Product Review & Giveaway: Clean Your Air in Style with the AirPod

There are reasons all of us greenies want everyone to take care about the products they are bringing in to their homes. Reasons that will make sense to even those people who are against the whole idea of “going green.”  Yes, we want to have the least impact on the Earth as possible. But we are also doing all this detoxifying and patronage of organic, natural and non-toxic products for the sake ouf our health and the safety of our families. Next time you buy a can of paint, think about whether you’d want your infant breathing in the fumes. That should be all the convincing it takes to get you to go low- or zero-VOC.

One of the major reasons we all want non-toxic products is to make sure that the air inside our homes is cleaner than the air outside, which we have less control over.  As such, an air purifier is a great product to own. This particular purifier, the AirPod (I know, I know…it looks and sounds like iPod) is one that will allow you to breathe cleaner air without sacrificing style.

The folks at Blue Air were kind enough to send me an AirPod to test.  Before I tell you what I think of it, let me mention a very specific fact about this purifier: It is meant to be used in small, personal spaces, up to about 5′ x 6′. In other words, this isn’t mean to be used in your living room or kitchen. It is best suited for use in a confined area, like right next to your bed, on your desk in an office or in a small bathroom. It is also meant to be portable.

Keeping this in mind, I put my AirPod on my dresser very close to my bed. This wasn’t an issue for my decor either, because of the sleek design and the gorgeous black and white damask pattern printed on the filter.  In fact, it added a little pop on my dresser without adding clutter, and actually wound up serving as a sort of barrier between my husband’s side and my side.

It is very simple to put together and very quiet. Of course, you’ll notice the low hum when you first turn it on, but it quickly became background noise and I didn’t even hear it any more.

Without sophisticated tests, it can be hard to tell how effective an air purifier is. But I can tell you this: After using it for a few days, I noticed that my nose wasn’t nearly as dry when I woke up in the morning. And my husband, who has a some breathing issues, wasn’t coughing as much, particularly throughout the night.  The air in the room also smelled fresher. Not sweet or fragrant, but rather the absence of smell — and I think that’s a good thing.

So my final verdict on the AirPod is that it is a good option for smaller spaces, but its effectiveness would be severely diluted if you tried to you use it in a larger room. For the savvy decorators I know all of you are, the filter is available in 5 colors and patterns, you its likely you’ll find one that works in your space. It is recommended that you replace the filter at least once every 6 months, so if the filter you chose isn’t working for you, try a different pattern next time around.  You can get 2 filters in the patter of your choice for $59.95.

Why It’s Green:

• According to BlueAir, it uses approximately 60% less material to manufacture and 50% less packaging than other comparable purifiers
• Runs on less than five watts of power. Comparable units require 40 watts
• No chemicals are used on the filter or elsewhere and no ozone by-products are released from the unit
• All components and the packaging are recyclable

Price: $79.95

Want to win one?

Like the headline says, one luck reader will get to clean their air in style. BlueAir generously sent me a second AirPod with a black and white damask filter to give away.  All you have to do is visit the BlueAir website. Come back here and leave a comment about your favorite filter style and where you would use the AirPod if you won. Comments like “I’d love to win this,” “Great giveaway” or “Please pick me!” will be deleted. Leave your comment by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, September 5, 2008.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list.

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for the Green Your Decor newsletter by Monday, September 1, 2008. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. All current subscribers are eligible to win. And there’s no need to leave a comment letting me know you subscribe by email. I’ll know you’re a subscriber
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.

So that means every participant can receive up to 5 entries. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, September 5, 2008, to enter. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced here, and the winner will be contacted via email. Good luck everyone. And don’t forget, you have until September 1 to enter the SusyJack eco-wall art giveaway!