Humidifier Reviews

I could not believe the difference this humidifier made to the quality of the air in my home. If you have problems with dry air (especially in the winter time) then you need one of these. I run mine on medium or high speed which requires the tank to be filled twice in a 24-hour period. The tank has two handles for easy carrying and filling. I usually have to change the filter once a month or so (I clean the base and tank every week). This humidifier would be ideal in a large bedroom or living area. As an added bonus Holmes includes a humidistat so you can monitor the humidity level in your home. I use this reading to adjust the settings on the humidifier to keep the rooms more comfortable. The only downside is the cost of the filters ($15). Otherwise I highly recommend this product.

As an allergy and dry skin sufferer I needed something that offered quick relief. The Holmes cool mist humidifer was something that delivered at a reasonable cost. It is convenient to maintain and relatively quiet. It is best to use it in your bedroom for maximum benefit, especially if you suffer from dry nasal passages. My husband uses a C-Pap machine for his sleep apnea which has contributed to nasal passage dryness. He immediately noticed a difference!

i owned it. it's quiet, easy to clean, and simple to operate. One problem: occassionally water would get stuck, and you'll need to shake it a bit to keep it flowing.

If you can get over the minor design flaw, it's a [inexpensive] warm mist humidifer that'll last for years.

I have used the cool air mist humidifiers but the filter needs to be replaced so often. I got this humidifier to replace the old one. I love it. You do have to clean it a bit more but do not need to replace the filter as often.

I would only recommend this unit for a small room or studio apartment.

Our pediatrician sent us out for a humidifier when our infant son developed atopic eczema (a dry-skin condition). We had a horrible time picking one (you might notice that Consumer Reports has NOTHING on the subject) and relied heavily on the reviews here at Amazon.com.

I chose this one because it's not too big (it's the same size overall as some of the one gallon-sized ones at the pharmacy, but holds 2.5 gallons) and has the humidistat control. It has an incredibly fine mist that I can't see (I only run it on the lowest setting) and is very quiet.

It's been in a corner of the baby's room about 2 feet under his toy net and only 6 inches from his changing table for a month or so and neither the stuffed animals above nor the changing table have ever felt damp... but the water disappears and the humidity stays around 50% (which is recommended) even though it's winter and we've had the heater running (which dries out the air).

The tank part fits just fine in my dishwasher (it says put it in there once a week, but I have actually been a little slack on that part) and the filter still looks okay- it's been a month.

Before ordering this humidifier we tried almost every one available at local pharmacies- but they all spewed thick vapor that condensed on everything. I'm allergic to mold and mildew (very likely the baby will be, too) so that's NOT something I wanted in our house.

We also looked at one that "never" needs cleaning or new filters - a Hunter Care-Free... but after reading the manual (which says in small print to clean it based on usage with vinegar, etc. and that the antimicrobial properties advertised don't extend to the water or mist) I decided not to get it.

My aunt has had her Hamilton Beach 05520, which is larger and doesn't have the humidistat, for over a year now, so we assumed this one would have the same very fine mist and would be easy to keep clean... so far it's everything we hoped it'd be.

I thought my last humidifier was good. After three seasons of use, the motor died. I started looking for similar features in a new model and found one exactly like my old one, the Honeywell HCM 2000 (mine was sold under the Robitussin brand name). It did not get glowing reviews, so I set my sights higher. This model by Hamilton Beach had all the features I wanted; at least two gallon output for use in a bedroom, easy to fill, easy to clean, humidistat, three fan speeds and easy to find, reasonably priced, longer lasting replacement filters. The price was a little higher, but the reviews were excellent, so I decided to try it.
The fan is very quiet especially in the Quiet Mist (low) setting. It's barely audible. Even at the highest setting this humidifier is quieter than my old one at the lowest setting. Yes, there is a "glub-glub" sound when the water is siphoning into the resevoir, but that's how this class of humidifiers works. People who complain about this should maybe look at a different type of humidifier.
The water tank needs to be filled once every 24 hours on days when the outside temps are very low and the air is very dry. If the outside air is damp, the indoor humidiy is naturally higher, so the motor runs less and refills are less frequent.
The digital humidistat seems to be fairly accurate. Generally, when the doors are closed, the level of humidity is maintained overnight even on the lowest fan speed. The level drops a few points when the doors are opened and the amount of space being humidified is increased. The tank is easy to carry from room to room. The one-twist sealed cap is a bonus; easy on, easy off, and no leaking. I prefer filling it with filtered water as it helps extend the life of the filters. We have good quality water, so this also helps. I've lived in places with very hard water were keeping a filter longer than a week was nearly impossible. So far the first filter still looks good. I found a generic brand of filter (KAZ WF620) designated for use in this model that was less expensive than the one offered on this website. They are available in most drugstore and department stores.
I'm very pleased that the components are dishwasher safe. What a time saver! No more soaking in vinegar, wiping clean and then soaking in bleach water. The fan vents are removeable so you can wipe the fan blades clean as well.
It was a good buy. Thanks to all the reviewers who helped me decide to buy this model.

