Allergy Consumer Review Issue #37
Late June, 2002 Dear Everyone,
As the poor man was trying to get to sleep the other night, I was quizzing him on how he liked the silk filled comforter or DIVA 400 thread count sheets. Forever mischievous at 65 years old, he informed me that if we were to take this product testing seriously, we should do it in our "body suits," in order to really feel the difference in thread counts and finishes! So we are awash with sample pillows, comforters and bed linen. My husband says we are getting so spoiled, he can foresee we will be taking our own bed linen on vacation with us. Of course, that is the downside; I now hate sleeping away from home. When we went away for Father's Day, I woke up feeling very stiff, and as such, was mournfully contemplating the next 30 or so years of my life. The instant I returned and slept on the Royal-Pedic bed at home, I felt just fine. My biggest find to date are silk-filled comforters, a wonderful choice for summer bedding. Like anything else, when you dig a bit deeper, silk comforters are not all created equal, as you will read about in this issue. Enjoy your July 4th celebrations and the ongoing summer! I am off to Alaska for a couple of weeks, so do not write to me until mid-July.
Mercia Tapping Disclaimer: Product and solution information reflect information available at the time of publication, including prices, availability, and reviews. To get the latest information, contact us or join our newsletter. |
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From
time to time my job as Company president is pure pleasure. My favorite
task this summer is being asked by manufacturers to try out 
Do please
let your friends know about AllergyBuyersClub.com and forward this issue
to those you might think might be interested.
| Bedding
for the Summer Season
See all the Comforters at Allergybuyersclub.com |
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| All
about Silk Comforters
As the weather has warmed up, even in Boston, reluctantly, my husband and I jettisoned our Monarch Arctic 800-fill Hypodown "to die for" comforter. My husband, who had previously complained he was always cold before we got the Hypodown comforter, was now complaining of being roasted alive. This opened the way for me to turn our bedroom into yet another laboratory for product testing - this time silk comforters. My husband is now a very willing participant in these experiments. Here is what I concluded. Pluses
Minuses
Summary I am thrilled with my Ming Dynasty silk comforter as a summer addition to my bed. It feels extremely luxurious and it has just the right of warmth for the warmer weather. From $369.95. See all comforters at AllergyBuyersClub.com |
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| Update
on Primaloft Synthetic Down
Primaloft is a hypoallergenic fiber which mimics down. As such, it is perfect for the allergy sufferer and what's more it is a fraction of the price of real down bedding. It is very soft and lofty. So as you can imagine, it is very popular with our website visitors. In theory, you can also wash it, and the label on the comforter gives precise instructions as to how to go about doing that. Here is our caveat. A Primaloft comforter will give you good honest wear, as long as you put it inside a duvet cover to minimize the need to clean it. What's more when you clean it DO NOT wash it in your washing machine at home. Most home washing machines are too small and the comforter will come out lumpy (read "ruined"). The same advice applies to Primaloft pillows. While a Primaloft comforter could give you several years wear if treated with care, a Primaloft pillow will last 18 months to 2 years before losing its loft and going completely flat. Primaloft is delightfully soft and is very reasonably priced, but do not make the mistake of thinking it either has the lasting power of a top-quality down comforter or indeed the warmth of an arctic weight down comforter. We believe that many people in the Northeast would not find that Primaloft comforters are warm enough in winter. Conversely, a Primaloft blanket is an excellent value choice for southern or summer climates. See all the pillows at AllergyBuyersClub.com See all the comforters at Allergybuyersclub.com |
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Ever since I wrote the article last year "In Search of the Perfect Pillow," people keep on asking me, "Well have you found it yet?" Now here's my update! Wool pillows Alpaca pillows Hypoallergenic down primaloft pillows Royal Pedic natural latex pillows
We did a blind test in the office between the 600- and 800-fill pillows. Everyone got it right, there is a noticeable difference between them. Hyperclean pillows |
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| Your
Furnace Filter -
What A Furnace Filter Can Do
For You by CHMC
There is a wide variety of furnace filters available. However, you may find it difficult to select one that suits your needs and know what to expect since there is no common rating system. This purpose of this document is to provide you with guidance when selecting your furnace filter. What Airborne Particles Are Found In Your
Home?
