I have used IQ Air HealthProPlus for years. I have chemical/fragrance sensitivities. It is the best unit out there, in my opinion.

Perhaps the odor is not the plastic. We never had a problem with that. But the filters themselves have a slight odor that goes away very quickly.

The unit is expensive but the filters last a long time. (We even vacuum the prefilter to extend its life.) Be sure to register online so you the warranty is in place.

The company will be happy to address your concerns. They are very customer oriented.
www.iqair.com

I recently purchased an IQ Air and also noticed the initial smell. However, within one week's time the smell was gone. I have various sensitivities, including to chemical fumes, and have found the IQ Air to be the best I have tried. I am highly pleased with it.

I had a IQ Air and returned it for the same reason. It is a very fancy machine, but all you really need is a fan to move air across some carbon and then a HEPA filter. In my opinion the IQ Air doesn't have enough carbon (it also is hard to refill yourself); the air doesn't blow hard enough to really circulate it around the room; it smells too "plasticy". I have a NQ Clarifier for large spaces and an Austin Air Jr for small rooms. Aireox seems like a good brand as well. For chemicals, I use a blend of coconut carbon and potassium permanganate and refill it myself.

Thanks. I did call them and they were very heplful. They agree that it is the packaging of the filters. I was told to run it on high with the doors open for 3 hours. I did and it was much better. I have it in a room not used much and will keep it there for a week on medium. At that point I will put it up in my bedroom. They are rated the highest. If this works I will purchase another for my downstairs area. That should cover the entire home. I will be doing some small remodeling over the next several months and want to be protected from vapors etc that might be around.

I am still interested in any comments from owners that have these units.

Bonnie Johnson

We have 2 IQAir machines and are well satisfied. We were told when we bought the first one that at first the machine might have a slight mechanical odor but that did not seem to be the case. We have had no off-gassing problems with either machine.
I would hope that IQAir has not changed the composition of the housing etc in newer machines that might cause the odors.

I have MCS and am really sensitive to such odors so I understand your frustration. I do encourage you to call the company and make them aware of the problem you are having. Hope things work out for you soon.

Thanks for the answers. I did call the company and they told me to give it some more time and the smell will go away. If not I can return the unit. I really want to keep it because they are rated very high and I need something in moms old house to help me.I will keep it in the unused room for about a week and hope it goes away.
I would love to hear from others with the unit just to see how they like it.
Bonnie Johnson

I wanted to give you all an update on my air purifer issue. I emailed IQAIR about the smell and they called me yesterday. The girl said that the smell in the Health Pro Plus is from some glue and does cause a headache withe some MCS sufferers. She said they recomend the GCC gas unit for MCS patients.They are going to replace my unit for the gas unit and I am going to pay the difference. Because I had to drive 40 miles to pick up the unit they are having the dealer I purchased it from drive to me and replace the unit. Although I don't want to spend even more money on another unit I need to be happy and not get sick from the one I choose. My idea was to use this unit to help clear the air in my moms older home along with the other improvements I will make in the next year.
The company was very helpful and have now called me twice to set up the replacement.Lets hope that the new unit is without any scent.
Thanks
Bonnie Johnson

Hi
Well here are my final attempt results for the IQAIR purifier.
We replaced the Health Pro Plus with the GCC unit that is made for MCS sufferers. The sales man was super and brought it to my house and took the other one away. We set it up. He said there should be no smell. We turned it on and there was the smell again. I told him to leave it and I would run it for a week in that closed room with the window open. I have done that now and still get a headache. I called the company and told them I will keep it till after the holiday. If I still have issues it is going back. Good grief I did not know I was that sensitive to glue smells. Just goes to show you that we all are so different. Many have written in to say they love the unit after it offgassed. I may not be one who can do it. If not I will be returning it and trying one of the other companys Debra lists. I do not feel it is the fault of IQAIR. They have been very helpful but for that expense it has to work for me.
Thanks
Bonnie Johnson

I have used a number of air purifiers, and can tell you that IQAir is tops in particle capture. The adhesive smell is very annoying though. A number of HEPA's have that smell. I believe that it is a PVA (poly vinyl acetate) glue that they say is food safe. PVA is also in most 'latex' paints, so that may bother you also.

