Air Purifiers That Truly Remove VOCs

The Black Mold Crisis That Started It All

Buying a home with black mold led us to buy HEPA air purifiers.

As some of you may know, I’ve been living with severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) since 1975. Many scented products, silicone, latex, and other chemicals can trigger severe asthma for me.

The worst triggers are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are gases emitted by certain solids or liquids. They are found in thousands of everyday products, such as fragrances, silicone, latex, paints, varnishes, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and adhesives. VOCs over 500 can be harmful to everyone. High concentrations can cause headaches, nausea, or breathing difficulties, while long-term exposure can have more severe impacts, including internal organ damage.

For years, we relied on an ozone air purifier we owned, misled by claims that it would remove all pollens, germs, and even mold. Not only did it fail to help, but I also learned that ozone purifiers create pollution that can harm your health, particularly for people with asthma.

The mold remediation company we hired said ozone air purifiers have not been proven effective against mold, and they used only HEPA air purifiers.

If the company that removed the black mold in our home used them, we wanted them in our home, so we purchased three Idylis air purifiers after they completed the restoration.

Our First Experience with HEPA Air Purifiers

Our Idylis air purifiers restored my home to safety when I became so ill from reactions. For example, they cleared out the toxins when I had severe asthma after a woman I had hired to clean our home arrived. I had asked her not to use any fragrances. She had not considered her Tide laundry soap as a fragrance, yet Tide is intensely scented and toxic for me.

A Costly Mistake

Later, we bought a whole-house air purifier, and I gave our three Idylis air purifiers away. What a mistake! I became so ill.

It turns out whole house air purifiers don't work; they are a waste of your money. There is only one intake location, and they don't run when your heater or air conditioner isn't running. Even when we ran our fan all the time, it still did not help me feel better.

My husband, Keith, purchased a new Idylis air purifier; what a difference! I felt fantastic! I needed to move it into whatever room I was in to stay feeling so good, so he purchased two more. Ah, what a difference in how I felt!

When I Couldn't Breathe

Our air purifiers saved my life when I had a severe reaction to a forever chemical on Keith's new hiking pants. (It took me so many phone calls to learn what caused such a severe reaction.) I woke in the middle of the night and could not stop coughing; I could not clear my lungs, and I became severely nauseous. Nothing I tried worked.

I knew there was nowhere I could go since fragrance is everywhere, even in hospitals and ambulances. I was in serious trouble. I felt my mouth watering as my body tried to vomit even as I struggled to breathe.

Then I saw Keith approaching with our Idylis air purifier; he set it next to me. Slowly, my breathing improved. We both agreed the next day that without his quick thinking and our air purifier, I would not have survived.

Testing New Air Purifiers

Then I wanted an additional air purifier for our spare bedroom. I found that Idylis units were no longer available.

I bought a GermGuardian HEPA Air Purifier, but I had severe asthma as soon as I turned it on.

I bought a Levoit Air Purifier, but it also caused severe asthma.

I bought a Honeywell HEPA Air Purifier, and once again; severe asthma as soon as I turned it on.

IQAir is reported as good, but my friend developed severe metal toxicity from one of their air purifiers, so I did not consider them.

The Austin Air Healthmate is reported to be excellent for people with MCS. However, I discovered this when I researched these air purifiers: "For enhanced removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and benzenes, the Healthmate Plus model uses carbon impregnated with Potassium Iodide along with the Zeolite.

A chemical used to remove VOCs is too scary for me.

In the past, I bought some Zeolite stones to remove VOCs in my home. I had asthma, breathing them in and touching them even with my respirator mask on. I researched this and found that Zeolite is often created in a lab. This was too scary for me, also.

The Foust Air Purifier Disaster

Next, I bought a Foust 400 Series air purifier. I had it for two months, and then I woke up unable to stop coughing. I could not get dressed, eat, or do anything since my coughing was so severe. None of my usual remedies made any difference.

Since the Foust air purifier was the newest item, Keith moved it to our garage. Very soon, my severe coughing stopped.

It turned out that this product, created for people with MCS, had a design flaw. The air entered the HEPA filter first, then the charcoal filter, and then a thin filter. This is the reverse of every air purifier I have owned. It caused the charcoal to enter our home and build up without adequate filtration, which led to severe illness for me.

Finally, A Solution

My friend Lucy recommended the AirDoctor AD 5500 HEPA and VOC air purifier. I love it! No reaction, finally success!

It has an ionizer, which I do not recommend using. Since I once owned an ozone air purifier, I check every detail of any air purifier.

Google reports this: "AirDoctor air purifiers have an optional, built-in ionizer feature that remains off by default. It has the potential to produce small, trace amounts of ozone as a byproduct. If you are sensitive to ozone or have respiratory issues, it is safest to simply leave the ionizer feature turned off while continuing to use the powerful HEPA and carbon filters."

Why I Chose AirDoctor

Their filter system is so much more robust than others I have used. Rather than thin carbon and HEPA filters, AirDoctor has huge, robust filters. The 5500 has 3 different types of filters on each side.

