Crane USA Filter-Free Cool Mist Humidifiers for Kids, Elephant

We did a lot of research about humidifiers for our baby room and I thought we would end up with a really fancy, really expensive steam humidifier, and then saw that this Crane humidifier ranked very high in Consumer Reports. To be honest we didn't know quite what to think of a humidifier that is shaped like an elephant (or a penguin, or whatever other shapes the Crane one comes in); it looks more like a gadget than a serious appliance. But for the price I thought we might as well take the risk.The elephant has been blowing 'ultrasonic mist' (I still don't know what it is) in our son's room for a month now and it works great. Apart from some bubbling sounds (which are actually quite soothing) the thing makes no noise, and at the setting we have it on it only needs refilling about every third night. It needs a weekly cleaning but other than that is really easy in its operation, and our son loves the look of it (and the fact that it blows water/mist out of its trunk of course).When it's empty it shuts off and the green LED turns to red, which I thought would be pretty straightforward a feature but then I read all these reviews about other humidifiers that do not shut off automatically and set the house on fire, so I no longer take that feature for granted.Overall, a great fun product for the baby room and does a really good humidifying job.

HOLY MOLY I LOVE THIS HUMIDIFIER!!!The Pros:-HUGE Basin: the one gallon fill capacity means when running on HIGH all night- I can usually get 2 nights out of it.-Adjustable humidity is GREAT and you can really pump it up if you need too-QUIET! I can barely hear it run and it has this nice 'White Noise' effect.- So Darn Cute!!!The Cons-I spill atleast a little water every time I refill it- usually no more than a splash or two- but bothersome enough to keep a towel near by at all times.- the handle that is provided on the top of the water container you can't use if its filled- its pretty big and takes up a surprising amount of room.

The manufacturer should issue a warning that it is ill-advised to use this without distilled water.I was originally very pleased until the white dust started appearing that subsequently became a substantial problem. I assume that it is everywhere but noticed it particularly on my electronics and glasses. I can't see out of my glasses after a day without cleaning the dust off. All of my electronics is coated with the stuff. I assumed that a filter would be included but it is not. I tried to order a filter. However, after struggling for half an hour, increasing the order quantity to three filters, and working with Amazon customer service I found that there is no way to order until I order something else besides the filter. After reading more about the filter I found that the dissatisfaction rate is high and that they don't work at least half the time. I think I'll now start using distilled water and see if that solves the problem.

A couple of weeks after I bought this, it began leaking a lot from underneath the lid (the cute elephant trunk and face part). I contacted Crane and they sent me a replacement lid. It continued to leak and make a mess on the floor below. Also, the motor started making a whirring sound. I can't return it to Amazon since the 30 day return expired, so I will have to contact Crane again to see what options I have.I will probably look for a different brand of humidifier the next time around.Pros:Looks goodGenerated good amount of mistEasy to operate

This is the third of the Crane humidifiers I bought. We also have a penguin and a duck. The first one we've had for at least 6 years, and when my second child was born 5 years ago, I bought another one without a reservation. The duck finally broke a couple of weeks ago, when my husband dropped the tank onto tile floor, so I got the elephant (per the kids' request).I'm somewhat disappointed with it. It is quieter than the older ones, but it has a strong smell of plastic, which filled my daughter's room during her last cold, even on the 2nd night. I tried rinsing it with a mixture of water and vinegar, but the smell didn't go away. I didn't have this problem with the original humidifiers we had - I just plugged them in, and they were great. I'm hoping that the stink will go away after some more use.When I was buying the 1st of our Crane humidifiers, I remember many people complaining that everything around their humidifier was soaking wet. But if you use it per manufacturing instructions, this would not happen. It supposed to be turned on only so much that the vapor goes straight up. If you over-crank it, the vapor will fall down and you'll end up with dampness everywhere. I have never had this problem, since we always check that the vapor goes only up.

I ordered this b/c I had one for my kids previously before our house fire..great product! However, either this one was defective or its because of the seller that it came from. The elephants trunk area/face (top portion of unit) looked yellowish brown in large areas & the underside was very dirty! I bet the one that was in my house fire looks better than this one! I did not return it b/c my baby is very sick and I needed it now. I scrubbed that part, the dirt came off the bottom, but the discolored part stayed. Returning it is too much of a pain, but I will try my best to get a replacement part. I hate to have to pay those prices for a NEW product that looks 20 years old!!! Maybe not a good seller.