Humidifier Suggestions

There are two kinds of humidifiers - cool or warm mist. We have used both and this is what I can tell you.

Warm mist - mineral deposits build up on the element if you have hard water like we do in the North. If you have the humidifier near an exterior wall in the winter, condensation will form and mold will result on the wall.

Cool Mist there are actually two kinds - those with fans and ultrasonic. We tried the fan kind but our house is cooler in the winter to begin with so having the fan run to disperse the moisture just made the room feel colder. We have used the ultrasonic ever since. Ours runs overnight 365 days a year. We do not put a lot of money into them (maybe $25) and they typically last a few years . I basically look for a cheap one that does not require any special filters etc. We clean it just with bleach water on a regular basis.

We love our Air O Swiss humidifier. http://www.airoswiss.net
It's super quiet, filter free, and easy to clean. It generates a micro-fine mist that you can set to cool or warm. You can adjust the humidity level as well. Hope that helps!

I have Disney Winnie the Pooh 1.5 Gallon Ultrasonic Humidifier S40U-V Quick. I bought it at Walgreens 2.5 years ago. Works great. Absolutely quiet. The water stays clear. 1 tank is enough for 1 or 2 nights (depends on setting).The only suggestion , use filter water, otherwise hard water will build up.

My favorite is a cool mist humidifier by Crane. They come in different animal shapes and in my opinion the penguin is the best because I can direct the mist exactly where I want it to go. You can also adjust the output amount of mist as needed. It's really easy to clean and there aren't any filters to replace. I have one in both of my kids' rooms. Had the frog one until I realized the mist came out of the tops of his eyes and I couldn't direct the mist where I wanted it. I got mine at Target, but I've seen them at Walmart and Babies R Us as well.

My current favorite is the Vicks cool mist vaporizer with no filter. I got it at Walmart for about $40. It's pretty easy to take apart to clean, and it can run through the whole night without needing refilled. It also has a place to put a little scented Vicks pad that heats up. I've had trouble with most of the ones that use a filter because they get clogged up quickly or they are expensive to replace.

http://www.holmesproducts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=8245
http://www.holmesproducts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=1283
http://www.holmesproducts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=1290

I love this brand of humidifiers. I set the % I want and just keep filling the tank. My house has 2 of them I love it.

We just use the CVS brand for our kids. Our pediatrician recommended that we use a cool mist humidifier since the warm mist ones can encourage mold I guess. The CVS brand is one of the cheaper ones, but works great for us!