How to Save Money When Buying wet film humidifier

Dry indoor air is a common issue in the wintertime that can cause dry skin, stuffy noses, irritated eyes and more. These issues are compounded when people are fighting off seasonal colds, flu and other viruses. The best way to prevent these issues is to use a home humidifier.

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Home humidifiers boost the humidity levels in a room. This effect counterbalances the dry indoor air that occurs when outdoor temperatures dip and home heating systems run full force. Our guide is packed with information to help you choose the best model for your needs. At the end, we've featured our top picks, including the whisper-quiet Levoit Smart Classic 300S, which we put to the test and found to be both effective and easy to use thanks to its smart functions.

What to know before you buy a home humidifier

When shopping for a home humidifier, you have many options. Understanding a few important factors will guide you as you shop for the best one for your home.

Size

Humidifiers are available in different sizes to suit various needs. Compact models are ideal for small spaces, such as bedrooms or offices, but you'll need a larger model to cover more more spacious areas.

Ease of use

No one wants to hassle with an appliance that's frustrating to use. In the past, humidifiers were often difficult to assemble and clean. Fortunately, our testers found that modern humidifiers have components that fit together easily. They also found them to be simple to disassemble in order to clean the interior components.

Warm mist humidifiers

These humidifiers heat the water until it boils. The steam mixes with the air to add moisture. Since the vapor may be hot, these models are not a good choice for families with small children.

Cool mist humidifiers

Cool mist humidifiers can be divided into three subcategories: evaporative, ultrasonic, and impeller.

Evaporative humidifiers force dry air through a wet wick filter to pick up moisture. These units emit the least amount of bacteria into the air.

Ultrasonic humidifiers have a small diaphragm that vibrates fast enough to atomize the water before misting it into the air. An ultrasonic humidifier typically produces a white film (from the minerals in the water) that settles on nearby surfaces.

Impeller humidifiers whirl the water into fine droplets that float into the air. This type of humidifier requires the most maintenance and is the least desirable option.

Home humidifier features

Humidifiers have a number of features that the user may find convenient. While all of these features may not be available on all models, they provide ease of use when offered.

Long-running

The longer a humidifier runs, the less often you'll have to fill it. The size of the tank correlates to the hours of operation. While some compact models run as long as 16 hours, larger humidifiers can offer as much as 24 hours of continuous use.

Quiet operation

When running, humidifiers make a humming sound. Our testers found that in some high-end models, this sound is barely detectable. In others, it's soft and pleasant. In fact, many people find the noise relaxing.

Humidity features

Some humidifiers offer the ability to change the humidity levels. They also have gauges so you can see the moisture rating being introduced into an indoor space. These features help you create the perfect humidity level for your needs.

Automatic shut-off

Do you want a humidifier that shuts off without pushing a button? Opt for a model with a timer that you can set, so the unit shuts off automatically after the designated time frame.

Extras

Although not required to add humidity to an area, some models have extra features that consumers love. Remote controls, night lights, essential oil diffusing compartments, smart technology and medicated pads are some bonuses that provide added convenience.

Home humidifier cost

Home humidifiers start as low as $10, but at this price, they're only effective for small rooms. From $40 to $80, you can find humidifiers that work in midsize to larger rooms. At $80 and above, the humidifiers are typically suitable for multiroom usage and may feature larger tanks, target humidity settings and automatic shut-off.

Home humidifier FAQ

What are some of the signs that the humidity is too low in my house?

A. Dry air causes easily recognizable conditions, such as dry or itchy skin, sore throat, irritated sinuses, itchy eyes or a bloody nose. Additionally, you know when the air is too dry because it's perfect for creating static electricity.

Are there any health risks due to living in a low-humidity environment?

A. Dry air can cause inflammation of your mucous membranes, such as the lining of your respiratory tract. This can make you more susceptible to colds, flu and other infections. Additionally, the flu virus survives longer in low-humidity environments, which also increases the possibility of the virus spreading.

Can humidity be too high?

A. Yes. In the summer, high humidity makes it harder for your body to cool itself. Year-round high humidity can cause a moisture buildup inside the home, which can lead to rotting. Additionally, humidity above 60% can create a breeding ground for dust mites and mold.

Which home humidifier should I get?

