Apple sells Air laptops and has geniuses working in its stores, so at first glance you might think the new AirGenius 5 has some sort of Apple pedigree. But no, it's just Honeywell's new high-tech air cleaner, which hits Target stores today for $239.99.
The product has a few highlights, the most important of which are that it's quiet; has five different cleaning settings (Sleep, Germs, General, Allergen, and Max); and has a washable honeycomb-style filter that you don't need to replace like some filters (Honeywell says it doesn't restrict airflow like paper filters do and still captures up to 99 percent of particles 0.3 microns and larger).
I actually saw and heard the AirGenuis 5 in action a couple of weeks ago and can attest to it being quiet. As for cleaning the air in the room around me, I'll have to take Honeywell's word on that. If nothing else, I'm now more cognizant about just how much breathing I do.
"On average, people take 21,600 breaths a day, but rarely think about what they're breathing," Honeywell says, quoting Evette Rios, a home expert (yes, there's an expert for everything). She goes on to say, "The EPA says that indoor air can be 5 to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. Airborne particles, like pollen and dust, can enter the home from outside and become trapped indoors, or pollutants can result from cooking, cleaning, painting, and other normal indoor activities."
In other words, folks, it's not only ugly out there, it's ugly in here.