Ah! What a relief

About a year and half ago I developed breathing problems. I was short of breath and my nose was always stuffed up no matter what time of year it was and I had a very painful dry cough all of the time. I went to a doctor, actually several doctors, who did test and x-rays. They concluded that it must be allergies even though they did not do any allergy test. Or I may be affected by pollutants in the New York City air. They gave me inhalers and Claritin. These things didn't seem to do much.

This year the World Trade Center fell down and the debris became airborne, drifting over my apartment. Even though I had my windows closed, my eyes burned and my chest hurt from a dry cough. This went on for a month even after the sky seemed to be clear and the air fresh again.

A few days ago I had had my last day of coughing. I decided that I needed to try to clean up the air in my apartment. I researched several air cleaners on the internet. How much they cost, how did they work, what to look for in an air cleaner, and what size would I need.

After my research I headed to my local electronics store. where I found two choices. The one that I chose was the Honeywell 17000. It had all of the desired features that I had read about and wanted. It had 2 filters, one pre-filter and one HEPA filter. It had a light that tells you when you need to change the filter. One light is for the pre-filter and one for the HEPA filter. The last thing I need is to be keeping track of when a filter needs to be changed. It had a decent room capacity, even though I knew it would not be big enough for my loft with double high ceilings, I figured that it should probably help and if not it would definitely work in the bedroom area where I most needed it while sleeping.

The first day I turned it on I noticed almost immediately that the air was fresh and clean. I couldn't believe how well it worked. Even my roommate came home and said the air quality was better. The capacity, while still a bit small for my needs is still amazingly. It doesn't seem to have any problem cleaning the air in the large loft area. In the bedroom area it works fabulously. I haven't been able to breath this easy since I was a teenager. I am telling everybody that I know that they have to get one of these!

As for noise, I can't complain. It is quieter than any fan that I have ever had, even on high. I have heard people complain about the noise but I don't know what they expect from an item that is essentially a fan with a filter. Any moving part will have some noise. After reading reviews I was expecting a disturbing amount of noise. I was actually very impressed with how quiet it was. The noise is just a wind or "white noise". It is very pleasing and if you live in an apartment building you might even like it. It is very easy to sleep with even on medium or high, and I am very particular about noise and my sleep.