TALKING DIRTY WITH THE QUEEN OF CLEAN by LINDA COBB

Author:LINDA COBB
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: POCKET BOOKS
Published: 1998-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

AIR CLEANERS—DO THEY WORK?

I have had so many questions about air cleaners—are they worthwhile, do they work?

In this day and age of ozone warnings and dust particles in the air, I have become a fan of good air cleaners.

I particularly like to run them in the bedrooms and the nursery; your baby deserves clean air. Unfortunately, even though we don’t like to talk about it, tons of dust, dust mites, and dry skin are lurking in our bedrooms. Dust and dust mites, in particular, can cause severe allergies in many people. If you are not sleeping well, if you are coughing, if your mate is snoring more, if you have a dry nose and throat, a good air cleaner may be the answer to your problems.

I have tried many different filters from the large, professional-type machines to the tall ones where you simply remove the metal catcher and wipe it off. The ones that you can readily buy with the removable metal dirt catcher are good for pet hair and larger dirt particles. Unfortunately, the dirt that causes the most trouble is the microscopic dust, pet dander, and dust mites. To actually clean the air of these things, you need a three-stage filter. This consists of a foam-type layer, to catch the larger things, that is washable and reusable. The second stage should be a true HEPA filter, not a HEPA-like or HEPA-type. To be sure you have a true HEPA filter, take the tip of your fingernail and press down on the white, pleated area of the HEPA filter. You should leave a small nail mark. On HEPA-like and HEPA-type filters, you will find a cardboard-type material and this will not indent and will not filter properly either. The third and last stage of the filter system should be a carbon filter, which will help to clean the odors in the air. An air cleaner with a curved shape will allow you to clean more air more efficiently.

Quality HEPA-filter air cleaners will come with a chart to indicate when the HEPA filter should be replaced. Since this air cleaner uses no chemicals, you can safely use it in the nursery—in fact, you should.

If your air cleaner comes with an ionizer, you should run that occasionally or not more than two hours a day. The ionizer will accumulate the dust and dirt into bigger pieces for capture, but with overuse can leave some of that dust and dirt hanging on your walls.

The important thing about any air cleaner that you purchase is to follow the directions that come with it and keep it clean. Once any air cleaner is clogged with dirt and dust, it can’t do its job.

People are always asking me stinking questions. No, really! I get asked about odors and things that smell and stink all the time. One of my most unusual and, initially, perplexing questions came at a book signing in Orlando, Florida. Here’s my stinking story.

A woman in the audience rose and approached the microphone.

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