GermGuardian AC5350W Elite 4-in-1 Air Purifier with True HEPA Filter, UV-C Sanitizer, Captures Allergens, Smoke, Odors, Mold, Dust, Germs, Pets, Smokers, 28-Inch Germ Guardian Air Purifier

I bought this air purifier to replace a cheaply made, loud Holmes model that I bought from Walmart. To be fair, it did a decent job, but I wasn’t impressed at all. So I ordered the Guardian because, I won’t lie, I loved how it looked in the pictures and, more importantly, it had received universally great reviews. After using the Guardian for the past three days straight I can personally attest to the great reviews. This machine is quiet, works wonderfully, and is by far the most aesthetically pleasing air purifier I’ve ever seen.

The only unfortunate thing I can say about it, and others have touched on this issue as well, is that there is a burning plastic smell that I noticed for the first several hours upon turning on the power. My room is medium sized, roughly 75-80 sq. feet (if I had to guess), and the smell was quite potent, especially for the first hour. I remember wondering if the thing would be kind enough to suck up its own smell, but the answer of course was no. Luckily, the smell soon faded and this purifier has been great ever since. I’ve read other complaints about the glowing blue light keeping people awake at night. I’m glad I’m stubborn and ignored these reviews, because those complaints almost kept me from buying the damn thing. I wouldn’t say the light is exactly bright, more of a soft glow, but if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing (as I very much am) you can simply turn off the U.V. while you sleep. It will continue to work amazingly without this feature running, although I do leave it on during the day while I’m at work. Does it actually do anything? I have no idea.

Finally, I want to add that in NJ, where I live, this is currently prime allergy season, but when I wake up I feel completely neutral, as if the air outside weren’t saturated with pollen (and God knows what else–it’s NJ!). It’s actually quite amazing.

Pros: great for allergies, strong quiet suction, aesthetically pleasing beyond belief, will keep your space smelling nice, virtually no dust anywhere

Cons: that damn smell for the first several hours

Be back in a few months with an update!!

This was my first air purifier purchase, and after having this about two weeks, I don’t think I could ever live without one.

I specifically chose this one for aesthetic (and because of the good reviews) and it is a very good looking machine. Most of my furniture is white and this blends in while also not taking up much foot space. The only issue I have with the design is that the vents are in the back, so this can not be tucked away into a corner. I’d say it would have to be about a foot away from the wall at least for proper airflow. That’s not a problem for us, and I think the sleek design of the machine makes up for it.

As for sound, I live in New York City, and there’s constant noise pollution coming in from outside. The air purifier on the highest setting is about as loud as a powerful fan or an air conditioner on the lowest setting. If you live in a very quiet place I’d imagine it may be a little noisy and if you can’t stand white noise, the highest setting will be bothersome. That being said, settings 4-1 are very quiet. Setting three has basically no sound. I’ve left it on setting 5 the whole time I’ve had it and I barely register it being there at all.

I have this set up specifically for the largest room in my small apartment, the living room and kitchen area (approx. 200 sq ft ) and I think it does an adequate job with that space. I see significantly lest dust, and since we’ve placed it next to the litter box, much less odor near that area.

I can’t really tell you if the UV function is working, but if the light is bothersome at night you can turn off this function with a press of a button.

Most importantly, I genuinely feel like this machine has helped the quality of the air in my home. I’ve not woken up with a stuffy nose or scratchy throat since receiving it. I’ve had friends sleep over and they’ve said similar things. We’re all breathing better.

Included are some photos of the machine and about a two weeks worth of dust and stuff in the filter. I was absolutely amazed by how dirty the filter was after this short time. I did a quick vacuum and it looked good as new.

Being a smoker I hated having to stand outside to divulge in my very bad habit. Once I received this GermGuardian AC5350BCA unit I lit up and watched how this unit amazingly sucked up all the smoke in it’s path from 5-6 feet away! At first, I just thought this unit was a gimmick since I own 2 other GermGuardian AC5000E models and this one uses the exact same filter (Size C), but that is not the case by any means. This one is whisper quiet even on the 4 out of 5 setting and is a huge improvement over their other models. The UV-C light is even smaller than their other units which helps eliminate the possibility of breakage when it’s time for replacement. Also, the blue light markings on the top of the unit make it easy to use right out of the box. Now I wish I owned more of these units and will probably buy at least one more and give the others away to friends. The air circulation is awesome and the manual states that the approximately $27.00 filters only require complete replacement every 6-8 months while you only need to vacuum out the carbon pre-filter about once a month. You’ll be amazed how much dust, pet hairs and smoke this unit takes in and it has helped my allergies tremendously. And, last, but not least, the air smells clean as my non-smoking friends can attest to. Buy one; you won’t be sorry. I kid you not. Thanks for reading!

I bought AC5350W White from local store cause amazon couldn’t delivery it to my Zip code. Contact Amazon rep. She couldn’t figure it out also. Anyway, glad I did. Only a week it caught lots of dander and dust. These would end up in my body if not this air purifier. I can breath better and will buy more for each room. Now I have only one and just keep moving it around.