Vicks - Warm Steam Vaporizer V150RY

I've got your solution but you will have to trust me as apparently most people aren't aware of the product I am suggesting. They have been around for decades. Vicks makes a steam vaporizer. It is a simple container that has a heating element that you drop into an opening in the top. It BOILS the water creating STEAM which is bacteria free. Fill it with water and plug it in. You have to add a pinch of salt for most water conditions. You can vary the amount of steam by how much salt you add. At around $20 you can afford to throw it away and buy a new one if the heating element starts to disintegrate. I can maintain 50% humidity in my bedroom in the winter. You can buy this product at most pharmacies and of course on Amazon, Walmart, wherever.

Vicks steam vaporizer. Add water, get pure, germ free steam. They only cost about $20. No need for distilled water or frequent cleaning.

Buy a Vicks steam vaporizer. All you do is fill it with water and add salt. You can vary the amount of steam by how much salt you add. They make a 1.5 gallon one that will last all night. They are inexpensive and I have been using them for over 30 yrs. The heating element will deteriorate over time. Just toss it and buy a new one when that happens.

No. Vicks makes a steam vaporizer. You can buy them on Amazon or any pharmacy.

I don't need a source. It's a STEAM vaporizer. Yes, it boils the water. It is nothing more than a container with a heating element dropped into it. It boils the water and you get pure steam. They have been around for decades.

Here it is. Levoit mister, $40: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2C9NHZW?ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2C9NHZW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1) A note of caution: ultrasonic humidifiers like this atomize \*everything\* in the water, including any bacteria and minerals. The droplets are microscopic (in the nanometer(!) range), and so can penetrate deep into your lungs. If you're using an ultrasonic mister, you should be using distilled water, or, ideally, deionized. They recommend washing it every few days too. (Most of the parts can go in the dishwasher.) And don't leave water in the mister reservoir when you're not using it. As an example of how they can vaporize (bad) stuff other than water, when I first filled the Levoit mister, I poured in water from a gallon jug of distilled water that I had, but I forgot that I had added table salt to the water for flushing out my sinuses. The water was as salty as seawater, and the mist it made created a white fog in the room that left a white deposit on tables and the stereo and everyplace where it landed. Breathing sodium chloride probably isn't too bad for you, but if you are seeing "white dust" after adding hard water, you are probably breathing calcium sulfate deep into your lungs, and that is probably not good at all. RTFM and follow the instructions! An alternative is an old-fashioned, boiling-water vaporizer like this one from Vick's for $18. They don't vaporize bacteria or minerals, but they use a lot more power to boil rather than ultrasonically pulverize the water. Still, steam is probably a safer choice than mist in the long run. Vicks steam vaporizer: [https://www.amazon.com/Vicks-Vaporizer-Nightlight-Auto-Shut-Moisturized/dp/B0000TN7ME/ref=sr\_1\_4?crid=3V7OKWFPYCS3C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qGSNZau0IJH1DcCwDxak0uEA0CmwujKvrDYaaY6kLpNaaZMGbAtbrahVOvMdVTH\_MTQAmAib7ug-IzpJBj\_FxA9q4R2iaNHaw78usHgaA2gzNuzmIF5xuocOSMn7zGb\_qxUpwtX4m\_xvUB7\_L35JJimFdU3z9RLnVrlsA9rotGTdThtwGe-tYicyJs1VKOGVeMT-wLU0ZcSmU570MIgoB73C2NvcoFS\_hQ5uulNveBYOVoksDIbb-0g2MckhWr-87fWwRJoTVJ9H\_xgt4-CGEJTthVhBLNe5Fza32078KLa0BPuINoLgWbGWAzwcxbt-HT4xOGxw0Vv\_wcu16v1CR6e80TF5M9BXFxNfZo73\_WM.-22zy6u7cvi4Tnw5hWtIEYmlja5vAlhoH-CViByIaCE&dib\_tag=se&keywords=steam+vaporizer&qid=1735078556&s=home-garden&sprefix=steam+vaporizer%2Cgarden%2C184&sr=1-4](https://www.amazon.com/Vicks-Vaporizer-Nightlight-Auto-Shut-Moisturized/dp/B0000TN7ME/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3V7OKWFPYCS3C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qGSNZau0IJH1DcCwDxak0uEA0CmwujKvrDYaaY6kLpNaaZMGbAtbrahVOvMdVTH_MTQAmAib7ug-IzpJBj_FxA9q4R2iaNHaw78usHgaA2gzNuzmIF5xuocOSMn7zGb_qxUpwtX4m_xvUB7_L35JJimFdU3z9RLnVrlsA9rotGTdThtwGe-tYicyJs1VKOGVeMT-wLU0ZcSmU570MIgoB73C2NvcoFS_hQ5uulNveBYOVoksDIbb-0g2MckhWr-87fWwRJoTVJ9H_xgt4-CGEJTthVhBLNe5Fza32078KLa0BPuINoLgWbGWAzwcxbt-HT4xOGxw0Vv_wcu16v1CR6e80TF5M9BXFxNfZo73_WM.-22zy6u7cvi4Tnw5hWtIEYmlja5vAlhoH-CViByIaCE&dib_tag=se&keywords=steam+vaporizer&qid=1735078556&s=home-garden&sprefix=steam+vaporizer%2Cgarden%2C184&sr=1-4)

 It's hard to find any specifications, but I'm seeing at their support site that "the Vicks Warm Steam Vaporizer has a maximum wattage of 638." : Actual measured was 100 to 300 watts> I think the mister uses only 17! To run that for 12 hours a day (assuming it's a steady draw and not on and off, which it probably is) would be 0.638 \* 12 = 7.7 kilowatt hours a day. At the national average of 17 cents a kilowatt hour, that's $1.30 a day at 12 hours a day. : At actual measured power, that 20 to 60 cents a day. However, the distilled water that I'm using in my Levoit mister requires is $2.50 a gallon, and I use about a gallon a day, so the Vicks is cheaper (to say nothing of the inconvenience of hauling about 50 pounds of distilled water home from the grocery store every week). Later edit: I measured the Vicks steamer as using about 100 to 300 watts, depending on how much salt I added and so how vigorously it boils.

