Shopping for a humidifier, and all the best-of lists want me to get a smart one. No. I do not want to chat with my humidifier. I do not want to have to download an app to use my humidifier. I will not ping my humidifier on Poob
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The internet of things is out of control. The only one that makes sense in my house is the printer. I don’t use the app for the washer or dryer. I don’t have smart kitchen appliances and don’t want them. It’s absolutely mental. A smart humidifier sounds beyond stupid. Your instincts are spot-on.
I don't mind things that connect to the Internet like that. But then again I like using home automation devices and mess around so that it could remind me to fill it up. Or to only run if it gets dry.
Hey, don’t knock the humidifier channel on Poob. It’s surprisingly relaxing! I have Dreo, which HAS an app, but doesn’t NEED an app to run it. Boneco stopped selling stuff in North America, otherwise I’d suggest theirs, which I still like, and isn’t smart, but 3rd party filters are apparently bad.
You can make one with a storage tote. Just gotta find a way to hang the towel above the storage tote then you fill the tote with water and put the ends of the towel in the water and bam and evaporative humidifier
A whole house humidifier consistently has a water source and a drain. I just have to change the filter when we first turn the heat on and halfway through winter.
Exactly! I just want my devices to be dumb and do their one thing. I don't need their annoying notifications. I have enough of those! I turn them off on purpose! 😒
My whole apartment is set up with smart lights and plugs so I can voice commend them but I STILL won't touch smart appliances. They just never are worth it.
I like mine! I change the filter every 5-6 weeks or so in the winter but it’s enough to take care of my 1900sq ft townhouse.
And it’s definitely not smart. 🤗
Whenever I shop electronics I generally do look for smart stuff but only if it's fully compatible with my locally hosted Home Assistant instance. I _like_ the smart stuff, I just hate the cloud
Having that said I mostly use it to turn the rice cooker on when I leave work so that when I come home there's barely 10 mins left for the batch to finish
I love vaporizers and their low tech ways. They boil water, and that’s it. They are cheap as hell, last forever, don’t grow mold. They do not talk, only scream sometimes when they need to be de-scaled.
My whole house humidifier, installed in 2020, has a knob to set the humidity levels. It's annoying and endearing, sitting right below the digital wifi thermostat.
LEVOIT Humidifier for Bedroom, Warm and Cool Mist Humidifiers for Plants, Large Room, 6L Air Humidifier with Remote Control, Essential Oil Tray, Filterless, Auto Mode, Up to 60h, Display Off https://a.co/d/gL4GxAJ
I'm looking for a new washer and dryer and it has to be front loading because of my back, and almost all of the good ones are Wifi enabled, and I just want to wash my clothes for the love of Pete!
Yep. WHEN washing machines have the ability to wander around the house, collect up all dirty clothes and sort them into piles, then I'll want my washer to have WiFi so it can check in with me about how to care for a dirty "new-to-it" item it finds. Until then, I don't WANT to talk to my washer.
For what it’s worth, while my washer and dryer both *have* WiFi, neither *requires* it. I’ve never even connected them to a WiFi network, so there’s no information exchange going on, and they work just fine without it.
I do like the feature that notifies you on your phone when the load is done, but they could just put a volume control on the buzzer that goes off so it would be loud enough to hear it upstairs. Beyond that, the wireless stuff doesn't add anything to it.
Ok, my brain misremembered I think. It's a washer/dryer all in one combo machine. They've been around for a while apparently. So sorry for the false hope.
My mom and I just had this conversation. I want a space heater with Bluetooth because I'd be nice to set a skill so I'm not running a heater unnecessarily. But I certainly don't understand why a fridge needs it.
if you don't mind a rec (otherwise feel free to ignore me! ❤️), sibling has this one, and they like it a lot. they do not use the essential oil part of it, just the humidifer part.
I've had that one for 20 years and can confirm it just does the thing. Stupid appliances are great.
The main downside, which may be universal to warm mist humidifiers, is that you do have to use a screwdriver to disassemble the thing to fully descale it.
How often do you have to clean it? I have a basic one from a different brand that gets moldy after two days of use and you have to constantly clean it.
