Looking for Low Maintenance Humidifier

We have two humidifiers, so that way one can be in the room running and we can clean out the other one after the kid goes to bed.

I had yet to find a humidifier that I liked so I completely empathize! I asked my pediatrician last winter about it and she told me honestly to not spend a lot of money on a high-end one, but the cheaper ones have been so disappointing. Just this weekend I went to Babies R Us looking for a filter for one I already had. One of the employees offered her assistance and when I explained the situation she recommended a Winnie the Pooh humidifier. It is a good size, doesn't take filters and you can decide how much mist you want released. She also told me that it could be used as a hot or cool mist, but I'm not sure how that works yet. To top it off, it was on sale for $14.99! Though that may have been part of Thanksgiving sales. At any rate I've only been using it since Saturday, but so far I love it (it also has a night-light). When I brought the box inside my 16 month old was so excited to see Winnie the Pooh. I had the actually humidifier on the floor the other night and I found her hugging it! It is Disney brand. I didn't see any others at the Plainfield Babies R Us, but maybe they have more now.

I have a Graco humidifier. You still have to do the daily rinse/cleaning, but it's dishwasher safe, so you can do the weekly cleaning in your dishwasher.

I've done a lot of research on humidifiers.

ALL HUMIDIFIERS NEED WEEKLY CLEANING! Microscopic molds and bacteria grow in the water and on the machine.

You do not want your children exposed daily to these molds and bacteria - they can be harmful for their lungs.

I have a small room humidifier that I rinse and clean daily. I do it at the same time I'm brushing my teeth every day. It's easy to do.

S

I have been really happy with our Gergaurdian.

I've used one by Vicks, no filter, but I can't recall the exact name. I had it in college and it was great for my dorm room. As a college student, I wasn't into maintenance either and this was perfect. Also, you can put a menthol medicine in it to help with colds. I've seen it at Target near the pharmacy. Good luck!

I agree - it's a pain! But it's less time consuming than you realize. I work full time, have two young boys and like you, can't even finish regular tasks let alone these seasonal things. Use vinegar when rinsing out your humidifier and wiping down the parts. It's a natural disenfectant.

I have a vicks humidifier. I can't find the serial number on it so I can't help you there. But I bought it at Target. It has a fan component on the left side and a blue water tank on the right. You do need a filter but they are easy to find. I've purchased at Jewel/osco and target. It is very easy to clean and has three speeds. I only clean it once a year, right when the air get dry in October I get a new filter and clean it out.

I have had the same problem, but unfortunately, haven't found a easy solution. I used to use the warm mist humidifiers, but they also need cleaning. If I skipped a week, it was just a bigger pain to clean the calcium deposits off later.
We finally installed a central humidifier in our home, so the air is not as dry overall.
It sucks to have an extra chore, I know. Good luck!

You definitely can clean the humidifier every day if needed,but I found 2 solutions to daily cleaning because our humidifier is a pain to clean and I always end up getting soaked. One is I use filtered water from our RO system. The other solution is 2 options from Walgreens or Walmart. There are drop in filters that last 30 days--I can't recall the name but they are blue round plastic balls about the size of a ping ponb ball and kept near the waterless vapor pads. It's a carbon filter you drop into the tank that keeps the water clean. And it works. I have a mold allergy so I definitely don't want mold spores flying around our rooms. The other option is a liquid you add to the tank when filling it up. It's by KAZ and it works by the gallon. As long as the water isn't sitting and you're using the humidifer it keeps the water clean. I add it every time I fill up the tank. Good luck!

Not sure what other moms think... but my groups of friends and I have been talking about going back to pans of water on top of your radiators (if you have them). Cleaning humidifiers is necessary, and a time consuming hassle!

J.,

I just got a new humidifier for my sons room because I could'nt stand the Vicks one I had. I always had to replace charcoal inserts and filters. What a money drainer! I saw a humidifier advertiswed in a Cookie magazine called something like germgaurd. There is an ionic disc in the basin of the water compartment that instatnly turns water into vapor. The only maintenance that is needed is new water every 10 hours of run time and wiping of the ionic disc with a little brush that comes with the humidifier! I love it!!! There are no filters that mold can grow on and I am not going to have to purchase items for it all the time. I bought it at our local BAbies R us for $50. Totally worth it! Did I mention it is extrememly compact?

Good Luck!

M.

I sure someones already mentioned this brand, but I have the humidifier shaped like a penguin (you can also get a frog and some other designs too). Every couple of days or so I just fill the base with white vinegar and the water compartment wit a little bit of bleach and warm water and let them sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. I do this when the kids are getting ready for bed, and by the time we're done reading stories the humidifier is good to go. You can find them at target.

We love love love our Hunter Carefree humidifiers--we bought a second one for our first floor. They require only seasonal cleaning, and no replacement filters--the filter lasts forever! We do have to add water every day or two. We bought ours at Sears. http://www.hunterair.com/hunter-humidifiers.shtml?srcad=h...