My last installment addressed keeping your house as clean and dust-free as possible in between visits from your maid service or other home cleaning organization. I shared some insights as to where the dust comes from which is in fact the object of much house cleaning. If you are here for the first time, you might find it informative and perhaps even mildly entertaining to go back to that entry. It has some surprising facts that I gleaned from credible sources that are pertinent to a clean house; surprising facts about how much you – yes, you – shed that dust, for example. There is also a flattering picture of my mother cleaning house and a photo showing how you might clean your floors with a small child.
Anyway, in that last installment I suggested that air cleaners were an ideal way to clean the air and thus help keep your house clean by capturing much of that dust. As described in that installment I became interested in the question when my wife began having significant upper respiratory issues that suggested that the air was not clean enough. Which is to say she sneezed and wheezed. Made it hard to hear the television. So I looked for and found several air cleaners that have since been part of our successfully addressing the clean air problem.
I promised to share with you the air cleaners that have been part of our strategy of keeping a clean house. But first a disclaimer or two. I am only sharing what worked for us and those air cleaners that I decided upon after a bit - quite a bit, actually – of online research. And as I said, they have been keeping our air clean and helping with housekeeping for years now. Or is that spelled house keeping or maybe house-keeping? Anyway, I do not claim expertise in anything other than what worked and is working for us.
Because my time is a bit constrained right at this moment, let me suggest this: You need to do some of your own research and due diligence anyway, if you are contemplating buying an air cleaner, so let me give you the names and model numbers of these air cleaners. In a week or so I will return to give you more insight as to why I thought they were good choices for us and why I continue to believe so.
There are also a couple of “hacks” in using them that others thought of and I have used successfully to make them more efficient and cost-effective cleaners.
Let me also mention that in checking around just in the last week for what might be new in the world of air cleaners, I have discovered that these particular air cleaning machines might be on the way out, being replaced by models that I have some reservations about. I will share these opinions next time – I promise.
Air Cleaners
In the meantime, do some internet searching for the following air cleaners:
- Honeywell 50250 (I have two,)
- Honeywell 1700S (have two)
- Austin Air Pet Machine
Incidentally, Austin air cleaners were used in the post 9-11 clean up operations in New York and are made in the United States.
I do not have any financial interest in promoting these air cleaners although if Honeywell were to send me a large check I would accept it – and also tell you about it. But I am not holding my breath. As for reviews, you can always find some on the Amazon site, if nowhere else. (Once again, no connection, financial or otherwise. Well, actually I buy large bags of dog food through Amazon so that I don’t have to lug them home. I think the delivery guy greatly enjoys the exercise afforded by trying to carry a heavy bag sliding around in a large box so it is a win-win.)
One thing to keep in mind as you do any research: Keeping your air clean with a machine is a trade-off, just as with about everything else. In this case, you are trying to balance effectiveness, initial price, the price of replacement parts (filters and pre-filters,) noise, and visual aesthetics to include size. You are also balancing one larger-sized air cleaner perhaps centrally located with several smaller ones scattered about your home. More later.
In the meantime, don’t forget that for our home, Accent Maid Service is the number one, preferred purveyor of house cleaning, home cleaning and whatever-the-heck-else cleaning. Admittedly, we own the company. But a certain proportion of the rest of the citizenry agrees with us because we have been successfully in business for 30 plus years. Some customers have been with us for practically that long, with some customers spanning from one generation to the next.