I spent an entire day researching humidifiers and I would like to share my results while they are fresh in my mind. Spoiler... I ended up purchasing the Honeywell HWM-950 Warm Mist.If you have have spent any time looking at reviews you will notice that there are several different types of humidifiers and they all have pros and cons. When a possible con is mold I believe it pays to be diligent. Here are the results of my research. Please note, this review only covers single room humidifiers, not house humidifiers. Note: All humidifiers will grow mold, some more than others. Make sure to follow the manufactures guidelines for cleaning.
I found that there are 4 main types:
1. Warm mist
2. Cool mist (Ultrasonic)
3a. Evaporative (Wick)
3b. Recirculating Evaporative (Wick)
Pros and Cons of each style
1. Warm Mist
"These humidifiers actually boil the water which causes a distilled steam to be expelled into the room. About.com
Pros:
No filters needed
Medication can be evaporated with the steam heat in some models
It feels best in a cool room in the winter. (Evaporative actually creates a breeze which will make a cold room feel colder)
Cons:
RISK OF FIRE: Take this very seriously. Warm mist units should never be left operating when nobody is in the house. Yes, they all have a low water automatic shut off, but if that fails these units can cause a fire.
Risk of burn: This unit boils the water, so there is a hot element that can burn if touched. This is not safe around small children.
2. Cool Mist (Ultrasonic)
"An ultrasonic humidifier is one that uses high-frequency sound vibrations to produce an extra fine water mist that is then expelled to add moisture to the room" About.com
If I were to buy a cool mist humidifier, I would buy this one:
Crane 2.3 Gallon COOL Mist humidifier, White and Blue
Pros:
No wick needed.
No hot element
The moister may spread more evenly through the room because it is not heated
Cons:
Since water is not boiled, bacteria present in the water may be dispersed into the air.
Mineral deposits in the water will be expelled with the mist causing a white dust to appear in the room around the humidifier. Reports say that filtered or distilled water will take care of this problem.
3a. Evaporative (Wick)
Air is pushed through a wick that is sitting in water. The air collects moister as it moves through the wick.
Pros:
No hot element.
These seem to distribute moister the best.
Cons:
Needs filters.
Mold will grow on the filter.
Will cause airflow in the room, which will make a cool room feel colder.
3b. Recirculating Evaporative (Wick)
Same as above air is pushed through a wick that is sitting in water. The air collects moister as it moves through the wick. However as the name implies water is recirculated throughout the unit with a small pump. This reduces the chance of bacteria and mold growing. It will also move more moisture into the air. With the Recirculating Evaporative humidifier water is dropped on the filter from the top rather than being absorbed from the bottom as a standard Evaporative humidifier.
If I were to buy this type, I would buy this one:
Lasko 1128 9-Gallon Evaporative Recirculating Humidifier
Pros:
Moves more moister than a standard Evaporative hunidifier.
Reduces build up of mold and bacteria because water is constantly moving.
Cons:
Needs filters.
More moving parts means more can break.
More parts means more to clean.
Will cause airflow in the room, which will make a cool room feel colder.
Conclusion:
Since I live in a cool space I decided that the best solution for me would be a warm mist humidifier. I purchased the Honeywell HWM-950 for the following reasons
Warm mist feels better in the cold.
Good price $29 shipped.
Easy to clean. (There is a large enough opening in the water tank to place my hand in.
Moves a lot of water (1.25 gallon tank is evaporated in about 8 hours)
I have been running it every night for a several of weeks and I can sleep much better now. The unit is working as expected so far with no problems.
My second choice would be Lasko 1128 because it evaporates a tremendous amount of water and recirculates the water.
Pros:
Warm Mist Kills bacteria and only requires periodic cleaning.
No Filters.
High and Low setting.
Auto-Off feature turning dial red easy to understand.
Easy to use
Medicine Cup on Top.
Cons: Only available in this ~1 gallon size
WARNING: NEVER leave your home with an appliance on that has a heating element as it is a fire hazard and no "auto-off" is fault less! Sister had a kitchen fire after when her dishwashers heating element solenoid locked on melting plastic eventually igniting it.
Buy Honeywell HWM-950 Filter Free Warm Moisture Humidifier Now
Even on high setting it''s quieter than other warm humidifiers. It''s a small humidifier so it''s good for a small to medium size room only. Easy to clean and fill... The only con is I don''t understand why they made the water tank dark brown. It makes it hard to see the water level. BUT if it runs out of water it has an auto shut-off.All in all it''s a good well made humidifier at a good price.. Well worth the money.
Read Best Reviews of Honeywell HWM-950 Filter Free Warm Moisture Humidifier Here
For this price, the product is more decent than others I have used. The design is simple, easy to use, and good for a bed room size. I especially like the large tank opening for refilling and cleaning. Cleaning and maintenance would be the same like any others. It really depends on the minenal level in your water. But I rather have to clean it more often than having that white dust flying in the air you breath in. I made a mistake spending way too much on another expensive model (AOS U650 Digital Warm & Cool Mist Ultrasonic), which does tiny bit better but cost 8 times more than this HWM-950. I would definitely recommend this product for those who live in cold Winter like Minnesota. It does the job for much less.Want Honeywell HWM-950 Filter Free Warm Moisture Humidifier Discount?
Unlike other reviewers, I had no problems with the noise level of this humidifier, and it worked just fine to make the air more pleasant. However, this think leaks like crazy! The base, under where the tank sits, is divided into multiple sections, and the water is supposed to come out of the tank into one of the sections and flow through to where the heating element is (at the bottom of the tall black plastic part). What actually happens is, over the course of a few hours, the flow of water from the tank is too fast so the area where water is supposed to be slowly overflows into the other areas where water is not supposed to be. The other sections of the base fill up with water, and eventually water starts seeping out of the crack between the bottom of the tank and the top of the base. This happens consistently whether the humidifier is left off with a full tank or run on high from the moment it''s filled until the tank is empty.Depending on what kind of surface you put the humidifier on, this might only ruin the surface (best case) or might actually create a dangerous situation where the power cord (which comes out of the base very close to the bottom) is sitting in a pool of water. I''m returning this immediately and I recommend that no one else buys it.
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