Holmes® HAP726-U True HEPA Allergen Remover for Medium to Large Rooms

I bought one of these because my wife, daughter, and I had stayed with a smoker relative while waiting to move into our own home. Fortunately, our bedrooms were on the lower "non-smoking" level, so this filter had a fighting chance against the tobacco smoke that made it through the central air/heating system. In addition, the basement had flooded years ago, and although there were no visible signs of mold, the HEPA filter sure couldn't hurt. We ran this thing constantly and there is NO QUESTION that this filter made a substantial difference in air quality over what we experienced the first few days. The filters were downright nasty in just a few months.

Be sure to budget for the filters, which are going to run you 50 dollars for the HEPA filters (2x25), plus about 3 bucks each for two carbon filters. Obviously, the life of the filter will be based on the dirtiness of your air and/or how much you run the unit.

I really like this air cleaner. I have used several other models (sharper image, honeywell, etc.) and this is my favorite. I usually use level 1 at night, and level 2 during the day when I am home. Levels 3 and 4 are a bit loud. I like that I can program it to run for a certain amount of time and not have to worry about turning it off. On really hot days, i will actually program it to run for a few hours to keep the house cool for my pets.

I have mild allergies to kitties/cats, that is to say i can play with one intensely (kissing, hugging etc) for about 15 min before i start sneezing and if i continue i will surely regret it. Knowing this i still took in a Kittie and love him very much but after a few months my air was saturated with allergens and it started creating serious health problems for me. Eventually i had to make a trip to the hospital from waking up so wheezy from the allergy triggered asthma that it could have ended it all right there. So i was told by the doctor that unless i have a death wish, get rid of the cat. Having grown found of my new roommate i refused. The reality is if i can rid my room of allergen saturated air i can absolutely keep him. I know this because my allergies generally are triggered from extended direct interaction with one not merely being near one, my allergy is not THAT bad. I have a small room and after about two months of living with my kittie it was so saturated with cat dander...Read more