Warm Mist Humidifier

The Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier with Auto Shut-Off is a reliable and effective solution for relieving dry air discomfort, especially during cold and flu season. It produces a soothing warm mist that helps ease congestion and maintain comfortable humidity levels in small to medium-sized rooms. The auto shut-off feature adds an extra layer of safety and convenience, turning the unit off when the water level is low. Easy to use and maintain, it’s a practical choice for improving indoor air quality and overall comfort.

After much research on a warm mist vs. cool mist humidifier, I chose the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier with Auto shut-off. Actually, I had done my research (for home and small office) and narrowed my results down to the Crane (tear-drop one) and this one. While the Crane has tremendous reviews, one negative factor kept coming up: that it had many "fiddly bits" to clean, while the Vicks does not. So I was prepared to get the Vicks ... Just before I ordered the Vicks though, I was at a warehouse store and saw a Bionaire Humidifier on sale. Since I was there, I just picked up 2 without paying much attention - perhaps thinking that it was good just to grab something at a store instead of waiting for it to arrive online. I realized it was an Ultrasonic Cool Mist, but thought to give it a try anyhow. After ~2 days of running the Cool Mist most of the day, we noticed a white film on all our dark furniture in our home. Unfortunately, true to the nature of Cool Mist humidifiers, everything in your water becomes dispersed into the air (minerals, even potentially bacterial, fungal spores, etc) and we definitely saw the mineral "film" all over our bedroom. We switched to Reverse Osmosis (RO) water from tap water after that, which seemed to help a little bit, but it just seemed to take a few extra days before we still got a slight film. At my office, it took longer to observe the white film, but there is a different water source at that location. (THIS PARAGRAPH IS NOT ABOUT THE VICKS, BUT A COOL MIST ONE!) While cool mist humidifiers are easier to clean in the long run, the quality of water you put into the tank matters (if you are concerned about what may be dispersed into the air for you to breathe in). So I returned the Cool Mist ones and promptly ordered the Vicks Warm Mist on Amazon. The Vicks Warm Mist, as many people have pointed out, is more therapeutic in a cold, dry climate (such as Colorado). Since warm mist humidifiers boil the water, the water that is dispersed into the air is clean/distilled! There is no white film build-up anywhere (even after running it all day and/or all night for the past 3 weeks). The auto shut-off is necessary so that if the water runs out, the whole unit doesn't overheat. I run the humidifier in the office at night (with the treatment room doors open) when no one is there to properly humidify the office - while the Vicks can run ~18 hrs on low, it has run out of water before (I just didn't fill the tank completely thinking it would be good enough) and the auto shut-off has been helpful. As for cleaning, if you follow the directions and let the base air out when not using it (i.e. when my office is closed on the weekends, I drain out the water in the base & tank, keep the tank open [cap off] and the tank off of the base for the whole unit to dry), there really isn't a problem. While it is recommended to soak the base (heating elements) weekly with vinegar to remove any scale/build-up, I haven't had to do this yet after 3 wks of continuous use. We use RO water at home & at the office, so there is very little scaling on the heating elements. I plan to use vinegar once I begin to notice any build-up, of course. The only small negative is the built in "nightlight" around the dial. In an office during the day, the nightlight is insignificant. In a bedroom at night, however, the nightlight is annoying if one prefers darkness in the bedroom. It would be lovely to have an option to turn the light on/off, rather than just assume that everyone wants a nightlight attached to a humdifier! We cover the dial/light with a piece of thick paper everynight to mute the glow of the nightlight. Otherwise, the Vicks is quiet (there is always going to be sound from the water heating & occasional drip noises) enough & puts enough humidity (clean moisture) into the air for a unit at this price level. Is it nice to have a humidifier that has a humidity control (to set it to run until 40%, 50%, etc), or that is truly "whisper quiet," or that can run 24 hrs continuously? Sure! But those units typically cost 5x the price of the Vicks. So for what we were looking for at this price, this Vicks Warm Mist works superbly. Lastly, one of the tank caps came without the gasket/rubber o-ring to prevent the tank from leaking. We just tightened the cap on very tightly, but were afraid to crack any part of the plastic. I tried to go on Amazon to replace the missing o-ring, but after going through the options, it appeared as if I had to return the whole unit as the only "fix" for this. I didn't want to go through the hassel of shipping it back to Amazon for one missing rubber o-ring (& I didn't want to be without the humdifier in the middle of an extremely dry winter in Colorado), so I called Vicks about the missing o-ring. The o-ring is part of the tank cap, so they just sent me out a new cap+o-ring piece immediately. That is all we needed and we're good to go!

