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Air purifier for stuffy bedroom

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  • 20-05-2019 4:54pm
    #1
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭


    I'm looking for a bit of advice. The apartment I currently rent has bad ventilation in the bedroom. There is no window in the bedroom, however, there is a door onto the balcony, with an air vent (which is always open). We always sleep with the door to the hallway open, but we don't leave the door to the balcony open overnight.

    The room has a bit of a damp issue around the door to the balcony. We regularly wake up to the inside of the door completely covered in condensation, this is worse and mainly during the colder months. I keep on top of the damp/mold around the door with some mold cleaner. With the weather getting milder again, the room is very stuffy overnight and is causing our sinuses to act up when we do wake up. I'm thinking an air purifier might help with the stuffiness and hopefully cool the room down also, so that we both sleep better and don't feel as bad when we wake up.

    Has anybody had similar problems and found an air purifier helped? If so, any recommendations for an air purifier?


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    #2
    questionmark?
    Registered Users Posts: 3,071 ✭✭✭questionmark?


    No window in the bedroom. Sweet Jesus is that even allowed!?


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    #3
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,435 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    questionmark? wrote: »
    No window in the bedroom. Sweet Jesus is that even allowed!?

    The door onto the balcony suffices as a secondary means of escape/rescue and depending on what floor the apartment is, it’s not part of the fire escape strategy as it may be too high for rescue.


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    #4
    Alkers
    Registered Users Posts: 6,811 ✭✭✭Alkers


    I don't think a purifier is what you need as it seems to be a lack of ventilation as opposed to air quality.
    Is it your own house or rented?
    You could try a fan to either extract air or suck in fresh air from outside?


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    #5
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,500 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Sounds like you need more ventilation. A dehumidifier will help but won't address the root cause. Speak to the landlord about the mould issues.


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    #6
    tvjunki
    Registered Users Posts: 601 ✭✭✭tvjunki


    questionmark? wrote: »
    No window in the bedroom. Sweet Jesus is that even allowed!?


    That's a cupboard. Does your landlord know you are living in the room with no window? The room is not designed for someone to sleep in.

    Are you in a studio and using a closet to sleep in?


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    #7
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,500 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    tvjunki wrote: »
    That's a cupboard. Does your landlord know you are living in the room with no window? The room is not designed for someone to sleep in.

    That's not how it reads from the OP. Sounds like a room with a balcony with no opening window. No need for an opening window with a door.


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    #8
    TheChizler
    Registered Users Posts: 9,400 ✭✭✭TheChizler


    tvjunki wrote: »
    That's a cupboard. Does your landlord know you are living in the room with no window? The room is not designed for someone to sleep in.
    The door is the window. My entire block is like this, bedrooms with patio doors.


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    #9
    .......
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,057 ✭✭✭.......


    I have both an air purifier and a dehumidifier in the bedroom.

    The dehumidifier prevents condensation, it dries out the air. We have a very badly ventilated ensuite so this is a stop gap solution until the glorious day when we get it torn out and redone (some unspecified future date when we are less broke than now).

    The air purifier cleans the air. Removes odours, helps with sinus problems etc. I've found it a great help for my sinuses.


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    #10
    tvjunki
    Registered Users Posts: 601 ✭✭✭tvjunki


    runawaybishop wrote: »
    That's not how it reads from the OP. Sounds like a room with a balcony with no opening window. No need for an opening window with a door.

    Thanks. I read it wrong.
    Op you need to air the room as much as possible. Any mould is due to living in the apartment, drying clothes cooking. Maybe as soon as you get in from work open the balcony door and air the apartment. A dehumidifier with take the moisture away. We produce a lot of moisture ourselves so that is why you see the condensation as well as the temperature outside would be colder than inside.


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    #11
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    tvjunki wrote: »
    Thanks. I read it wrong.
    Op you need to air the room as much as possible. Any mould is due to living in the apartment, drying clothes cooking. Maybe as soon as you get in from work open the balcony door and air the apartment. A dehumidifier with take the moisture away. We produce a lot of moisture ourselves so that is why you see the condensation as well as the temperature outside would be colder than inside.

