Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier for Medium to Large Rooms, 1 Gal Tank

This humidifier exceeded my expectations! It’s very quiet, easy to set up, and works perfectly throughout the night. The mist output is great, and it helps keep the room comfortable without making everything feel damp. I noticed a big difference in the air quality, especially while sleeping. It also has a sleek design that looks nice in any room and is very easy to refill and clean. I’m very happy with this purchase and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable humidifier.

I have always trusted the Vicks brand. This doesn't disappoint. It works great and helps get the gunk out! You know what I mean. Colds are the worst. This steams all Nighy and part if the day without a refill needed. I used Distilled water as I always have with any humidifier filter or not. Love the size. You would think because of the size it won't work that well, but it does work great!

This is a recent purchase but its left quiet a first impression. I have only small experience in humidifiers but none were good. Would buy again but thought I would mention some things. The only feature not mentioned is the auto-shut off, I have not had to see if this feature works because I have never had an empty tank as of yet. Some Points ------ HUMIDIFIER It does its job nicely, on high it pumps out allot of steam, would probably go through an entire tank throughout the night but I keep it on low and it goes through about a half a tank. ------ NOISE It is not a silent machine, while on low it is quiet enough I can sleep with it but on high not so much, though to be honest I could only see one keeping it on high for large rooms or to get the room initially humidifier before putting it on low. If you are one of those people that need perfect soundless sleep, don't plan to keep this on all night. However if you can live with a fan on low while you sleep, you can live with this. ------ POTENTIAL MOLD It was a concern of the owner of the house the humidifier would cause mold, I don't see this being a problem except for maybe if I keep it on 24/7. The humidifier itself isn't too far from both a wall and a bed and neither seemed damp upon touch when I woke up the next morning after leaving it on all night. However the air was a nice humidity so I know it was working. I would not keep this on high for more than an hour or two however in a small room and I would not keep in on low all day. ------ NIGHT LIGHT I read allot of complaints about this night light, maybe its a recent change or just my model but the green light is dim, though that being said I still face it away from the bed. ------ INHALER DISPENSER This...doesn't work, at all, literally. I put both a vicks and there and tried out lavender essential oil and I could not smell neither. Perhaps it works on high but I don't keep this unit on high long because it just gets too humid. This is prolly my biggest complaint with the unit but by no means a deal breaker because I have other electronics that get that job done. ------ MAINTENANCE This is gonna be a touch one to clean simply by the shape of its parts, while they do separate for easier cleaning I can see allot of scrubbing with a toothbrush after a vinegar soak every week this winter. However its kinda the downside of every humidifier.

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

Very very very very very very very good purchase. I have sinus issues during the winter, and this solved them immediately. During the rest of the year, I use this to make the air in my home more hospitable (i.e. less dry), which allows me to grow air-root plants. It also helps me to reduce the static shocks I get in the winter. The rest of this review looks like a lot of work, but it really really is not. The actual cleaning takes maybe 20 minutes of your time. The rest of it is just waiting for the white vinegar to do its work. I made my instructions very specific, so that is why my review is long. WORD OF WARNING: As with ANY warm-air humidifier, you need to own up to the fact that it will require regular cleaning. that come with it. You NEED to read the instructions that come with this product. Think of the humidifier like your phone, and think of cleaning the humidifier like charging your phone. Alternatively, think of the humidifier like your dishes, and think of cleaning the humidifier like cleaning your dishes. Using your humidifier will allow mineral build-up from the water you use to fill the tank (even if you use filtered water, like me, which GREATLY minimizes the mineral build-up). Using your phone will drain the battery, and using your dishes will make them dirty. If you want to use your phone, you need to charge it. If you want to use your dishes, you need to clean them. Don't expect some magical fairy to clean your things for you or charge your phone. The mineral build-up occurs because there are particles in your water, some of which are natural. Because this is a warm-air humidifier, the heating element will heat the water to create steam (i.e. evaporation). Whatever cannot evaporate will remain on the heating element. It's like taking salt water and leaving it in a pot under the sun. Eventually, all that will remain after several hours is the salt because the salt couldn't evaporate. The minerals cannot evaporate and will remain on the heating element. If you leave the mineral build-up on the heating element, the heating element cannot heat the water properly, and it also provides a very good environment for bacteria and mold to grow. You do NOT want bacteria and mold growing on your humidifier, because spores can become airborne, and you absolutely do NOT want to breathe that in. Here are a few tips: 1) Use ONLY purified water (get a cheap Brita water pitcher) in the tank. This prevents you from having to clean it LITERALLY every time you fill the tank up. In other words, if you use unfiltered water, you will need to soak the heating element EVERY time your tank runs dry. 2) If, like me, you use filtered water and you have let the humidifier run through 3 or 4 tanks-worth of water without cleaning it, you will want white vinegar, which comes in a huge 2-gallon jug at your local grocery store. 3) When wiping off the heating element in your humidifier, use a soft cotton wash cloth or a paper towel. DO NOT USE A SCRUBBER or HARSH CLOTH ON THE HEATING ELEMENT. Rough/scrubby cloths, sponges, etc. will scratch and create grooves on the heating element, which provide more surface area for the mineral build-up to occur. (You'll see this reminder again later) How to clean it after you've filled and used up 3 to 4 tanks of filtered water: [note: "chamber" refers to the concave area around the heating element. "Tank" refers to the blue water tank that says "Vicks" on it.] 1) For the love of all that is good in the world, UNPLUG the humidifier before you even begin cleaning. Then, let the heating element cool down for an hour. 2) Remove the water tank and rinse it out (believe me, the tank can get dirty too, even if you use filtered water). Then remove all the removable parts (sounds stupid when I write it but once you get this humidifier in your house, you'll understand). You'll see this round, gray thing. That's the heating element. 3) Fill the area surrounding the heating element with white vinegar, making sure you cover the top of the heating element. Let it sit overnight. The instructions say 20 minutes, but I have found that it's better to let it sit overnight or even over two nights, especially if you can see any white residue on the heating element. If, after a few hours, you see the white vinegar in the chamber turning cloudy, then empty the vinegar into the sink and replenish the chamber with fresh white vinegar. 4) Drain the white vinegar into the sink and have tap water running while you do this. 4) Rinse the heating element area (and anywhere that had white vinegar) with tap water. 5) Use a soft dish cloth or Bounty paper towels (not the kind that you get in public bathrooms) to wipe the sides and top of the heating element.** Rinse with water. Then use a chopstick or a spoon to gently slide the towel or dish cloth down the sides of the chamber so you can wipe and dry the hard-to-reach parts of the humidifier. Rinse with water again. **DO NOT USE A SCRUBBER or HARSH CLOTH ON THE HEATING ELEMENT. Rough/scrubby cloths, sponges, etc. will scratch and create grooves on the heating element, which provide more surface area for the mineral build-up to occur. 6) Thoroughly dry the humidifier Use again.

