PurePlug Air Purifier

I purchased this ozone generator to combat the urine/fecal/pet smells coming from our "cat room" on the second floor. There are three litter boxes and two food dishes in the room and often but not always an offensive collection of odors emanates and can even be smelled on the first floor at the bottom of the stairwell. Even with daily cleaning of the boxes, the smells persist. In the past, we used a HEPA filter which was somewhat effective however, it required routine cleaning of the filter element and once this became gunked up the odors returned. Too much hassle, not to mention it was a large contraption. I was looking for an "install it and forget it" solution.

I researched ozone generators and wasn't quite convinced. For one, the EPA does NOT recommend using an ozone generator and claims that not only do they pose a health hazard (mostly for those with respiratory issues/asthma), but they are also ineffective at scrubbing smells. (This research can be found online check it out). Not only that, there are a ton of ozone generators on the market, and they all look the same and appear to come from China, so that's not very confidence-inspiring, either. I took a gamble and didn't expect much return on my $40, but my main objective was to dispel or verify claims on both sides.

The PurePlug unit itself has a small footprint it's a little larger than a night light and plugs directly into an outlet. It includes its own version of a night light, which is the blue semi-circle in the center of the device. This feature is useless, in my opinion. It doesn't emit enough light to be considered a night light replacement, but that's not why I bought it. I figured it was manufacturer hype which it was.

The unit is operated by turning a knob clock-wise. You are able to control the flow of ozone by operating the knob from "off" to full blast the 6 o'clock position is "off". There is an audible sound, like a gas leak, when the device is in use. The sound increases as the knob is advanced. Because I'm not upstairs much, other than when I'm asleep in the bedroom with the door closed, the noise isn't a bother. If you install it near a liveable area, especially a den, it might be distracting.

The ozone generator emits a very strong, distinct smell. You can almost taste it. There have been a lot of comparisons, and the "outdoorsy" characterization is accurate. I would compare it to wormy soil after a rain storm, with a chemical tinge. This may or may not bother you. I've lived in the country all my life, so I'm used to it. Even though this unit is only supposed to service a room between 30-100 sq. feet, the ozone odor is detectable way outside this radius. I can strongly smell it in the connecting hallway and at the door to my bedroom about 15 feet away, and even faintly at the bottom of the stairs. This is with the knob cranked to full blast. I don't think I would want this ozone generator near a liveable area unless there was a strong odor there which needed to be eliminated (in my case, there isn't it's only in the cat room upstairs). Basically, the ozone smell is going to replace whatever you're trying to get rid of. If you can't take it, that might not be a good thing.

This brings me to the most important rating factor does the unit eliminate offensive odors? In my experience, yes, it does. I run the unit about 12 hours a day on the full setting. As mentioned, the cat smells are gone, replaced with the ozone odor. They have not been "covered up", like spraying an air freshener as a masking agent. The room smells cleaner/fresher and I don't feel as gross being in there. In fact, I hung a heavy bag in the doorway and work out in the room now. I turn off the ozone generator an hour or two in advance so that it airs out. Keep in mind that the unit is not going to eliminate smells as they occur. When one of the cats poops, I can immediately detect it but, instead of the odor fanning throughout the house, it's now contained and subdued quickly. This is why I purchased the device and it's performing as I'd hoped.

I will update this review in the future regarding: a) any ill health effects experienced from inhaling ozone, b) how long one should run the device for it to clean a 100 sq. foot room by experimenting with different durations (as noted, it's currently on 12 hours a day), and c) the longevity of the unit itself.

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