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Is it worth getting an air purifier for my constant rhinitis?
- Thread starter Sasha
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Sasha
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I used to have a robot vacuum cleaner and then got an actual person to use a big hoover and by the time the pandemic came around and I started to shield (which I'm still doing), I'd forgotten about the robot, which I'd sold by then. Maybe I should get one again...
Ash
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
As a person with a dust mite allergy I think so.
They are really most effective when you keep the dust down with regular vacuuming because otherwise the filters clog up so much faster and lose efficiency. Then you’d have to replace them more often which can be expensive. Also the pre filters usually require vacuuming which is a consideration if getting a vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard is difficult.
All that said I think air purifiers are a really good investment. I have neighbours who smoke and it gives me asthma attacks, with air purifiers on its a different experience so so much better.
You need one with a real HEPA filter, no ionising or particles burning and suprisingly I learned recently no UV light because it’s usually far too weak to kill the nasty stuff but does do something else bad that I have now forgotten, what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger maybe?
A purifier would also help lower transmission risk for you and any visitors with all the flu and Covid around. So double duty.
They are really most effective when you keep the dust down with regular vacuuming because otherwise the filters clog up so much faster and lose efficiency. Then you’d have to replace them more often which can be expensive. Also the pre filters usually require vacuuming which is a consideration if getting a vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard is difficult.
All that said I think air purifiers are a really good investment. I have neighbours who smoke and it gives me asthma attacks, with air purifiers on its a different experience so so much better.
You need one with a real HEPA filter, no ionising or particles burning and suprisingly I learned recently no UV light because it’s usually far too weak to kill the nasty stuff but does do something else bad that I have now forgotten, what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger maybe?
A purifier would also help lower transmission risk for you and any visitors with all the flu and Covid around. So double duty.
Sasha
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Just had a look at robot hoovers and am excited to see that they now mop floors and empty their own dust containers and clean their own mops! Having to constantly empty the tiny dust container of my old Roomba was exhausting for me, and I'm incapable of cleaning my kitchen and bathroom lino floors so these are all massive pluses.
Kitty
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
The only thing that's made a substantial difference to me is daily antihistamines. I used to take them on and off, assuming it wouldn't be good to take them all the time, but the GP said it was fine to have one a day. I alternate between cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine, and taking them all year doesn't seem to mean they stop working during tree pollen season. I sleep better when my nose is less stuffed up.
Obviously not all rhinitis is caused by allergy, and antihistamines wouldn't work in that case. I'm allergic to house dust mites, but don't have enough capacity to put in place all the mitigations like barrier fabrics and thorough daily hoovering. I think a lot of my stuffiness is caused by contact with the soft furnishings where the allergen (dust mite poo) accumulates, and for someone with more severe allergy who needs to spend a lot of time in bed, barrier fabrics might be a good investment. They aren't for me, as it's more of a nuisance than a major problem.
Obviously not all rhinitis is caused by allergy, and antihistamines wouldn't work in that case. I'm allergic to house dust mites, but don't have enough capacity to put in place all the mitigations like barrier fabrics and thorough daily hoovering. I think a lot of my stuffiness is caused by contact with the soft furnishings where the allergen (dust mite poo) accumulates, and for someone with more severe allergy who needs to spend a lot of time in bed, barrier fabrics might be a good investment. They aren't for me, as it's more of a nuisance than a major problem.
Ash
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I don’t really get rhinitis or I do but it’s mild in comparison to the respiratory symptoms. Tight chest breathlessness and so it’s less something that I monitor although sinuses pain is something I notice and that improves.
Unfortunately no not overall. I slept better with it on and woke up in less pain and feeling calmer and more well rested. Also less nauseated because the pollution here can be bad even with closed windows it gets in and the purifier helped with that.
I might feel overall more well if I used it consistently but I don’t because sometimes I can’t handle the noise or the air movement from the fan.
I had one with a really super quiet night mode with only a very faint point of light to show it was on that really didn’t bother me at all, worked great for maintenance once air already brought up to standard, but I found it difficult to tolerate the higher speeds that I needed clear out pollution and stuff that was accumulating whilst it was off. That really didn’t usually take that long, but you know for us can still be difficult.
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I love ours! I got rhinititis during pregnancy, especially in the morning, and my nose was much less stuffy since we got an air purifier in the bedroom (we also vacuum and keep dust down by not having clothes and books out in the open, but in drawers/behind glass dors in the bookcase).