I live in the northeast US and winter is too dry on acoustic guitars. Yes, a sound-hole humidifier takes care of the body, but what about the neck? Since moving east, I have noticed that the guitars I keep out to practice on have required truss-rod adjustments and some fret-reduction during the winters; due to the heating required here. As the humidity decreases there is a real danger of warped necks, popped frets and the attendant buzzing. My practice room is about 15 X 20 feed (approx 300 sq ft.) and it's too much hassle to constantly get the guitars out of their cases to play throughout the day. A humidifier should be able to resolve the issue, but which one is best? As I began to research the issue, I soon discovered that there is much variability in price and quality. After many hours researching the reviews, I decided on this simple unit as a "proof of concept" experiment. If this can keep the humidity around 45% I will consider the trial a success. There are many more expensive units, but the reviews indicate that, to a certain extent, all of them are flawed in one, often several ways: Leaks, cleaning inconvenience, noise, lack of accurate built-in humidity-control, and quality control issues from assembly errors to short life-times. Rats! What to do? Fortunately, this unit is simple to operate, is very quiet and fairly clean during use, provided I use distilled water. As I already steam-distill my own water for health reasons, this is not a problem for me. Certainly, there will still be some clean-up to do, but I'm willing to perform the necessary things to ensure the health and longevity of my instruments. Here are my results so far. A gallon of distilled water lasts about three days, as i monitor the humidity and have found that intermittent operation (after an initial hydration of the room and furnishings) is adequate to keep the humidity between 35-45 percent. This does require a digital hygrometer, but as I already own one of those, it is not a problem to monitor the relative humidity throughout the day. My routine is to turn the unit on low for a few hours, then off again for a few hours. If measurement indicates a lowering humidity, I turn the unit on for half an hour and the humidity levels stabilize within that period. In the evening I run it for a few hours before retiring and the humidity levels stay relatively constant throughout the night as our exhalation adds to whatever is already present in the room. There is no easy way to maintain humidity levels constant without expensive equipment, and so far I find this unit fulfills my requirements. Since using it, my truss rods have not needed any adjustment, and the guitars stay in-tune. Is it perfect? No. My only gripe is that a small amount of water stays in the well in which the water-container rests. it doesn't leak on the surface it's on (a wide window-sill), but I do monitor it just to be sure. So far, no issues. It would be nice if it had a feature to control it's run-time according to a hygrometer, but reviews of units with this feature indicate it fails after a short time. It's an added plus that the increased humidity benefits our noses as well; they are not as dried-out and breathing is easier. It is a pain to have to do this over the winter, but I cherish my instruments as friends, and need them to be stable for when I perform. When I need to travel I simply place the guitars in a case with their body-humidifier and they stay closed until opened on stage. No problems so far. Now that I know this system works, I will keep searching for a reliable automated unit, and give this one to my son to keep his guitars humidified in his room. All in all, I'm quite pleased with the Vicks unit.

