Clean Is In The Air – #Win a Honeywell AirGenius5

It seems as if Spring has finally arrived; but we all know that with Spring comes allergies. Do you suffer from allergies?

Did you know that nearly half (43%) of Canadians suffer from airborne allergies, and in almost a quarter (22%) of homes at least two people are allergy sufferers?

In our household, our middle child (CiCi) suffers from mild asthma and allergies. Puffers/Inhalers are a staple item in our home along with a variety of allergy symptom reducing medicines. Typically she suffers from allergies when the seasons change, and other times we have no idea what triggers her sniffling, sneezing and itchy eyes. One cause could be the fact that we live in a custom built home and we have yet to clean the ducts this year! Indoor air quality is huge factor in reducing the effects of airborne allergens.

The majority of Canadians (69%) estimate that having a sick child costs over $20 CDN a day and 18% estimate that it costs over $100!

Whenever our daughter gets “sick” from her allergies, we always have to be mindful that it could take a turn for the worse; such as an asthma attack. This results in missed time from school for her and missed work for us!

The best way to reduce the presence of allergens indoors is through an air purifier. I recently had the opportunity to check out the Honeywell AirGenius5 Air Cleaner. Our house has a very large open concept so we decided to test it out in the bedroom(s) and we definitely noticed a difference in the air in our home after using it for over a month.

Honeywell AirGenius 5 Air Cleaner

The Honeywell AirGenius 5 Air Cleaner takes the guesswork out of air purification with SMART CONTROLS that DO THE THINKING FOR YOU with five intuitive operation settings: Sleep, Germs, General, Allergen, and Max.

1.  Tough air cleaning action for rooms of all sizes – The patented QuietClean® ifD® filtration system captures up to 99.9 percent of particles that pass through the filters¹ – the larger particles that you can see AND the really small microscopic particles you can’t see (as small as 0.3 microns – that’s 250 times smaller than the width of a human hair).

2.  Smart Controls that do the thinking for you –  Contemporary touch screen controls are intuitive and easy to use. Simply tap the setting that best addresses your needs – sleep, germs, general, allergen or max – and it will automatically adjust to draw particles in at the right setting to allow the appropriate filter dwell time, optimizing the filter efficiency for your personal air quality issue.

3.  Quieter filtration than other models – The AirGenius 5 uses the QuietClean^® ifD^® technology, a patented fan-forced electronic filtration system only available with Honeywell Air Purifiers, which features a honeycomb style filter that does not resist airflow like paper filters do, allowing quieter and efficient operation.

4.  Easy and low-cost to maintain – just wash the filter –  Simply rinse the primary filter in a sink only 4 times a year – no need to replace it.

All of these features are great but if I had to choose my favourite things about this air cleaner is that it’s quiet and easy to maintain. I’ve used numerous portable air purifiers before and they’ve always required a brand new filter, not one you can just wash and reuse! Plus, it’s quiet, we can have it on all night and its quiet hum doesn’t interfere with our sleep (well those of us that actually get to sleep). The only drawback is that when you run it for the first time, it gives off a bit of a smell, not sure how best to describe it, kind of like paper filled box smell if that makes any sense.  Regardless, after about half an hour the smell went away and hasn’t come back since. No different than when you first turn on other household appliances.

Dr. David Greenberg, a family physician, provides a few reasons to have an air purifier in your home:

• Keeping Dust at Bay Dust has a way of finding its way into the home and collecting as soon as you wipe your furniture and counter-tops clean.
• DIY Safety Many people are unaware that everyday products like paints, solvents, cleaners, adhesives, furniture, new carpeting and shelving can emit harmful gases called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).  Pay close attention to the products you purchase and when using products that contain high levels of VOCs, open windows or, better yet, turn on an air purifier that has an effective pre-filter to help remove pollutants from the air that passes through the unit.
• Not Feeling So Hot? Effects from exposure to poor indoor air may include irritations of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness and fatigue.
• Sneeze Relief Suffering from allergies can put a damper on changing seasons.
• Pets! A surprising number of adults and children are affected by pet dander in the home. Whether you think you’re allergic or not, when pets are part of your family, it’s important to keep your indoor air clean.
• Skip the Nature Run When pollen counts are high, usually found on warm, dry and windy days, plan to exercise indoors. Seasonal allergies shouldn’t trump your workout routine, but you should hit the treadmill or take a yoga class instead of a long run through the woods or doing a workout in the grass.

How would you like to win a Honeywell AirGenius5 Air Cleaner for your home?  Enter the giveaway below!

Open to Canada only please!

Ends June 10th, 2014