Best of the best home humidifier

Levoit Smart Classic 300S Humidifier: available at Amazon

Our take: If you are looking for a large humidifier with lots of bells and whistles, this model is likely to impress you.

What we like: This humidifier can be paired with an app and controlled with a smart device. Ideal for larger areas, it detects humidity in a room and adjusts accordingly. A night light and essential oil diffuser are nice extras.

What we dislike: Although rare, occasional reports of leaks have occurred.

Best bang for your buck home humidifier

Pure Enrichment Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier: available at Amazon

Our take: This is an affordable humidifier best suited for smaller rooms or offices.

What we like: Its adjustable nozzle and 1.5-liter tank can provide up to 16 hours of service. The tank is easy to fill, and the unit shuts off when the tank is low. It's available at a budget-friendly price.

What we dislike: Because of the design, it can be hard to clean the reservoir.

Honorable mention home humidifier

Honeywell Designer Series Cool Mist Humidifier: available at Amazon

Our take: This is a large cool mist humidifier that runs for hours and looks nice, too. It's a good choice for anyone who wants to add moisture to a midsized room.

What we like: The Honeywell Designer Series sports an attractive design that looks great in any room. It runs for as long as 24 hours. It's very quiet and simple to fill and clean. It can also diffuse essential oils into the air.

What we dislike: A few owners complained about leaks from the water tank.

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Jennifer Manfrin is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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Do you frequently find yourself with dry sinuses or nosebleeds? Do you wake up coughing at night, with cracked and sore lips? If so, you might have a humidity problem. And a good humidifier can help with that.

The ideal home should have relative humidity levels between 30% and 60%. That's according to most medical research, as well as the EPA. Staying within that range helps to alleviate the symptoms listed above while discouraging mold and mildew growth, which can happen in excessively humid conditions. Proper humidification has also been shown to help slow the spread of airborne viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. It can't prevent infection or disease, but it can help your immune system while also impeding viral particles in the air, all while making you more comfortable in general. If you want to measure the humidity in your space before you buy a humidifier, or if you want to monitor the performance of a humidifier you already have, you can get a basic hygrometer on Amazon for about $15.

But humidifiers also require a lot of work. Standing water attracts all kinds of funky microbial growths. Even the most low-maintenance humidifiers still require your attention at least once a week, or else you may find yourself facing some serious health risks, such as the dreaded 'humidifier lung,' a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. At that point, your humidifier might be doing more harm than good. Some humidifiers can also release harmful particulate matter into the air along with the moisture, depending on the quality of your water. You can reduce the risk of that by using distilled or demineralized water and by cleaning your humidifier regularly.

Cleaning is an issue with all types of humidifiers. Evaporative, ultrasonic, cool mist, warm mist'they're all annoying to clean, and they all get disgusting if you don't maintain them correctly. This is another scenario in which distilled or demineralized water can help to mitigate the risks. But either way, you have some work to do. So before you commit to buying a new humidifier, you need to ask yourself honestly whether you're ready to be a 'humidifier parent.'

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Top pick

The Levoit LV600S is powerful, quiet, and easy to clean, and it offers Wi-Fi connectivity and warm-mist capabilities. Plus, it's the rare ultrasonic model that doesn't over-humidify your room.

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The Wi-Fi'connected Levoit LV600S Smart Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier offers the best combination of powerful humidification and quiet, consistent performance, yet it's still easy enough to clean. It's about as low-maintenance as a humidifier can get, too, with user-friendly controls and a sleek, attractive design that blends into almost any room. We've been recommending the non-smart version of this Levoit humidifier since , and this new model addresses every minor gripe we had with the old one and more.

The LV600S stands out for its ability to humidify a room'as well as its ability to not humidify. The LV600S is one of the most powerful humidifiers we've ever tested, able to increase the relative humidity in a small room by about 24% over the course of two hours. Running on high, this model also turned the air into a dank, clammy fog'a frustratingly common problem with all ultrasonic humidifiers. So we ran another test using the built-in 'auto' setting on the LV600S to keep the relative humidity level at 60%. To our surprise, this humidifier kept the room within 5% of that target'for three whole days. That's something almost no other ultrasonic humidifier can do.

