Clean air should be an inalienable right, right? We loathe the sight of smoggy skies, fight to combat air pollution, avoid mill-towns and the cat-lady's house, and rarely sniff glue for the thrill of it. Yet, we inadvertently tolerate air pollution in our own homes. We sit there breathing mold spores and chemical particles, sniffing glue and carbon monoxide, hacking and sneezing and then breathing it in all over again. Like a dog that returneth to its vomit. We're so absentminded about the air that we breathe, in fact, that the EPA ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five environmental threats to public health.
Luckily it's in our power to eradicate the invisible toxins and allergens that contaminate our homes and threaten our health. The Vornado AQS 500 Air Cleaner uses electrostatic purification to trap pollen, pet dander, bacteria, mold spores, smoke particles and dust mite debris; and it does so without emitting ozone like some electrostatic air cleaners. It then circulates the purified air throughout an entire room up to 324 square feet using unique Vortex Technology, which is as good as it sounds: most air purifiers only clean the air immediately surrounding the module; the Vornado cleans the air in the whole room. It's quiet (on low, comparable to a desktop computer), compact (just a hair's-breadth over two feet high), easy to maintain (one or two air filter changes a year), and energy efficient (a mere 55 watts, and certified by Energy Star). Just move it from one room to another every once in a while and you'll have clean air all over the place. It also has a change-filter indicator on the LED display screen that lets you know when the air filters need to be changed, and a timer so you can limit the electricity it uses without babysitting it.
The great Danish philosopher Kierkegaard once wrote, "How absurd men are! They never use the liberties they have, they demand those they do not have." Of course it's good to fight for lofty goals, like limitations on industrial air pollution. But for our own health we should recognize that our immediate environment likewise demands our attention, and that includes the air in our own home.
Comments
I just found your website and am enjoying the energy tips and insights. I have seen these air cleaners advertised and wondered, skeptic that I am, if they were too good to be true. I find the information on this site quite trustworthy, so I'm visiting often to read your tips, blogs, and articles.
Being an educator... I must admit, it's an added bonus to find informational pieces written in an entertaining, creative style. That's what we hope for in education, after all. Thanks,
Posted by jayne lello on Feb 26, 2009 1:33pmenergycircle, for aggressive information in an entertaining format.
Well stated about how we think about the bigger issues and not how we could improve things in our own home. I would be interested in knowing if you have multi-animals if you would have to change filters more often.
Posted by Tina Taggart on Feb 27, 2009 5:58amHey Tina, I have to confess I'm not sure, so I'll just give you the classic cop-out response which is that it probably depends. A house full of German shepherds, most likely you'd have to change filters more often. But one of the things this is supposed to filter is "pet dander," so I would imagine it's designed to handle quite a bit. Vornado also has a program called something like the "automatic filter replacement program," or some such, on their website www.vornado.com, which I don't know much about but apparently aims to keep you supplied with filters so you have them on hand whenever you need to change them. Good luck, try it out, thanks for the comment.
Posted by Will on Feb 27, 2009 6:43am