AIRCARE - Tower D46720

Unfortunately the one I have isn't super cheap, but it does a good job for basically the whole house. It costs probably $20 a year in filters, I only run it in the winter though. https://www.aircare.com/product-page/d46720

I used to love our evaporative humidifier by Aircare. It's just a bin of cold water, a filter to wick up the water, and a fan to pull the moisture out and blow it into the room. The fan has a nice drone to it to create a white noise effect.

They are, but I have had two running for multiple years between them. I had a large Air Care - i’m not sure why - but the fan mechanism leaked all of its lubricant and corroded badly. I assume user error haha. But even it lasted 3 years! Now I have my ~5yo Air Care running in our upstairs, and we got a new Vissani 6 gal this past year.

I’ve had the best luck with evaporative humidifiers for big rooms. Ultrasonics are quiet, but most just can’t keep up in a large living room. If you want something that actually moves the needle: AirCare / Essick evaporative models not pretty, but they work. Can handle large spaces, no white dust, and the fan noise is more like steady white noise (no gurgling). Downside: big footprint. Venta LW series (used or on sale) very quiet and dead simple to clean, great overnight. Expensive new, but worth it if noise + maintenance matter more than max output. Levoit LV600S solid if you really want ultrasonic; quiet and convenient, but you’ll refill more often and it may struggle if the room is truly large.