This ended my worry that one of my Idylis air purifiers would fail and I wouldn't have a replacement.

Then I purchased an AirDoctor 2200 air purifier, and it’s been working wonderfully. In fact, my health improved using it too, so I ordered another one. We have now replaced all our Idylis air purifiers with AirDoctor air purifiers.

Why We Use an Air Purifier in Every Room

We now have an AirDoctor air purifier in every room in our home, including our laundry room, Keith's office, and our RV.

For someone with severe asthma and MCS, clean air is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

I highly recommend the AirDoctor air purifiers; I rely on them daily for my health. 

I am so impressed by the AirDoctor company as a whole. They have fantastic service. They answer the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What a commitment to their customers!

They package their air purifiers only in cardboard, with absolutely no plastic, and clearly, they do not produce any harmful VOCs, since I do so well using them as soon as they arrive! I am so impressed, what an amazing company!

The Value of Measuring VOCs

We now use a VOC meter. As we are able to keep VOCs low, all my symptoms are gone! No coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, sinus congestion, or watering eyes. This is huge!

The Power of AirDoctor

Our home has so many things that aren't considered ideal for someone with MCS, such as wall-to-wall carpeting, Formica countertops and old books. Our chairs are made of fake leather, and the desk surrounding me is made of particleboard and laminate.

Yet my health is steadily improving.

Why?

Many people with MCS talk about how unloading their groceries makes them so ill from the fragrances, and that they need to wash each item.

Yet I unload our groceries from our cloth bags without any issues.

Why?

Keith and I bought a foam bed. It did not produce any VOC's, and it was so comfortable! Then one day I looked at the VOCs in our bedroom at night and discovered the VOCs spiked up every night as high as 2300! Yet, I felt fine every night.

Why?

It is the power of our AirDoctors purifying our air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They remove the toxins from the carpets, Formica, old books and my particleboard desk. They remove pollution or wildfire smoke when we open our doors.

Since I always slept facing my AirDoctor because I noticed I felt better when I did so, it even protected me from a severely toxic foam mattress! (The AirDoctor in our bedroom could not fully control the toxins. I did wake up several times each night feeling so nervous, and I was fighting off a constant sinus infection.)

Without an air purifier such as these, the toxins will remain in your home, and you will be breathing them all day, every day.

We bought a product from a company we trusted. I kept getting asthma, but I couldn't figure out what from. My two masks got contaminated, and I still couldn't figure out the problem. Then I became so ill. I went from room to room, but every room had high VOC's. My masks weren't working, my medicine didn't work, and my lime juice and fruit treatments didn't work. I was getting worse and worse. I was out of resources. I felt that I may not survive. I became nauseous, and my mouth began to pour saliva. I knew I was in trouble. Then I remembered Keith moving the Idylis air purifier next to me. I moved the AirDoctor next to me. Slowly, I could breathe better, and I recovered.

My AirDoctor air purifier had saved my life!

We can watch our air purifiers steadily reduce high VOC levels until our entire home is green and safe again.

Our home is incredibly safe for me. Only new products cause an issue.

Why Opening Windows Is Not Enough

Without an air purifier, you are exposed to toxins every day. You have no defense against wildfire smoke. Opening windows will not remove them. We have tried this. As soon as the windows are closed, the toxins and high VOCs are still there.

Opening windows also allows so many toxins to enter your home, such as wildfire smoke, pollution, fragrances, harmful weed killer or paint fumes from your neighbors. We do not open our windows or run any vents because of this issue.

In Severe Situations

If you are living through intense toxin exposure, which I have had happen, the combination of my respirator mask and these air purifiers has kept me safe. If you live in a home with mold, an apartment where you are exposed to cigarette smoke, fragrances or other severe exposures, this combination will be the best protection if you have nowhere else to go.

When VOCs are high in our home, I have slept with my respirator mask on and with my air purifier next to me and avoided all or most reactions! I find the mask comfortable to sleep in, especially compared to reactions!

Please take care since each of us is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another.

The Unexpected Gift Hidden Inside a Crisis

A crisis prompted us to start using HEPA air purifiers, a decision that ultimately safeguarded my health and saved my life. A crisis had brought an unexpected, much-needed benefit.

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I am never an affiliate for any product I recommend. I share these recommendations only because they have genuinely helped improve my health, and I hope they can do the same for you.

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If my story resonated with you, I'd be grateful if you could give it a heart at the end of my blog or stars! Your support means the world to me. I always love hearing from you; please leave me a comment below.

I have had so many miracles happen, and I am so thankful. I am working to share what I have learned through my blogs, social media posts, and YouTube so that you can also heal.  You can see my videos on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/@yesyoucanheal

Yet now, I find myself faced with increasing toxins in America that are making it difficult for me to stay healthy, and this is true for our Earth and all of us. 

We need to work together to solve this issue. Our lives and our planet depend on this.

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