Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I moved into a basement level apartment and got sick off the air for 3 days after one night of being there. I couldn't breathe right and I had this horrible wheeze. It felt like a cinder block was on my chest because this place was so disgusting when I moved in. To make a long story short, my apartment was nothing like when I had originally toured it and it was definitely not in move-in condition. Two days of cleaning before it could even be considered livable... I discovered mold under my sinks and a dehumidifier that was full (that has to be on 24/7)--but being the poor college student I am, I have to suck it up since I can't afford anything else in the area. I knew I had to do something about the air... thus the air cleaner solution! I bit the bullet on the price and ordered this on September 5th 2010 after some research. The great reviews and the mold spore removal was really what sold me on this. I began hoping this would be my saving grace in this place... on September 12th it was un-boxed and setup... and let me tell you, I cannot stress how much I LOVE this thing!! After letting it run on TURBO for only half of a day I could already feel a noticeable difference in the air. It smelt cleaner, and it wasn't as thick... and my wheezing went away! Best of all, after a week of use I really began to appreciate this thing. I've burnt food in my kitchen so many times and this thing has been great at eliminating the odors... which brings me to another reason why I love it! After moving in I soon realized that ALL my neighbors love cooking with curry and rice, I think it reaks of stink and you can smell it from 30 feet outside my building. However, as soon as you get in my unit it's nothing but sweet clean air! No trace of the strong odors that accompany paki and indian food! I truly believe that this has been my lifesaver since moving in! I cannot thank you all enough for the fabulous reviews I read prior to buying! I just had to review it for myself as well! My only gripe is that the replacement air filter is kind of expensive and seems like it can only be purchased through amazon... however, I love this thing and feel that the price of having dust and curry free air is worth every penny! Yes it is a bit noisy on TURBO but it makes a nice white noise when I sleep at night (especially since the walls here are thin and I can hear my neighbors). Please be sure to check out my customer images I uploaded showing the dirty filters/amazing cleaning this has done to my apartment in only a month and a half so far on TURBO the whole time! The WINIX was turned on September 12, 2010 and the dirty air filter photos were taken on October 26, 2010. ***UPDATE! (July 5, 2011)*** Just wanted to let everyone know that I still LOVE this thing... even though the "Replace Filter" light just turned on! That's right, after running this thing on TURBO 24/7 since September 12, 2010 the HEPA filter did NOT last 1 year before needing to be changed today on July 5, 2011. In fact, it lasted only 296 days and it fell 69 days short of the 365 (which is approximately 2+ months short). Unfortunately for me, it didn't last the full term of my lease on this nasty basement level apartment. Am I disappointed though? Not at all! In fact, I expected it to not withstand this awful air for more than 6 months, let alone the advertised year (and ~10 months I got out of it!). I've come to the conclusion that the year estimate is for "average air" and average use... not crazy "TURBO" all-the-time use like I've been doing. I've added more images to the customer photo gallery to show so please feel free to check them out. Photos are from the following dates... November 16, 2010 (filters after 1 1/2 months of use), February 6, 2011 (filters after use since 9/12/2010), and today July 5, 2011 (Replace filter light, and the disgustingly dirty filter!) Do I still think seventy bucks is pricey for the replacement filter? Kinda, but for the cleaning power and quality air I've gotten out of this it's worth every penny. I've already placed my order for the replacement. ***UPDATE! (July 10, 2011)*** I ordered the replacement filter from Amazon on July 5, 2011 and they arrived on July 9, 2011! Just installed them now and took some comparison photos of the new filters beside the old filters... and WOW, what a HUGE difference there is to see between them! Please check out the Customer Gallery to see what I'm talking about! Also! Just a quick tip, there is a Replacement Filter RESET button on the top inside part of the unit you are supposed to press so the red light goes out. You need to hold this button down for about 5-10 seconds in order for it to do that, and then you should be all set! I thought just a quick button push would do the trick but I had to dig out the original manual to figure out what was wrong. (a photo of this button has also been added to the customer gallery)