Almost Care-free, easiest and best cool mist humidifier I have owned

I needed to buy a new humidifier for the winter after my old one sat in storage over the summer and grew some mold on it. I went to the store and saw this one and what really caught my attention was not having to replace the filters. The water is pretty hard where I live, so I was having to buy a new filter every month in my old one and hey cost about four dollars each.

When I brought the machine home, it was for the most part already assembled. I just had to make sure that the filters (there are two in this machine) were in the correct place. The filters are made of a very hard almost cardboard like substance rather than the cheap paper ones you have to buy for most humidifiers. This is good because you don't have to replace them; you just have to occasionally clean them. They are also treated with some sort of antibacterial ingredient which seams to work ok.

After inspection, I filled the tank with cool water. The tank is very ergonomically designed and easy to fill. Unlike other humidifiers I've used which are not designed to rest or balance, this one you can just set under the faucet in the sink or tub and fill it up. Once I put the tank on the humidifier, I turned it on high for about two minutes. This is recommended because the unit actually pushes the water up through the humidifier before it comes out as cool mist. I saw the bubbles shoot up through the tank so I knew the machine was working properly. I turned the machine down to medium and let it run overnight.When I woke up, the water level had decreased greatly which was another good sign. After using the unit every night for a few days, I did not wake up as congested and my skin was not as dry. The negative here though is that water builds at the base of the tank, so if you are not running the unit constantly, you have to dump it every other day to prevent mildew.

After about 6 weeks, I noticed the smell of mildew coming from the air out of the machine. Even though this machine is supposed to be care free, the water is so hard where I live that I knew I would have to clean it every so often.Hunter even staes on the box and in the instructions that: 'This product contains antibacterial properties, which are built-in to inhibit the growth of bacteria that may affect the plastic in the humidifier. These properties do not extend to the water, humidified air or users. Owners must conduct routine cleaning and maintenance based upon use and individual conditions.' I disassembled it and there was some mineral buildup. I soaked the filters in vinegar and wiped the rest of the machine down with it. Once the filters and the machine dried out, I put it to use again and it works like new. I also like the constant noise of the machine as I normally have to sleep with some type of background noise, such as a fan or this.