Air purifiers

I have used air filters/purifiers for many years and the best, most effective ones are very expensive. I have two blueair in my house, they remove pollen spores, wood smoke particles, VOCs etc I upgraded from previous blue air filters and two of my AC now have those. One has a tendency for asthma and the blueair in his bedroom is very helpful, combined with dustmite bed covers etc

They will not remove flour mites and will remove mould spores in the air but will not stop mould growing on your walls and ceilings. A dehumidifier would help with that as would raising house temperature

Simple air filters might have hepa filters and need to be big enough to cope with air changes in a room. A basic air filter will trap dust and fluff, a very advanced air filter will trap very tiny particles and will even deal with viruses in a room. I have blueair health protect in my living room and classic in my bedroom and be warned that the filters need changing twice a year and they are also expensive

An air filter that is too small and not efficient is not worth having

www.breathingspace.co.uk/air-purifiers-c1

It’s the mould spores I’m worried about as I’ve got mould growing in weird places eg on the piano so I feel there are spores floating around. I know I’m getting a bit ocd about it all. I don’t want to make the mistake of buying one that isn’t good enough which would be a waste of money. I don’t suffer from asthma but have had an ongoing cough which has improved greatly since I started running the dehumidifier all day instead of just when I’m drying washing. Could I ask which model you have?

I also have a Blueair one. It's about the size of an old PC and we run it at night.

I bought the "case" second hand but the link above is where I usually buy my filters.

The company is very knowledgeable and will chat to you about what might be best for your space. I have bought one from them for my daughter.

BTW, some dehumidifiers also have a HEPA filter.

Maybee I have a health- protect in my living room and a smokestop classic in my bedroom. I got that one because of woodsmoke particles in the air in winter

You need to know the approximate size of the area in metres squared to really decide

A cough is symptomatic in that the mould is affecting your lungs

It would likely help you best if the filter was in your bedroom as that is probably where you spend the most hours breathing in

Perhaps you could also use a good face mask during the day when in mouldy rooms. FFP3 mask will block those spores from going into your lungs

www.protectivemasksdirect.co.uk/ffp3-masks-hse-guidance

Presumably you have tried to eliminate the cause of the damp?

I’m working on it. Got someone coming out this afternoon to check the wall where the mouldy dresser is. I’ve realised it is far worse than I realised. I’ve treated the mould in the drawers but, last night looked underneath it and was horrified to see mould covering the underside of the dresser. I now have to empty everything out so I can turn it upside down to treat it. I have problems with my gutters being permanently full of pine needles even though I have them cleared regularly and the house is permanently in shade because of the trees. On top of that the mortar at the back of the house is crumbling which is why the wasps are nesting there. I think I’ve reached saturation point because I can’t get on top of all of the problems (seem to take one step forward and two steps back). Also problems with moss and algae growing everywhere outside which is a slip hazard! If I could go back in time I would never live in a house surrounded by trees! And I have to pay a tree surgeon to cut back some of the branches because they overhang my driveway and there is a large loose branch there. On which the pigeons roost so they can poo everywhere!

I Have two Blueairs, had them for years. Not cheap but tried others and there is no comparison. Filters are not cheap either but are essential. You need to run them on the highest level during the day, lower at night.

"Which" have just done a survey of air purfiers but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be possible to buy replacement filters for the one they recommend at the moment.
I heard a programme by Michael Mosley earlier this week about air purifiers, saying that they emit (negative) ions which have been found to be as effective for SAD as the large lights. But apparently the ones they used were souped up to emit more ions and there doesn't seem to be any way of finding out which air purifieres emit the most.

MayBee70 I feel your pain - at some time or another we have had all those problems.
We had mould on the bedroom wall behind the shelves that we didn't spot until we cleared the room to decorate. It was caused by a broken gutter down the side of the house where we very rarely go. We used a proper mould wash to wash down the wall and got the gutter repaired then sealed the wall with a special sealer before repainting. The mould hasn't been back.
We have a very damp garden in Winter and get a lot of algae on the paths and patio. I sprinkle soda crystals over the algae and that seems to clear it, at least for a while. I don't know how soda crystals might affect your planting though.

Nothing grows in my garden anyway because of the trees. Or, if it does it grows sideways!

The roots are lifting my driveway, too!

cc, ionisers emit negative ions, they also emit ozone, which is not at all good for the body. They are designed to electrically charge dust particles which then stick to surfaces. I would never have an ioniser in my home.

I paid a high price but had the best purifier I could find. I generally use mine on low setting day and night but might use auto during the day if there is log smoke scent. The voc level goes very high from cooking btw, another reason to use an extract over the hob

I would suggest a dehumidifier. They use very little electricity & sort out our damp walls. They need to work in a warm room though....worth remembering. Ebac is ours.