Molekule Air Mini Is Ready To Clean The Air Wherever You Are - Forbes

Posted: 20 Oct 2019 05:30 AM PDT

If you've spent any time on social media in the past year or so, you'll have seen the sleek aluminum canister that promises to clean the air by not just filtering, but destroying volatile compounds in the air. Molekule has made a name for itself by offering innovation in an attractive package.

Molekule is back with their new ultra-portable Air Mini. Not only is it even more attractive than its predecessor (its matte white finish fits in with any modern decor), its compact size is perfect for rooms where the larger Molekule would be overkill.

What Is It?

The Molekule Air Mini is a five-speed air purifier that cleans the air via a patented process, utilizing UV light and a nanoparticle-coated filter to remove and destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, viruses, bacteria, and allergens in the air of a room up to 250 square feet.

How Does It Work?

Compared to more complex air purifiers like those from Dyson, the Molekule Air Mini is refreshingly simple. It's even less complicated than its larger sibling. There's no companion app, no multiple filters to keep track of, you simply unwrap the PECO filter, rotate the outer shell into place, plug it in, and turn it on (an interesting side note - while it does have a wifi chip, it doesn't yet communicate with the larger Molekule's app).

Speed is selected via a hidden button on the top of the unit, and fan speed is indicated briefly by small LEDs as you cycle through the five settings. In my informal decibel-level tests, it's literally whisper-quiet (30db) at its lowest speed. But set the speed to its highest and you'll get a vacuum cleaner-whine of 70db.

To put it into real-world usage terms, keep it on the lowest setting when you need to talk to your son about why he still hasn't finished his college applications, then ramp it up to the highest level only after he's left for school to try and get the teenage funk out of his room.

Is It Worth It?

At $399, the Molekule Air Mini is an investment. And with 6-month filters that can cost as much as $75 (if you don't opt for the $99 annual subscription), you're in it for the long haul.

But if you suffer from allergies, seasonal or otherwise, you know that if a product can keep you from having to pop pill after pill to try and fight allergy symptoms, if you can wake up feeling clearer-headed or come home to a house that doesn't smell musty, it's worth the cost.

Molekule put me in touch with Derek Hough (yes, of Dancing with the Stars and World of Dance fame) who has become a brand-advocate after testing out the Molekule Air Mini while on the road.

"You know these old theaters." he said. "I love them, but they have a funk about them. There are days when you're rehearsing and it's all you can do to get to the end of the day, then you're out of there. Your eyes are burning. You're coughing. It's the worst."

Having grown up around an old community theater, I could commiserate. The indoor air quality for most theater buildings is probably somewhere around the "haunted by moldy ghosts" level.

"But the Mini makes a huge difference when I'm touring." Derek continued. "I plug it in, run it on high for an hour or so, and when I come back to rehearse, I feel like I can go all day."

Molekule Air Mini in Place — It is almost Halloween...
Anthony Karcz

While the Molekule Air Mini is a fairly hefty unit, it's still compact enough to fit almost anywhere. The strap on the housing is perfect for carrying it from room to room and there's even an integrated cord wrap in the base. If you're a frequent allergy sufferer and dread travelling because of unsure air quality, this is meant to go with you everywhere.

Where Can I Get It?

Molekule is taking pre-orders for the Air Mini on their site now and will start shipping units on November 4.

Fall fronts may bring a mix of allergy triggers - coveringkaty.com

Posted: 20 Oct 2019 08:25 AM PDT

HOUSTON (Covering Katy News) - The cooler temperatures may be sending you outdoors, but it could also be the cause of your seasonal allergies. Although ragweed pollen is the main cause of fall allergies, an expert at the Baylor College of Medicine warns that storms that send in cold fronts can also stir allergens from the spring and summer – like tree pollen and grass.

"Cold fronts tend to bring in a lot of wind and stir up a lot of allergens," " said Dr. David Corry, professor of medicine in the section of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Corry offers a few tips on how to prevent allergies so you can enjoy the cooler fall temperatures.

Stay indoors

Another major allergy trigger is mold and mold spores that are carried into the air by the wind and rain. Corry recommends remaining indoors shortly after thunderstorms, especially for those who have asthma.

"If you are mold allergic or you have mold related asthma, those can get dramatically worse very quickly and that is a real threat to health," Corry said. "These storms as they come through can put you in the hospital and cause very severe reactions. There is actually a name for this called 'thunderstorm asthma,' so these storms are very important for people who have allergic diseases of all kinds."

Corry warns that if your house has been flooded by any of the recent storms or has water damage of any kind that it needs to be repaired immediately to avoid mold growth, which can be even more detrimental to your health.

Housekeeping and personal hygiene

Maintaining a clean home and showering after being outdoors is essential in preventing allergies since people tend to carry allergens into the home through their clothes, Corry said.

"These allergens are small particles that can stick to your hair, clothes and skin, so it's important to maintain personal hygiene by showering after being outdoors and washing the clothes that you wear outdoors," Corry said.

For those suffering from severe allergies, he recommends removing all fixed carpeting in the home since they tend to trap pollen and dust mites. If changing to hard floors is not an option, Corry recommends using a quality vacuum system to clean the carpets on a regular basis.

"Anybody who has allergies really needs to be particularly in tune to keeping the house clean and dust free, such as changing your air conditioner filters regularly," Corry said.

If you suffer from allergies inside the home, he recommends placing a portable HEPA filter in the bedrooms or living room to help purify the air.

"Those really help because most of the time allergens from pets or dust mites are not in the air but when you walk across the floor or carpets you are dispersing these things back up into the air for you to breathe in," Corry said.

Treatment options

Since pollen tends to collect in the airway and nasal passages, an effective way to treat allergies is to rinse the nose out. Corry recommends using a neti pot – a technique where a saline solution drains through your nasal passages. These can be found at any local pharmacy.

For those suffering mild allergy symptoms, Corry suggests trying over-the-counter non-drowsy antihistamines in combination with nasal steroids. If this is not effective, he recommends visiting a physician who can prescribe inhaled steroids or other types of medications to treat symptoms.

For those with the worst form of allergies, he recommends allergen immunotherapy – a process that begins with a skin test to determine what is causing the allergy. Allergists inject allergens in low doses into the skin and anything that causes an itchy red welt indicates that the person has sensitivity to that allergen. The person then receives weekly injections to build up an immune response to that allergen so that over time they stop reacting to it.

As of 2019, Corry said research has shown that severe allergies are strongly related to mold – including molds growing in your airway like sinuses, nasal passages and lungs. Recognized today as airway mycosis, fungus growing in your airway not only causes allergies but can produce diseases like asthma or chronic sinusitis.This can be relieved with antimicrobial therapy.

"For most of us, airway mycosis is not an issue because our immune systems are sufficient enough to get rid of the fungus," Corry said. "However, there is a fraction of people who can't fight it off, but they're the ones who get into trouble with really severe allergies, difficult to manage asthma and sinusitis. That's when medical professionals need to step in and give them a boost, and often that takes the form of anti-fungals or antibiotics that are specific for killing fungi."

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