When I feel that the air is too dry in a room of my house, I leave 3-4 small bowls of water out to evaporate naturally. It works better if you have the heater on. My wife hates that I do this but it is free and does not need an app 🙃
We’ve had a variety over the years. I like Ebac. Good machines and customer service. Might all be smart nowadays but I don’t think that necessarily means they can hold up a conversation or need an app. https://ebac.com/dehumidifiers
I was looking at getting an assistant (Alexa) enabled coffee maker when my previous one (not enabled) conked out. They are pricy and have much lower user ratings than a regular run-of-the-mill brewer with a timer.
Every time I turn my wet vac off it immediately orders me in a high pitched voice to put it back on the charger. It then yells at me to start the self clean cycle. Don’t tell me what to do 😂
After living in a place you needed a humidifier, at least in winter, coming to Pacific Northwest and needing a dehumidifier was astounding. And realizing how much water is just “in the air”.
I was toasting a poptart at my parent's house and I noticed that the buttons weren't labeled. I assumed the bottom one was cancel, but when I pressed the other two to check if they were bagel they didn't do anything. Later that day I found toast on the floor of one of the bedrooms and my
brother and I were joking that one of the buttons had cast the toast to the bedroom. I feel like a lot of modern appliances have removed neccasary features and given us what no one ever wanted.
Counterpoint: you can build one if you like data, straight to the dome.
But yeah, even my silly system works with a regular old analog space-heater. I just added bells and whistles.
My aunt bought my grandmother a humidifier so fancy she was afraid to turn it on in case she got it wrong. I can't wait for the shoplifting version of in home appliance reckonings when they all realize they're doing too much and go back to the simplicity of on/off and more/less buttons.
We have moved to the least smart ones you can get in this house, where it's literally just a filter pulling water in and a fan blowing humid air out, and that has worked better than anything else we've used. Lol.
I want an old radio, not Spotify, not Apple Music, just a plain old radio and yes, I’m with you.
It’s ridiculous to have to download an app for anything and everything.
I was uncomfortable buying one of the smart humidifiers, but the Levoit works just fine without an internet connection or the app - and much better than the one I replaced. The cheaper ones tend to grow mold in uncleanable places.
I forget stuff like adjusting the hvac and smart hvac is cheaper than running the heat or air conditioning high when I’m not home. I kinda want a smart stove/oven so I don’t burn my home down.
What? You don't want a humidifier that sends you alerts to your phone or laptop that a new software download is available? And your only option to make the pop-up message go away is to grudgingly say, "Remind me tomorrow"?
I don't need a smart dishwasher, smart tv, smart microwave, smart toilet, smart bidet... The only things in my house that should be smart are my phone and my computer.
I’m 100% with you on this. I also don’t want to chat with light bulbs, refrigerators, washers, dryers or anything else in my house that doesn’t breathe.
It’s like, go voting with a geek. We all ask for the paper ballots. And the security folks will tell you stories that will curl the hair of a bald person.
The question is, how do we notify manufacturers that we don’t want their stupid “smart” appliances? I was so angry that to get a broken GE oven (redundant, I know…) repaired I had to download an app to request service. I wish I could have blown it up instead.
How odd. I went Honeywell and I’m reasonably happy with my purchase. Able to buy OEM or 3rd party filters, reliable, good size. You just have to stay on top of the maintenance is all.
The humidifier category in general is so weird and I have yet to find what I truly want: a metal-interior, easy to clean, top-fill, warm-steam humidifier that does not cost $500. I def don't want an app for it.
I’m afraid to ask, and I’m also afraid to google “poob”. Meanwhile, In Defense of Simple Times: I used to have a 1940s O’Keefe & Merritt stove. You turned it on, and it made fire. You turned if off, and the fire went away. The End. Those were its features. I LOVED that stove.
I got the LeVoit one the Wirecutter recommends. Maybe if I get really lonely I'll download the app and talk to it, but for now I just push a button. I've used it for about a month and it works well.
I feel your pain. I've recently shopped for one and after buying one: Horrible, didn't work at all. I bought one on amazing, a no name one, and I finally got some great sleep last night! And... no app needed!
I've tried many and the best so far is an evaporative humidifier like one of the Essick Air Care brand ones. They can take tap water and don't get as gross as the ultrasonic ones, and are easier to clean. There are whole house or smaller options.
