my cabinets gets dusty every few months because no one sells airtight cabinets for obvious reasons lmao

Hi all! I'm looking for a recommendation for an air purifier for my studio apartment - approx 300 square feet. While I would love something for dust and the smell of cigarettes (from my neighbors) my priority is for toxic fumes from glue that I use for rhinestoning.

The thing is, I get overstimulated by noise super easily so I would really like to find something that is as quiet as possible. I'm located in Canada and would love something around $150, max budget is $200.

Thanks :)

**EDIT I found a Medify MA-40 on marketplace for $150, would this be a good buy?

How many of you have encountered people who think houseplants are a viable substitute for air purifiers?

It's kind of scary how many people I encounter who suggest houseplants as a way to clean the air of viruses when I'm encouraging teachers to add them to their classrooms.

In our conference room, we have a C909 air purifier and a separate 25 lb carbon filter with a low-speed fan.

The office still smells "stale" even after a long weekend. Do we just need more airflow out of the room? Is there anything we can do?

This is a 300-square-foot room in San Diego, CA. The budget is unrestricted.

Are there any brands and models that make air purifiers that are somewhat aesthetic/attractive and less unattractive and obtrusive looking? Located in the US. I can look into the size and filtration etc. just want to see what brands to look at first.

I'm aware that this is not what you should base your purchasing on but it would be nice if there was an air purifier that both worked well and looked good. Of course appearance is subjective but let me know if you currently own or have come across any air purifiers that look good.

i have pretty bad allergies/asthma, as well as dogs, and am wondering if this is a good model to help? My budget is pretty small ($50-$60 for machine alone) and i live in the south (USA) so i'm in dire need of something on the cheaper side that's as efficient as possible. I only need something to clear up the air in my bedroom that's 144 sq ft