Crane Adorable 1 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier
|
Our Price: $27.99 Category: Health Care See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customer Reviews of Crane Adorable 1 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier
Customer Review: Great humidifer for the baby's room
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in a dry climate with harsh winters, so I needed a good humidifier for my baby's room. I bought the penguin model about 3 months ago, and it has turned out to be a great buy. I run it at night, and after only a few nights I noticed that my baby's skin was significantly softer and less chapped. This humidifier has been great for helping my baby to sleep (and breathe) better at night.
When I first started using the humidifier I used distilled water, but I eventually switched to tap water with no adverse results. My guess is that any white residue left by the humidifier depends on how hard your water is. I've never had problems with leakage or dripping on the surface where the humidifer sits; if I run it on high all night, the carpet directly in front of the humidifier will be damp in the morning, but that's all.
This humidifier is easy to use, and with a gallon of water it will run all night, even on the highest setting. It is not as powerful as the more expensive models but on high it can put out a fair amount of humidity (although it does work best in a smaller room). I sit it on my baby's dresser about 3-4 feet from the crib, and that works fine. It runs relatively quietly: it makes a gurgling noise like a small fountain, with an occasional "belch." The green light starts flashing red when the water is getting low, and stays red when the water is gone. I have noticed after a few months of use that occasionally the light will start flashing and the machine will sputter briefly even though the body is full of water, but its function hasn't seemed to be diminished and overall it works great.
To clean this humidifier, I pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar mixed with several cups of water into the body and shake it for several minutes, then rinse it thoroughly. The base can be easily wiped with a cloth. I clean it weekly and have had no problems with mildew, but I also empty it out every night and use fresh water so the water isn't sitting in there for several days.
All in all, I'm happy with this humidifier. It's a good buy for the kid's room.
Customer Review: Very good humidifier - just wish it was easier to fill
Summary: 4 Stars
I like my apartment warm and toasty, but the heater also makes it stale and dry; that's when I decided to get a humidifier. Works great for that purpose.
I have the dragon - it was the cheapest version and I'm not particularly picky.
Pros:
1. Very cute. Little bugger with his peering eyes gives an eerie sense of company.
2. Works great. Its been running non-stop for 2 weeks (other than during water refills) and no problems. Cranks out a lot of mist.
3. Very very fine mist that spreads quickly. Won't get anything wet. I held the back of my hand against the mist for a minute or so, and though I could feel the mist for sure, it did not get my hand wet at all.
4. There's a control knob for the volume of humidity - and it actually works very well and is reasonably sensitive.
5. Lasts nearly 2 days on a single water refill - I have the knob turned two-thirds of the way.
Cons:
1. Mist somehow isn't as cool as I expected (based on the unscientific back-of-hand test)
2. To fill it with water, you need to remove the reservoir from the unit, turn the reservoir upside down, unscrew a cap, hold it under a tap, screw back the cap back on, turn the reservoir back right side up, and place it back into the unit. I would have really appreciated a way to just bring a mug of water and pour it in. Particularly so when the manual recommends filtered water and you have a Brita mug filter. Also has a curved plastic handle at the top of the reservoir which forces you to hold its weight awkwardly while filling it in the sink rather than let it rest in the sink (for fear of breaking the handle).
3. Instructions say to keep it at least 2 feet from the floor, but don't mention why. I like knowing why I'm doing something. For ex, if its just the efficiency of humidity circulation, I wouldn't worry too much about a stand that's just 1 foot from the ground. If its safety on the other hand, I'd be more careful. As it is, I have it standing on a banker's box since I found no other unused elevated surface with any space for it.
Customer Review: Quiet, cute ultrasonic humidifier
Summary: 4 Stars
The is a really cute cool-mist ultrasonic humidifier. I was one of the lucky ones and mine arrived in perfect quiet working condition.
However for those new to cool mist humidifiers here are a few tips/notes:
1) These 1-gallon units run approximately 8hrs set on high. Enough for a full night's sleep.
2) They should be whisper quiet, except for the occassional water bubble. If there is any loud humming or machine noises, your unit is defective and needs to be returned/exchanged.
