fitler is permanent - works wellStyle Name: Air Purifier with LightShaped like jet engine and loud like one tooStyle Name: Air Purifier with Light|Because where I live is right next to a major expressway and some industrial buildings/storage spaces and lots of new construction being done, I've become somewhat of an expert on HEPA filters. Air must flow in sideways from below, instead of from all around, like Hamilton Beach 04383 True Air Allergen-Reducing Air Cleaner, which I also own and is of comparable size. UPDATE: 4/24/15 - Cleaning the permanent filter is a big problem, and a major sticking point for this product since Holmes does not make a replacement as far as I know. The manual says to vacuum the pleats, but I don't find this to be very effective, as this only removes the larger, visible bits of dust, lint, and particles. Everything else sticks to the filter's fibers and does not come out. Do not use water. This will damage the filter.Fantastic for allergiesStyle Name: Air Purifier with Light

If you are looking for long term use read my review!Style Name: Air Purifier with Light|Lost all performance in less than 6 months.Does this even work?AWESOMEStyle Name: Air Purifier| More InfoStyle Name: Air Purifier with Light|A Rotten EggStyle Name: Air Purifier with Light|This is one of those products where I should have heeded the one star reviews and discounted all the five star Vine reviews.If your considering this you should consider what you actually want in a filter. First the positives, since there a very few.1. This is an attractive unit, which is nice considering how many filters are just plain ugly. It has a nice blue illuminated ring you can turn on which only improves the visual appeal, even if it's completely non-functional as a nightlight.2. The filter is permanent and can be vacuumed to restore filtering effectiveness. So you can avoid costly replacement filters. Unfortunately this is also a negative. A filter than can be vacuumed is not very efficient and normally what you'd have as a pre-filter.

Now for the negatives.1. The fan has three speeds. The lowest is nice and quiet, but completely ineffective at filtering. The other two speeds are noisy and annoyingly noisy. And even with all the noise, they do not filter very well.2. The filter is permanent. sharp plasmacluster kc-860u air purifier review(See positive #2 above). hunter air purifier 30882There's a reason filters are replaceable. ionmax ion 390 uv air purifierIn order to capture small particles, they get clogged. Even if you could vacuum a quality HEPA filter, unless you went outside it would just send the particles back in the air, or clog the HEPA filter in your vacuum if you have one.3. There is very little filtering area. The opening is about 6" across with a pleated filter medium.

Trying to flow a lot of air through a six inch hole doesn't work very well. Although an extreme example, think of trying to filter a swimming pool with an aquarium pump. That's one of the reasons it's so noisy. It's trying to flow a lot of air through a small opening.4. Although you don't have to use it, and there are scientific reasons that negative ion generators can clean air, unless carefully designed they can produce dangerous levels of ozone. There's a lot of information on this subject from Consumers Report. I didn't use it for the short time I tried the filter because I have birds, and anything generating ozone can be deadly to pet birds.5. Most air filters have some kind of carbon filter to help reduce odors. Although negative ions can help, I doubt that this unit can do this safely or effectively.Finally, I'd be wary of a product with a HEPA 'type' filter. A HEPA filter is a HEPA filter. Does type mean it isn't one, but tries to be like one?So unless you want an attractive noise generator, and don't care about air quality, I'd skip this product.

If you're looking to filter air, look elsewhere. I highly recommend the Winix WAC9500 Ultimate Pet True HEPA Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave Technology for that purpose. Not cheap but very effective removing both dust and odors.Great for small home useStyle Name: Air Purifier with Light| Age 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and older Gender Male Female Verified purchaser I'm very happy with the product, nice to be breathing clean air Verified purchaser I've had this one in black for over 5 years still works great. It's a pain to clean because the cat hair gets way deep down in each filter sleeve and I try to grab with my fingers. After many years the bottom of the filter looks black, is that mold? It almost feels damp too. I want to buy a new filter but they don't sell them because they last forever but how long does that thing really clean the air if I can't wash it!? My allergies at night are so bad I'm beginning to think it's clogged and making me more sick. Maybe I'll buy a new one or one with a changeable filter so I know it's always clean.

Otherwise love this thing. Keep it in our bedroom and the light sound\ helps me fall asleep. Wish they'd make this same model with disposable filters! Verified purchaser I bought this a month ago, it looks very modern and very nice, works good, it is noisy, on 3 it is very noisy on 2 it is still but you can get use to it. I like the fact that you can clean the filter and use it again. It does the job and I hope it will last, as again i only have it for a month now. Verified purchaser Verified purchaser I sensitive to and suffer from dust, pollen, mold, lint, and a host of other things. I purchased 3 eggs and within an hour of operation I could tell the difference. No coughing, sneezing, or eye irritation. Verified purchaser I've had one in my daughter's room for almost a year. Haven't cleaned it in that time. Just finished cleaning the removable filter, all it takes is a vacuum with hose attachment. Before that, I just peeled the dust off, and it was caked on. The purifier worked the whole time, even without cleaning the filter.