I have a Vicks branded humidifier I got in 2019 for $25 at Walgreens. It is a champ that has multiple times survived being on for 3 days after I forgot to refill the water tank
Same goes for mattresses. I don't want a WiFi mattress, that my phone can control, that I can play the sounds of a thunderstorm and the bed shakes with the rumble of thunder. Come on.....
You'd have to ask Nick at Mattress Firm, cos he has all the answers, and then some. What he was selling, I expected the mattress to sleep for me. Who knew shopping for a mattress would be so exhausting.
Amazon or Walmart target even the fox roc shop have several simple “dumb” versions. I have several of them 5 on my house. Fill with water turn on run when it’s out of water clean it refill it again and run it. I use vinegar to clean them it’s help is your water is harder water than needed.
my least favorite bit is cleaning one. Humidity is a breeding ground for micro-organisms, so if you skip cleaning a humidifier, you get a mildew scented "air un-freshener" (or worse) - but cleaning one can mean lots of parts to disassemble and hard to reach areas. Be forewarned! It's #theworst
Have you ever seen comedian John Pinette's rant on buying a toaster? It's in a similar vein as to what you just said and very funny. Gone too soon R. I. P. John
Smart just means "more complex than necessary, too expensive, and will break down sooner". All a humidifier needs is an on/off switch and a fuse or breaker for safety. PERIOD.
Yeah, I just went with a small raydrop humidifier. My house has small rooms and these only cost around $30. You just need to make sure you use distilled water.
Companies are making things way overcomplicated these days. Who do they think can afford all of these bells and whistles?
The thing about Which? and all the other "best of" referal sites is that they get commision on the sale value + only the expensive brands can afford the extortionate Best Buy award licensing fee. Therefore it's a finacial insentive for them to recommend the most expensive gear and the big brands.
You're quite right. An app for such a device can only be predicated on an invasion of privacy. These days though, everything is internet connected. I'm starting to get very interested in how to repair old stuff rather than replacing it.
What you get from a smart humidifier
• an app
• voice control
• air quality notifications
What you want from a smart humidifier
• you can put the humidity sensor somewhere else in the room
• it only runs when you're home
• a smaller utility bill
Humidifiers are a scam. You can boil some water in a pan or mop the floors and that would be as effective if not better than any humidifier you could buy.
My inventor friend, who has patents for vibration isolation on spacecraft, taught me to soak beach towels and hang them on a drying rack. Quiet, no hard water residue on surfaces
I can't recommend this humidifier enough. It's just smart enough, easy to clean, easy to swap filters, and is evaporative (so it actually adds moisture to the air). No internet connection required and it's quiet.
Don't you want to subscribe to your humidifier using the Humidly app? What about getting updates from your humidifer via email and text message 10 times a day with cheeky messages?
My dad just got me one last night (I desperately needed it) and he got me a Honeywell. One night in and I already noticed a world of difference. Thankfully 0 smart features, and it's all analog. A dial to turn it on and off, handles and leaves to take it apart as needed.
I refuse to use the connectivity functions on home appliances. Give me the dumbest refrigerator possible, please. If you could make my car stupider I’d appreciate that too.
Best advice I have for a humidifier is find one that isn’t impossible to clean. We got a nice one for the tiny human when he was little and it was great but after a while there were areas that you couldn’t really clean and I didn’t feel comfortable using it. Good luck
Ugh. I despise how everything wants to put a freaking app on your phone. I don't need smart devices. I need dumb ones that do their job without the spyware, thanks. 🤣
I just bought a $50 Vicks humidifier. I pour water into it and I turn its single knob to on and I breathe in deeply while meditating on how glad I am that it doesn’t have fucking wifi.
Honeywell HEV320 for smaller rooms - as dumb as it gets. We wanted cool mist and have been using 3 units for over 5 years with one filter change per year. We use them only in the winter and wash the filters couple of times during the season. They are currently $50 from the Honeywell store.
I have a DREO and love how easy it is to clean. I don’t remember if it’s smart and has an app, but if it does, I didn’t turn that on or download it and it works great. Highly recommend.
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RJ2W8GM/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?smid=A21R4C4TAK8K61&psc=1
It wasn't smart. It just used a float like the one in the toilet tank. When the level got low, it would open a valve and refill.
Maybe a small remote is all that is needed. But can be manually operated.
Don’t buy the cold mist ones with those horrible filters.
Cleaning them sucks.
