AIRCARE - MA1201

honestly just got the aircare ma1201 and it's pretty solid for maintenance - the tank pops right off and you can actually reach all the corners to scrub it clean. the woodgrain ones look decent but they're basically the same guts inside, just get whichever matches your hallway vibe

I bought this [Aircare Evaporative Humidifier](https://a.co/d/gVbS0RB) in 2022. Used it for the last three years and about to use it for a fourth. You have to purchase replacement filters and demineralization cartridges but I only had to replace them once or twice per winter season.

I bought this [Aircare Humidifier](https://a.co/d/dRN6boa) from Amazon. This is the fourth year I’m using it and it works well. It’s an evaporative model. I only have to replace the wicking filter once a month and the demineralization filter once a season. I also only clean it before I put it up for the year.

This is the one. I have had many large humidifiers including Essick Air /Aircare MA1201 and "Space Saver" aka 836000HB, Stadler Oskar Big, the largest Venta Airwasher (total crap by the way! very low output) The 6000S is phenomenal. Light years ahead of anything else its size. Don't be afraid of "clean every 3 days" - it's very easy to clean with just a rag. No need for additives. Caveat is I've only had it a month but it's been a champ for that time. If you don't want to do it, the MA1201 is high output and cheaper. But noisier, uglier, more annoying to clean, benefits from bacteriostat.

Aircare Console MA1201 Evaporative Humidifier like this one

Size of the area is important. I have gone through many humidifier over the years. I have hard water and don’t want to buy distilled water. So I do not use cool/warm mist/ultrasonic. I use evaporative. It’s a simple design with a wick and fan. Add bioterioststic treatment to the water to prevent mold. Replace the wick as needed. 1. Look for a unit that has third party filters/wicks. 2. Look for a unit that is easy to clean. 3. Has the capacity you need That being said, I use an aircare console MA1201. It’s easy to fill and clean. Has 3.6 gallon capacity. Have had it for 4ish years. It generally keeps my home comfortable. I am looking to replace it with the space saver model which has a 6 gallon capacity. Keep in mind these are simple devices. They are well priced and do exactly what they are made for. There are no apps, pumps, ai, or other gizmos to break.

I would likely recommend an evaporative humidifier, not a warm mist one. The mist ones have a lot of problems, such as being more prone to bacteria growth and harder to clean. They also try to add more moisture than the air can actually hold, resulting in mineral condensation (white dust) appearing everywhere over time, especially if you have hard water. Aircare makes a decent console-style evap humidifier with a decent tank size and is pretty easy to clean. I used one for years until we moved to a house with a humidifier on the furnace. Now I use a smaller Honeywell evaporative humidifier upstairs only. It gets filled each evening, runs constantly all winter, and cleaned each weekend. I went through about half a dozen of those warm mist ones before converting. It didn't matter the brand, how much I treated the water of cleaned them, they were all pieces of junk that lasted only 1-2 years. Crane ones were probably the worst.

I own this and my wick turned orangey from my hard water so quickly. I use bacteriostatic additive so I don’t think that bacteria is the issue but the wick changing color certainly doesn’t give me confidence so this humidifier doesn’t feel low maintenance to me, at least not with hard water

I have a whole house evaporative humidifier that I use year round that has been going strong for 4 years so far. The warm mist humidifiers I've used last only a year before my very hard water breaks them. And ultrasonic humidifiers coat everything in a sticky dust that's hard to clean. The humidifier I use (older version of this one: https://share.google/fFdK2WzaIkj0Lc09W) has a wick that needs replacing about once every other month, so long as I keep it saturated. I buy a cheaper generic wick from Walmart to save money. Other than that, I just need to clean it occasionally to remove dust and prevent bacterial growth.

Evaporative is the solution. Once you try one you will never go back willingly. I had one for several years that used a single wick replacement each season. The only maintenance I had to do was add the anti microbial solution to the tap water i dumped into the container every other day, it was spotless inside after months of continuous use. I had a fairly large aircare console that had a humidistat as a controller, it ran through 5 gallons in about two days all winter long.m Before I got an evaporative I went through several cool mist, ultrasonic, style humidifiers. Without fail they all became a petri dish of slime and mold within a week on average. I cleaned these things with vinegar, dish soap, antibacterial solutions, and finally bleach which only extended the average by a couple of days. These require DI water since any dissolved salts will get misted as well, precipitating as dust and being an irritant for many people. I've also read some comments about the slime and bacteria getting turned into mist and either spreading spores or endotoxin to cause problems. Tldr: evaporative is cheaper and easier to use

There are a few high end brands that might be superior, but most are very similar, within their categories. No BIFL humidifiers, and better ones will be costly. For longevity, evaporative seems to be the best type. I suggest you narrow it down to what will work for you and check reviews online. I wanted to add one lower priced gallon size evaporative model for my kitchen area and concluded they all suck and don't last too long. I'm guessing you're looking for a room size, vs whole house. First consider the type: warm mist, ultrasonic, evaporative. Warm mist will cost the most to operate. Ultrasonic often leaves a white dust on surfaces. Evaporative can be noisy due to the fan. Ease of use is key - filling and cleaning, lugging to sink, capacity. Every stinking plastic contraption that deals with air has a ridiculous amount of nooks, crannies, and fins that can be impossible to clean. Check consumables for cost of replacement wicks, filters. I use two whole house evaporative humidifiers along with water additives to inhibit bacteria. One is twenty years old, a Bemis hamper style, now AirCare. In winter they run 24/7 along with woodstoves. Wicks need cleaning or replacing monthly, $25 each. Some can hold up to a vinegar soak to give it another month.