I knew i needed a humidifier, as i'm just not used to the dry air of east coast winters. But after shopping around on amazon for warm mist humidifiers, i was horrified by the reviews. Every humidifier seemed to be loud, leaky, and a hassle. I ended up getting this one because of the relatively low price, thinking that if it was as bad as all the others, at least i wouldn't have spent too much on it.
I have no complaints.
On the low setting, it's about as loud as a pot of water boiling in the next room. On the high setting, it might compete with a pot of water boiling in the same room. Every once in a while it gets a bit talkative, but that's rare and doesn't last long. I'm a light sleeper, and this unit never wakes me up.
On the low setting, a full tank of water lasts a little over 24 hours. On the high setting, it goes through in about 8 to 9 hours, perfect to run overnight.
The auto-shutoff works just fine, so i don't even bother turning it off before i leave the house.
It is a bit annoying to clean the unit, but that has a lot to do with the tap water here being less than perfectly clean. We switched to using filtered water, and now the humidifier is actually our way of knowing when to change the filter. When there's build-up on the heating element, the filter isn't working as well anymore.
The daily maintenance takes no more than a few minutes. The weekly maintenance takes longer, but that's mainly because you throw some of the pieces in to soak. It's maybe 10 minutes of effort, plus however long you want to soak the pieces.
In all, i'm very glad i purchased this unit. (And the water tank isn't nearly as blue as it looks in the picture.)
I love Amazon because of the reviews. For the most part, the reviews are honest, detailed and very helpful, especially when a true defect or some other "quirk" is described. However, many of the reviews for this item are really...bizarre! I have to wonder what some of these reviewers were actually thinking. Also, are they are realistic in their expectations? It is what it is an inexpensive humidifier. It WILL make some noise, It will NOT humidify your entire house, it WILL require cleaning and care, it will NOT last forever, etc.
1) This item is being shipped from a warehouse to your home. If it arrives broken, cracked, leaking or damaged in any way, contact Amazonthey offer one of the best return policies around. This is an issue with whoever shipped it, not a reason to leave a one-star rating.
2) This is a HUMIDIFIER and uses tap water and electricity to create a heated mist. Should you be horrified to find mold or mildew? NO. Does it require regular maintenance and cleaning? YES. There is no way around it. If you allow water to sit, mold will grow. If you use tap water, there is a good chance you will have mineral deposits. Inspect the humidifier each time you fill it.
When you re-fill the tank, give it a good rinsing out. It if smells, add a teaspoon of bleach, swish it around and dump it out.
If it has deposits around the heating element, pour vinegar into the bottom, let it sit for a few hours, take a small toothbrush to it and rinse it out.
If it has deposits on the plastic pieces, remove them from the unit and soak them in vinegar, same as above. It is not difficult to disassemble at all.
It is a fact of life, humidifiers need to be cleaned and maintained.
3) This is a very INEXPENSIVE humidifier. Is it helpful to compare it to a humidifier that costs 5x as much? NO. That is like comparing a Toyota Corolla (MSRP 25K) to a Bentley Continental (MSRP 175K).
4) This is an electrical device. Like anything that uses electricity, it has the potential to start a fire. Even though it has an automatic shut-off, I wouldn't bet my house on it. Pay a little attention to it and treat it like any other electrical device.
5) Seriously, having to carry it by it's handle with the plug on top is a big issue? Would you carry a bottle of water (or any liquid with a screw cap, for that matter) upside down? As for the leaking, screwing the cap on tightly and carrying it by it's handle would probably help.
6) Will it last for a lifetime? NO. Does any inexpensive product last beyond a few years? NO. Will the gaskets dry out if it is stored for long periods of time? It's entirely possible. Again, this is an INEXPENSIVE humidifier.
BOTTOM LINE: It is very reasonable priced, does a good job and lasts a couple of years if you take care of it. I am about to make my 4th purchase of this exact humidifier. I read the reviews to see if anything changed or if a better, similarly priced unit was introduced into the market. The answer is NO. This is the best deal for the money.
****UPDATE**** 11/19/2011 Almost one year later, last week I pulled out the humidifiers and gave 'em a nice, thorough cleaning, set 'em up and they are working perfectly. I am going on at least my 5th New England winter with the first one I bought, and it still works like new whisper quiet, zero leaking, couldn't be happier for the price! From the looks of it, Amazon's price hasn't changed much either (although it does fluctuate day-to-day). It's still the BEST YOU"LL FIND in this price range!
