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Reddit Reviews
Acronym3476As others have said, evaporative humidifiers are more effective and last longer. And the wicks can be reused indefinitely if you soak them once a week in a vinegar/water solution. I have two sets of wicks, so the one not in use is always soaking, and I swap them once a week. Look for an evaporative model that has simple controls. They’re basically just a fan and a container. Avoid models that have a lot of complicated sensors and electronics. I have this one from Vornado and it’s been great: https://www.vornado.com/shop/made-in-usa/humidifiers-assembled-in-usa/evap40-evaporative-humidifier
BigTexAbamaI’ve had this Vornado model going on third year. It will shut off when you reach a desired humidity level and come back on when it drops. I use tap water, put it away come spring, and replace the wicks yearly. It works well for me in an open living room/dining room/kitchen area and I’d buy it again. [https://a.co/d/0j470Pmy](https://a.co/d/0j470Pmy)
briggssteelThe Vornado Evap 40 is the one I just got and it’s an analog model. It’s got wicks so you can use tap water. Super simple to use and works extremely well in my smaller room. I’ve got it on the lowest possible setting and it gets to 45% easily. I have a hard time keeping it low enough actually. Super simple to use and easy to clean because there are almost no nooks and crannies.
catalog55also recommending the Evap40. its not pretty, its not quiet, but it works. in terms of expectations, i have a humidifier on the furnace as well as the in-bedroom humidifier and maintain around 31% humidity. its just hard to maintain high humidity here in the winter
_Cryptonite_I use the Evap 40 which is super reliable and has been running for almost 5 years. My brothers had his for 10. You'll see it recommended a lot. Basic design with no screens or touch buttons and it just works. I've heard good things about the Levoit 6000s as well. A friend of mine uses one. Can be rolled around and has a hose that can be attached to a faucet to refill. Like the other comment said, go with a evaporative unit whatever you choose.
DatSweetBioWareMusicWhat's the square footage of your music room? I use a Vornado Evap40 for mine, previous humidifier was a Vick's steam humidifier, but it was pretty pricey to run.
davis_awayI have a Vornado evaporative humidifier. Knowing myself, I wouldn't keep up with the distilled water for an ultrasonic one. Eidtt: to be slightly more helpful: it's a Vornado Evap40. I use tap water, which is fairly hard here. It does have a setting for relative humidity, but it's just a knob with no useful markings. I have a separate humidity monitor so I can tell if the room is at approximately the right RH.
DigiSmackdYou'll find every humidifier recommend you NOT use tap water. They'll all say use distilled/filtered. Your actual usage case and environment will impact it also. If it only runs sometimes (a few times a week/month or whatever) that just means you have standing water the rest of the time. If it runs constantly, then you can get build-up and over-humidify. Recommended is to run as needed, then rinse/dry when done. If sitting for periods of time, a full clean may be needed. I'm guessing very few people properly follow the guidelines. I know I'm not going to go run to buy distilled water for my humidifier. And I'm reluctant to put chemicals in the water. And yes, it's a hassle to clean (easy to wipe the main part, but every model I've had has some sort of nooks/corners that require more than a simple hand wipe). I've got a Varnado Evap humidifier that is about as simple as it comes. https://www.thewarmingstore.com/vornado-evap40-evaporative-humidifier.html - but there's still wick/filter and general cleaning (can't even get inside the water tank to clean, by design) I don't like my dry winter house, but humidifiers are a pain.
