"Mist"ifying - Choose a humidifier for my bedroom!
December 6, 2009 11:34 AM Subscribe
Humidifier recommendation?
I need a recommendation for a humidifier for my bedroom (8 x 12). I need one that would plug in and work overnight (I would prefer an energy efficient one, but not a deal breaker). I'd like one where I don't need to get costly filters/parts every few months. Cost: $100 or so, or less.
I've gone through the old posts, but they are pretty dated now, I think.
I need a recommendation for a humidifier for my bedroom (8 x 12). I need one that would plug in and work overnight (I would prefer an energy efficient one, but not a deal breaker). I'd like one where I don't need to get costly filters/parts every few months. Cost: $100 or so, or less.
I've gone through the old posts, but they are pretty dated now, I think.
Best answer: I have this Vicks Vaporizer, and it's about as close to perfect as anything I've ever used. Warm mist, no filters, very low maintenance, runs 16 to 20 hours on one fill, and has automatic shut-off when it's done. Best of all is the price ($16.98 right now at Amazon, but I've seen them in stores for about $15).
posted by amyms at 12:27 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by amyms at 12:27 PM on December 6, 2009
The Venta brand humidifiers were the right solution for me. I keep musical instruments in my home and winter humidification is a must.
I've been trying them all, for 30 years (yikes, it's true): the ones with soaked thick special paper and a central fan (not effective enough), the ones that flat out pull water mist into the air by means of a noisy quick-turning fan (they create a lime residue on all horizontal surfaces and make a hell of a noise), various evaporating machines, either by ways of heating up or with ultrasound (noisy and, well, misty, no fun to be around).
The Ventas work with one or several stacks of plastic disks that slowly rotate in a water tank - some detergent needs to be added to break the surface tension and keep the disks wet - while a rather silent fan in the middle creates the breeze that takes evaporated water along. They come in several sizes, and provided the right choice is made, they're very effective. A great plus is that they filter dust out of the air, too (if you use the Brand-own special detergent, the Venta people claim that they also filter germs out of the environment, but who is to know for sure... They certainly participate in the fight against fruit flies).
posted by Namlit at 12:50 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
I've been trying them all, for 30 years (yikes, it's true): the ones with soaked thick special paper and a central fan (not effective enough), the ones that flat out pull water mist into the air by means of a noisy quick-turning fan (they create a lime residue on all horizontal surfaces and make a hell of a noise), various evaporating machines, either by ways of heating up or with ultrasound (noisy and, well, misty, no fun to be around).
The Ventas work with one or several stacks of plastic disks that slowly rotate in a water tank - some detergent needs to be added to break the surface tension and keep the disks wet - while a rather silent fan in the middle creates the breeze that takes evaporated water along. They come in several sizes, and provided the right choice is made, they're very effective. A great plus is that they filter dust out of the air, too (if you use the Brand-own special detergent, the Venta people claim that they also filter germs out of the environment, but who is to know for sure... They certainly participate in the fight against fruit flies).
posted by Namlit at 12:50 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
I have a Holmes warm mist humidifier - 10 hours on one fill and no filters. I clean it about once a year (although they recommend once a week I think). Here's a similar one. I went from lots of sore throats to none, literally overnight.
posted by yeti at 1:47 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by yeti at 1:47 PM on December 6, 2009
We bought one of these to help with kid's colds, and were happy enough we bought another. Nothing fancy, and the price is right. We fill it with filtered water to keep the white residue down.
posted by procrastination at 2:24 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by procrastination at 2:24 PM on December 6, 2009
I've got this Vornado. Really simple, and large capacity. No heater, no ultrasonic, just a fan that pulls air over the pads. It has two large jugs that you can easily carry to the sink to fill. The newer model is this, doesn't look as good to me. I can usually go several days between refills.
posted by cosmac at 3:23 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by cosmac at 3:23 PM on December 6, 2009
Response by poster: Was dying of a sore throat, went ahead out to the local store and found amym's recommendation - so far, so good! Sore throat already going away.
posted by quodlibet at 3:42 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by quodlibet at 3:42 PM on December 6, 2009
Quodibet, I recommend you avoid the vaporizers. When my humidifier conked out (I tried putting salt in it, but the water already had enough minerals. It melted the insides) I got a Vicks Vaporizer (the same one you just got, apparently) but it did not put out enough moisture. Maybe you don't need as much as I do, tho, so if the Vaporizer works for you, yay! On the box, tho, it says clearly what it is good for and what it is not good for, and dry noses is not one of the things it's good for, so I took it back and got a humidifier for the same price that automatically turned off when it used up all the water
posted by rebent at 5:21 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by rebent at 5:21 PM on December 6, 2009
Strongly seconding the Vornado mentioned by Cosmac above. The mist ones look cool, but they throw out virtually no moisture. I used to have one, but found zero movement on a hygrometer placed next to to it for a day. The Vornado throws out 2 gallons a day easily; enough to quickly raise our Chicago apartment from zero humidity to a very pleasant 40%.
Filter tip; they'll get brown and crunchy quite quickly with dried tap water salts & iron residue. Soak them in a mild acid for a bit to remove that, and you can use one set of filters for the whole winter. I also recommend the bactericidal water additive you can get, otherwise the standing reservoir water will get nasty (even dangerous) quite quickly.
posted by Mundungus at 8:28 AM on December 7, 2009
Filter tip; they'll get brown and crunchy quite quickly with dried tap water salts & iron residue. Soak them in a mild acid for a bit to remove that, and you can use one set of filters for the whole winter. I also recommend the bactericidal water additive you can get, otherwise the standing reservoir water will get nasty (even dangerous) quite quickly.
posted by Mundungus at 8:28 AM on December 7, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
i use it every night, and it's quiet enough that it's not intrusive/annoying, but it's loud enough that it blocks out noise from the rest of the house. i love it. i fill it every 3 days, so i get about 21 hours of mist from one fill-up (on the low/medium setting).
the filters are cheap enough ($10 each) and easy to find, but i have only had to replace the filter once in the year and a half i've had it. there are newer Honeywell models that might have better filter life, but 12-18 months seems reasonable to me.
posted by gursky at 11:44 AM on December 6, 2009