We’ve reviewed humidifiers before but if you’re looking for something smaller, you might like the DROP humidifier by Crane. You can pretty much find their humidifiers at many retail locations for under $50 so we always assumed it was another throw away item. Boy were we wrong! Hit the jump for my review.
The DROP is a cool mist humidifier meaning it doesn’t boil water to generate steam. It has a 1 gallon capacity tank but spits out 2.1 gallons of mist. Magic! The design is quite simple. Fill the tank with water and turn the dial for a jet of mist to burst out of the 360º nozzle. The mist should shoot straight up and dissipate into the air. If it sort of wilts and falls to the ground, you’ve got the dial turned too high for your environment. Cleaning is a cinch. There are no filters to clean or replace. The entire tank is removable and there are no tiny parts to worry of. Just wipe everything with an equal mixture of vinegar and water. If you notice calcium build up after a couple uses, use distilled water.
A lot of people think humidifiers are just a seasonal thing but the environment inside a home rarely reflects what’s really going on outside. I live in Los Angeles and the Winter/Summer months run havok on my skin and nasal congestion, especially in the evenings. The rise in humidity provides noticeable relief from it all and with the dial only turned halfway; provides more than 24 hours of mist. On a couple of occasions my neglect to turn it off meant nothing because the unit automatically shuts off when low on water. The manual says it can work in a room several hundred square feet so if you’ve got multiple rooms, buy several because they barely use any power at all and are totally whisper quiet. I mean, my refrigerator makes more noise than this.
It is the BEST looking humidifier in this price point. Everything else looks like medical equipment from the 90’s. It’s entirely made of plastic but the smooth surfaces and bright colors make it fit in with the modern design aesthetic. It’s not garish and doesn’t clash at all. In fact, it’s becomes quite a center piece on my sofa table.
What we loved:
- Simple modernist design
- Easy to assemble, just 3 pieces
- Small capacity tank, large capacity results
- 360º nozzle makes it easy to point the mist where you want
- Simple one-touch dial operation
- Beautiful colors to choose from (green, orange, white, pink)
- Retails for under $50 ($44 on Amazon)
What could be improved:
- We would love to see it in black or silver
Designer: Crane (Buy it here)
