Best Crane Humidifier
It can be challenging to achieve the right humidity levels at home which, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), should be between 43 and 60 percent. They believe that this is the optimum percentage range to help fight the symptoms of allergies and bacteria while maintaining enough moisture in the atmosphere to help our skin, lungs, and nasal passages.
One of the leaders in the home humidifier industry is Crane USA, which has grown since it started with a handful of designs in 2005 to now be recognized as one of the major manufacturers of quality humidifiers.
Which Crane, though, is the best? Crane has over 20 humidifier products, so selecting the best humidifier for you and your family could be confusing. We’ve managed to boil that number down to our favorite 4 Crane humidifiers, to help you make the right choice.
- 1-gallon water tank
- Whisper-quiet operation
- 500 sq ft coverage
- 24-hour runtime
- 1-year warranty
- 1.2-gallon reservoir
- Sensor-touch LCD
- Timer and ionizing functions
- 500 sq ft coverage
- 1-year warranty
- 0.5-gallon tank
- 500 sq ft coverage
- 15-hour runtime
- 360-degree mist nozzle
- 1-year warranty
- 24-hour runtime
- Comes in many fun characters
- Whisper-quiet
- Reduces mold and bacteria growth
- 1-year warranty
Of all the Crane humidifiers available, this is the undisputed heavyweight champion when it comes to sales figures on Amazon, and it makes it our HowToHome pick.
With a 1-gallon tank and a 24-hour runtime, this Crane ultrasonic humidifier is the ideal candidate for the bedroom or the nursery. It’s whisper-quiet and has a 500 sq. ft. coverage, so if you wanted to place it in a larger room, it would cope admirably.
It has clean control to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria, it has a 360-degree lid that enables you to target the mist where it is needed and also an auto shut-off feature that engages when the tank runs dry. Plus, it has no filter, so there won’t be any added costs for the ongoing price of replacement filters.
On the downside, some have expressed concerns about the runtime of 24 hours, stating that at best they get 8 to 10 hours maximum, although that could be because the room capacity requires a humidifier more suited to large spaces.
Pros
- Whisper-quiet
- Great room coverage
- 1-gallon tank
- Auto shut-off
- 24-hour runtime
Cons
- Makes the area around it very wet
- Some have struggled to get the maximum runtime
This digital humidifier of the cool and warm mist variety offers output levels that are far higher than the Ultrasonic Cool Mist type, producing 2.5 gallons of moisture per day. With a 55-hour runtime, you can set this model and not worry for days. This Crane humidifier also benefits from a sensor-touch LCD which is easy to read, and it has a timer so you can set it and walk away. Also, Crane has developed a clean control, an antimicrobial protection system that has silver particles embedded into the body of the humidifier to prevent the spread of mold, bacteria, and viruses. Like the Ultrasonic Cool Mist, this model doesn’t require a filter, and it also has a room coverage of 500 sq ft.
The advantage of a warm and cool mist humidifier is you can choose between the two that depending on the environment and temperature. Warm mist humidifiers are great at helping to warm our homes, which decreases the need to put the heating on and reduces our heating bills, while the cool mist function does the opposite and decreases the ambient temperature in the room. Both of these features make this model a great choice for a summer/winter humidifier.
On the downside, the LCD is pretty bright and cannot be adjusted, so it is likely to keep you awake at night. Also, while Crane claims this model is whisper-quiet, many have complained that it is too noisy to leave running overnight. The build quality has also been called into question, with the reservoir handle breaking too easily to make getting the water tank out a difficult task.
Pros
- Timer and digital display
- Cool and warm mist options
- 2.5-gallon output
- 1.2-gallon water tank
- 360-degree nozzle
Cons
- Noisy
- Bright digital display makes night time use difficult
- Build quality issues
This humidifier may have a smaller 0.5-gallon tank, but Crane claims that the room coverage is equal to that of the Digital Warm and Cool Mist model at 500 sq. ft. It is also great for the bedroom or nursery because, like the Ultrasonic Cool Mist model, it’s whisper quiet with a runtime on the lowest setting of 15-hours.
Like the others featured, this model requires no filter, so there’s no need to budget for ongoing costs, and it benefits from the Crane antimicrobial materials to help prevent the growth of mold and bacteria to keep delivering clean, virus-free mist. This model retails at considerably less than some Crane humidifiers featured, which makes it a natural choice to be our budget pick.
On the downside, because of the shape of the water tank, refilling it can be a challenge, requiring both hands to hold it steady as it doesn’t sit in the sink unaided. Furthermore, getting into the hard to reach spaces of this humidifier to give it a thorough clean is not easy.
Pros
- Cheaper than most
- Compact and quiet
- Great room coverage
- No ongoing filter replacement costs
- Antimicrobial technology
Cons
- Hard to fill the water tank
- Hard to clean
There is no denying that these fun character humidifiers are unique and quirky, making them an ideal baby shower gift. Aimed purely at the young end of the market, this is a great humidifier for babies and kids. The model featured is called Elliot the Elephant, but if elephants aren’t your thing, then you could try a monkey, a train, or a hippo. In fact, there are 16 characters to choose from, so no one should be disappointed.
It comes with a 1-gallon water tank, and will run whisper-quiet for up to 24 hours. Similar to the adult varieties, this humidifier needs no filters and will operate effectively in a room up to 500 sq ft, which means that beneath the cartoonish facade lurks a serious humidifier that will add moisture to the atmosphere just as well as any other model. This model also has an auto shut-off feature and antimicrobial materials to reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria.
The fun designs, though, make cleaning this model difficult. It also seems there is an issue with leakage, with many reporting that they woke to find pools of water around the base of the humidifier.
Pros
- Appealing to children
- Many characters to choose from
- Great room coverage
- 1-gallon water tank
Cons
- Awkward to get clean
- Leakage problems
- Build quality issues
Comparison Chart
| Ultrasonic Cool Mist | Digital Warm and Cool Mist | Filter-Free Droplet Cool Mist | Kids Cool Mist Character Humidifier | |
| Tank capacity | 1-gallon | 1.2-gallons | 0.5-gallon | 1-gallon |
| Runtime | 24-hour | 55-hour | 15-hour | 24-hour |
| Type | Cool mist | Cool and warm mist | Cool mist | Cool mist |
| Manual controls | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | $$ | $$$ | $ | $$ |
| Weight (lbs) | 4.5 | 6.8 | 2.25 | 5.25 |
| Dimensions | 8.6 x 13.4 x 8.6 | 11.4 x 13.5 x 7.5 | 8.4 x 8.4 x 10 | 9 x 12.8 x 9 |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year |
Final Thoughts
Deciding on which humidifier is right for you comes down to budget and type; you might like the option of switching between cool and warm mist, in which case the Digital Warm and Cool Mist humidifier will be your first choice. It has a timer, a long runtime, and digital controls to enable you to choose between the two.
You might prefer a cool mist model, though, like the Ultrasonic Cool Mist that uses ultrasonic technology to disperse the vapor in near silence, making it the ideal choice for the bedroom or nursery. If the budget is your main priority, then look no further than the Filter-Free Droplet Cool Mist humidifier. It offers a smaller tank capacity, but the room coverage is not diminished, and it has a decent 15-hour runtime.
Whatever the model, you can be sure that there is a Crane humidifier to suit your needs and budget.