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.

Long term update: I first bought this humidifier back in 2012. I have run it almost continuously every winter since. It has held up great. I just recently in 2023 bought another and I was VERY happy to see they have not changed a thing since 2012. If something ain't broke, don't fix it. This is a great and simple warm mist humidifier that will crank out warm mist for many years. ----- I think I read every review of every humidifier on Amazon. It seemed like every one of them is destined to leak, burst into flames or turn into a level 3 biohazard. In the end I decided that I agreed with another reviewer and it just made sense to buy one of the cheaper ones and see how it worked out. To start off this review I think I have to let everyone know a little basic biology. Any time there is standing water it is a potential breeding ground for mold, bacteria, etc. This isn't only true in your little Vicks humidifier--it is true everywhere on the planet. If you have ever had a leak behind a wall you know how quickly standing water can turn into a problem and fast. However, there is not an abundant food source in your humidifier so the risk is manageable with some precautions. I'm just going to list them in no real order of importance because they are all important: 1) Don't let water sit in your unit when it is off. This includes the water in the little reservoir below the big tank of water. Yes, empty that out too if you won't be using it for a while. 2) It is much easier to prevent a mold or bacterial overgrowth than it is to clean up once one starts. In fact if you get any serious overgrowth (which can happen to any humidifier) it probably makes sense to just throw it out and start over. 3) Clean the plastic on your unit with a thymol based cleaner. I use Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, Lemongrass & Thyme 26 fl oz (786 ml) . It's great. It will leave behind just a tiny bit of thymol on the plastic parts and thymol is a natural germ fighter (derived from thyme). 4) Wash out the tank with bleach regularly. They say a tablespoon but I just pour in a bit of bleach and shake it. 5) Practice getting a good fit of all the pieces. There are, if memory serves, 6 pieces to this that need to all fit together like a Lego set. If you played with Legos as a kid this will be easy. If you didn't, don't panic, take a careful look and make sure you've fit all the parts together right. If you don't it will leak and you will be unhappy. If you feel like taking things apart and putting them back together isn't your thing you must look for a different unit. 6) There are only 2 settings--low and high. Low is really low and high is really high. In my roughly 10x15 bedroom the low setting will raise ambient humidity by about 13% with the door open and by about 20% with the door shut. So if I start at 30% humidity I'll get to 43% with the door open and 50% with the door almost completely closed. Note, I said "almost" completely closed. I find that in my size bedroom low will take the humidity routinely up over 50% if I close the door completely. That is too much moisture. 7) You need to also buy a humidistat. I like P3 P0270 Mold Alert Electronic Thermo-Hygrometer as it is responsive to small changes in the humidity level. Without a hygrometer you'll really have no way of knowing if you need to use high, low or just turn the unit off. Most people should be shooting for between 30-50% humidity. In fact when I get home most nights I don't even need to turn on the humidifier because the level will already be between 30-50%. Lastly on this topic you can't estimate the inside humidity by getting the % from the weather channel. It just doesn't work that way. The humidity inside your home will depend on a lot of factors beyond just what the outside humidity is. Do yourself a favor and get the hygrometer too. 8) Water has stuff in it. Even distilled water has stuff in it. So eventually you are going to have to clean the heating element with vinegar. When you do this it will be helpful to use an old toothbrush to scrub the metal part that heats the water as this will accumulate the most stuff. Also, don't blame Vicks for stuff in your water--talk to your local water department or building owner. 9) Don't ever ever ever use an abrasive pad to clean the plastic. Why? Because abrasive pads will leave tiny little scratches in the surface of the plastic. Those scratches make for a perfect home where bacterial colonies can get established. Only use non-scratch cleaning products to clean the plastic surfaces...nothing abrasive. So yes, that is a lot of rules and guidelines. There is just no easy way to have standing water in your living space. If you are going to attempt it you have to be vigilant and attentive to the care of your Vicks.

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).

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.