The top-filling water tank is easier to carry, open, fill, and clean than tanks on other humidifiers. The LV600S comes with a 1.6-gallon tank, which should hold enough water to last an entire day. When it comes time to refill, the lid simply lifts right off'no need to deal with any latches or frustrating (and potentially leaky) screw tops. The built-in handle makes this tank more portable than other tanks, too. The fill hole beneath the lid is large enough that most people should be able to reach inside and scrub the limescale or whatever other gunk inevitably accumulates. Gone are the nooks and crannies that plagued us for so many cleanings of past humidifiers; instead, the basin of the LV600S boasts mostly straight lines and smooth surfaces. Any corners that might look hard to reach should be more accessible with the help of the included cleaning brush. Even the float paddle in the base is removable, so you can easily get at any gunk growing underneath it.

To be clear: You still need to clean this humidifier every couple of days. But at least that process isn't any more annoying than it has to be.

Like other ultrasonic humidifiers, the LV600S is essentially silent. The word essentially here is key. Though the sound was too quiet for us to accurately measure, some people might still notice a slight whirring around 200 Hz, especially if you live somewhere that's pretty tranquil. Those with more-sensitive hearing might also find it irritating. But otherwise, most people probably won't even notice it running.

It offers some surprisingly robust smart features, too. In addition to the basic remote controls, Levoit's VeSync app (named for Levoit's parent company) also lets you do things such as create a schedule, customize the auto setting's Target Humidity (which is set to 50% by default), or design personalized 'if this, then that' scenarios for your home. You can get weekly cleaning reminders, if you want them. Once you're logged in, the VeSync app does an impressive job of automating most of the setup process for you; it even searches your , with your permission, to automatically sync with Alexa or Google Home if you have those apps installed. Plus, the app tells you what kind of voice commands to use, so you're not desperately trying to figure out the exact syntax that gets your humidifier to start and stop.

It has a warm-mist setting and a tray for essential oils. We don't think either feature is crucial or even necessary, but we know that some folks are keen to have them. It's important to remember, though, that warm mist carries some potential health risks, due to the heating element that turns the water vapor into steam. As such, the Mayo Clinic recommends against using warm-mist models in homes with children.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Some owners have complained about the onboard humidity controls. In our tests, the humidity regulation on the LV600S was impressively accurate; in contrast to other ultrasonic models, this machine did not over-humidify the room. But we have heard from readers, Wirecutter staffers, and Amazon reviewers that the accuracy can become increasingly unreliable or erratic over time. Many people have been able to resolve this issue by resetting the unit; to do that, according to the user manual, hold the on/off button for 15 seconds.

A smart humidifier might still seem sort of silly and excessive, especially if you have privacy concerns. The VeSync app (named for the parent company of Levoit) is designed to work with devices from several other brands, such as Etekcity and Cosori, and it also serves as an online store and a customer service hub. All that is to say, there's a lot going on in the app, most of which you can'and should'happily ignore. Although the company has somewhat simplified its sprawling privacy practices, it can still be difficult to parse, let alone verify, exactly what the app tracks and collects. (We are comforted to know, however, that the company instituted a bug-bounty program in for security researchers to report bugs that they find for cash rewards.) In our long-term testing, we also found that the humidifier's auto setting can fumble or fail when it can't find a familiar Wi-Fi network to connect to. Although that shouldn't be an issue if you're buying a new humidifier, it can complicate things if you're traveling with it or looking to sell or buy a used one.

You need to use distilled or filtered water. This is true of every ultrasonic model we recommend, not just the Levoit LV600S. If the water isn't filtered, the ultrasonic mechanism can separate the minerals contained within it, leaving a chalky white residue throughout the room. This is a particularly common issue with hard water. But even if you live somewhere with higher-quality tap water, an ultrasonic humidifier can still end up spreading fine particulate matter throughout the room.

It's still a humidifier. That means you need to clean it. A lot. And there is still a risk that it will end up over-humidifying your room, which is not only uncomfortable but also potentially dangerous, since over-humidifying encourages mold and other nasty things to grow.

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Runner-up

The Levoit Classic 300S is just as powerful and reliable as our top pick, but you need the app to use its features to the fullest. It comes with a nice built-in night-light, though.