There are some changes to the New Vicks Warm Miist Humidifier vs the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier from years past. From the off, the mist has a strong metallic smell that is somewhat overwhelming which leaves a silver film that covers everything in its path. This film is not noticeable by the naked eye. I discovered it during routine cleaning a couple of hours after the device was being used. Let me explain. One of the items use frequently is an aluminum baking pan with an attachable coated baking rack. Prior to using the humidifier, I washed the baking pan, made and cooked some biscuits. The humidifier was delivered. I was excited and anxious to get it up and running so I left the kitchen to read the complete instructions to setup my new humidifier. Fun fact: I grew up with, raised a family, with and passed on the Vicks family of products to my families. Long story short, Vicks products is/has been a staple in my life so purchasing the item was a no brainer. Still excited with a huge smile on my face, my new Vicks humidifier was up and running. Spewing a strong stream of warm mist. I immediately noticed the metallic smell which was overwhelming! I immediately vented the area by opening my windows and turned on a floor Fan. This helped elevate some of the smell. Oh, forgot to mention that I live in a small one bedroom apartment. So charming. NOTE: I thought that this metallic smell may have been a due to manufacturing and would dissipate. It did after the second water refill. After dealing with the humidifiers smell, I went back to the kitchen to finish cooking. The biscuits completed baking and was placed in a covered warmer. I stated wiping down my baking pan and noticed a grey film covering my baking pan. My baking pan sat on the counter for while I opened the windows to help with the smell. The biscuits had already been placed in the warmer. I threw them out anyway for safety and made more later. After cleaning the pan, I noticed the same film on my kitchen counter other pieces of furniture. I cleaned everything thoroughly (it was cleaning day anyways). Incentive to deep clean. NOT TURNED OFF BY THIS! COME ON, THIS IS VICKS! Generations of taking care of the world's allergy safely!!! I turned off the humidifier, cleaned the element with vinegar and tried again. Refilled the reservoir, turned it on. No smell. No grey film. Problem solved. PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! TAKE THE TIME! (Not yelling! Emphasizing the importance before use) Before plugging in any newly received device! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Next, MY humidifier does not automatically shut off with low water level or any water level. I took a nap while humidifier was on. The reservoir had plenty of water in it and the air was comfortable. I used the high setting so the water dissipated quickly. Whe I woke up the display showed a red light and the reservoir was bone dry. The device was still running. The device did not automatically turn off. When I took my nap, I confidently thought, 'In the event the water level drops significantly, the device would automatically shut off, so no worries'! The device DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. Turns out, the automatic turn of is the red indicator light which warns of low water level. I/YOU have to actually turn off and unplug the device then reset the device by letting the device cool down (because of the warm steam feature), refill the reservoir with water, plug it back in and then turn it back on. This is what is considered the automatic shut off and reset. Laughing hysterically! Apologies! I guess actually seeing the low water level isn't sufficient to indicate a water refill is needed. MORE LAUGHTER!! Apologies again. Get this, there is actually the word "reset" on the heating dial. The instructions call it "the reset button". There IS NO RESET BUTTON! So don't waste time looking for one or pressinh the word "reset" on the dial repeatedly!! It is just the word painted/stenciled on the dial. Yes, I pressed the word "reset" repeatedly, as if I would make it so. You can stop Laughing at me now!! Okay keep laughing. So funny! Now to the GOOD BITS. Before I bought my Vicks warm humidifier, I bought an air purifier and cool humidifier (NOT vicks brand, shame on me)! The purifier is actually a nice surprise and works beautifully removing unwanted smells quickly. And once plugged in, after a few seconds (the automatic feature actually works). The device turns on and automatically calculates the configuration and removes unwanted smells quickly. The cool mist DID NOT perform as designed. However, if you lead a calm, stress free life and looking for a change. Get a cool mist humidifier. Your frustration level will soar, giving you the much needed change desired. More Really Good Bits: I SO LOVE this device. In spite of the initial quirks!!! The air is completely free of dryness. I breathe comfortably. I no longer experience dryness in the air, my throat, nasal passages, eyes, fingernail breakage, crunchy hair, dry scalp and more are now nonexistent. Try this device! Buy this device! Take care of this device after purchase and it will love you back! Thanks guys for reading my post! I hope this information is/was helpful for/to you! Katherine

I purchased this humidifier during the winter months for my bedroom since I kept on catching a cold and getting very congested and wheezing in my sleep. This Vicks humidifier was really helpful throughout the whole winter it lets out a nice amount of mist and you can really tell the difference its a great feeling waking up not as congested as before. I like that it has 2 settings on the high setting you can run it for around 8-9 hours which will last you the whole night on the lower setting it will last for around 19- 20 hours on average. I also love that it has a auto turn off so you dont have to worry about it staying on when the water runs out. Like any humidifier or anything that you let water sit in MOLD WILL GROW so dont flip out if you see mold whats good about this is that its very easy to clean out and with proper maintenance you wont have any major issues with mold or anything else like that. You can wipe it clean or use vinegar to kill the mold this one is very easy to clean. My only issue is that its just a little big so its hard to find the perfect spot to put it but thats just my preference so I cant take off a star for that reason alone. On the other hand a plus of having a bigger humidifier is that the water will last longer and will reach your whole room instead of just 1 small area. I also like that this is not to noisy its actually a soft soothing noise that helps me fall asleep. All in all this is a great humidifier it really works well does a perfect job easy to use easy to clean and a solid price point as well. If you found my review helpful it’d be great if you[...]. I am happy to leave reviews to help others make decisions prior to purchase and I enjoy reading your reviews to help me with mine