I have found the carbon in air purifiers to be troublesome for me. IQAir's uses potassium permanganate along with the carbon to oxidize things like formaldehyde. The pot.perm. causes some people trouble. Even the carbon bothers me. Superfine carbon dust gets through even HEPA and bothers my lungs. So, even though I am sensitive to some chemicals, I can't filter them because I am sensitive to what they use to filter them. Eliminate the chemical sources and ventilate -- the healthiest option.

IQAir without the carbon works great for particle capture, but still has that odor. Another good option for particle capture is Airpura I-600. Their other models use carbon, but the I-600 is just HEPA, and it's capture rate is very good. They also don't have that smell that IQAir has.

Good luck

I called a store that is receiving referrals from drs in my area and sells air purifiers, vacuums, etc. He did not like IQ or Austin. he said IQ has plastic parts. He recommends Allerair and said they will even customize the carbon so it is not offensive to MCS sufferers. I am going to look into it.

I am also looking for a vacuum cleaner, because the Miele cannister I bought doesn't work on pile rugs and I can't use my old Kirby anymore. I bought the wrong Miele, but I didn't have sensitivity at the time, so the question now is Sebo or Miele (which model?)(upright or cannister?). heaviness, features, price etc.

I am also looking into an HRV system on my furnace. Is it good, because I have lots of oaks and maples outside? Also I have a very high Merv filter on my HVAC and a UV light, but do I really need a HEPA filter, which will be expensive to retrofit. My heating man has not come though on the HRV and doesn't really want me to upgrade my filter or change it more than twice a year. I am planning to remodel my kitchen. I feel very allergic lately.

I have the Austin air purifier Jr. I don't like the way it blows a draft in my bedroom and it seems to pick up the odors and blow them into the air when it is on. I have already replaced the filter for about $75 once at a discounted rate, because they are supposed to last for several years. Now it smells again. Also it is too small fro larger rooms.

My air ducts have never been cleaned in 47 years and the jury seems to be out as to whether it is helpful or harmful. Last time I had my house rehabbed we never covered the airducts. Nor did we do it when I recently repainted with ovoc paints.

NancyK,
I have a top of the line Riccar upright and it seems to do the trick for me but it can be heavy going from one floor to the other.It has attachments that work well and I vacuum about 3 times a week where I still have carpet. I am slowly removing all the carpets in the house and using a Debra carpet cleaning reccomend on what is left.I have replaced most drapes with blinds.
I am about to start painting and was wondering which brand of 0voc paint you used.

Thanks for the advice about the Allerair. I am still airing out the IQAIR and have been in constant contact with the company. I have to say they have been very helpful but still we have a problem.They told me they had someone who took 3 weeks in an empty room with an open window to off gas it. I am working on breaking that record and if not they can take it back.

My furnace unfortunately is gas and too new to replace but I do have a trion top of the line air exchange filter in it and have noticed I do not smell any gas because the furnace room is in the basement although I am sure I still suffer some issues from it.I have never had the vents cleqaned either although my parents said they did many years ago. The jury isn definately still out on that one. I did have my handyman open all the floor return vents and vacuum them out and replace the vent covers. It has helped with air flow.

I guess we are all dealing with our MCS type issues and we are all very diffgerent in what makes up react. Some here love the IQAIR and I was hoping to be part of that group but maybe not.

Bonnie Johnson

Hi Friends
I have aired out the IQAIR for 30 days now and it still smells. My contractor and I have figured it is the glue on the hepa or the actual fan motor. They must have oiled it with something. I remember I bought a paper shredder once that did the same thing.I called the company last week and I told them I want to return it. Well it is now 2 days past my return date. I will be talking to the dealer again on Monday and hopefully under the circumstances he will take it back. If not I have made a 1300 mistake. I thought the company did all that but now they tell me it is up to the dealer.
I will keep you posted. I am going to try the Healthmate Jr plus next for my bedroom only. If that does not cause me any issues I will get a bigger one for the downstairs area.
I am determined to find a super purifier to help this old house.
Bonnie Johnson

I rented a professional particle counter a couple of years ago to test my air purifiers. I was shocked at how leaky the Austin Air was. They claimed it wasn't designed for absolute capture, but overall room reduction of particles. Shocking statement when looking at the claims on their website. Talking to others in the air purifier business confirmed what I experienced with the performance of Austin Air air purifiers.