Bought this in November 2001, and have used it a good 2 months. Overall I'm happy. As others have indicated, it's noisy at the highest setting. I use it in my bedroom and basically crank it up an additional 5-10% humidity during the day, and turn it off at night for sleeping. The 2.5 gallon lasts about 1 day of use for me. My original filter is shot (again after 2 months) and are somewhat pricey.... Figure on 2 filters to get thru an average winter, so have a couple handy before the season begins.

This unit has the humidistat, and I find it worth the extra cost. The unit is VERY easy to clean. Basically the only items that get wet are the tank, the filter and the tray that the two items sit in. All are very easy to remove and wash/rinse.

My only suggestion is if you'd like to cut down the amount of refills to get the bigger 3.5 gallon model. Plus the larger filter is priced the same 10.00.

The Hamilton Beach humidifier looked like a great product at first glance - digital humidity controls, easily carried water tank, easy cleaning and disassembly.

Unfortunately, the humidifier did not perform as well as I had hoped. Here's why:
1) In order to maintain more than 25% humidity in my relatively small room, I had to keep the fan speed on high.
2) With the fan speed on anything above "whisper," the humidifier was too noisy to sleep.
3) The wicking filter did not pull water up into the airpath very well - half the filter remained dry during operation.
4) The water reservoir emptied in less than four hours.

This humidifier might be good for someone hoping to increase humidity in a mildly dry environment, but was certainly not adequate for my apartment in New York this past winter.

I bought this humidifier about a year ago and overall have been very pleased with it. My apartment is upwards of 1,000 square feet, which puts it near the top end of the unit's rated capacity. Nonetheless, I have found it more than capable of reaching and maintaining a comfortable humidity level on even the driest days. For large spaces, I recommend running the unit at high until a comfortable humidity is reached, then switching to the quiet setting to maintain that level.

The dishwasher-safe tank and water tray are a snap to clean, and cut down substantially on required maintenance time versus other units. In addition, the large fill hole on the water tank makes refilling a snap.

Another reviwer mentioned a problem with removing the cap to refill the water tank. I have encountered this as well, but have found that the cause is typically a difference in air pressure inside vs. outside the tank. Simply pressing down on the plunger in the center of the water cap before opening resolves the problem quite nicely.

My only complaint about the unit (and the only thing keeping this product from earning 5 stars) revolves around the construction of the water tank itself. About 11 months of moderate-to-heavy use from when I purchased the unit, a hairline crack developed in the tank near the handle. This crack was enough for air to enter in through the top, which in turn allowed too much water to trickle out the bottom into the tray, and overfilled the tray (therefore overflowing the unit). That said, Hamilton Beach stands behind their 3-year warranty, and a few minutes on the phone with customer service (the phone number is printed right on the unit) was all it took to get the ball rolling on a warranty replacement.

Bought this for the baby's room several months ago. Very quiet on lowest setting and works great to maintain humidity level that you set on the digital screen. Only wish that the digital screen was backlit to see at night.

Previously had a Hunter unit which got very loud after a few weeks. Returned that one and bought this. Been happy ever since.

In need of a humidifier and having read some of the reviews, I decided to purchase the Hamilton Beach Humidifer.
The pros: 1. On the "quiet" setting the water usually lasts 24+ hours before needing a refill.
The cons: 1. The machine is far from quiet on any setting.
2.It humidifies far less square footage than specified, even on the highest setting.
3.It eats filters, which are difficult to find by the way. If you decide to purchase this item, buy several replacement filters.
4.The tank cap is difficult to remove and appears to have been designed for the hands of a small child, but a child with the strength of an adult.
5. It is relatively expensive. I have a warm mist model that works just as well and requires only a bit more attention to maintain.

I have had this humidifier for about two months now and have found the following:

PROS:
1.This humidifier works well for me. I keep it in my bedroom and only use it at night and I like the white noise that the quiet setting gives off.
2. It does a fair job.
3. It has a digital readout (very nice feature).
4. It has a large water tank.
5. It is easy to use.
6. I have not had any mechanical problems with it.

CONS:
1. The filters have to be replaced about once a week, otherwise they get moldy and start to smell (and who wants to breathe in mold?)
2. The filters are WAY too expensive. Amazon sells them for seven bucks and this is the cheapest I have found. This is a lot of money to shell out every week.
3. Filters are hard to find. Not many places carry them.
4. The cap on the water tank is VERY hard to open. It takes forever to get it off.

Bottom line, I would not purchase this humidifier again simply because I hate shelling out 28 bucks every month for filters. Even though the cap is hard to get off, it isn't impossible and its something I can live with. Maybe HB will come out with a filter that can be reused by putting it through the dishwasher or something, but until then I would not recommend purchasing this humidifier unless you have a lot of money to put into buying filters. Even though it works well, it just isn't worth it.