    The room gets aired out every day. The balcony door is opened in the morning after we have both have our showers. I would also have it open every evening for anything from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the weather and what we are doing that evening.



    My main aim with the idea of air purifier (or maybe a dehumidifier) is to make the room less stuffy at night so we sleep better and don't wake up with our sinuses acting up. Cooling the room would also be a bonus if possible. I just don't know the best route to take to do that


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    #12
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,382 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    Surely you just need to have some means of keeping the sliding door slightly open where it can’t be opened from outside?


    (Apart from putting in an actual vent)


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    #13
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    colm_mcm wrote: »
    Surely you just need to have some means of keeping the sliding door slightly open where it can’t be opened from outside?


    (Apart from putting in an actual vent)

    It's not a sliding door, it's a door that opens inwards. We would prefer not to leave it open overnight as any form of wildlife could walk in (I've never seen anything specifically designed to the correct size of a door to block the bottom half of the door while open). And one side of our balcony joins a neighbours balcony with only a small divider on it (we've also never seen the neighbours so don't know them!)


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    #14
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,382 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    Is it a regular PVC front door type setup?

    Post a picture of it f you can.


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    #15
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    colm_mcm wrote: »
    Is it a regular PVC front door type setup?

    Post a picture of it f you can.

    It is something similar to this:

    B0549364268.jpg


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    #16
    Graham
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 17,642 Mod ✭✭✭✭Graham


    can you leave it open at the top (does it also open on a tilt)?


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    #17
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    Graham wrote: »
    can you leave it open at the top (does it also open on a tilt)?

    Unfortunately it doesn't tilt. That would be the ideal solution if it did


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    #18
    Claw Hammer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,160 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    Is there room to bore a 4" vent outlet through the wall?


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    #19
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    Claw Hammer wrote: »
    Is there room to bore a 4" vent outlet through the wall?

    No there isn't room for that. It is also a rented apartment, so not really in a position to do that!


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    #20
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,382 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    So is all you have a trickle vent at the top of the door frame?


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    #21
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,871 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    DelBoy Trotter wrote: »
    The room gets aired out every day. The balcony door is opened in the morning after we have both have our showers. I would also have it open every evening for anything from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the weather and what we are doing that evening.

    Could you open the door during the showers? Even a tiny bit would let some moisture out. Can you open another window to create a draft through the apartment?


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    #22
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    colm_mcm wrote: »
    So is all you have a trickle vent at the top of the door frame?

    Yeah, that's all
    Del2005 wrote: »
    Could you open the door during the showers? Even a tiny bit would let some moisture out.

    A lot of mornings the balcony door would be open during one of the showers, and the extractor fan would be on in the bathroom. The issue isn't coming from the showers, as the room gets aired out after the showers and in the evenings usually. The issue is the moisture created in the room when we are both sleeping. The room isn't stuffy when we go to bed, but it gets very stuffy during the night when we are sleeping
    Del2005 wrote: »
    Can you open another window to create a draft through the apartment?

    There are no windows in the apartment. There is a door to the balcony in the main bedroom, a door to the balcony in the second bedroom, and a sliding door to the balcony in the living room


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    #23
    frisbeeface
    Registered Users Posts: 697 ✭✭✭frisbeeface


    Had similar issues and a good dehumidifier completely sorted them out. Worth trying for a few weeks before you look at more expensive options.


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    #24
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,382 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    You just need a latch that will keep the door slightly open. Will have to be screwed to the door though so may be an issue as you don’t own door.


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    #25
    Doop
    Registered Users Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭Doop


    colm_mcm wrote: »
    You just need a latch that will keep the door slightly open. Will have to be screwed to the door though so may be an issue as you don’t own door.

    There are hold open locking devices available that will do that ..

