As one who is confused easily by things like these, it had been extremely easy. My young children turn theirs on and off, adjust the background level to high or low by themselves. My toddler son has several allergies and a few of them are airborne (pollen/some molds) and has eczema flare ups. We figured filtering the air couldn't hurt, and he has been sleeping better with the air cleaner in his room. We bought three of those units, one for every child's bedroom and one for our main bedroom. The background level is low, yet acts as a "white noise" while sleeping too, which is another benefit. The timer has great options, 6hr, 12hr or 24hr. I might highly recommend these air filters, great size, doesn't take up an excessive amount of space.