The basic concept of this humidifier is great. Unfortunately, it is also highly impractical and expensive to operate. The first thing to realize is hidden cost. This is a water boiler with a heating element going 24 hours a day. The electricity cost alone of such a device needs to be considered. At 248 watts, this consumes 1kwh every 4 hours. That means if you run it 24 hours a day (as many will in the winter), at a standard cost of 10 center per kwh this unit will cost $18.60 per month to operate. That is almost double the cost of a standard filter-based humidifier of the same size. Then there's the deal-killer: calcium in tap water. This unit has no way to filter calcium and other hard minerals. The heating element isn't buildup-resistant, so it literally bakes minerals onto the heating element, requiring one to either use distilled water, or to take time every day to clean the unit. Few people have that much time, as it requires dismantling the unit and using a brush (not provided) to get down inside the small spots and scrub away what calcium has accumulated. If you don't do this, if you wait say, a week to clean it... the calcium builds up so thickly even straight vinegar won't remove it. My unit lasted about a month and a half before I had to just give up on it, as it got to the point that even with effort the mineral deposit removal became impossible. It was so encrusted that soaking it overnight in vinegar didn't help. If you use distilled water it works great. But this unit can easily go through 2 or 3 gallons of water a day... bringing monthly operating cost to well over 60 to 90 dollars just for water (in addition to sucking down electricity). All in all the unit simply isn't practical. If they had a way to remove the calcium and other minerals from the water, some kind of filter (as my replacement unit has), then it would be great. If they had used a heating method a bit less intense than 240 watts (one would think 100 watts sufficient), it would be less-expensive to operate. But as it is, this is a unit that will either cost a fortune to operation... or is doomed to failure as the calcium and other minerals encrust on the heating element beyond all fixing. I definitely do not recommend this unit. Vicks had a great idea, but didn't bother to address the problems of water contamination and power consumption. The idea of using distilled water is ridiculously expensive, and there's simply no way to keep it clean when using tap water. That they didn't include a cleaning brush is simply inexcusable.

The humidifier I was shipped did not have the larger tank opening and cap as stated in the Product Description section, and as shown in the video on this page. (I'm going to the trouble of writing this review in case anyone else is concerned with those particular features.) I've owned a few of these Vicks warm mist humidifiers over quite a long time, usually 2 at a time, in different rooms, and I will say, in general, they have always been quite good, reliable, and long-lasting. So you won't really go wrong getting one. However, after many years of use, there were a couple of issues that made me want the model that specifically had the wider tank opening and cap as were shown in the video here, and described in the Product Description. All the models I had in the past had the smaller tank opening and cap (as you can just about see in SOME of the product photos here, as well as some customer photos, but NOT in the video.) Because of the small size opening into the tank, there were always parts of the tank I could not wipe out. Sometimes (after long periods of use) a pinkish film accreted in the tank corners and did not disappear with regular cleaning and bleach solution soaking and swishing process. The tanks really needed to be wiped with some pressure, but there was just no way my hand could reach in to access those areas of the tank firmly, nor could I find a brush or tool that was flexible enough to reach the inside corners. Since my hand could not fit inside the tank opening, I could not wipe any corners, really! (I did the best I could, contorting my hand and using chopsticks or spoons to drag a cloth or paper towel around inside, but it wasn't really satisfactory!) Additionally, because of the small opening and inability to wipe them out, the tanks would also take a really long time to fully dry out. If you are not going to use the humidifier for a few days you are supposed to dry it out, or when getting ready to store it at the end of the heating season. It would literally take 3-4 days for the tanks to dry... there was always a small amount of water left at the bottom of the tank that seemed to take forever to dry, no matter how much I would shake it, or try to wipe it with a cloth or paper towel inside, I could not reach it. So when I viewed the video and description shown here, I was delighted because it looked like the V745 now had a wider opening and cap that would solve these problems. (I assumed someone had figured out and designed this improvement.) Unfortunately, when I received the item, however, it had the same old small tank opening and cap. I called the Vicks Humidifer Co. to find out what model was the model with the larger cap, as shown in the video, but apparently both the large cap as shown in the video, and the small cap (as shown in some of the other photos on the page) are all labeled with the same model no. V745, differentiated only by the letters after the model number which simply denote the color of the product. Vicks Customer Service actually did not know whether one was a newer version or what, or even that there was any difference in the tank openings or caps in this model. (Hard to believe that they did not bother to differentiate in any way.) It seems possible, if the small opening is older and if the larger opening is a newer version, that I was simply shipped the older version, because Amazon still had it in stock. Without a different model or product number to differentiate, it seemed impossible to imagine that Amazon would be able to ship me the humidifier I wanted in exchange. (Someone would have had to open the boxes and check the tank opening before shipping until they found one with the wide opening; and that was not realistic to expect!) So I had to return the humidifier. I did appreciate that the return was really easy; I was able to drop it off at the Amazon return center in my local Whole Foods store.) I've ended up purchasing the Vicks Model VWM845, which does have the wider tank opening and cap, (and also has a "scent pad door" which I don't particularly care about and probably won't use much). I was able to get it at the same price as this model due to promotional discounts (at another vendor; it's a lot more here).

I got this to help my husband stop snoring, and it worked. It is very easy to use, quiet, and reliable.

excellant product we receive it before the delivery date .same product we got what we order exactly..thank u for u excellant service

Good product. Used it while I have my radiator on and it helps makes the atmosphere soothing and relaxing.

It's getting the job done.

Like how much humidity it puts into the air. Don,t like having to clean calcium build up on heating element.

It's a nice product. Using it in my daughter's room. Working great.