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If the Levoit LV600S isn't available, or if you don't need as many robust features, the Levoit Classic 300S Ultrasonic Smart Humidifier is a similar machine from the same company, and it works almost as well'both in humidifying the room and in avoiding over-humidification. This model has the same smart-home features, and it comes with the same two-year warranty.

The onboard buttons are more streamlined, but they're also harder to navigate. The Classic 300S has four buttons'sleep mode, night-light, mist level, and power'that are labeled only with images, rather than with words (as on our top pick's buttons). This can be a bit jarring if you don't have the instruction manual handy; it doesn't help that the order of the buttons is a little counterintuitive as well. If you need more fine and detailed control, you can always use the app.

It also has a 1.6-gallon top-filling tank, like our top pick, though it isn't quite as easy to clean. While this model's tank opening is similarly large and easy to fit a hand inside, scrubbing the awkward area around the water-vapor chimney can still be tricky, even if you have a bottle brush or use the included cleaning tool. This tank is also a little trickier to balance in the sink when you're trying to fill it up, and the notched side handles make it a bit more difficult to carry back across the room.

The water basin is harder to clean, too. Like a lot of ultrasonic humidifiers, this model has a complex water channel in the basin, which can be a little tricky to clean. Although it isn't as labyrinthine as those of other models we've tested, you may still need to get in there on occasion and really scrub for a while.

The Classic 300S has a night-light. You can control the light with the onboard controls or through the app. We think this makes the Classic 300S a particularly good choice for a child's room, or any other space that might need a little extra illumination.

Some people have had problems with a leaky tank. Several of the reviewers on Amazon, as well as a few Wirecutter staffers, have complained that the tank on the Levoit Classic 300S started leaking after a few months of regular use. Some Amazon reviewers have specifically pointed out an issue with the rubber stopper on the float valve, which is supposed to close when the tank is full and then push up to fill the base with water as needed. Though we didn't encounter this specific problem ourselves, we still noticed the tank dripping when we lifted it to refill it'but we couldn't tell whether that was evidence of a slow leak or just the result of our lifting the tank out of a basin full of water.

Like other ultrasonic models, you should try to use distilled or demineralized water. If there are any chemicals or minerals in your water, the ultrasonic mechanism will turn them into aerosols, along with the water itself. This can potentially leave a trail of chalky white film across the room, depending on the quality of your water. Even if you don't see any residue, that particulate matter can still get into the air, which can lead to some potential health risks, especially in rooms with poor ventilation. We think it's best not to risk it.

Budget pick

A simple, straightforward humidifier with smart-home capabilities and a built-in night-light, the Dreo HM311S is also one of the rare ultrasonic models that won't over-humidify your room.

If you need a basic, affordable humidifier that's quiet and easy to use and won't fog up your bedroom, go for the Dreo HM311S Smart Humidifier. It also has a built-in night-light, which makes it great for nurseries, as well as smart-home integration.

It has a slightly smaller tank than our other picks, but it's just as easy to clean. This humidifier's 4-liter tank still meets our 1-gallon minimum, so it should still hold enough water to last most of a day. Plus, the tank fills from the top, with a wide opening and no weird corners or crevices to scrub around.

The controls are simpler, too. The Dreo HM311S has four onboard controls'auto, night-light, power, and mist level'plus an LCD screen to show the current relative humidity level. The smart app offers a little more control, if you need it, and the setup process is remarkably easy.

The auto feature actually works to stop the HM311S from over-humidifying the room. Again, over-humidification is a common problem with every ultrasonic humidifier. But we were surprised to find that this affordable little Dreo model was able to maintain a consistent humidity level for three days straight, without turning the room into a dank pit of fog.

If anything goes wrong, Dreo offers a 30-month warranty. The HM311S comes with a one-year warranty by default, and Dreo offers an option to extend it up to 30 months by registering your unit; this is six months more coverage than you get with our Levoit and Venta picks. Dreo is still a newer company, however, so we can't vouch for the quality of its customer service in the same way we can for Levoit's and Vornado's.

The tank lacks a handle. This model is still small enough that most people should be able to carry it back and forth without a problem, but the absence of a dedicated handle or carrying nook makes the HM311S slightly less portable.