I'll post this separately, but just to follow up regarding Vicks steamer versus Levoit mister: the Vicks puts three times as much water per hour into the air and you can use tap water in it without fear of inhaling minerals and bacteria, but it use way more power--about 100 to 300 watt versus just 17 watts for the Levoit mister.

[**I am loving my new misting humidifier**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/comments/1hllzos/i_am_loving_my_new_misting_humidifier/), was well received, so I'm following up with a comparison of the two humidifiers I've been using. (The comparison turned into quite the little science project, as you can see, but increased humidity has made my dry eye symptoms much better, so it seemed worth the time and worth sharing.) **In short, the Vicks steamer wins for me because it:** * Can humidify three times as well (and possibly more) * *Is* ***$13.50 a week cheaper to operate*** (because there's no heavy, expensive distilled water to buy and haul) * Can tolerate significantly less cleaning without becoming a health hazard However: * The hot steam the Vicks emits could be a concern for people with children or pets. * Having to plug in and unplug the Vicks because it has no power switch can be a real annoyance if you have to do it every day. |[Levoit Top Fill](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2C9NHZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1)|[Vicks Warm Steam](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000TN7ME?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title)|Comments| |:-|:-|:-| |Ultrasonic mister|Boiling water steamer|| |$29.99|$17.98|| |17 watts|I measured about 100 to 300 watts. (The Vicks support site says "a maximum wattage of 638.")|Power to keep the Vicks boiling 12 hours a day costs me about 20 to 60 cents (depending on how vigorously it boils, which varies with the conductivity of the water; 1.5 grams of salt added to our very soft water made it draw 300 watts).| |Vaporizes 160 milliliters of water per hour|Vaporizes 480 milliliters of water per hour|**Vicks steamer put three times as much water into the air** (but that varies with the amount of water in the tank and salt added to the water).| |Silent|Soft gurgling|Vicks gurgling is audible but not annoying; it's almost soothing.| |Requires distilled or deionized water to prevent it from aerosolizing bacteria and minerals in very tiny droplets.|Can use tap water|**You'll carry home 60 pounds of water a week costing $17.50 for the Levoit** (if you're using one gallon of distilled water a day at $2.50/gallon).| |Requires frequent cleaning to prevent it from aerosolizing bacteria and minerals in very tiny droplets.|Tolerates infrequent cleaning|**Vicks requires significantly less maintenance to ensure it's safe to use.**| |On/off min/max dial|No power switch. Plug and unplug to turn on and off.|**Plugging and unplugging the Vicks every day is a pain.**| |36-square-inch footprint|100-square-inch footprint|Vicks need three times as much counter space.| |Temperature not a concern|Emits hot steam and tank gets warm (\~115F)|**Hot steam from Vicks could burn kids or pets and is probably more likely to cause damage if the unit is placed too close walls, furniture, etc.** The warm tank full of 115-degree-Fahrenheit water could affect the finish of furniture it's sitting on over time.| |The Levoit mister is small, simple, and not unpleasing in appearance.|The Vicks steamer is big, blobby, and not pretty.||

Vicks? It’s like $17

We use humidifiers that work with real steam (Verdampfer?). For us, this works better than all the other stuff that have some "cool steam" or ionisers and other esoteric bells and whistles. We went through most of the others and came back to the verdampfer. Also, it is safe for our pets; they won't go near it. Also, if you have radiators in your flat, there are little containers that you can hang on them and fill with water. The radiators will heat the water up and it will slowly evaporate. That will help as well (and you can put a few drops of essential oils in them for a bit of a nice fragrace, if you like that kind of thing).

The brand is "Vicks", but it is a few years old now. I think, the ~same devices are also sold under another name or two,

I have a vicks hot air Humidifier (had it for 2+ years, and works great so far, but not necessarily buy it for life). It works great for cold winters in upstate New York. It serves as extra heat, lasts many hours, and is pretty cheap really. For summer I had a basic cool air one, super difficult to clean and it got dirty very very fast so I sold it and I am very happy with this one. Doesn’t get dirty for quite a long period of time, and can clean it up very easily as it’s quite modular. I have a model that is very similar to this one but couldn’t find the exact one as mine is older: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FWXKTA P.S. Air quality wise I just use filtered water for it and hope for the best.

I have a Vicks warm moisture humidifier, no need for distilled water, just need to clean out out the little heater portion every once in a while. As far as frosting up your windows, other than getting better windows, there are little kits that come with thin clear plastic sheeting that you can tape over your windows that will decrease heat loss. The Vicks humidifier I have is easy to clean, just one screw and unclip it. Hard water buildup has the consistency of chalk, so you could use a screw driver or butter knife to break it up and get it out.