Once in a while I will write a post like this just based on my every day experiences. This year, the bushfires have been really bad. In the past few years, you would be able to smell the bushfires and wake up to a white haze maybe no more than 7 days in a year (I could be delusional and think it's only about a week, but it's not a huge inconvenience unless you have allergies). This year has been really quite serious and we've been battling poor air quality for about three weeks or possibly more.
Usually the bushfire smell wouldn't cross my mind more than just a burnt smell, but one day on Facebook I started noticing posts by mums saying they've been staying indoors with an air purifier - I admit, I scoffed at it thinking that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and staying in a super clean environment would probably just make you weaker if you are not exposed to allergens. Another post comes along saying that the smoke is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day, and suddenly I am rethinking this air purifier business. Maybe we might need one?
The past few days all I have been doing is really, sleeping. I originally thought it was just my immune system's way of telling me I needed rest, but one day I woke up at 6:30am, slept again at 9am to wake at noon, and then went to sleep again at 2pm to wake up at 4pm. I had a headache and I was still extremely sleepy and lethargic. By then I was sure this was probably not very normal. When I woke up at 4pm I almost jumped out thinking it was 6pm, because the air outside was completely amber.
On a good day we can see Centrepoint Tower clearly - but recently, it's behind a haze. Uh oh.
My mum came home saying that she was so out of the world that she missed her usual bus stop by several stops before coming to her senses, and needed to wear a mask outdoors. Suddenly I put them both together and realised - this smoke was probably affecting me in a way. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't affecting your health, and you're just not yourself. Having a toddler just made things even more real, and if it was affecting me that much, imagine a small human!
We closed all the windows quickly and turned on our fans - obviously not enough, but better than before. My husband then quickly offered to go and buy air purifiers after dinner - thankfully we have late night shopping on Thursday nights, so he could go after dinner. We also live a minute's drive away from our nearest homemaker centre. I did note that many years ago we had a heat wave in Sydney, and when we went to buy a portable air conditioner all the products were sold out... but that didn't deter him, and it shouldn't deter anyone from going.
We googled a few products online and settled on a particular model - we decided to get two for our apartment, as we didn't want to invest in a really expensive one that could filter "the whole apartment", and would prefer to purchase 2 so we could turn one on if we were to use just the living room, or have them both in the bedrooms at night and close the door.
To nobody's surprise, two major retailers had sold out completely, most likely due to Black Friday sales - and in hindsight I didn't even consider air purifiers at all. I'm currently slapping my knee, like "oh bugger! Why didn't I think of that?".
The third retailer my husband tried, he was in luck. Although not the same model, it was a German design and they literally were wheeling in stock still in a palette/ carton and were taking stock out of it! He called me and sent me a photo, and was super anxious to see what I thought.
After a quick read of the reviews (there were reviews for the previous model in regards to how difficult the sticker on the front was to remove, but seriously?), we decided after all that the instructional sticker on the front was not too much of a deterrent for buying the product (I'm sure methylated spirits or a hairdryer can help remove the sticker - we still haven't removed them yet and I don't really care too much about it, it doesn't seem to affect use) - another couple were there at the same time and they were concerned about the same thing.
My husband was very fortunate to buy two units (the couple bought one unit), so effectively three units were gone as soon as they hit the display floor. I'm sure they will be sold out very soon.
Beurer LR310 (latest model)
RRP: $399AUD each
Official Website: CLICK HERE
Yes, there is a silly sticker on the front that needs to be one of those plastic no mess removable ones(this is still old school sassy "TRY ME" paper sticker - haven't attempted to remove it yet, but a quick Youtube will probably give you an effective solution - or just use a magic eraser to get rid of the glue?) but since it doesn't affect performance, I won't let this affect my opinion or rating of the product. Don't let it affect your decision to buy this machine!
UPDATE: I have removed the sticker! It's not one of those horrible ripping paper types. It is a semi-plastic type sticker that comes off in one piece and no residue. Start from one corner and work your way diagonally and you will remove it in about a minute. YES!
The size is a reasonable size, if I were to describe it, a slim rubbish bin or a generous umbrella holder would come close. I quite like the square look of it, and it fits into any decor easily. The touch buttons are a nice touch and the blue lights look quite pleasant. It is lightweight and has a convenient groove at the back so it is easy to carry from room to room. Set up was easy and it was completed in less than 5minutes.