Some particles are so small that they are inhaled and then exhaled without being trapped in your lungs. Some larger particles are trapped in your nose and throat and never reach your lungs. Still other particles are too large to be inhaled.The particles most dangerous to you are those that enter your lungs and lodge there. You can see the particles of dust which accumulate on your television screen, shelves, and furniture. But you can't see the respirable particles. Respirable particles can be easily inhaled into your lungs and provoke respiratory illness. Although you would probably like to keep visible dust out of your home, the main health risk comes from respirable particles, which include tobacco smoke, spores, bacteria, and viruses. The activity levels of the people in your home can affect the air you breathe. Activity such as vacuuming and cooking can create or stir up particles. On the other hand, during periods of inactivity such as the middle of the night, particle concentrations tend to be much lower. Filter Research Research Program
Air in the houses was tested when these higher efficiency filters were in use. The results were compared to when no filter was used. The electronic plate and wire filter (ESP) produces some ozone during its operation. Exposure to elevated ozone can irritate your lungs. Separate testing was done to verify whether the amount of ozone produced by the ESP could affect the occupants of the home. Testing Limitations Each filter was in use in each house only for one or two days. The effects of dust accumulation on filter performance could not be evaluated in these tests. If a filter actually cleaned dust out of a house by cleaning house air, these tests were too brief for such effects to be seen. Research Results Consider each member in your home to be followed by a cloud of dust-like "Pig Pen" in the "Peanuts" comic strip by Charles Schulz. When occupants are moving around, they stir up the dust.The dust in this cloud is usually not affected by the quality of the furnace filter because the filter is far away down a duct. The table below shows the percentage of improvement provided by each filter versus having no filter. The improvements are greater when there is no activity in the home, but particle levels were quite low in the test houses during these periods whether or not the air was being filtered. The Cost Of Clean Air
The following table shows the cost, including maintenance, of each filter over a period of 15 years compared to the cost per unit of clean air they provided. The table shows that filters which cost the least produced very little clean air. The 25 mm pleated filter actually had the greatest cost per unit of clean air. The ESP filter was the most cost effective because it produced the most amount of clean air, and cost very little to do so. Filter results
What About Ozone? Conclusions So... How Do You Reduce Levels Of Respirable
Particles?
Most of these recommendations will also reduce the amount of visible dust in your house. ©1996-2002 CMHC-SCHL, Reprinted with permission See the full selection of furnace filters at Allergybuyersclub.com |
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| Travel
Product Ideas
Crystal Ball Bath Water Filter
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| New
Product Roundup
A) NEW MODEL EUREKA OXYGEN VACUUM CLEANER 6996
B)
BUNK
BEDS FOR THE KIDS
C) ALLERAIR AIR PURIFIERS UPDATE |
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| Some
points to consider about Dehumidifiers
(found at a public message board) "pelmark" wrote: What to look for is "AHAM" rating,
which is measured at 80 degrees F., and 60% RH, which is far closer to
what you are actually going to be dehumidifiying. ("AHAM": American
Home Appliance Manufacturer's spec of 80 degrees F., or 27 C., at 60%
RH, or "relative humidity".) I am doing a major flood right now in which the home's RH is 78%, and is soaked. I am talking water surfacing when you walk on carpets from the cushion (pad), and dry wall soft enough to push holes through with light fingertip pressure. Even at this level of water present inside the structure, my dehumidifiers will not reach their maximum stated extraction; the temperature is too low (76 F) and so is RH at 78%. I have a dehumidifier rated at 24 gallons which is probably pulling 18 gallons every 24 hours. That's a guess. Now, I will get this to increase over time, and for awhile (until significant moisture removal is accomplished), by using air movement to raise RH. Its rating is established at 90F @ 90% RH, and it has a 12,700 BTU compressor, and is moving 450 CFM. If I get the indoor air to 90F, I will increase RH to probably 90--95% (water will evaporate to the air), but I then run the risk of really activating biological growths, and more damage to the structure and contents. So I add blowers to get water vapor to the air, which then increases RH levels through evaporation, and my dehumidifier removes the water vapor. Air movement alone, will indeed dry out a structure, but it will take far longer which increase damages, both structural and contents. And without air movement, dehumidifiers will never dehumidify adjacent rooms unless the moisture laden air is *brought* to them. It would, however, allow the dehumidifier to remove more water in 24 hours. Warmer air carries more water than cooler air. Air movement gets water to water vapor to air to increase RH, and moves this air to the dehumidifier. Previous message(What I know is that I've seen. For the size of building and approx. humidity,the recommended unit was way too small. IOW, the "recommended" 25 unit would shut off during the night) Because if at MAX, it removes 25 liters per day, then at the humidity levels in you home which are closer to 80F and 60% RH, it is actually removing approximately 13 litres per day. Why it shuts off, depends on the unit. Tank filled? Your 50 litre per day dehumidifier is assuredly rated at high temperature (90-95 F) and maximum humidity of 90-95% RH. Unless your structure is at those levels, it will never extract that much water.It is simple, really. Your advice