    See the 'Res Lock Restricto'r and 'Window restrictor cable'

    http://wdacc.ie/index.php/window-hardware-window-handle-hinge-espag-restrictor/

    Obviously you would need the landlords permission before installing such a device.


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    #26
    Claw Hammer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,160 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    Move to another apartment.


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    #27
    justagirl
    Registered Users Posts: 565 ✭✭✭justagirl


    Sounds like you are very restricted with what you can do and perhaps you could start with an Air Purifier - this one gets very good ratings for the price: https://www.electricalworld.com/en/Silent-Night-HEPA-Air-Purifier-Triple-With-Replaceable-Filter-Reviews/r-3394.aspx. I would absolutely advise the landlord of the issue you have especially with the mould, a good landlord should try to offer to find a solution - especially as the mould is not good for you nor is it good for the property.


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    #28
    DelBoy Trotter
    Registered Users Posts: 1,475 ✭✭✭DelBoy Trotter


    Claw Hammer wrote: »
    Move to another apartment.

    We'd be absolutely mad to leave based on a stuffy bedroom in the warmer weather. The apartment is in the perfect location (we would actually buy a house in the area if 3 bed semi detached houses were approximately 500k), the area is lovely, close to shops, close to the M50, close to the luas, ample parking and rent is cheap for the area.
    justagirl wrote: »
    Sounds like you are very restricted with what you can do and perhaps you could start with an Air Purifier - this one gets very good ratings for the price: https://www.electricalworld.com/en/Silent-Night-HEPA-Air-Purifier-Triple-With-Replaceable-Filter-Reviews/r-3394.aspx. I would absolutely advise the landlord of the issue you have especially with the mould, a good landlord should try to offer to find a solution - especially as the mould is not good for you nor is it good for the property.

    The mold is very minor. Appoximately once every 8 to 10 weeks, I will spray around the door with mold cleaner, leave it for a few minutes and give it a wipe down and it's fine. It's not something we are particularly worried about. We have mentioned it to the landlord, he is aware of it and he knows it's down to just a bad design of the apartment complex.

    Thanks for the link for that air purifier. We were thinking of trying one to see how we get on, but without being guaranteed results, we were reluctant to spend 400-500 on a Dyson air purifier that we had been looking at


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    #29
    .......
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,057 ✭✭✭.......


    DelBoy Trotter wrote: »
    Thanks for the link for that air purifier. We were thinking of trying one to see how we get on, but without being guaranteed results, we were reluctant to spend 400-500 on a Dyson air purifier that we had been looking at

    The air purifier wont help with the condensation, the moisture in the air - only a dehumidifier will do that.

    You dont need to spend on the high end Dyson to get a decent air purifier either, the Levoit one on Amazon is very well reviewed.


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    #30
    justagirl
    Registered Users Posts: 565 ✭✭✭justagirl


    DelBoy Trotter wrote: »
    We'd be absolutely mad to leave based on a stuffy bedroom in the warmer weather. The apartment is in the perfect location (we would actually buy a house in the area if 3 bed semi detached houses were approximately 500k), the area is lovely, close to shops, close to the M50, close to the luas, ample parking and rent is cheap for the area.



    The mold is very minor. Appoximately once every 8 to 10 weeks, I will spray around the door with mold cleaner, leave it for a few minutes and give it a wipe down and it's fine. It's not something we are particularly worried about. We have mentioned it to the landlord, he is aware of it and he knows it's down to just a bad design of the apartment complex.

    Thanks for the link for that air purifier. We were thinking of trying one to see how we get on, but without being guaranteed results, we were reluctant to spend 400-500 on a Dyson air purifier that we had been looking at

    A friend of mine bought that air purifier for a bedroom and really rates it for the price, she was considering the Dyson but is happy with this one. Best of luck!


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    #31
    .......
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,057 ✭✭✭.......


    justagirl wrote: »
    A friend of mine bought that air purifier for a bedroom and really rates it for the price, she was considering the Dyson but is happy with this one. Best of luck!

    Its got an ioniser though, I wouldnt use one with an ioniser myself.


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