By Kate Doherty
Like many of us who enjoy the open road, we give little thought to the quality of the air we breathe inside our traveling homes. Every geographic area we pass through gifts us with pollen, dust, allergens and pollutants that wreak havoc with our sinuses. Don’t forget mold and mildew as they are culprits as well, especially if your RV has been dormant.
I’m not fond of sneezing and I also don’t like lingering cooking odor, so I had been researching a solution to alleviate my morning tissue ritual. Hence, a means to cleaner air, especially since the unforeseen viral confluence has kept many of us confined.
I admit to learning the hard way. Not feeling like sandwiches for lunch, we ventured out and brought back General Tso’s Chicken and Szechuan Beef. Yummy… and smelly. After chuckling over the fortune cookies’ prognostications, we placed both Styrofoam boxes in the refrigerator and left for the afternoon. By this time, all but our bedroom smelled of Chinese takeout.
When we returned, our coach smelled spicy. The odor intensified when I opened the refrigerator and the buffet palace aroma wafted into the RV. I groused at myself and threw the leftovers in the garbage, turned the exhaust fan on high, and sprayed an aerosol odor eliminator. It only masked the miasma, so I removed the garbage from our coach. I went on the hunt and shortly thereafter we acquired two MiniAer ion generating air purifiers.
Why ion generating air purifiers?
My spouse’s first patent was on ion generation/electrostatic precipitation, which is principally used for purification and sterilization, so we knew the best way to clean the air was through ion generation, creating ozone to purify the air. HEPA filters are terrific for dust, but if you wish to rid the air of bacteria, viruses, fungus, etc., ozone accomplishes that. Ozone (trioxygen) is well known as an oxidizing agent to sterilize air and water and for killing germs. It has been an effective wound-healing therapy since before WWII.
Coming from the medical industry, we were cautious of marketing hyperbole and chose the MiniAer over several other online options because its main feature is a 30-minute auto-timed refresh. Others only offered manual full-on or off, and that was a nonstarter. The manufacturer’s specification reads one unit covers up to 250 square feet. We acquired two and plugged one unit above the range and the second in the bathroom.
According to the manufacturer, if you desire a deep cleaning, use the continuous low or high function, or simply use the 30-minute auto-timed refresh daily or as needed. We did a deep penetrating clean for a few hours the first day. Thereafter, we use the refresh each morning and prior to bed. We remain pleased with how effective the refresh works to eliminate the greasy smell of a hearty breakfast, when Mother Nature calls or when voiding the black tank. The unit keeps the bathroom smelling clean.
Stinky foods, bathroom smells and kitty litter… goodbye!
Four months ago we adopted a 4-month-old kitten and placed her litter box next to my desk. When I’m writing and she visits her litter box, I plug the kitchen unit in over the box, press the refresh button and in less than a minute that distinct smell vanishes.
I’m not one to overly praise, but now that the air in our traveling home is significantly cleaner and my tissue ritual is nil, I would rate this unit a 10 as a remedy for odor elimination (especially for pet owners) and improving the air quality inside. It is compact, plugs into any standard electrical outlet, and emits a low-decibel noise with UV light to aid in getting rid of bacteria, mildew, fungus, etc.
I asked on Facebook if others had good experiences with the MiniAer and received a few responses. User Sarah H. from Perry, Georgia, was nice enough to share pictures of where she placed her MiniAer in her coach and reported positive feedback. She stated: “We noticed a fresher smell within the first hour and after three days of using the 30-minute refresh twice daily, we awoke to no sticky eyes, attributing that to reducing the allergens in the air. I fully recommend this to any RV owner.”
Another user, Cheryl M. of Mesa, Arizona, writes, “When we were in Durango, I slow-cooked chicken one day. After a couple of hours, our coach smelled, but not in a good way. I moved the unit from the bedroom to the kitchen and turned on the refresh and by the time it stopped, the foul smell was completely gone. We also like the refresh for bathroom use.”
