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Air Purifiers as White Noise Machines

What HN thinks

A room full of people who discovered their HEPA filter's true calling was lullabies, then argued about CO2 for an hour.

Fan noise beats speaker noise
Many say purifiers and fan-based machines give a deeper, more pleasant whoosh than tinny electronic white noise machines, with cleaner air as a bonus.
Air quality metrics debate
A big subthread argued over target PM2.5 and CO2 levels, whether CO2 itself impairs cognition, and how meaningless VOC index readings are.
Efficiency and DIY purifiers
Commenters compared power use, filter costs and CADR, praising PC-fan and box-fan designs like AirFanta and Corsi-Rosenthal boxes over pricey branded units.

Consensus: Most agree an air purifier makes a good sleep noise source and that cleaner air is a worthwhile side effect; the CO2 health claims remain disputed.

Recommended in the comments

Yogasleep Dohm Classic ↗ (product): Fan-based noise sounds better than speaker machines and uses little power.
AirFanta 3Pro (product): Tested to deliver far more clean air per dollar and per decibel than conventional purifiers at about 5W.
AirGradient One (product): Easy to use, well reviewed, and cheaper as a self-assembly kit.
Filter Box Builder ↗ (tool): Does the math for building your own purifier.
Etymotic earplugs (product): Recommended for people who prefer silence over masking noise, though others found them uncomfortable.
IKEA FÖRNUFTIG (product): Reliable filter availability from a brand unlikely to vanish.

Summarised by Claude from the comment thread 2 days ago.

Points: 150
Comments: 142
Best rank: #10
Posted: 2026-10-23 by luu
Category: Health

air-purifiers white-noise air-quality sleep indoor-air wildfire-smoke

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