You need to use distilled or filtered water. This is true of any ultrasonic humidifier, including our top pick and runner-up. The aerosolized minerals in your tap water can leave an annoying white residue around the room; or, worse, potentially release particulate matter into the air. Either way, best to avoid the risk if you can.

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Best for...

This energy-smart evaporative model is great at keeping the humidity consistent and distributing it around the room, while also being easier to clean.

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If you want a humidifier offering better circulation that won't over-humidify the room, or if you simply want something that uses even less energy than our ultrasonic recommendations, the Vornado EV3 Evaporative Whole Room Humidifier is a reliable choice with an especially powerful fan and a streamlined design that makes it easy to clean. It is slightly louder than our ultrasonic picks, though the sound is not unpleasant; we think that's a fair trade-off to end up with a more-even distribution of humidity throughout the room.

The EV3 offers the best circulation of any humidifier we've tested. When we measured the air coming out of the EV3, it was moving seven times faster than the air of any other humidifier we tested. As impressive as that was, it wasn't particularly surprising: Vornado makes some of our favorite room fans, and this humidifier employs a similar design to help move the humidity around the room. This design resulted in much more consistent humidification levels, too, with a variance of just 0.5% across the room, depending on where we measured. (In contrast, nearly every other humidifier we tested left a difference of at least 5% to 10%.) That consistency helps make the room feel more pleasant overall, with a gentle, constant waft of freshly humidified air.

It's easier to clean. The EV3 is basically just a giant rectangular box. That's it. No weird corners, curves, or crevices to scrub around, and the filters themselves just slide right out. Even the 1.5-gallon tank comes with a second opening that's specifically designed to be large enough for you to fit your hand through to wipe it down. You don't even have to worry about using filtered water, either. The only thing that would make the EV3 better is if it were dishwasher safe.

It uses significantly less energy. Thanks to its DC-powered motor, the EV3 uses only about 8 watts of energy on its highest fan setting'roughly one-third as much as our other picks. At its lowest fan speeds, it draws less than 2 watts. You could run this humidifier 24 hours a day for a full year, and it would cost you roughly a penny per day (based on average US electricity costs in October ).

You don't have to worry about over-humidification. Unlike our other picks, the EV3 is an evaporative humidifier, which means it uses a replaceable wick or filter and pushes the freshly dampened air out through a fan. This also means that it's naturally self-regulating, and it will automatically slow the humidification as the room hits that sweet spot between 50% and 60%'unlike ultrasonic models, which sometimes keep cranking out humidity until the room feels like it's ready to rain inside.

Like most Vornado products, the EV3 has a five-year warranty. This is one of the best warranties we've seen on any humidifier, and it's more than twice as generous as the warranties that come with our top pick and runner-up, both from Levoit. Anecdotally, we've found Vornado's customer service to be reliable and responsive.

But it is louder than our other picks. Due to its impressive fan and evaporative humidification process, the EV3 makes more noise than our ultrasonic picks, though it still stays below what's considered a 'normal' conversation level of around 60 decibels. It creeps up close to that threshold on the highest of its 10 settings, though, and the noise is generally more pronounced on the higher settings, too. Even then, we still found that kind of white noise tolerable, even pleasant, and it easily blends into the background. But it may be jarring if you're accustomed to ultrasonic humidifiers or have more-sensitive hearing.

It doesn't offer any smart-home compatibility. You might consider that a benefit rather than a flaw, but we figure it's worth mentioning either way.

You need to replace the wicking filter every couple of months. Depending on how often you use your humidifier, the wicking filter will require replacement every month or two. The company offers a subscription option.

Best for...

The only model we recommend with a dishwasher-safe water tank (though it is a little smaller than we'd like), the H35i adjusts its speed to help regulate moisture output.

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In cleanliness and safety, the BlueAir InvisibleMist Humidifier H35i is one of the most low-maintenance humidifiers we've tested. It's also the only model we recommend with a dishwasher-safe tank, although that tank is a little smaller than we prefer. It's the only evaporative humidifier we've tested that has smart-home capabilities, too, with one of the better apps we've seen. Add in an energy-efficient, DC-powered motor, longer-lasting filters, and a three-year warranty, and you end up with a model that's convenient and easy to live with'two qualities we very rarely associate with any humidifier.

