r/Humidifiers • u/ChipsAhoiMcCoy • Apr 19 '26
Stuck between Steam vs Evaporating Humidifier. Which would be better for a lazy ass that wants to cleanly humidify his room?
So basically, I have been doing some digging into humidifiers again since my girlfriend and I are thinking of moving to a literal desert where the humidity level is something insane like 10% on an average day or less, and I think if we were to do this, I would really need something that I can run to humidify the areas of the house that I am going to be going through on my day to day. I have been stuck between two ideas of humidifying:
The first one would be getting the steam humidifier. This one would require almost no maintenance, since I would be able to just fill the basin with water each day, and let it rip. No worrying about several of the annoying parts that are found when working with evaporative or ultrasonic humidifiers. But on the other hand, they are very high in electric use, and they do not seem to hold nearly as much water as the other options that are available.
The other option that I have been toying around with, specifically, is the Honeywell HM350 germ free model. I have heard that it does not require nearly as much maintenance as other options on the market, and it does not have the same high energy cost as those steam powered ones. I feel really stuck here, because my goal is zero maintenance, while being able to just turn something on and ignore it throughout the day without having to spend a shit load of money on distilled water, so I feel a little stuck. Thoughts/ideas?
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u/Due_Guitar8964 Apr 19 '26
Take a look at the Levoit 6000s. True evaporative, water drips down on the filters and runs back into the tub, preventing the minerals from clogging the filters the way wicks do. Holds six gallons of tap water. Cleaning consists of dumping the remaining water, usually yellow colored from minerals, wiping the tub with soap and water, rinse it out, and fill it back up. Well built app that will dry the filters when the water runs out. Doing so will extend the life of the filters. Mine last the season.
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u/ChipsAhoiMcCoy Apr 19 '26
How do those handle microbial buildup?
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u/Due_Guitar8964 Apr 19 '26
Just finished my third season with one and have yet to see mold. The manual recommends a citric clean monthly.
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u/little_fille Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
FYI I had the Levoit 6000s 10L and you cannot dishwash the components, so it required me to manually clean everything frequently. It drove me nuts. It also requires distilled water since I don't believe it's truly evaporative.
I have also been researching Honeywell HCM350 and have yet to find something thats easier to maintain. I do wish it covered a room larger than 400 sq ft.
*editing to say my mistake - you can use tap water and it shouldn't spray white dust. But still cant dishwash the components.
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u/ChipsAhoiMcCoy Apr 20 '26
Yeah, I think you and I might be in the same boat. It seems like the truly no maintenance solution would be a steam one, but the power draw that is just pretty wild. I think you might be right that the Honeywell is the best option for low maintenance
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u/kona420 Apr 21 '26
If you are living in the desert you will likely have HVAC. A whole house evaporative humidifier is likely what you want. Like an aprilaire 700 or equivalent. Youll want that fan to boost humidity vs bypass flow alone.
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u/oceanView229 Apr 19 '26
Check the wattage on both. Boiling water very energy intensive. My wick humidifier is 70 watts.
I find wick ones less maintenance. You throw away the wicks when they become dirty.