Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier
Customer Review: Best
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best humidifier I've ever used so far.
No more white dusts and this really is a "Quick" steamer. Steam output is great -- on high setting, 4.5 gallon of water will run out within 8 hours.
So satisfied with the product -- only wished they made the water tank bigger (say, 6-7 gallon?) so that it can run for more than 12 hours continuously without re-filling.
Customer Review: Best Buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I just bought my second one from Amazon. It has all the essential features like humidity control and time control, yet still has a reasonable price. I had my first one last winter and really liked it. Clean it everyday (tip: put a little vinegar on the plate, wait for 10 minutes, and then use a toothbrush clean it) and it'll keep working. Don't buy ultrasonic humidifiers. I had an ultrasonic humidifier. Although silent, it generates too much white powder. Besides, it is prone to bacterial contamination.Customer Review: Best Humidifier Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the years, I've gone though quite a few[1] humidifiers, and this one is by far the best. It combines all the best features of the humidifiers I've had: it's quiet, has a digital humidity control, it's easy to clean, it disinfects the water (by boiling it), and it doesn't really need new filters very often (more on this later). I've had mine for about a year, and I'm kicking myself for having wasted so much money on other models.
The unit itself is basically an electric kettle controlled by a humidity sensor. It has a reservoir that lasts me about 12 hours, and it creates no more sound than a quiet gurgle. It's pretty safe: only a very small amount water is boiling at any given time, and the unit will automatically shut down if it runs out of water or you do anything that exposes the heating element.
Cleaning is pretty easy. All you have to worry about is mineral buildup on the heating element, but it's flat, metal, and easy to scrub. It comes with three little felt pads that absorb most of the minerals until they're saturated, and it's best to change them about every week. You can buy extras, and they're pretty cheap, but that's not necessary most of the time. I usually just soak the old pads in a bowl of cheap vinegar overnight, rinse them out in the morning, and they're as good as new.
One thing to watch you for: if you DON'T CLEAN the heating element for several weeks and it gets lots of build up, the humidifier will STOP WORKING until you clean it. I think the build up triggers one of the safety modes.
If you want a humidifier, get this one, or at least another warm mist model. I've tried every type, and this is the best.
[1] First, a cool mist one (loud, not automatic, and not very efficient); second, a Vicks Vaporizer (best of the bunch, but not automatic and hard to clean); third, a Holmes evaporative model (automatic, but loud and needed filters); and fourth, a fancy Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Humidifier (quiet, automatic, but it either needed a ~$5 demineralization refill every few weeks or it would spew fine dust that got EVERYWHERE, AND it needed a special powder to clean it).
Customer Review: Best I've ever Had!
Summary: 5 Stars
Have had at least 6 or 7 humidifiers, both warm & cool mist, over the past 18 years...and this Honeywell 450 is by far the best of all. Gave up on cool mist ones because of filters and had an expensive Bionaire just quit after one season last year. This one is very quiet (gurgles but quietly), has excellent output, easy to clean, and easy to fill and transport container to unit (not too heavy). I use a large 24 oz. cup to fill it. Had a tinny smell at first but it went away. When it's really cold out (20s) I run it at full speed and it takes at least about 9 hours to empty. This one is terrific!Customer Review: Best Warm Mist Humidifier I've Found
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall this is a well designed warm mist humidifier that will easily humidifiy a large room. I use mine in a large master bedroom (350sf) and the warm mist is great on cold winter nights when the heater is drying the air. The digital indicator makes it very easy to set the exact level of humidity you want and I have cross checked it with a separate humidity guage and found it accurate to within plus or minus 3%. It is very important to clean a humidifier on a regular basis to remove lime scale mineral buildup and prevent the formation of any mold. The Honeywell HVM450 is easy to clean and I clean mine once every two weeks. The cleaning process only takes five minutes because the interior of the unit is well designed and the smooth plastic keeps hard water deposits from getting hard like cement. I have tried several other warm mist units and found them difficult to clean. Our local water is pretty hard so this is an important consideration.
I strongly suggest you buy a box of the Honeywell Quicksteam Mineral Absorption Pads (HMP-12P) in the 12-pack because these are critical to reduce mineral buildup on the stainless steel heating plate. The pads are very inexpensive and you can extend their useful life by rinsing them out every week or two until they begin to fall apart.
Several other reviewers commented on the noise produced from the unit. This might be important if you are a very light sleeper. I placed my humidifier on the floor about 12-feet from the bed. The unit does make boiling water sounds because it is a warm mist humidifier and that is how it produces steam full of mositure to humidify the dry air. The sound can be reduced by operating the unit on low although I use the medium setting to quickly achieve a 50% to 52% humidity level in the room. On high setting the noise is definitely more pronounced.