The three settings are low medium and high - on low you can barely hear it is running, which is amazing as I am a super light sleeper. I didn't notice it on at night, and as it is filtering air, there is a decent air flow so I can close my bedroom door and external window and not worry about air circulation in a stuffy room. Medium is still relatively quiet and is perfectly fine when watching TV. High is a little bit noisy (but not much noisier than a fan), so you might need to crank the volume up if you're watching TV - I only recommend high if you return home and want to quickly filter the room, or if you get a sudden burst of cigarette/ smoke. High mode is extremely quick and we noticed the bushfire smell gone in about 20minutes.
Sticker on or off? I just photoshopped it, but I'd prefer clean air over a messy sticker removal process any day.
We all felt better and refreshed after both purifiers were on and running. We had probably the best sleep we had in weeks. I did notice when I woke up my unit was switched off - not sure if my toddler switched it off or if it has a maximum run time, but either way I was not concerned as the air in my room still smelled good and not stale.
My suggestion is to definitely negotiate if you are paying by cash/ EFT/ buying multiple units - just try your luck. In fact, this was a "hack" I knew even as a kid, and it doesn't hurt to try. It is a bit expensive compared to other similar models as it is a German brand, so if you can get a good deal off RRP, it will be worthwhile.
I'm unable to compare this model with any other brand as I haven't tried others, but so far so good and I think it is well worth the money. The UV light is reassuring. There are replacement filters and I am sure they would be a reasonable price and not cost an arm and a leg. I'd recommend it as it's certainly doing what it promises to do, and that's the most important thing. It's definitely working, and it's working extremely well.
If you happen to require an air purifier and have display units available at your local store to test out, do have a look. We purchased our units last night on the 5th December 2019 - I know it's a super short testing time for a unit to write a review, but if the air is a problem, this might be your solution.
Disclaimer: I was not sponsored in any way to write this review, this is my personal opinion only. Hence I did not list the retailer!
How are you dealing with the Sydney bush fires, or poor air quality where you are? Let me know in the comments below. It's an unexpected hole in our bank accounts, and I was diligently budgeting for our upcoming trip to Japan. Darn it, right? But on the long term, we do need an air purifier as we have smoking neighbours and nothing can be done about it (not even passive aggressive signage - sigh). I am only thankful now that it's not hot AND smoky, as we do not have air conditioning, so this is just perfect for us.
Usually the bushfire smell wouldn't cross my mind more than just a burnt smell, but one day on Facebook I started noticing posts by mums saying they've been staying indoors with an air purifier - I admit, I scoffed at it thinking that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and staying in a super clean environment would probably just make you weaker if you are not exposed to allergens. Another post comes along saying that the smoke is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day, and suddenly I am rethinking this air purifier business. Maybe we might need one?
The past few days all I have been doing is really, sleeping. I originally thought it was just my immune system's way of telling me I needed rest, but one day I woke up at 6:30am, slept again at 9am to wake at noon, and then went to sleep again at 2pm to wake up at 4pm. I had a headache and I was still extremely sleepy and lethargic. By then I was sure this was probably not very normal. When I woke up at 4pm I almost jumped out thinking it was 6pm, because the air outside was completely amber.
On a good day we can see Centrepoint Tower clearly - but recently, it's behind a haze. Uh oh.
My mum came home saying that she was so out of the world that she missed her usual bus stop by several stops before coming to her senses, and needed to wear a mask outdoors. Suddenly I put them both together and realised - this smoke was probably affecting me in a way. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't affecting your health, and you're just not yourself. Having a toddler just made things even more real, and if it was affecting me that much, imagine a small human!
We closed all the windows quickly and turned on our fans - obviously not enough, but better than before. My husband then quickly offered to go and buy air purifiers after dinner - thankfully we have late night shopping on Thursday nights, so he could go after dinner. We also live a minute's drive away from our nearest homemaker centre. I did note that many years ago we had a heat wave in Sydney, and when we went to buy a portable air conditioner all the products were sold out... but that didn't deter him, and it shouldn't deter anyone from going.
We googled a few products online and settled on a particular model - we decided to get two for our apartment, as we didn't want to invest in a really expensive one that could filter "the whole apartment", and would prefer to purchase 2 so we could turn one on if we were to use just the living room, or have them both in the bedrooms at night and close the door.
