Vicks Filter Free Review - BabyGearLab

Most people are familiar with the traditional Vick's Vapor Rub that came on the scene about 30 years after the company started in 1890. Vick's continued this trend with other health and wellness products, including throat drops, cough medicine, and the ever-popular NyQuil. Vick's also makes thermometers, vaporizers, humidifiers, and steam inhalers. Helen of Troy Limited, a consumer products group that includes OXO®, Hydro Flask®, Vicks®, Braun®, Honeywell®, PUR®, and Hot Tools®, owns Vicks.

Ease of Cleaning

The Vick's regular cleaning and maintenance are relatively involved. According to manufacturer instructions, you'll need to clean the tank and components with vinegar regularly with routine bleach soaking to remove trace mold or bacteria not removed during the vinegar process. While not difficult, the tank and base do have some small spaces that are challenging to reach and clean thoroughly.

The Vicks has few parts and the manual outlines cleaning instructions that are not too complicated. Credit: Abriah Wofford The base of the Vicks may require a smaller straw style brush or toothbrush to keep the sonic plate and nooks clean. Credit: Abriah Wofford Previous Next

The opening of the tank is more substantial than some of the competition, and smaller hands will fit inside. It is still easiest to clean using a bottle brush, and you'll need the brush to reach the bottom of the mist tube.

Effectiveness

While the Vick's has a slightly higher capacity than some of the competition, it has less ability to provide adequate or prompt humidification for the room. Our tests indicate that from the get-go, it doesn't generate as much humidity as the competition, and this trend only gets worse over time, with the disparity between products growing exponentially over time. At the end of 60 minutes, this unit had created a less humid room than the majority of the competition. This lack of humidity means it may not meet your needs, whether they are related to the crib area or the entire room.

Also, this unit creates a significant amount of white dust, and while it is nice not to worry about a filter to replace, you'll want to use distilled water in this unit to avoid excessive white dust.

Noise

This unit generates the highest level of noise in the group with decibel readings over 46. there is a lot of dripping sounds and it doesn't sound like a white noise maker like some of the competition. If constant or random noises might keep you or your baby awake, then this is likely a poor choice for your family. We aren't sure why the sound is so high in comparison to the competition or previous test models from Vick's but repeated testing showed the same results.

Ease of Use

The Vick's has a simple single-dial operation, but the lack of adjustable features could be a bummer depending on your goals. The variable output dial is easy to use and can be adjusted to increase or decrease its output as desired. However, the lack of humidity control or programmability means you'll need to keep a watchful eye on the unit to keep your humidity levels under control.

This unit is easy enough to fill, and the tank stands on its own in the sink, which is a plus and not common in this group. The tank has a carry handle and is relatively lightweight. The opening is large enough for filling, but you can't refill the reservoir without removing it, which isn't as user-friendly as filling it in place while your baby continues to sleep peacefully.

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