Aaaahhh....a breath a humidified air

I've heard people say that this winter is drier than most, and my face would have to agree. Dry skin, bloody nose, chapped lips, scratchy throat...ugh. In addition, my family members have dust mite allergies, so we have a dehumidifier in my house. In a thrilling duel of humidity, we bought the Honeywell Warm Moisture Humidifier to crank up the humidity in my room. Quite honestly, this product is exactly what I was looking for. Please keep in mind that what I was looking for is not necessarily what you’ll need.

The Particulars
Small-Medium Room (400-700 square feet)
2 gallon output/day
Automatic shut off (when tank is empty/removed)
Bacteria-free vapor
Medicine cup
No filter

The Set Up and Design
I'm not so great with putting things together, and this humidifier was absolutely perfect for me. I didn't need the directions, though when I looked at them later, they seem clear and helpful (with diagrams!) I simply pulled off the tank, unscrewed the lid, put water in, shut the lid, and snapped it back into place.

One of the things it says is to not move the unit while it’s full, but I’m not really one to pay attention to things like that. I moved it while full and didn’t have a problem – I suppose that it might spill.

The tank has a handle that seemed strong, although the directions recommend also supporting the tank from the bottom.

It’s really a nice design that fits well anywhere. It’s 6.5’’ wide x 13’’ long x 12.5’’ tall, and the vent is on the top. That means that you can tuck it between two things wherever you have room. The instructions say to keep it at least six inches from a wall for proper air flow. Do make sure to put it on a level surface. That’s in the warnings, but it’s also common sense. You don’t want it to fall over.

There aren’t a lot of controls – there’s a start button (which you push down) and a high and low setting.

The Performance

The humidifier takes only 5-10 minutes to start producing moisture. The instructions say that you may not be able to see the moisture. I certainly could, but it wasn’t very noticeable.

My throat began feeling much better after just one night with the humidifier running on high. It definitely was adding humidity to the air.

One thing I really liked about this unit was that the sides didn’t get hot. They were warm, but not nearly hot enough for a burn. They warn you about steam burns, but I didn’t find the steam hot enough to burn me (though it probably would hurt someone with sensitive skin, and especially a small child.)

When running, the unit is nice and quiet. The only sound that I usually hear is if air bubbles through the water tank.

I have to fill up the tank about once every 24 hours when it’s running constantly on high, but it’s not really a chore, since the tank is so easy to handle. I just grab it on my way to get a snack or something from the kitchen, fill it up, and snap it back in. Please note that after removing the tank, you do have to press the start button after replacing the tank to start the unit back up again.

Quite honestly, I haven’t tried cleaning it yet. They recommend cleaning and disinfecting it once a week. To clean, you put a cup of vinegar in the removable tray and let it sit for 20 minutes, then wipe it clean. To disinfect, they recommend using a bleach solution in the removable tank and tray. It seems relatively simple and painless. If there are a lot of mineral deposits, the heating unit might need cleaning. That’s even less painful – it just wipes clean.

In summation

I'm very satisfied with this unit. I think that it might not work for a lot of people, but it was perfect for my needs. Since it worked well for my room, which is about 11x11, I probably would be wary about using it in a medium-sized room. Similarly, I don't really need an adjustable humidistat. I'll probably just keep it running on low for a while. I bought it on sale, marked down from $25, but I think I still would have spent that much money on it.