Read testers’ feedback on the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

This thread is for the 70 Mumsnetters who have been testing the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier (RRP £199.99).

Here’s what Fellowes have to say: “Studies indicate that indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Combined with the fact that many people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, it starts to become clear why the quality of indoor air is so important. Environment Protection Agency
The Fellowes AeraMax™ Air Purifiers use a combination of the most effective filtration and cleaning methods as part of a 4-stage filtration process to remove 99.97% of airborne pollutants and particles down to 0.3 microns in size. This level of performance combined with a feature set and interface designed for any indoor environment, makes it the perfect clean air solution.”

Mumsnet bloggers have also reviewed the Fellowes AeraMax DX55. You can view their posts at emmaand3, hodgepodgedays, themadhouseofcatsandbabies, chammyirl and tantrumstosmiles.

Testers, please give your feedback on the Air Purifier by posting answers to the below questions as well as leaving any other comments you have, and filling in a short survey when this is emailed to you:

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?
• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

All those who complete the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher.

Thanks,

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes! Having a very windy dog the smell doesn't linger like it used to! Also, he sheds an unbelievable amount of hair which tends to float about the living room. The air purifier has definitely reduced the amount of hair we've seen flying about.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier? Yes, both mine and dd's eyes are a lot less itchy and irritable, and we're also sneezing a lot less.

Really pleased to be involved in this product testing!

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes without a doubt! We have put the purifier on the landing as the lights seemed rather bright for the bedroom and the fan when it kicks in is quite loud. It seems to be cleaning the air from the front door, up the stairs and along the landing. The whole house smells fresher I think. The fan kicks in whenever anyone goes to the loo, runs a bath, sprays deodorant etc. I'm really looking forward to seeing what effect it has on pollen during the summer months.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I don't seem to be as bunged up when I wake up in the morning and I am breathing more easily generally, also my itchy eyes are so much better. Really wish I could try it in the bedroom but dh isn't keen on the lights/fan noise and cold air blowing... I will keep working on him! I wish there was a way to purify the whole house...

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

I'm unsure if it's a placebo effect of having it around but yes. I've noticed less dust in the air. When the sun shines through the window normally you can see the little dust particles but I haven't seen as much recently. I'm pretty sure it has made a difference

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I haven't particularly noticed a dramatic change in my breathing but I have felt less wheezy than normal. I supppose the biggest test would be in summer when there are more allergensin the air

Q Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes, I think it has made a very noticeable difference. The air definitely feels fresher/smells cleaner when walking into the room it is running in. It seems to quickly filter out anything like spray deodorant smells quite quickly, and it feels a bit easier to breathe.

I damp dusted the room it is in before setting it up. Will be interested to see how it makes a difference to the amount of dust in the next few days.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I have it running in my daughter's room, as she suffers various allergies, including dust mites allergies that has her taking piriton every night. Just before the air cleaner arrived she was suffering from dry, itchy eyes and her face was a bit puffy. These symptoms have disappeared over the past few nights.

I am considering seeing how she does without the piriton one night, to see if the filter makes enough difference (we already have a dust mite inhibiting mattress cover, hard floors, damp dust and use a Miele allervac to help combat symptoms). Fingers crossed this might be the final thing we need to stop the nightly piriton use.

Like previous posters, I'm also looking forward to seeing how it handles pollen issues come spring/summer.

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?
It feels fresher although I've only seen it change to orange in the small hours of the morning and the fan turned up so I switched it off as I was half asleep.
Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?
I went away for a night over the weekend and was surrounded by dogs and I could feel asthma symptoms coming on and as soon as I got home they went away without needing an inhaler so it has helped in that and DS isn't waking up as snotty as he normally does.

Has the air quality changed?
We have pets, and live close to steam railway. It's also an old cottage with six of us in, so lots of people and dust. The purifier has been in lounge, at top of stairs and in our bedroom so far. i think the dog smell (which isn't bad, but still....) has all but gone, and the air somehow feels fresher.
When we had it in the bedroom it seemed less stuffy through the night.

