Vornado - EV100

No, when water evaporates (which is what’s happening with the steam in the shower), it doesn’t take the particulate matter with it. Ultrasonic humidifiers are not evaporative. Fwiw, there ARE evaporative humidifiers on the market that you can use tap water with instead of the ultrasonic ones. We have a Vornado evaporative humidifier, and it’s fantastic.

Vornado. We have the EV100 model. You can set the desired humidity level and it will maintain it for you.

Big fan of my Vornado EV100

I have several Vornado EV100s in my house and I love them. They are evaporative, so you need to buy a new wick every season, but they are insanely low maintenance outside of that and the easiest to clean I've ever experienced. 

I guess I should clarify in that we run ours daily from basically mid November through end of February, and a wick lasts the full time. Manual says every 4-8 weeks, but going our full ~16 week season doesn't cause us any issues.

I agree with the previous commenter…ditch the ultrasonic and go with evaporative. We have US ones in the kids’ rooms and they get gross quickly. I have a ten year old Vornado evaporative one in our bedroom and, other than having to change out these weird honeycomb filters every few years, it’s always clean and good to go. What I have is a more ancient version of this I think: https://a.co/d/9O0zzlu

I just replaced an HCM350 with an EV100 in my bedroom last year (this is my second winter with it) I had the Honeywell for 7-8 years, running it nighty from October through March. In Chicago for half those years and now in PA. The Honeywell worked great! The reason I replaced it was the threads on the cap of the tank stopped aligning correctly, so after filling the tank and doing my best to screw the lid back on (which ended up being a pain after a few years) it always dribbled a little when I inverted it back onto the base. Once it was there, it didn’t leak or anything, and the humidifier still performed well, so I lived with it for a year or two before I became fed up with it. The Vornado doesn’t have that issue, it doesn’t have the same type of screw-on lid. The lid of this tank kind of just twists ~1/8 turn to lock. It does run louder, so if that matters to you, the Honeywell is much quieter. Because of this, I almost never run the Vornado on high. Even the low speed is louder than the HCM’s medium. HCM’s low is almost inaudible. About the filter in the Vornado- it’s flat, and the incoming air hits it right in the center. So, even if you flip it periodically, the same middle band area gets dusty and crusty (minerals from hard water). Regardless, I seem to have been getting about 6 weeks out of the filter, same as the Honeywell. YMMV depending on usage/water hardness. TLDR: Vornado louder. Honeywell had tank lid issues after 5-6 years of use. Both are effective in a bedroom.

I’m not certain, but I think the Honeywell added more humidity. The caveat is I never run the Vornado on high, because it would be too loud. The Honeywell I think I usually ran on medium speed.

I bought this Vornado unit off Amazon last year. It's easy to clean; simply remove the reservoir and fan unit, and the base can be cleaned in just a few minutes. I wipe it down, then wipe it again w/ a mild bleach solution. It doesn't get moldy either. The wicks get a little stinky after a few months - they're $12 for 2. I recommend it. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J79RAXO?ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J79RAXO?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1)

Get a tank you can fit your hand into first, because if you can actually reach the bottom you can give it a real scrub and not just pretend. Most humidifiers eventually give out because scale builds up in hidden corners and the motor gets overworked... it all sneaks up on you. If you want something a bit more reliabel, a chunky ABS tank usually copes better than the thin clear plastic that can crack with barely any stress. Evaporative wick units usually stay cleaner than ultrasonics since ultrasonics can leave that white mineral dust everywhere and it looks awful. Simple dials usually survive longer. Touch panels can be fussy and once they go there's not much you can do about it. If the fan assembly comes apart it's easier to keep the inside from turning into a little mould patch though some people forget to do this and then wonder why it smells weird and why it's not moving air properly Smart features are fine as long as the electronics sit somewhere dry enough that steam drift won't bother them. If you want straightforward models that perform decently, the Vornado EV100 or EV200 and the older Honeywell HCM-350 are common choices. Skip the silent ultrasonic toys. They run quietly right up until they stop.

I love my Vornado evaporative humidifier. It works well and is easy to clean.  

I love my Vornado Evaporative humidifier 

There is no such thing as a maintenance-free humidifier, whether it’s evaporative, ultrasonic, or even steam, they all require regular cleaning or regular changing of filters (or sometimes both). Steam is less prone to mold, but also super hot, and is prone to scale buildup which still requires cleaning. I would suggest giving your current unit a thorough clean first to see if that solves the issue. We have a 6L LEVOIT (ultrasonic/cool mist) humidifier, and I check ours every couple of weeks. If I see the mold, wipe the affected areas down with vinegar and rinse. Hydrogen peroxide 3% works well if I really want to feel thorough. We also make sure to change out the filter as recommended or more often (you can buy them in bulk). We also run two Vornado evaporative humidifiers on the first floor of the house. Let me tell you, the wicks in those develop considerable mold, and we change them out once a month or sometimes more often. Regardless of humidifier the concept is the same. You have to take care of them no matter what you buy.

Evaporative humidifiers are the only choice unless you're going to actually use distilled water. You do need to replace the wick as it gets filled with minerals and stuff grows on it, but easier than dealing with airborne mineral dust or baked on minerals. Use a humidifier treatment solution and the wicks last significantly longer. I currently use a combo of a vornado and best air golden solution.

Evaporative humidifiers. Pros: don't need distilled water(although probably makes the wicks last longer), no hard water dandruff like ultrasonic. Cons: need to replace wicks relatively often, should use a bacteriostatic water treatment I'm using a vornado one I bought from costco, but there are probably better ones out there.