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Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by TylerE on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @06:49PM (#38945316)
The table version sounded interesting until I looked at the dimensions. 22" is way too low to be useful as anything besides a bedside table. Anywhere slse I'd describe it as more of a tripping hazard. That's lower than the seat height of a lot of chairs. A typical table is more like 30-32".
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by Mister_Snuggles on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @07:16PM (#38945549)
I’ve got two of the table version and find the heights to be fine. The one in my living room, used as an end table, seems to be slightly higher than my non-IKEA end table. It’s definitely not a table for doing “stuff” (working, eating, etc) at.

The other one is in my home office and serves mostly as a step to help the cats get to the window, the short height is a definite benefit here!

Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by TylerE on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @07:32PM (#38945707)
I’ve developed some mobility issues as I’ve gotten older. I’m tall enough/not overly long armed enough that 22” means I can’t pick stuff up off it without having to bend/stoop, which I can do but aren’t ideal. Actually just measures my bedside table and it’s 27” and just about right. 22” would absolutely be too low, putting it about 6 inches below the top of my mattress, which means I can’t see or reach the CPAP machine without basically getting half way out of bed.
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by wlesieutre on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @08:35PM (#38946265)
This of course depends on how high your bed frame is, and how thick thick your mattress (and potentially box spring) are.

22” is pretty typical for an end table next to a sofa. For someone with a relatively low height bed it might make sense as a bedside table too.

Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by mschuster91 on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @06:57PM (#38945393)
It makes for a perfect bedside table though, the place where you'd actually want clean air the most. Virtually inaudible in the low speed modes.
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by poulsbohemian on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @08:52PM (#38946389)
This is to me one of the reasons for CPAP - you get filtered air all night long!
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by TylerE on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @09:02PM (#38946482)
I do wish the filters were better though, they're really not very good, just basic cellulose. They're mainly to catch big stuff like pet hair. Nowhere near a HEPA.
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by poulsbohemian on Thursday January 11, 2024 @01:10AM (#38948413)
That's a very fair point - I still find that they've made a difference for me, even with the limitations.
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by TylerE on Thursday January 11, 2024 @01:26AM (#38948527)
Yeah, I'm sure they do. I've got so many low-moderate level allergies that it's kinda hard to establish what normal even really feels like. I got a round of shots as a teen that helps, but it's still some level of congestion at the best of times. Actually the biggest difference I found when I first started on it (almost 10 years ago now), besides the obvious sleep stuff, is that the humidifier keeps me from getting nosebleeds about 3 times a week in the winter.
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by mook on Thursday January 11, 2024 @03:02AM (#38949179)
Unless you have a Phillips Respironics, in which case it helpfully adds bits of foam (pre-recall) or formaldehyde (post-recall) to your air stream. I realize that Phillips says it's under limits, but they aren't really trust inducing right now…
Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by Marsymars on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @09:42PM (#38946792)
I have, unfortunately, found "low speed" mode on air purifiers to be not very effective at improving air quality.

Measured with an Airthings sensor, in my 1970s house, low-speed mode just clears temporary indoor-source pollutants marginally faster than having no air purifiers. In the case of exterior-source pollutants (i.e. wildfire smoke), low-speed mode is insufficient to keep PM2.5 in an acceptable range.

And this is with five air purifiers throughout the house that are sized for a significantly larger space.

Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by jfim on Wednesday January 10, 2024 @10:20PM (#38947101)
This really depends on the rate at which air inside the house gets exchanged with air from the outside.

In my 2008 house, two air purifiers on low are sufficient to keep AQI at 0 and in the single digits during wildfires. They're rated for about 350 square feet each, while the house is about 1500 square feet.

Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by Marsymars on Thursday January 11, 2024 @02:31PM (#38957582)
Yes, completely true - if you had a home with positive pressure and a filtered HRV/ERV with sufficient volume, one wouldn't need internal air purifiers at all.

I've long wished for "smart" inwards-blowing window fans that took filters and conditionally only turned on when the air outside was an appropriate temperature - wouldn't be appropriate in all climates/seasons/times, but in my geography would pump clean air in into the house for months out of the year.

https://naturescoolingsolutions.com/ecobreeze-2-1-smart-wind... exists, but is pricey and isn't from a major-enough manufacturer to make me confident of after-sales support.

Re:Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier by kansface on Thursday January 11, 2024 @12:56PM (#38955917)
That’s a good height for a desk or dining table. Coffee tables, end tables, and side tables are commonly much lower. Very low coffee tables are less than one foot. Most of my living room is 15-17” for comparison.