YIOU H13 True HEPA Air Purifier for Home - Large Room up to 547 sq ft, 20dB Ultra Quiet Air Cleaner for Allergies, Smoke, Dust, Pollen & Pet Dander - Odor Eliminator for Bedroom, Living Room & Office (Grey, 7"D x 11.5"W x 11.7"H) - Perfect for Asthma Relief & Nighttime Use

My daughter and I both suffer from asthma. Because of that, we’ve been using a large, HEPA air purifier (Winix WAC9500) on the first floor of our house (during the winter months) since 2011. However, at my most recent allergist visit, I learned that my lung function numbers have dropped slightly and my nasal cavity showed some irritation. In addition to changes to my controller medication, my doctor suggested that I get a second, smaller air puffier for my work space on the second floor (I’m a freelance photographer/illustrator) where I spend most of my day. In his words, “It can’t hurt!”After considering all of my options, I decided to go with this particular one because (a) I wanted something that could sit on a shelf rather than on the floor, (b) it’s housing is aesthetically pleasing (I'm a sucker for good design and looked at some really ugly ones with odd shapes and crazy, unnecessary lights) and (c) it has an 18 month warranty.My first impression upon arrival was how hefty and solid it is. I’ve tried larger floor units in the past that were much lighter and, in the end, turned out to be quite inferior. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but it was definitely less than some of the others I looked at. The $10 discount coupon certainly helped drive my decision, but I realized that since I’m using it in my home office, I can deduct the cost at tax time next year!Details:* Be sure to read the user manual first before plugging it in. I’m the type of person who tends to pull an item out of the box and ignore the instructions altogether! Thankfully, I didn’t do that this time and discovered that you must place the unit on its side, remove the bottom cover plate, slide the filter out of slot, remove the plastic bag it comes sealed in and slide it back in before using it. Detailed illustrations show you how.* Unit has multiple fan speeds, a timer (which I have no need for since I’m letting it run continuously), a child lock (press Timer and Sleep buttons together to lock out curious toddlers), a sleep mode button (forces the fan to work at slow speed and dims the indicator buttons (I suppose this good for bedroom use) and a filter reset (press and hold the Sleep and Lamp buttons together).* All buttons make a pleasant chiming sound when pressed.* When I first turned it on, I noticed a soft green glow through the vent slots on the right side. At first I thought this was some sort of night light feature, but I was wrong. It’s actually a filter health indicator. Green = Excellent, Yellow = Good and Red = Poor. I love this feature because it makes it easy to know when the filter needs to be changed from a distance. Our Winix has a tiny light that you have to see close up.* At Low/Auto fan speed, the system is very quiet. At Medium it’s noticeably louder, but certainly not annoying. The noise level on High is loud and sounds similar to running an air conditioner on fan. However, if it’s running on High in Auto Mode, there’s a good reason for it!* Instructions recommend that the filter be removed and cleaned (with a vacuum) twice a week and replaced every 6 months. That may be a deal breaker for people who don’t have the patience or discipline to maintain appliances on a regular basis (fortunately, I’m.compulsive about things like this while my wife is not!!!).After living it for 4 days, here’s what I’ve noticed (or haven’t noticed):* After letting the purifier run overnight (it’s important to note that the door to my workspace stays closed because we have a cat who will sneak in and mark inappropriately), the room smelled different / better/ cleaner. To put it simply, the overall air quality feels neutral.* I’m less ‘wheezy’ and ‘stuffy’ and haven’t had to use my rescue inhaler.* There’s a visual reduction of dust on the surface of objects in the room (I’m constantly wiping things off).* I have the purifier set to Auto and barely notice it running in the background. Even at medium, I can tolerate the mild noise increase. On high, I may have to play music louder or leave the room.* Once the weather warms up and I can open the windows, I’ll unplug and store the unit until fall.* While I didn’t notice any replacement filters offered on Amazon (perhaps they’ll come later), there’s a contact email ([email protected]) in the user manual so I’m not worried.