Vicks V4500 FilterFree Humidifier

Okay,So I almost did not buy this unit because of the reviews, but I am so glad that I did. I have had it for about a month now and it is absolutely amazing.Con: The only con is that it is a little loud, but to be honest its a constant noise so its almost like white noise at night that is easy to tune out.Pros:1) no filters and its cool mist, amazing!2) easy to clean. I am a college student in Atlanta and I clean my unit with white vinegar and bleach once every two weeks. We dont have the greatest water quality in the city, but cleaning the unit is a breeze. It takes me 30 minutes every two weeks3) the humidstat on it is really nice because it automatically shuts off when it reaches the desired humidity level4) the three power settings are nice because it controls the amount of cool mist coming out, I usually leave mine on low and that is plenty sufficient.So overall I would SO recommend that you buy this product if you are looking for a cool mist humidifier because you will not regret it!

I purchased the Vicks 4500 on 3/27/11. It was 3 days late arriving based on the confirmation e-mail, so I was disappointed with that. ***Although purchased on Amazon.com, it was not shipped through Amazon*** In the past month I have been pleased with my Vicks product. It is not as quiet as I hoped, but not a problem. I compared it to the ultra quiet Vicks 745A, the highly rated Warm Mist unit. I used that model during the winter months and the two CAN'T be compared. I have gotten use to the difference in the level of sound between the two units and the low setting is fine at night in my bedroom, while medium is used during the day in the larger family room. The humidity is greatly improved and I am not suffering with nose bleeds or painful dryness in my nose. The hum on the low setting is really not that annoying--it is actually a little soothing at night. I live in a hard water area so I only use filtered water from the PUR water system. I have not had a problem with either mineral dust on furniture/floor as others have described, nor with scaly build up in/on the unit. The manual is very useful if you follow the cleaning instructions to the letter. I found I missed one step in the cleaning process when I failed to REMOVE the water pick up tube from the bottom of the motor housing to soak it weekly in vinegar for 5 minutes. The unit would only work on the highest humidistat setting if that step is missed. I was ready to ship the V4500 back, but reread the manual instead and tried what I read. I also found that it helps to allow the unit to dry out after 2-3 days when it is used 24/7 as I use it. It only needs 2-3 hours. So when I take it apart to rinse it or clean it with vinegar, I allow it to dry out before setting it up for use again. When I don't do this I have the same problem with the humidistat as described above. I love the large opening in the bottom of the water tank making it so easy to clean the inside of the tank. The V745A is missing that feature to clean it well. Overall, I am happy with my V4500. The selling price through Amazon was less than the Walmart price also.

Works so well I'm buying another one today, I read some of the negative reviews that show how some people don't read instructions. Yes it's a little noisy, we have no issues watching TV with it in the room or sleeping, makes less noise than a fan, makes a very soothing noise and my respiratory system is happy.You need to clean it at least every couple of weeks if you don't want to deal with mold, read the instructions. It works very well as long as you're not a lazy user with sensitive ears, and do your part at not just filling it up but also cleaning it. Some of the complains remind me of people that buy cars thinking that the only maintenance required is adding gas.

Well darn, I got this one to replace another one I had which I did not like because it needed replacement filters every-other-week. This built up at $7 a pop.And I thought that this one would be less maintenance (being a working mother of three, I do not have a lot of time). I was wrong. So, every morning I take it apart to let it dry and put it back together again in the evening. So there is more maintenance involved though I do have that down to a science now.I do the vinegar handling every-other-week and also wipe down the interior at that time as well. So, while it is less expensive (no filter and all), it requires a lot of work!I was using tap water, which the instructions say you should not do (big mistake, but Salt Lake City does have some of the best tap water in the US :-) ) and it put a film all over my bedroom. So, I finally got my water filtration system fixed and started using that. No film and it stays cleaner.However, I still need to take it apart each morning.That said, I do love the humidifier. It really does help with my sleep at night. Living in Utah it is easy for ones' skin to dry out fast. When I use the humidifier I feel a difference in my skin and in my breathing. I also love using the scent pads.So, overall it's a good product, just a lot of maintenance.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS THING! I have had 4 of these things. The humidistat never worked on any of them. I bought the first one, which mystetiously stopped working after a few months. Except for the dust and the humidistat, I liked it; so, I bought the second one from Amazon because I did not want the hassle of sending it back. This one conked out also. I sent them both back and got 2 new ones. The third one conked out, and now I have to slap the fourth one to get it to work. The directions say that there is a temperature-limiting fuse which will trip and shut off the motor. How does a simple fan motor overheat when it is running in cold water? In any case the thermistor should reset itself or at least be resettable by the consumer. This is a very simple device: it is a fan and a water tank. Why did Procter & Gamble Company add all sorts of unnecessary electronic crap which just prevents this thing from working? Why doesn't the company change the electronics. How stupid are they?