And it’s definitely not smart. 🤗
LEVOIT Humidifier for Bedroom, Warm and Cool Mist Humidifiers for Plants, Large Room, 6L Air Humidifier with Remote Control, Essential Oil Tray, Filterless, Auto Mode, Up to 60h, Display Off
https://a.co/d/gL4GxAJ
I don’t want it to have WiFi. I want it to wash clothes. That’s it. That’s all.
Add a timer and skip the smart stuff and dassit.
It would be so much cooler if it could put the load into the dryer
#amirite?!
But this has removable easy to wash parts
Miro humidifier https://a.co/d/eiA2gWA
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/honeywell-hwm845-warm-mist-humidifier-with-essential-oil-cup-filter-free-black/6252690.p
The main downside, which may be universal to warm mist humidifiers, is that you do have to use a screwdriver to disassemble the thing to fully descale it.
My house is definitely not mold-free and I have never had mold in that unit. I should have said you need to take it apart to fully *descale* it.
I'm ill and not firing on all cylinders.
Occasional vinegar rinses on vibes, and similarly, clean the base once or twice a season if I don't like the look of it.
Absolutely not.
But yeah, even my silly system works with a regular old analog space-heater. I just added bells and whistles.
Mine holds 5 gallons I only fill it a couple times a week and it keeps my bedroom moist and helps with the rest of the house too.
It’s ridiculous to have to download an app for anything and everything.
It has a woke power source - solar ( no windmills, though )
I want one exactly like that.
It’s like, go voting with a geek. We all ask for the paper ballots. And the security folks will tell you stories that will curl the hair of a bald person.
"I can't do that, Dave" 'cycles airlock'
Here's a nice video on humidifiers
https://youtu.be/oHeehYYgl28
I've had a 5 gallon from bestair for years and it works great.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pelonis-1-2-Gallon-Warm-Mist-Humidifier-White-PSU12W1WW/2499213542?classType=VARIANT&adsRedirect=true
"humidifier, moisten me"
"humidifier, i wish to be moist"
Companies are making things way overcomplicated these days. Who do they think can afford all of these bells and whistles?
Humming along as I type this.
I burn wood for winter heat and that device really helps.
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/vicks-warm-mist-humidifier/ID=prod6387562-product?ext=gooFY23_GOO_RET_RETAILDEMANDGEN_Performance+Max+-+CoughColdFluHeavyUp_REV_SRC_PMAX_PMAX_NA_PMAX_ENG__pla_local&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1p28BhCBARIsADP9HrM_o6wglg02F6Zhq5d7U7sppScmCBEOxW6z7sqEgozRqHYYN_OV8EMaAlAqEALw_wcB
Most humidifier and I love it. And I don’t have to talk to it unless I want to, LOL
• an app
• voice control
• air quality notifications
What you want from a smart humidifier
• you can put the humidity sensor somewhere else in the room
• it only runs when you're home
• a smaller utility bill
https://www.japantrendshop.com/zojirushi-eedd35-nofilter-steam-humidifier-p-8523.html
Here, everything is trying to kill you, even the moisture.
I feel like you might be hard-pressed to find a "smart" humidifier at a brick-and-mortar store.
(tho I replaced the worn fan a couple of times)
But the smart humidifier we just got is 3.5 and won't connect.
🤷♂️😉
https://www.amazon.com/Humidifiers-Essential-Diffuser-Adjustable-360%C2%B0Nozzle-Black/dp/B0DB8DPH8D/ref=sxin_14_sbv_search_btf?content-id=amzn1.sym.7032aefd-3c59-4a1e-aaf4-8d3a944207a4%3Aamzn1.sym.7032aefd-3c59-4a1e-aaf4-8d3a944207a4&crid=21KSQ6ZWKDPK8&cv_ct_cx=humidifier&keywords=humidifier&pd_rd_i=B0DB8DPH8D&pd_rd_r=57e0a917-51e3-44f7-938f-d45a6ec9b0ff&pd_rd_w=TMjTI&pd_rd_wg=ghk12&pf_rd_p=7032aefd-3c59-4a1e-aaf4-8d3a944207a4&pf_rd_r=W00ND7GCY2CBDRXS04BY&qid=1736961594&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=humidifier%2Caps%2C141&sr=1-1-5190daf0-67e3-427c-bea6-c72c1df98776&th=1
Steven Wright