The BlueAir H35i is the most sanitary humidifier we've tested. The H35i isn't just one of the rare humidifiers we've found with a dishwasher-safe water tank. It also has a UV filter built into the water pump, helping to ensure that any unwanted microbes that do sneak into the tank still get removed before the moisture hits the air. We've seen these features on other models before, but never both together. An auto-dry setting runs the fan on low to help dry out the filter when the machine is not in use. You still need to clean this humidifier on a fairly regular basis, but these features should help to make the process much less annoying and gross.

It leaves the room less dank than other models. Unlike with ultrasonic humidifiers, you don't see a visible stream of mist billowing out from the BlueAir H35i. That, combined with the antimicrobial features we mentioned above, results in a much cleaner and more natural-feeling humidification process. In our tests, we even intentionally allowed the H35i to run continuously until it reached a relative humidity level of around 75%'and the room still never had that musty smell or clammy feeling you typically find in over-humidified spaces.

The filters last longer, although they still need to be replaced eventually. Every evaporative humidifier has a wicking filter that slowly falls apart over time. Whereas most companies recommend replacing your filter every month or two, this BlueAir filter is designed to work on a roughly six-month cadence.

Like other evaporative models, the H35i keeps the room at the right humidity level. Although we did run that one test on 'continuous humidification' mode, that was a deliberate choice. Otherwise, this BlueAir model's default settings will keep the room in the sweet spot of humidity between 40% and 60%'and unlike with ultrasonic models, this humidifier's evaporative mechanism is designed to keep that balance, instead of just continuing to pump out the moisture ad infinitum.

The H35i is the only evaporative model we've found with smart features'and an app that isn't always trying to sell you something. Again, we don't necessarily think that everyone needs a smart humidifier, especially since the evaporative H35i doesn't require the same constant monitoring that many ultrasonic models do. But the BlueAir app is surprisingly nice, all things considered. It's simple, clean, and straightforward, and it doesn't bombard you with promotions for other BlueAir products beyond the occasional reminder to change your filter, which is actually helpful. You can also connect it with Alexa and Google Home.

It has one of the better warranties we've seen. As long as you register your BlueAir humidifier, you're covered for three full years. That warranty length isn't quite as generous as the warranty on our Vornado pick, but otherwise it beats the coverage you get from almost any other model. This humidifier has been available less than a year as of fall ; we'll keep an eye on longer-term feedback from other owners and our own testing to determine how crucial the warranty may be.

It is louder than an ultrasonic humidifier. This is a common problem with evaporative models, which rely on a fast-moving fan to pull the water through the wicking filter and disperse it through the room. That's not to say that the H35i sounds unpleasant; we measured its noise between 40 and 60 decibels, always below what's typically considered the normal conversation level. Some people may find the white noise soothing and peaceful.

The tank is slightly smaller than we usually prefer. At 0.9 gallon, the tank of the BlueAir H35i falls just below our typical 1-gallon threshold'an unofficial guideline, based on anecdotal experience, for how much water we think most people need to get through an entire day without having to refill their humidifier. We think the H35i is close enough in size that it should still work well enough for most people seeking to humidify an average-size bedroom or living room. But if you're looking to improve conditions in a larger space, or if you live in a particularly dry area, the H35i may require a little more upkeep.

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The Venta LW25 is pricey, but it's an exceptional performer with an unusual design that requires less-frequent cleaning and refilling than competitors.

The Venta LW25 Original Humidifier is a little different from your traditional humidifier, but there's a reason we've been recommending it since . In the right circumstances, we think it's worth paying more up front for lower power consumption and less-frequent refills and cleanings'something that will free up your mental bandwidth a lot more in the long run.

The Venta LW25 is the most low-maintenance humidifier we've tested. The LW25 is basically just a big cube, about 1 foot in each dimension. That makes it easy enough to clean and fill on its own. But it also comes with a bottle of the company's proprietary antimicrobial additive, which is specially designed to help keep the funk down. Instead of having to do a twice-weekly cleaning, as most humidifiers require, you have to rinse down the LW25 and add more cleaning formula only once every two weeks.

