Luma Comfort AP400W Air Purifier

Breathing is fairly vital to our existence. On a scale of 1 to 10–10 being most vital to our existence–I’d give breathing a 10. 🙂

Despite it’s importance to our healthy existence, we often don’t give breathing a second thought. We take for granted that the air we breathe is perfectly adequate for our and our children’s healthy functioning. But is it…adequate?

The vast majority of this world’s population live in urban and suburban areas where we are exposed to all sorts of environmental pollutants and household toxins. We live in a world of chemicals and some of those chemicals are really not great for us to breathe.

At our house we are doubly concerned with air quality. My oldest son has allergy induced asthma. He is highly allergic to dust–and where is there not dust! Over the years we have taken several steps to reduce the allergens in our home. We’ve seen great results from it too! During the last two years our oldest, now 7, has only had trouble with his asthma during the worst couple allergy months of the year.

Here are a few steps you too can take to reduce the allergens in your home.

Vacuum weekly with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter – While there is some debate on whether carpeted floors or non-carpeted floors are better for allergies, it is pretty obvious that no matter which you choose you ought to keep them as clean as possible. (I keep trying to get The Husband to get me a Roomba so the house can be vacuumed several days in between big, whole house vacuums, but apparently my argument isn’t strong enough for a $400 robot vacuum.)
Wash your sheets in hot water a minimum of every 2 weeks – It is also wise to invest in dust mite-proof covers for your pillows and mattress.
Don’t forget to dust the ceiling fans – Dusting regularly is a no brainer, but places like the ceiling fan blades are often overlooked. Allergens can settle on the blades, but are then promptly flung back into the air the minute someone turns the fan on.
Change your furnace/AC filter often – Most manufacturers recommend changing every 2-3 months. We have found that we need to replace our filter every 2-2.5 months.
Don’t wear shoes in the house – Not only will this keep your carpets looking nicer, but it will keep dirt, dust, and other potential allergens from being tracked into the house.
Vacuum couches and upholstered chairs regularly – This is something that didn’t even dawn on me until recently. Have you ever punched a couch cushion and watched the thousands of dust particles that fly out of it. Regular vacuuming can greatly reduce the number of allergens that fly into the air every time you plop down to watch your favorite show.
Keep the windows closed on high allergy days – This is where you can depend on your Filtrete Filter to really do its job. You can see the allergy index in your area by searching your zip code on weather.com.
Keep the kids’ stuffed animals in plastic bins – I’m not sure about your kids, but mine insist on sleeping with a menagerie of stuffed animals. I’m always so paranoid about how dusty those things get.
Invest in a good home air purifier like the Luma Comfort AP400W – Depending upon the area in which you live (say, if you live in a heavily populated urban area or a rural area) or the severity of your allergies, asthma, breathing difficulties, etc. you only need one air purifier or you may want a few for various rooms in the house.

I was recently sent the Luma Comfort AP400W Air Purifier to review. I have to say what a “breath of fresh air” it was compared with our other bulky, LOUD air purifier!

The Luma Comfort AP400W Air Purifier is large enough and powerful enough to cover areas of up to 400 sq. ft. And, yet, on the lowest setting it is extremely quiet, nothing more than a background hum in my living room. On the highest setting, it can rival our white noise machine to be sure, but for all day use on an average day I prefer to run the air purifier on the low setting anyway.

I love the sleek, minimalist design. The flat panel front blends in with any style decor you may have in your home. Set up was so easy, and changing the filters (The HEPA, VOC and TiO2 filters will last 6 months to 1 year, and the carbon filter will last approximately 60-90 days.) will be just as simple. Neither require any tools! Yay!