I bought this humidifier a month ago after much research. So far, it hasn't shown any mechanical trouble. The filter is holding up just fine after 4 weeks, despite daily use. Surely the quality of water in your area dictates how frequently you will need to change the filter. Nevertheless, it is recommended that you flip the filter over (to prolong it's life)when you refill the water. In my case, filter change maybe warranted no sooner than 2-3 months.

The large capacity of the water tank is good enough for 24 hour operation (on quiet setting). I use it all day night long on the low setting and it uses up about half the amount of water in the tank. At first the low setting may seem noisy especially if there is very little ambient noise around you (like when you can hear the wall clocks in your house ticking). But after a few minutes it sounds just like a dull whirring sound that is hardly objectionable. I use it in my bedroom at night and it doesn't disturb my sleep.

It is easy to see the level of water through the tinted tank. The water tank is easily removable when handled vertically. There is no leakage/spilling when you do so. There is a wide fill hole at the bottom of tank for refilling water. There are two problems though with refilling ...firstly the tank is too large to fit under the faucet in the kitchen sink, so you need a jug or hose to fill it up or use the faucet in the bathtub...secondly, the cap on the fill hole is pretty tight (the upside is that it is spill-proof) so I wouldn't recommend the unit for feeble people.

The other part of the unit, housing the motor and fan, comes off easily too. I do wish it had a latch, because you need to be careful not to knock it off when removing the water tank. When the water tank is replaced on the base tray, some water from the container fills up the tray, making a gurgling sound. It makes the same tiny gurgling sound periodically during operation too. This water in the tray is taken up gradually by the filter (which sits under the motorized fan), to generate the humidity when the fan is on.

The digital panel is easy to read. I do not however agree with the humidistat's reading. I have another humidistat in the room that I compare the reading to. The humidifier's reading is always lower, usually by 8 to 10 percent. Setting the desired level of humidity is simple although it can be done only in 5 percent increments. The unit shuts of automatically when the desired hunidity level is reached.

The base is easy to lift if the unit needs to be moved. Of course it is much more convenient to do so after removing the heavy water tank. As long as care is taken not to slant the base tray, there is no leakage or spill.

One point to consider if you are paying heating bills in the winter is that, since this IS a cool-mist himidifier, it will make the room cooler. So you may need to turn up the heat in the room a notch.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the unit's performance and recommend it to any able-bodied adult considering a cool-mist humidifier. To sum up, here are the PROS and CONS:

CONS:
1. Water tank is too large to fit under kitchen faucet
2. Cap on fill hole is tight. Some strength required to turn it
3. Humidistat not accurate
4. Motor unit is not securely latched to base tray to prevent accidentally knocking it off when removing water tank.

PROS:
1. Very good performance
2. Low operating sound on quiet setting
3. No leakage or spilling when handled correctly
4. Portable
5. Dishwasher safe; Easy to clean
6. Desired humidity level can be set manually
7. Automatic shut-off when desired humidity reached

PRO/CON depending on whether you live in hot or cold climate: Makes the room cooler.

This filter doesn't last as long as I expected, and the humidifier is very very noisy...

I had read a lot of reviews for the humidifier before purchasing. I like to humidifier but the filter is expensive and has a short life. I end up using at least one a month. It gets moldy easily even though I change the water every day and follow the cleaning instructions.

It's pretty easy to install or replace the filter. I'd also recommend that the floor pane gets cleaned at refills to slow the dirts buildup. There were times I flipped a used one by 180 degree to have it start fresh again. After all these tricks, lifetime of one filter is about a month. It appeared to me that the filter also served to expand the wet area, and it lost that function after its mesh material degraded in time. At how much they cost a piece, I'd hope it'll last longer.

If you want a humidifier that will continue to suck money out of your pocket - this is the machine for you. In a three month period it has been necessary for me to purchase 8 replacement filters (for 2 humidifiers) due to them drying out. That cost has now exceeded the initial purchase price for the orginal product. I would not recommend this item to anyone!

This humidifier works well and is very quiet for a humidifier. However, here in Texas at least, the filter gets moldy in 3-5 days. So if I kept using it, I'd be spending more than the cost of the humidifer buying filters in less than a month. If there was a filter that could be cleaned and reused, this would be a great humidifier.

This line of humidifiers is unlike others I've seen. They do not emit mist, nor a high level of humidity. They operate by simply allowing the water to evaporate, then blowing it into the air. As a result, the only noise it makes is from a small (but powerfull) fan. I bought it to counter act my dry heater in my New York apartment. I would wake up dry and coughing. When I saw no mist coming from the unit I wondered if it was working at all- but after the first night of use, it proved itself as an indespensible appliance. The humidifier does not over humidify, it is very quiet, and there are no metal / corrosive elements. Filling it is really easy - and cleaning is even easier, unlike other more traditional (and stronger humidity) humidifiers. If you just need to normalize your humidity so the winter months aren't so dry- this is for you. If you want your windows to sweat, and grow banana trees in your bedroom, you won't get enough humidity. Overall, I love the conveniece, humidity level, and the quietness.