It's also larger and more energy-efficient than our other picks. Not only do you have to clean the machine less often, but the 2-gallon tank requires less frequent refilling, too. (The company still recommends topping it off regularly to maintain maximum efficiency'in other words, it works better when it's full.) Despite its size, the LW25 uses about a third as much energy as our other picks (with the exception of the Vornado EVDC300, a former pick and still a model worth considering), providing powerful and consistent humidification on just 7 watts of power.

The water-treatment additive adds to the cost, however. A 35-ounce bottle of Venta's water-cleaning formula should last about four months. But it's usually priced around $30 per bottle, which adds up to an extra $100 per year'even more than the cost of replacement wicks on a standard evaporative humidifier. Even so, this additional upcharge could be worth paying, if just for the relief it brings from the unrelenting albatross of having to scrub your humidifier every few days.

It doesn't actually clean or purify the air. Venta sometimes advertises the LW25 as an 'air washer.' Although proper humidification can certainly discourage bacteria and viruses from spreading around your home, this humidifier should not be confused with an actual HEPA-certified air purifier, such as the Coway Airmega AP-HH Mighty. If you want air purification, get an air purifier. If you want low-maintenance humidification, get the Venta LW25.

You need to clean your humidifier at least once, if not twice, per week. That's according to the EPA. Do a deeper, more-detailed disinfecting every month or so. If you leave a humidifier uncleaned, the standing water will soon become a breeding ground for any number of nasty bacteria, amoebas, and fungi, triggering allergies, low-grade fevers, or even the dreaded humidifier lung'a form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis that can be nearly indistinguishable from a bad case of COVID-19. To avoid that, you should follow the specific cleaning instructions that came with your humidifier. We've also written a separate, dedicated cleaning guide to help you out.

Here are some basic things you can do:

Use a water-treatment additive. To discourage nasty things from growing, an antimicrobial cleaning cartridge, like the fish-shaped Protec, in your humidifier tank; if you have an evaporative model, a bacteriostatic treatment such as Essick Air will also work. Even doing something as simple as using distilled or demineralized water instead of tap will help reduce the amount of mineral deposits that get left behind, and that ultimately means less scrubbing.

Once or twice a week, give your humidifier a basic rinse and dry. This is the easy part. Simply empty out the humidifier, take it all apart, and rinse or wipe down all of the pieces to get rid of any biofilm that may have started growing. Then let the pieces air-dry before you put the humidifier back together again.

Scrub away any buildup using a weak acidic substance and a bottle brush. When rinsing out your humidifier, you may notice the chalky white buildup of limescale. This is normal, but you still need to eliminate it. Go at it with a sponge, brush, or cloth, along with a weak acidic substance (such as distilled vinegar or citric acid) and a little elbow grease. If the limescale still won't budge, try soaking it in a mixture of water and your weak acidic cleaner.

Do a deeper disinfecting clean before things get really nasty. Some companies suggest doing this at least once a month, but as a general rule, if things start smelling sort of dank, it's time to disinfect. Doing so helps to ensure there's no mold or invisible microbes making a home in your humidifier. We recommend making a cleaning solution using bleach or hydrogen peroxide (following CDC guidelines). Then use that solution to scrub all of the parts, including those hard-to-reach corners of the basin. If your humidifier is really gross, you can try soaking those parts in the same solution for 20 to 30 minutes.

You can also run the humidifier with a bleach or peroxide solution. If your humidifier is extraordinarily disgusting, you might want to take it outside. Pour that same bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution into the tank and let it run for an hour or so to allow the cleaning agents to work through the entire system. Again: Be sure to do this outside. Humidifying an indoor space with bleach fumes is really not a good idea.

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The 6-liter Dreo HM713S is remarkably similar to our top pick, all the way down to the tank design and warm-mist capabilities. It performed decently in our tests, too, but it just didn't feel as nice as the Levoit models. The same goes for the slightly smaller Dreo HM512S.

We used to recommend the Vornado EVDC300, which had great circulation along with all the other standard Vornado perks. But it wasn't as easy to clean as the EV3, and some readers complained about a decorative light in the tank that wouldn't turn off.

The Levoit OasisMist 450S Humidifier worked well enough but didn't offer anything to set it apart from our other Levoit picks.