Has there been difference in allergy symptoms?
My partner slept better when it was in our room, and seems a little less chesty. We need to replace our old couch too, so the lounge is a hard one to rid of dust...

I just realised that the air quality in London was especially bad yesterday and the day before because of smog, interestingly it went up to red and is now blue again. I wish it dealt with a larger area, I feel like we need several of these to really get on top of the problem.

Firstly thank you so much to Fellowes and Mumsnet for allowing us to test this.

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?
Very much so - we live on a busy road so we're subjected to fumes. I feel the quality of air has changed quite a lot and is very noticable. We have moved the unit around the house. Three of us suffer from a pollen allergy so will see how this fares in the summer months.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?
Yes, it has made a really significant change. DD11 has quite a bad allergy to dust mites so we have been using the air purifier in her room quite a bit. We've noticed her eyes are so much less red when she wakes up in the morning and the air feels a lot cleaner and fresher. It feels a lot like fresh mountain air! She also feels a lot more comfortable sleeping.

I expected the unit to be a lot bigger and was pleasantly surprised with the size. It is also pretty quiet. We are all really impressed with it!

Definitely better this morning after putting it back in my bedroom, no catarrh, result!

The cats obviously trigger it off in the night, as all of a sudden it goes into overdrive and the fan is quite loud, enough to wake me and I sleep like the dead!

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes, the air in the room seems lighter and the smells seem gone.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

My daughter is allergic to dust and since using the purifier I noticed that she hasn't been sneezing or coughing.

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

No at the minute I haven't noticed a difference. I've been using it downstairs but will be trying it for a few days in my dds room to see if it helps with her allergies. It would be good to feed back after hay fever season as well!

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

Again not yet but that might be down to location.

On the plus side the unit is very quiet, slim and has a touch screen that my toddler adores.

Thanks so much Fellowes and MumsNet for letting me test the air purifier.

Do you feel that using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

The air feels much clearer and crisper, and this was noticed by all family members including my husband who never notices anything. I've been using it since it arrived, except for last night and there was a noticeable difference in the air quality. My nose felt clearer too, and it was easier to breathe through it.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you've been using the Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifier?

To be honest I was sceptical at first, but even after having it on for just one night I noticed a difference in my breathing (I have asthma and am allergic to our cats), and I didn't have to use my inhaler in the morning or during the night at all. The air just seems lighter and fresher and obviously this has had a beneficial effect on my breathing. I love it!

We live near an airport and a motorway so I'm sure that my little Fellow will get a workout here as the air quality isn't great. (I sleep with windows open)

My son is due back from uni shortly and he also has asthma and a cat allergy which has become worse since he went to uni. Worse when he comes home that is! He sneezes and splutters from the minute he comes in. Looking forward to putting it through its paces when he's back. Will keep you posted.

The only downside to the machine is that it's quite noisy if it is on automatic and picks up anything during the night. It has woken me up on that setting but I just ignored it and went back to sleep. Husband not so much so that's why I left it off last night - but I didn't sleep as well without it. Also the blue neon lights are very bright but I've positioned the air purifier where I can't see them. It was also bulkier than I thought it would be, but these things are negligible really, the positives outweigh the negatives in my opinion.

Thanks so much once again!

- Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes, I think it has. Although it has been blue mostly (apart from detecting deodorant etc) the house feels fresher and cleaner. I had it in the bedroom initially, but couldn't sleep with the lights being so bright even when it was facing the wall. It's now in the main kitchen / living area and it is very good at quickly removing cooking smells. It's so quiet I have gone to bed and forgotten it's still running.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I'm hopeful of greater things to report when the main pollen season arrives in spring and summer, but DS has a pet allergy and when we had a visitor sit beside him on the sofa who has a cat, he was complaining of the usual itchy eyes etc. Putting the purifier in the same room as him removed the symptoms and no need for piriton. I am impressed with it.