was correct: get a larger unit, because the rating is deceptive as to capacity. We are differing on the why sort of. (Ergo, less humidity removed unless I get up to empty the tank or have it hooked to a drain (not yet)). Perhaps you have the owner's manual? See what it says (if anything) on *how* it is determined the unit removes "50 litres" per day. You may misunderstand me: I am saying that if you need 25 litres of water per day removed from the structure, you will require at least a 50 litre per day dehumidifier. Not a dehumidifier which is rated at 25 litres per day, maximum water removal, which will only remove 13 litres. And dehumidifiers are sold rated at "maximum water removal", NOT what they will remove in a 75 degree house. The marketing on dehumidifiers is simple: they state the maximum amount of water a dehumidifier will remove, but it is not stated that this amount requires saturation which is high temperature and high humidity, much higher than what is in your home, unless your home is at 90F and 90% RH. There is not a home dehumidifier unit, excluding HVAC system units, sold by any retailer which matches the smallest commercial building dehumidifiers, and the smallest of these are mostly rated at 14 gallons per day, or 7.25 gallons at AHAM. They also cost $775 US. Dehumidifiers NEVER match what they are rated at, per sales claims, UNLESS they are placed in structures where those conditions they are rated at are met. In drying out buildings for eight years, I have never encountered a job in which I walked in and found the air at 90F and 90% RH, and that includes a telephone switching four story building in which a two inch water main broke and ran for several hours before discovery; a very hot, wet building. I measure every job with a digital hygrometer which is accurate to 1% of RH and temperature, and I can tell you *exactly* how much water I have removed from a structure after I compare a few hours of running, and the inside/outside temps/RH's. It is the science of psychometry, and removing water from air is simple physics. Buying dehumidifiers is simple, also: compare apples to apples, not oranges. What will the dehumidifier remove at your needed point. If your home is kept at 75 degrees F, and the humidity level is 60%, how much water will it remove per day? What is the RH in the home, and what do you want it to be? The cooler the air, the less water is easily removed. Below 33 F (and usually in the forties), refrigerant dehumidifiers don't even work, water will not condense from the air in these types of dehumidifiers at these temperatures. AHAM is used *precisely* to eliminate these overblown claims of what dehumidifiers will remove. I don't *care* what it removes at some theoretical temp/RH levels it will *never* actually be exposed to; I distinctly care about what it will remove in the building I put it in. Mark See our selection of dehumidifiers at AllergyBuyersClub.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Letter from a customer about their Blueair purifier Bob, Just wanted to confirm that we received the Blue Air purifier and have had it working in the living room for a couple of weeks now and it is just terrific! Both my husband and I were completely comfortable living with the unit right from the beginning. It is elegant looking, hard working, and unbelievably quiet. As quiet as it is, the efficiency of the unit is very apparent. The "taste" and smell of the air has noticeably and dramatically improved. The "dust test" that I conducted in the bedroom, where I dusted all the surfaces and thoroughly vacuumed and then ran the air purifier consistently to see if the dust level remained low, I am now conducting in the living room. Since we are in the midst of disarray just now with some late "spring cleaning," it's a bit harder to determine. When we have cleaned some more of the clutter off of some surfaces, I'm sure we will find that the results with the Blue Air are every bit as good as, if not better than, the Hamilton Beach. I have to reiterate that the noise level of the Hamilton Beach, which we are using in the bedroom, is really very unobtrusive and comfortable for us even in contrast to the eerily-quiet Blue Air. It turns out that the low persistent sound of the fan of the Hamilton Beach is becoming something of a comfort now that we have been living with it for awhile. With the summer weather upon us we are now running fans all through the night anyway. The air purifier makes less noise than the fans on everything but the very highest setting. Also we are finding that our general comfort this summer is superior to what we have experienced for the last several years. Clean air indoors does make a particularly big difference when the air is generally more prone to being still, hot, and "heavy" with pollutants. Adding the purifiers to the fans has made a remarkable improvement. We are extremely pleased with all our purchases from you and we'll be back when we have other needs (and more money to spend). I'm planning to be back to you very shortly, actually, for dust mite encasings as my husband dislikes the ones we have. Certainly we'll be back for the replacement filters we'll be needing for the air purifiers. Thanks again for the time and patience you showed us in helping us carefully select the perfect solutions for our needs. You have won yourself two extremely satisfied and very loyal customers! Sincerely, |
Hypodown
pillows
As the new Lincoln car TV ad states there are those
who travel, and those who travel well. We have a few products for those
who want to travel well. A 
This model replaces the old top of the line model 6999
and still comes with a washable HEPA filter and is priced at $899.00 but
we sell it for $699.99. Basically some of the little irritations we had
criticized in the 6999 model have now been eliminated. Softer vinyl wheels
for easy maneuverability and an easier new wand lock release are the best
improvements in our opinion. BONUS ITEMS at Allergy Buyers Club: a FREE
mini turbo brush AND a FREE deluxe 12-inch floor tool!
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