The Carepod One is simple and sleek, and it's absolutely the easiest humidifier to clean of any we've tested. Some manufacturing issues with the oscillation wand prevented us from making this model a pick in the past; but even if that wasn't a problem, it's still much too expensive.

The Canopy Bedside Humidifier is an attractive model with a lot of thoughtful design choices, all the way down to the packaging. But none of that can justify the hefty price tag, especially when the too-small tank has a too-small opening that makes it too hard to clean.

The Clorox Ultra Clean comes with a built-in UV light to help reduce any microbial growth that might pop up in the water, along with a three-year warranty. Unfortunately, it was only mediocre at the humidifying part of the job.

The Safety 1st Stay Clean Humidifier is another UV-equipped model, with just a single, simple-to-use dial to control the humidification level. But it offered lackluster performance in our tests.

The Dreo HM524S is a slightly larger version of our budget pick. It performed pretty well in our tests, but otherwise it failed to stand out beyond having an accurate on-board humidistat (a surprisingly rare occurrence).

The Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde PH04 performed decently as both a humidifier and an air purifier, but not well enough to outshine our other picks, let alone to justify the massive cost (or size). We did appreciate the self-cleaning water tank, however.

The 1.5-gallon tank on the towering PureGuardian HWAR has two separate openings'supposedly making it easier to fill in different-sized sinks. Unfortunately, the tank doesn't sit flat either way, and neither fill hole is large enough to fit a hand through for cleaning.

The SPT SU- Digital Evaporative Humidifier was our runner-up pick for many years, thanks to its reliably quiet evaporative performance. We still think it's a decent choice'if you can find it in stock somewhere.

By contrast, the top-filling Midea SCK-3Q60B had one of the worst on-board humidistats of all the models we've tested. For some indiscernible reason, it also took a full minute to start up after we hit the power button.

The towering 10-liter Levoit OasisMist S was the first Levoit model to really disappoint us. It was barely able to move the humidity more than 3 feet, leaving it to sit there in a puddle of its own making.

The fill hole on the Vicks V is much too small for anyone to scrub the inside of the tank. It also might be too small for some people to get their hand back out after trying (which is how I ended up smashing it against the support beams in my kitchen to escape).

The Vicks VUL600 performed decently in our tests, but the tank was only slightly less frustrating than that of the V. At least we didn't have to smash this one. We just couldn't clean it, either.

The Carepod Cube X50 offers all the same perks and flaws as the original Carepod, with the bonus of warm-mist capability. Unfortunately, that feature doesn't actually do anything. After running for four hours on high during our testing, this humidifier raised the temperature of the water vapor by just 1 degree while consuming four times the energy.

The Elechomes UC is a smart ultrasonic model that looks nearly identical to our top pick, the Levoit LV600S. Unfortunately, looks aren't everything, especially since this model has one of the worst humidistats and one of the slowest fans of any machine we've tested.

The Lasko UH300 Quiet Ultrasonic is fine overall, though not particularly good in any way. It (over-)humidified the room a little faster than any of our Levoit picks. But the humidistat was about 10% off, and the fill hole on the 5-liter tank was too small for even my toddler to fit his hand inside. Pass.

Although the Honeywell HUL430X is a streamlined and stylish-looking ultrasonic humidifier, it's frustratingly difficult to regulate or clean. It also has a tank that's sort of like a USB plug, in that no matter what you do, you always end up putting it in the wrong way the first time you try.

The Dyson Purifier PH03 Humidify+Cool is both a humidifier and an air purifier, and it performed well enough in our tests. But honestly, you're better off buying one of our humidifier picks, plus a separate air purifier; they would do both jobs better and still save you money.

The Vornado UH100 performed just as well as the models we like from Vornado. It was also the loudest ultrasonic model we tested, however, and it lacks the large capacity, the self-regulation, and the warm-mist capabilities that make the larger UH200 so appealing.

A former budget pick, the Vicks V750 just feels cheap in every sense of the word. On the plus side, it will continue working even after you accidentally snap a good number of the pieces in half during the cleaning process.

The Honeywell HCM-710 looks like a plastic casserole dish with a fan on top. And it was somehow both the quietest evaporative model we tested on medium and the absolute loudest on high. Worse, it sounds as if someone is leaning over your shoulder from behind and gurgling water in your ear.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers.

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