You can find the MiniAer on Amazon. The unit retails for $149.00. You can also access FAQs on the manufacturer’s website and read about its attributes and larger models for medical offices and home use. Happier breathing!
##RVT984
Ion generators were a fad about 30 years ago, yes they generate ozone that is bad for ones health. Ozone will also degrade fabrics, plastic, rubber products and a whole host of other materials. By using an ion generator the air will smell fresh but you are damaging your health and the inside of your RV. Keep the ozone in the upper regions of earth’s atmosphere where it belongs.
Please note, these are not allowed to be sold or shipped to California and are claimed to be dangerous to ones health, so “buyer beware” and please research before using.
$149 is absurd for this device…
I have a rechargeable CPAP sterilizer that runs from an internal LiPO battery and has a timer function for it’s proper usage. Because ‘up close’ it generates ozone at a concentration capable of sterilization (WAY stronger than what is safe to breathe!), in an open room/RV it still produces plenty enough to remove any odors in minutes. I have a teenage athlete son, so you can imagine what his shoes smell like — I put them in a shoebox with the unit and even THOSE WMD’s can be disinfected in 20 minutes. The unit is of course designed to blow into a tube, so I sometimes put stinky textiles in a plastic bag and “gas” them order-free in minutes. I’ve used this little unit for many, many jobs.
The unit cost me $15, or 1/10th of your plugin unit, and is MUCH more effective and versatile.
$149 will buy a bunch of Febreeze and last longer.
$149! I don’t think so.
Ozone is also known to be an irritant to sinuses and mucosal surfaces in ones bronchi. Modern, electrostatic copy machines, generate lots of ozone. They were replaced in Air Force One Boeing 707s with old tech mimeograph machines for that reason. One can ignore subtle odors and eventually become desensitized and notice them.
Kate, how long have you owned and run your Mini Aers? I am tempted, but there are numerous online reviews about the Mini Aer units failing in a very short time frame, i.e. 3-6 months? With only a 3-month warranty, it appears Triad may be selling a “throwaway” item? For $149, the item surely should be durable and certainly ought to have more than a 90-day warranty (which implies the manufacturer knows it will fail quickly). By the way, there is no information whatsoever in the FAQ’s about the Mini Aer, as if it doesn’t exist? I hope you will fill in a few blanks as a follow-up to your high recommendation.
Thank you.
No argument from me. We’ve been using ours since March and have had no issues. Your comment on a 90-day warranty is a good one, especially for the initial cost. The FAQs talk about the technology purporting the uses for the larger house unit, but it is the same technology. Before we purchased, we asked those same questions at a home and garden tradeshow. I am in your camp as I think for the price, I would expect a longer warranty and better support.
We actually have two whole house ionizers that we have used for many years. They run continuously now at two locations in our home. We love them and they truly make a difference. And yes, they were expensive. Each one was $1K many years ago. We really only need one for our square footage (each was capable of doing 3,000 sq. ft. when new) but at one time in our life we had six indoor cats. Folks were always surprised to see cats in our house because there was never a hint of litter box odor. We used to be able to send in them to the manufacturer for a refresh every few years, and replaced the bulbs annually, but sadly the company went out of business years ago. Replacement parts are nonexistent now so we sadly await the day that they will no longer function. My only complaint is that I never really get the benefit of scented candles or plug-ins. The ionizers neutralize those odors too! Love the idea of a small unit for the coach. Will definitely be checking this out.
Did I read that right? Amazon wants $150.00 each for these? Uhhhh, no.
Also found another one marketed by Brite-Strike, whose products I like. It combines ion with UV, and many medical office exam rooms are now equipped with similar products.
Bill, I have not been able to find an ION and UV device on Brite-Strike, please forward me a link, thanks
Not sure this device actually produces Ozone. If it does, then according to the EPA website, the concentration of ozone necessary to kill viruses and bacteria etc are too high to be safe to breath. Ozone generators have many warnings about not using in enclosed spaces etc while occupied.
We have a whole house ionizer and when we leave home it goes with us, my wife suffers from allergies terribly and this gives her relief and I also benefit from using it.