3) Most ultrasonic cool-mist humidifiers require removal of the water tank for refilling. The difference is in the size and shape. These cute ones have a rounded shape and can be slippery and awkward.
4) Be careful of dropping the humidifier, this will cause the humifier to hum loudly. These ultrasonic are quite fragile in that way.
5) Inspect the O-ring each year and make sure it is securely in place. Any leaking is usually caused by a faulty O-ring or a badly seated O-ring. This is especially important after being taken out of storage as the O-ring may have dried out and cracked over the summer. Replacement generic O-rings are easy to find at your local hardware store or online.
6) The ultrasonic nature of these machines (all ultrasonic humidifiers) encourage mineral buildup and sometimes that can compromise the teflon coating of the base panel. Extra care should be taken during cleaning. This happens to all ultrasonic humifiers and not only to Crane brand ones.
I have owned several ultrasonic humifiers over the years and prefer their whisper quiet operation over all other humidifiers. However, there seems to be a high percentage of duds when buying these, so be prepared to return/exchange until you get a good one. The sizes range from travel-sized to 2-4 gallon tanks that can be left on without refilling days at a time.
Overall I would reccomend this as an economical, smaller and cuter alternative to the huge beige versions.
Customer Review: Read the Manual
Summary: 5 Stars
We read a lot of the reviews before deciding to buy the Crane Penguin. Some of the lower stars almost deterred us from buying it, but we tried it anyways because it's so cute. And we're happy we did.
For all those who complained about it (white dust, hard to clean, loud noise, the handle breaks, etc.) I've got one thing to say:---- READ THE MANUAL, PEOPLE. ---- All of those issues are spoken about with the included documentation and how to avoid or minimize them.
For example, the white dust has nothing to do with the humidifier. It's the minerals that your local water company puts in the water system. The documentation tells you specifically "filtered or distilled water is recommended to avoid white dust if your tap water is too hard." Or you can buy an optional filter for the unit. But you would get the white dust with ANY humidifier without a filter. We happen to not have hard tap water, so depending on your area, it may not even be a problem.
Also, there is a section on general maintenance and cleaning. To keep the inside of the tank clean, it explains first, don't let water sit in the tank for more than two days while bacteria can build up. That's just common sense. Secondly, just add a few drops of household bleach to the water every fourth time you fill it. But even if the tank does start to have noticeable mineral deposits or bacteria, it gives simple instructions to use a teaspoon of bleach with a gallon of water, swish it around for a while, then dump it. What's so hard about that?
I won't go into everything else because you can just read the instructions for yourself if you buy it. But my point is that you should not be dissuaded from buying this humidifier because of some other comments. It's been wonderful for us and it does it's job.
Customer Review: Ruined the bookshelf
Summary: 2 Stars
We bought this (Frog) last night at a local store. Granted, the steam looks nice and so does the frog as the colors match our boy's room. We have another Vick's humidifier that we were using in Sister's room, and since we hate the filter purchases, we got this one. We also like the fact that you can fill it up in the sink, unlike the Vick's. However, it just seems an awkward design as even after what I thought I filled it fairly full, putting it in the base seemed like I didn't. It was almost out of water in the morning. The Vick one can last 2-3 days on high humidity level depending on how full I fill it. Looking at it, its probably a 1.5 gallon though.
So we placed it on the bookshelf, next to his monitor, which is a good 4 feet off the ground. It was also right in front of the window too (foot away). This morning, the wife calls and tells me the backing panel of the bookshelf was all wet and basically ruined from the moisture of the unit, and moisture was all over teh blinds. I'm glad we don't have wood blinds, but the faux wood ones, or i'd be pissed. The top of the bookshelf had alot of moisture too, but appeared to be undamaged. We didn't have the thing turned up max either, but between 1/2 and 2/3's.
We will move it to another table and turn down the knob again tonight and see. if not, then its time to return it and get something else. Another peeve, and I guess its the filterless ultrasonic design, is that on our vicks model with filter, we can let it run empty which drys it out from the tank and the filter (manual states to do it this way). the Frog one has water in the bottom that we had to manually dry out with no real way to dry the tank in a similar fashion.
Its a cute design, but for us, its not working well to our expectations.