u/Remarkable_Resist424

- USA

- 600 sq ft studio with 9 ft ceilings

- Bedroom is about 110 sq ft

- Severe dust mite and pollen allergies

- No set budget, but I definitely want the least expensive option for my situation

At my current house, I have a Levoit Core 300-P in the bedroom. I find the highest fan speed too loud, as I also have a Midea dehumidifier running in the same room (will be bringing the dehumidifier to the apartment as well). The combined noise of both of these is just way too much for me, so I keep the Levoit on the second fan speed. I honestly have not seen any change in my allergies after using this air purifier, but the filter seems to catch a lot of dust.

I really want better air purification in my new apartment, especially for when the weed pollen season comes around. Should I keep the Levoit in my bedroom and have a second air purifier in the living area? Or should I replace the Levoit with one large, more expensive air purifier for the whole unit? I know this sub says one purifier per room is needed, but there's plenty of air circulation in this unit because there is an opening in the bedroom wall (idk how to describe it so I attached pictures). What would be the best option for me?

Bedroom

Living area

Basically, I had mild eczema and seasonal allergies my entire life, but around the end of 2024, it began to progressively get worse. By mid 2025, my entire body was covered in bright red, weeping eczema and I began to frequently experience hives as well. Then September came around, and my seasonal allergy symptoms were all 10x worse. I saw 2 dermatologists for the skin issues, who were both very unhelpful, so I ended up going to an allergist who did environmental and skin patch testing on me.

The environmental test revealed severe allergies to:

- Dust mites

- Cockroaches

- Cat and dog dander

- All of the local weed pollens in my area

The patch testing revealed allergies to:

- Nickel (severe, later found out I have SNAS as well after trying the low nickel diet)

- Ammonium persulfate (oxidizing agent)

- Benzalkonium Chloride (antiseptic/preservative)

- Benzophenone (UV stabilizer/chemical sunscreen)

- Ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (chemical stabilizer)

- Lauryl Glucoside (surfactant)

- Methylisothiazolinone (preservative)

- Propylene Glycol (humectant/solvent)

It has been a lot of work trying to avoid all of these, but after replacing every product containing my contact allergens, installing a dehumidifier and washing sheets weekly for the dust mites, eating a low nickel diet, and taking an antihistamine daily, I have seen a significant reduction in my symptoms. Right now, I am living in my parents' old, dusty home with 3 cats, but I will be moving this summer. I think once I am away from the cats and in a home with up-to-date air filtration, I will probably be symptom-free until the weed pollen season comes around.

I don't think I will ever know what exactly set my body off in 2024. Around that time, my family got a 3rd cat, and I also began eating a high-fiber diet to combat digestive issues from a medication I was taking, and many of those high-fiber foods (oats, whole grains, dates) were extremely high in nickel. It might have been one or both of those things, who knows.

I am so glad things are finally getting better for me, but man, I mourn my old life when I did not have to think about allergies so much. I really miss not having to read every ingredient label. SNAS is so difficult to explain to others too, like "If I eat food from plants that absorb more nickel from the soil than others I get rashes 4 days later. Oh yeah, and nickel is in the water too, so there's also certain seafood I have to avoid as well." It's just way too much for me to get into, but I always eventually have to when someone offers me food.

But yeah, that's my allergy story. I'm wondering if anyone else on here has any of the weird chemical ones I have