Buy Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier with Auto Shut-Off Now
I purchased the vicks cool mist humidifier (v3100) while visiting my family out west for the holidays. I had a sore throat and that mixed with the heater running and the already very dry air and i was getting up to get a drink 4 times a night. the first night i spent with the humidifier i didn't get up at all. i decided to leave it there and use it every time i visit, summer or fall. and i liked having a humidifier so much i bought a warm mist one, the v745a for my midwest apartment. here is a comparison of the two.
i bought the cool mist for the desert because it was cheaper and will only be used a few weeks a year but will be both summer and winter. it does blow a lot of cool air and will be especially nice in the summer. some people found it quite loud but i thought it was reasonable and used it on the high setting. but i am also used to sleeping with a fan on during the summer. i liked the fact that its shape is lower to the ground making it difficult to tip over. and the seal for the water tank is easier to open and close all the way to prevent leaks. but even after one week's use at night the filter is already more yellow than i expected. if i was using it every day i would have to change it very regularly. it also does move a lot of air like i said before, but the vents are low and it seemed like it was blowing all that moist air right under the bed.
i bought the warm mist humidifier for my apartment because i will only be using it in the winter and didn't want the cold air when my heater is aready working so hard. and i figured it would be more useful during cold season because of the attached medicine cup. it is also for medium/large rooms while the cool mist is for smal/medium so i could move it to my living room if needed. and because i saw the filter on the cool mist got so dirty so fast i liked the fact that this one had no filter, no parts to replace. just weekly cleaning. and the cost difference between this one and the cool mist is about the cost of one filter replacement. it makes very little difference in terms of air temperature, does not heat it up as much as i thought it would, vs the cool mist which did make the room quite a bit cooler. i like the fact that the steam comes out of the top instead of under the bed and it is more quiet than the cool mist even when on the high setting. it does have automatic shut off so i don't have to worry about it boiling dry. i did some research online about warm vs cool humidifiers before purchasing them, and many recommended cool mist for children because of burn risk from using the warm. even after being on all night the unit is cool to the touch and it has a cooling chamber so even the steam that comes out is unlikely to burn. the only way i think a child could injure themselves with this unit would be if they tipped it over, took it apart and touched the actual heating unit because of the auto shut off. my husband guessed the warm mist might take more electricity to run but we'll have to see about that.
overall i am a little happier with the warm mist because i need it for winter, it is quieter and needs to filters replaced. but they are both excellent and inexpensive and once you get one you will wonder why you waited so long. (and by the way the cool mist is $29.99 at target and the warm is $34.99, sorry amazon)
Read Best Reviews of Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier with Auto Shut-Off Here
Yesterday I went downtown to look for a humidifier for my bedroom. What I thought would be an easy project turned into one of frustration. I wound up going to three different drug stores to try to get an idea of what to buy. Most of the humidifiers I saw were by Kaz (Vicks), who makes many different models. To make choosing a model supposed easier, somewhere along the line the company put a graph on only some of their model's boxes to indicate which model to buy based on your needs. (I wanted it for colds and flu). This graph was at one point changed and updated. But the problem is that Kaz doesn't label their boxes too well as to what model applies to the graph. From what I can tell it is these newer graphs that grade their humidifiers as Best, Better, Good or nothing depending upon the purpose intended. But if you are trying to choose between warm or cool all Kaz tells the consumer is some people prefer the warm mist to the cool mist while some don't. How this is supposed to help the consumer decide I'll never know.
Anyhow, I wound up with this model (v745A) because it was supposed to be all purpose and being the winter here in the NE I thought warm rather than cool mist would be better. An added benefit with the warm mist is that you can add an inhalant and with my current cold that would help. I did have some concerns about whether this unit would be enough for my 16x16x10 room. Kaz only labels some of their boxes with the size room the unit is good for but this one does not say. All my observances below were made using this unit on the high setting.
BUILD: The unit itself is built OK nothing more (and I didn't expect more) but seems a little flimsy.
NOISE: OK, the noise. Come on people, this device boils water for steam, hence the name "Warm Mist". You should not expect this to be absolutely silent so stop whining. And for those of you with the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome do NOT buy it. But for those who want an idea of what it sounds like from 3 feet away think of it is like the sound of a rainy day or it is like having an aquarium in the room. It is not loud at all (certainly no louder than a fan on low speed) and could be soothing to those who like white noise.