Thanks very much for letting us test it. I have recommended it to several other people already.

Firstly, thank you for letting us test the Air Purifier.

I was looking forward to trying it as our allergies seem really severe at the moment and I was hoping this Purifier would help.
As soon as we received it, we had a brief look through instructions. Really easy to understand, very simplified.

I placed it in the busiest part of the house which is the hallway, and set it to Auto to see how it works. I particularly liked the feature where it changes colour and adjusts the setting according to how many pollutants are in the air. I was surprised a few times, and can now understand why I sneeze so much when there is a full house of people and lots of dust in the air!!
This was a fab feature.
I didn't realise it would blow out circulated cold air, so that can feel quite cool especially in a small room. It would be good during the Summer months!

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

At the moment, I cannot tell. I feel like i need to have it on 24 hours of the day and for a few months before I notice an obvious reduction in allergy symptoms/associated Asthma.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I am not sure if it is linked to the purifier, but my symptoms do seem worse in the rooms the purifier ISN'T, which makes me think it may be helping!

Overall. i am very impressed and would consider purchasing at a cheaper price. It is incredibly lightweight and moveable, which suits us.

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

It seems fresher and there appears to be less dust from the log burning stove in the air.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I'm not sure there's been a big difference yet but we have all had colds since we set it up so might be easier to see differences when we get rid of them. I'm really interested to see how effective it is in the spring/ summer as that is when allergies kick in for my dds and dp.

Ive been using the AeraMax in both the lounge and have tried it in both children's bedrooms. I really like it, although my DP whao has ASD, did find it a bit noisy when he wanted to relax and watch TV in the evenings, so thats when I switched it to the bedrooms. It didnt seem to cause any sleeping problems with noise for the kids (who both have ASD too)

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes definitely. Its almost as if the air feels 'fresh' when you come into a room where it has been on for a while. Im not sure if thats because of the colder air being put out from it, but having seen the fans working hard on the red for a while, I suspect not!

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

My daughter has CF and I have noticed that she doesnt seem to be waking herself coughing in the night. My son has asthmas in the winter and recently has been using his inhalers quite alot - even needing them in the mornings. I dont know what sets him off, whether its the radiators going on, but the last few days he has only taken the inhaler before bed and I havent heard him coughing AT ALL, which is weird especially as its been really cold down here

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes. When I walk into a room when the purifier is on or has recently been on I can tell. The air smells fresher, like the way you get after having all your windows open all day. The air it's self feels much cleaner to breathe than before.

Our rooms where mostly blue when we started but my bedroom did run red for a little while initially. I suspect this is because of the damp corner in the room (old 1930's building). I know the damp is caused from the moisture in the air going to the coldest spot in the house and there's not much we can do about it other than make sure we keep the room well ventilated. Hopefully the air purifier will help keep this issue in check now.

We have also had it running in the spare room quite a bit as DH smoke in there in the evening (out the window). I've noticed the room smells less smoky when I open the door and we no longer get the smoke smell drifting into the hall from that room.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you've been using the Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifier?

It's really hard to tell as one by one we have came down with a really bad cold/ flu type virus. I do feel less wheezy when lying in bed but I'm still coughing due to the cold. What I have noticed is I've slept a lot better than I usually do with a cold. I usually need to leave the window open a bit at night and even then I'm still coughing myself awake. With the purifier running I've slept a lot better and been coughing less at night than I would expect with a cold.

I would also like to add to the other comments about the display being really bright. I've taken to putting it in a corner facing the wall at night as the LED display is really bright and not great for trying to sleep. A switch off (or at least dim) the lights function would make this machine perfect. Ive found the machine to be really quiet unless it kicks into red then it's a little noisy.

I also love the fact you can move the fan part on the top to direct the fresh air where you want it to go.

I must also say I'm surprised that my cat hasn't once triggered the purifier even though he's been sniffing around it. He's quite long haired so I was expecting him to set it off but nothing.