Austin Air uses potassium iodide in their carbon, which is supposed to be less irritating that the potassium permanganate that IQAir uses, but I found that all carbon in the airflow bothers my lungs.

Airpura's i600 has no carbon, and much less odor than IQAir. They offer a 100% cotton prefilter. I would recommend requesting them use a neoprene seal instead of the felt one -- it provides a better seal for me.

Amaircare's filters are pretty good also. I would just avoid their carbon post-filter or pre-filter. You can use something like Airpura's cotton pre-filter instead.

Another thing regarding carbon, if I used carbon in the air stream, then tried taking it out, if carbon was before the HEPA before pulling it out, it was still troublesome in the HEPA after the carbon was out. I needed to put in fresh media for it to be tolerable.

Regarding vacuums, the best option is an outside venting central vac. We unfortunately don't have that yet. The second best option (which we do have) is a Nilfisk GM80 with ULPA filtration. We had a Miele for awhile, but it did not perform as well at filtration as Nilfisk. Miele performs better than others like Kenmore that may claim and use a HEPA filter, but are leaky all around the filter and housing. Miele is at least well sealed. I just get better filtering from Nilfisk. Unfortunately even that affects the kids a little.

We've been through many filters and vacuums.

Best Wishes

Regarding the ERV, the manufacturer told me not to do it as it would bring odors in that would be harmful to me. He wouldn't even sell it to me. Also if you remove carbon from the air filter you only eliminate particles and not gases, such as carbon monoxide and odors.

I thought I would have to buy another Miele Upright for my carpets, but I bought the Turbo brush for my old Miele suction cannister (The Orion), which they don't make anymore and we are thrilled with it for the rugs and the cannister is light. It is also built with a rubber type material which seems a lot better than the new plastic ones. Miele is no longer made in Germany like everything else. I have had a lot of repair costs with this Miele so far.

Someone told me customizing the carbon in a portable filter could be threatening to my health (good point) and I never did have a chance to investigate. Still looking for a good gas phase filter portable and for my HVac

Also looking for someone to analyze my house and give me direction on what needs to be done..Does anyone know anyone in Illinois or who would travel or refer someone to do that?

Regarding the ERV/HRV, bringing in a mix of outside air into HVAC is supposed to be a good thing. Thermastor's Ultra-Aire dehumidifiers (www.thermastor.com) do this and it's a good thing. They have really good filtration options so you are catching pollen or other particulates before the air mixes with the recycled air. This helps to dilute outgassing in the home.

If the outside air has so much carbon monoxide that you can't open a window or bring in outside air that has particulate filtered, then I would seriously consider moving.

Carbon can catch some odors. But cleaning chemicals out of the air is not an exact science. For example, carbon does not catch formaldehyde, as formaldehyde is too small. So, they add potassium permanganate or potassium iodide to attempt to oxidize the formaldehyde and break it down. These same oxidizers are coming off in some small amount in the air. Small amounts, but enough to irritate the chemically sensitive.

If someone has a pollen allergy, or asthma and need to reduce particulate in the air, a HEPA will be good for them. I think many (including me before I started using and testing them) are expecting something from air purifiers that can't be delivered. If there are too many chemicals in the air, you need to remove the chemicals from where you are, or remove you from where the chemicals are.

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to update on the IQAIR purifier.I will be taking it back to the dealer tomorrow. He was dragging his feet about coming to get it so I offered. They are giving me a full refund and said that they have had some MCS sufferers that just could not take the snell. I am one. For those that are not as sensitive it is a good machine I am sure. I am going to try another one and see how I come out.
This MCS thing has been a real problem but as with any other challange I will find a way to deal with it.
Thank you all for your comments and I will be testing other units soon.
Bonnie Johnson