PERFORMANCE: This unit does humidify my bedroom but it does take a while to have its effect, so I would start it before I went to bed. The amount of mist that comes out is probably not as great as if you were boiling water in a soup pan. [Please do not have unrealistic expectations: your room will not to turn into a steam bath and you will not see the mirrors fog up as they do in the bathroom.] Ideally, two of these in my room would probably suit it better. I can not say that the added inhalant has a great effect. I can smell it in the mist as it is coming out right above the unit but would not be aware of it otherwise. Incidentally, Vicks makes a personal model of these, but I would skip it in favor of this one because you could just breath in the vapors as it comes out of the top of this unit for the same effect.
CONCLUSION: Overall I am OK with this purchase. Frankly, I don't see how anyone could "love" this device or anything like it. It does what it does. I am not sure if another model would have been better. Kaz really needs to make choosing between these models easier. Having used it now I would only recommend a WARM mist for winter use (when most colds and flu occur). It would be too warm and uncomfortable at other times. I have not had it long enough to test its durability.
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I bought this little guy because this winter was brutal for sore throats, nose bleeds, and static electricity in my little home in upstate NY. The rabbit was going around looking like a charged puffball, giving off actual sparks. The cats cringed when I went to pet them, and I was simply miserable myself. I'm probably overworking the poor thing, but the sore throats have backed down, the cats are letting me pet them again.. and although the rabbit still looks like a static charged puffball, he's at least not giving off any sparks.
When I say "overworking", I mean that I'm using it to humidiate (I know, no such word, but it sounds good!) my entire 900+ square foot house, 24/7. So I don't expect miracles out of it, but any relief is... well, a relief. I use it on the Low setting, and it is not loud enough that it bothers me. Sounds a little like a muffled pot of boiling water. Had it on High once and it sounded like a slightly LESS muffled pot of boiling water. If you are a light sleeper and bothered by any noises, you might not want it in your bedroom, but I personally find it a rather comforting sound. Then again... it's not in MY bedroom.
I LOVE the fact that the tank has handles on both ends. I have fibromyalgia, and if there's a way to drop something, I can drop it. Two handles will cut that chance down just that much more. I also love that parts of it can go in the dishwasher. In fact, that was one of the reasons why I bought it hey, it goes in the dishwasher! That and no filters! They saw me coming!
Down-side only PARTS of it go in the dishwasher. The cooling chamber, medicine cup, and water tray CAN go in the dishwasher. The tank CAN'T. To disinfect the tank, you have to soak it in a bleach/water mixture. They recommend doing that once a week. Also, the water tray and heating chamber need to be soaked in vinegar once a week to remove any scale build-up. THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU HAVE HARD WATER. In fact, I'd recommend it MORE than once a week. I do have hard water, and I saw build-up in just two days. And just soaking and wiping didn't do it I took a toothbrush to it.
I noticed several reviews saying theirs broke down rather quickly. If they didn't do the vinegar treatment or didn't do it often enough, I could certainly see WHY it would break down.
Other nifty things. It has a night-light! Also, on the Low setting, one tank lasts me almost 24 hours. And in case I do forget to watch, it also has an automatic shut-off. Like I say, they saw me coming.
So yeah, I love it. But ya gotta clean it. And probably often. But my cats love me again. And the rabbit? Well... a piece of papaya goes a long way towards making amends with him.
Edited to add:
Here we are, a few years later, and I recommended this to my mother. Warned her about the "YOU HAVE TO CLEAN IT EVERY WEEK. AT LEAST" factor. In fact, I warned her repeatedly.
Granted, she's always frantically busy, so I can kinda understand what happened next... She called me and told me that it had cracked and sprung a leak three weeks after she had bought it.
She hadn't cleaned it.
So there you have it. Proof positive. I used my constantly over the winter. Cleaned it every week. No damage.
She had it three weeks. Didn't clean it. It bled a full tank of water all over her kitchen.
Woe.
It's coming up winter, and the rabbit is sending off sparks again. Time to dig this out and fire it up. Or is that.. water it up?
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The product keeps the tank clean and easy to take care of the humidifier. I have never used a product like this before.