If I think of anything more to say or if there are any new developments then I will update my feedback. Thank you for choosing me to review this product.

Answers to questions 1 & 2 combined

We've got it downstairs in the hall (there's not enough room on our upstairs landing) and I think it is making a marked difference. The air smells different and the children are definitely less sneezy in the morning which would suggest that it's doing the trick with cleansing the air of cat allergens and dust!

As the unit is downstairs the lights don't adversely impact on anyone at night-time.

I also find that the unit is very quiet and emits only a very quiet noise which is like the best type of white noise.

It seems to be a useful addition to our home but expect it will really come into its own in the summer months.

Thanks for choosing us to try it!

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

I've mainly had the purifier in the lounge as this is where the animals spend a lot of time. I think the air has felt less dusty.
It was very noticeable when the boys burned some bacon in the kitchen that the air around the purifier was significantly cleaner and the purifier turned red.
I also noticed when my cat was washing herself nearby, it turned amber and seemed to pick up the dust and dander that came off her.

Sometimes it turned amber/red and I could not always see why, so assume it was general dust clearing!

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

I have multiple allergies including cat(despite having 3) and house dust mite. i also have asthma. I use an inhaler twice daily, a nasal steroid spray, antihistamines and eye drops. I didn't feel that I would risk stopping using any of these. I have noticed that my eyes have been less sore and itchy.
My asthma has been fine, although it is generally well controlled. Perhaps it hasn't been reacting to the changes in weather and house temperature as much as usual.

My son has a cat allergy and feels that he has not yet noticed a significant difference. He tends to get puffy around his eyes.

I think overall we need to test the machines over a longer period of time to be able to fully report any benefits.

Thank you.

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

I placed the machine in my sons bedroom. Its the smallest bedroom and can smell stale and of 'boy'. Since the first use the smell is fresher and definitely feels cleaner. He has a lot of knick naks around the area and they gather dust, which seems to have lessened somewhat since using the purifier.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

My son seems to have had less itchy akin since using the machine. I find that cleaning his room is less taxing on my allergies as there is less dust around. Its a slight change but definitely less than before. I am going to try it in the children's playroom and see if my allergies to the cats is lessened next week

• Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

I think it's most noticeable when I switch it on first thing in the morning after sleeping with the door closed all night. It soon feels as though the room has been aired even if the windows remain closed. I like that it feels fresher.

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

My son has severe asthma and so overnight he has it on in his room. He feels that he is sleeping better with it in there where he is very often needing inhalers during the night. For me I would like a longer power lead and perhaps a flip down cover over the lights as I'd find them annoying at bedtime although it's not been a problem for ds. Thank you for giving the chance to test this product we shall definitely continue to use it.

I do agree about the power lead and a cover or night time setting for the lights. Especially as it needs to be a certain distance from the wall and out of drafts.

I've enjoyed trying out the air purifier in different rooms to see where it is most beneficial. It rarely ramps up from the basic setting (blue light), and it is comforting to know that our air quality is generally good, even when London is suffering with extreme pollution levels

As others have said, a longer lead would be helpful for positioning it correctly, but otherwise the design is neat and it is light to carry. The cold air it emits has been a slight negative, but this will be a great feature if it happens in hotter weather.

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

Yes, the room smells fresher when it has been on.

Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

The true test will be once the hayfever season starts, but I have found my allergic rhinitis is slightly reduced, and I haven't felt wheezy at night since having the air purifier. I am really looking forward to trying it out when the tree pollen season begins!

Do you feel like using the Fellowes AeraMax DX55 Air Purifier has changed the quality of your air?

• Have you or your family members noticed any change in the symptoms of allergies or breathing since you’ve been using the Fellowes AeraMax air purifier?

Reading with interest, I did apply but unfortunately not selected, but would consider buying one in future based on feedback

Is there a filter or anything that needs changing? If so, are they reasonably priced and how often do you need to change it