Air quality in sewing room...do you use an air filter?
 

I've been making a crumb quilt and having tons of lint in my machine so I'm cleaning a couple of times a day...the machine, I mean. Not the room...it's a disaster. Last night I noticed the coating of lint on my sewing glasses and realized how much I must be inhaling. I've sewed a lot this winter and had a sinus infection and more respiratory issues than usual. Hmm....

Do you use an air filter in your sewing room? If so, do you have a favorite brand/model/type? How well does it work for you? I think I need one!

I don't know how well it works, but I have 2. They are also ionizers, and I like the fresh smell they leave. My husband is a fanatic for air filters http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HHT-...0282005&sr=8-2

As an asthmatic, you can imagine I have lots of problems in the sewingroom. When I work with any of what I call fuzzy fibers (fleece, wool, fur, toweling, burlap and some others) I wear a surgical mask. I prewash everything that's washable and store anything that isn't in plastic bags. This helps cut down on some of the problem. Going into a quilt/fabric shop can make me miserable if there isn't good air circulation. There's a surgical mask in a zip lock bag in my purse and I do use it. I have two of those tall, thin air purifiers we bought years ago from Sharper Image or Brookstone - can't remember which - and they do make a difference. The long collector blades are good because they don't have to be cleaned off as often as one with a small filter. We have one in the bedroom and one in the sewingroom. I hope you get some relief from your respirator issues.....breathing is a good thing.

Good point. I do clean the room regularly, have fabric behind doors and vent well by opening windows but I think an air purifier might be something to look into.

I do have asthma, an air purifier is well worth the money. Being able to breathe somewhat clean air is important.

If you sew a lot and stay congested and cough it may be from lint dust. Lint particles are big enough to be expelled so not much worry if you are healthy.

We have an air filter in the furnace itself. However, if that isn't enough for you, do consider a Honeywell HEPA unit, especially if you have had respiratory issues. Someone who is healthy isn't generally going to get sick, but as you get older, your system is a little less inclined to battle.

Before you buy, be sure that you can still get replacement filters. I have a Honeywell unit that is now useless because I can no longer buy replacement filters for it.

A sewing room is a lint factory. Just handling fabric makes lint, start cutting and the production of lint rises dramatically. Check out the lint on your scissors and rotary cutter. Handling the small pieces with cut edges makes loads of lint. The scraping of the feed dogs on the fabric as it it moves under the foot, through the machine makes lint. Tons of lint! What's a body to do? Maybe we should all be using filters?

I've sure been amazed how much this current project has generated. Digging around in the scrap bins, cutting, sewing, trimming....lots of small pieces with lots of edges! I'm glad to know that the actual lint pieces can be expelled (thanks for that info, BellaBoo) but I know I'm sucking in that dust. I'm looking at a HEPA filter that has two filters that can be cleaned rather than replaced. I hate having to look for replacement filters.

I may beg to differ on this one ---- Brown Lung is something that our cotton factory workers used to die from. I am all for using any air cleaner you can, something is better thqan nothing.