To nobody's surprise, two major retailers had sold out completely, most likely due to Black Friday sales - and in hindsight I didn't even consider air purifiers at all. I'm currently slapping my knee, like "oh bugger! Why didn't I think of that?".
The third retailer my husband tried, he was in luck. Although not the same model, it was a German design and they literally were wheeling in stock still in a palette/ carton and were taking stock out of it! He called me and sent me a photo, and was super anxious to see what I thought.
After a quick read of the reviews (there were reviews for the previous model in regards to how difficult the sticker on the front was to remove, but seriously?), we decided after all that the instructional sticker on the front was not too much of a deterrent for buying the product (I'm sure methylated spirits or a hairdryer can help remove the sticker - we still haven't removed them yet and I don't really care too much about it, it doesn't seem to affect use) - another couple were there at the same time and they were concerned about the same thing.
My husband was very fortunate to buy two units (the couple bought one unit), so effectively three units were gone as soon as they hit the display floor. I'm sure they will be sold out very soon.
Beurer LR310 (latest model)
RRP: $399AUD each
Official Website: CLICK HERE
- Filters up to 56sqm (our apartment is shy of 120sqm, hence we decided to get 2)
- Includes 3 layer filter, filters up to 99.5% of pollutants
- Internal UV light to kill bacteria
- 3 fan settings, with 1 auto sensor for fine dust particles
- Timer available (no remote)
Yes, there is a silly sticker on the front that needs to be one of those plastic no mess removable ones
UPDATE: I have removed the sticker! It's not one of those horrible ripping paper types. It is a semi-plastic type sticker that comes off in one piece and no residue. Start from one corner and work your way diagonally and you will remove it in about a minute. YES!
The size is a reasonable size, if I were to describe it, a slim rubbish bin or a generous umbrella holder would come close. I quite like the square look of it, and it fits into any decor easily. The touch buttons are a nice touch and the blue lights look quite pleasant. It is lightweight and has a convenient groove at the back so it is easy to carry from room to room. Set up was easy and it was completed in less than 5minutes.
The three settings are low medium and high - on low you can barely hear it is running, which is amazing as I am a super light sleeper. I didn't notice it on at night, and as it is filtering air, there is a decent air flow so I can close my bedroom door and external window and not worry about air circulation in a stuffy room. Medium is still relatively quiet and is perfectly fine when watching TV. High is a little bit noisy (but not much noisier than a fan), so you might need to crank the volume up if you're watching TV - I only recommend high if you return home and want to quickly filter the room, or if you get a sudden burst of cigarette/ smoke. High mode is extremely quick and we noticed the bushfire smell gone in about 20minutes.
Sticker on or off? I just photoshopped it, but I'd prefer clean air over a messy sticker removal process any day.
We all felt better and refreshed after both purifiers were on and running. We had probably the best sleep we had in weeks. I did notice when I woke up my unit was switched off - not sure if my toddler switched it off or if it has a maximum run time, but either way I was not concerned as the air in my room still smelled good and not stale.
My suggestion is to definitely negotiate if you are paying by cash/ EFT/ buying multiple units - just try your luck. In fact, this was a "hack" I knew even as a kid, and it doesn't hurt to try. It is a bit expensive compared to other similar models as it is a German brand, so if you can get a good deal off RRP, it will be worthwhile.
I'm unable to compare this model with any other brand as I haven't tried others, but so far so good and I think it is well worth the money. The UV light is reassuring. There are replacement filters and I am sure they would be a reasonable price and not cost an arm and a leg. I'd recommend it as it's certainly doing what it promises to do, and that's the most important thing. It's definitely working, and it's working extremely well.
If you happen to require an air purifier and have display units available at your local store to test out, do have a look. We purchased our units last night on the 5th December 2019 - I know it's a super short testing time for a unit to write a review, but if the air is a problem, this might be your solution.
Disclaimer: I was not sponsored in any way to write this review, this is my personal opinion only. Hence I did not list the retailer!
How are you dealing with the Sydney bush fires, or poor air quality where you are? Let me know in the comments below. It's an unexpected hole in our bank accounts, and I was diligently budgeting for our upcoming trip to Japan. Darn it, right? But on the long term, we do need an air purifier as we have smoking neighbours and nothing can be done about it (not even passive aggressive signage - sigh). I am only thankful now that it's not hot AND smoky, as we do not have air conditioning, so this is just perfect for us.
Yours,