MeSci
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Well, as someone who can't hoover properly nowadays, and who gets a neighbour in to do it (paid) I thought that it was time to get a robot cleaner.
I've bought a Beko Robot Cleaner VRR60314VW, which is well regarded here:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk...#product-ff07a393-41d0-4902-89ba-74afbc9e34f1
I'll let you all know how it fares, especially in view of my lack of experience and lack of a mobile phone with internet connection, which seems to be necessary for some functions.
I've bought a Beko Robot Cleaner VRR60314VW, which is well regarded here:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk...#product-ff07a393-41d0-4902-89ba-74afbc9e34f1
I'll let you all know how it fares, especially in view of my lack of experience and lack of a mobile phone with internet connection, which seems to be necessary for some functions.
I’ve got an air filter that I got after mild asthma diagnosis because I have a log burner and that can aggravate asthma. It seems to be effective. It has a hepa filter. It also has a low setting that is very quiet barely tell if it is on.
shak8
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I have diagnosed non-allergic rhinitis (I was tested for allergies and none were found). I got so stuffed up that I experienced vertigo at work and couldn't move from lying on the floor.
I was told by the ENT to do nasal washes with boiled water (with added canning salt and baking soda) twice a day. Also, I was prescribed was a nasal steroid twice a day.
When I have a cold or my ears are ringing and the above methods are not enough, I use a non-prescription nasal decongestant before I use the nasal rinse (Neil Med plastic bottle).Not to be used more than 3 days in a row because of rebound congestion.
I have an air purifier and I use it when the air quality is poor during fires mainly or if there are cooking or other strong odors.
I don't know how much difference an air purifier makes otherwise to me because I react, it seems, to particles in fresh air, scents, a lot of things. Windy high pollen days outdoors warrant an N95 mask, not because I'm allergic to pollen, but simply because it's gunk in the air.
It might be worthwhile to try to see an ears, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) to rule out allergies and work up a plan.
I was told by the ENT to do nasal washes with boiled water (with added canning salt and baking soda) twice a day. Also, I was prescribed was a nasal steroid twice a day.
When I have a cold or my ears are ringing and the above methods are not enough, I use a non-prescription nasal decongestant before I use the nasal rinse (Neil Med plastic bottle).Not to be used more than 3 days in a row because of rebound congestion.
I have an air purifier and I use it when the air quality is poor during fires mainly or if there are cooking or other strong odors.
I don't know how much difference an air purifier makes otherwise to me because I react, it seems, to particles in fresh air, scents, a lot of things. Windy high pollen days outdoors warrant an N95 mask, not because I'm allergic to pollen, but simply because it's gunk in the air.
It might be worthwhile to try to see an ears, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) to rule out allergies and work up a plan.
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Sasha
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I used to use those but then read somewhere that it could muck up your nasal microbiome so I stopped, but I don't know how true that is. I once forgot to add the salt and it was agony!
I have persistent rhinitis and do a nasal rinse every day, with boiled water plus non-iodised salt and sodium bicarb. (1/8 tsp salt & 1/16 tsp bicarb in 200ml water.)
No problems with it, and it works well for me.
Have to say it has improved significantly since my cat died. He was not the cause as it had been going on for many years before he turned up, and it has not gone away since he died. But he had a long thick, double layer coat, and was a massive shedder almost all year round, and we also lived in air-con for half the year, so no surprise that he exacerbated it for me.
No problems with it, and it works well for me.
Have to say it has improved significantly since my cat died. He was not the cause as it had been going on for many years before he turned up, and it has not gone away since he died. But he had a long thick, double layer coat, and was a massive shedder almost all year round, and we also lived in air-con for half the year, so no surprise that he exacerbated it for me.
Sparkly Unicorn
Established Member (Voting Rights)
A hepa might be worth a go, especially as it can help multiple issues such as air and indoor air pollution and keep the risk of airborne illness lower.
Hasn't helped my rhinitis only a steroid spray helps keep it under control
Hasn't helped my rhinitis only a steroid spray helps keep it under control
I find controlling air humidity in my bedroom helps a lot. Even going from 60% to below 50% makes a huge difference for me. It should make the room less hospitable for both mold and mites. A dehumidifier obviously generates some noise, but it works quite well to run it at full speed in the daytime and leave it at reduced capacity during the night.