Many people looking for the best humidifier seem to gravitate toward the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier, at least from what we’ve seen in recent months. It was a little surprising since there are many impressive cool-mist humidifiers out there and many of them have a bigger-capacity tank and nicer, more advanced features.
But after spending some quality time with this Pure Enrichment humidifier, I now get it. Living in a semi-arid city in an apartment full of plants, I’ve gone through more than my fair share of humidifiers in the last few years, some of them not much smaller than this one. I’ve also owned at least three travel humidifiers for my trips, as they’re among the best preventative products for cold and flu season. And I can honestly say that despite its minimalist feature set and smaller water tank, this Little Humidifier That Could proved itself as quite the impressive underdog.
This Pure Enrichment ultrasonic humidifier may be small and modest, but it performs better than expected. It’s also inexpensive and takes up less space. There are many reasons why it’s a top seller.
What I liked about it
Simple operation
There’s nothing complicated about the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier. Plug it in and turn it on. That’s it. It has a single power button that functions as the mist speed and the night-light buttons. Changing settings, therefore, requires almost no thought at all. And if I’m being honest, there’s beauty in that.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think I could ever survive the winter without my main humidifier, the Dreo Smart Humidifier HM713S, which I’ve had for almost a year. Not only has it satisfied all my humidifying needs but it comes with a few useful luxuries like a smart home integration and a 6-liter water tank, which has enough water to last more than two days (or more accurately, 58 hours), to which I’ve gotten so attached.
Still, I appreciate the fact I don’t have to do much with the Pure Enrichment humidifier. Because there are only three “customizations” — choosing between low and high mist settings, turning the night-light on or off and adjusting the nozzle — using it is as easy as its setup. It’s as low maintenance as they come.
Performance is not too shabby
The most surprising thing about the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is that it gave the Dreo HM311S Smart Humidifier, aka our best budget humidifier, a run for its money in performance — at least at its low-mist setting. That’s saying something given that the Dreo is a bigger-capacity, more decked-out model.
In the same small bedroom where I tested the Dreo HM311S, the Pure Enrichment humidifier raised the moisture in the air by 2% within 10 minutes and 5% in one hour on low mist, and the humidity level jumped from 46% to 51%. That’s on par with the Dreo’s test results.
Although its high-mist performance isn’t as outstanding, this ultrasonic humidifier still slays considering its size. Running at high mist, it raised the humidity in the room by 4% in only 10 minutes and by roughly 7% to 9% within 60 minutes. That’s while also keeping the noise down at 37 decibels, which is comparable to the noise level of the Dreo HM713S.
That’s not too shabby for a humidifier that’s small enough to fit in a small backpack.
Here’s the caveat, though: Unlike the Dreo HM311S, I wouldn’t rely on this to humidify a bigger room. Its 250-square-foot coverage was apparent in its performance during my tests, taking a bit more time humidifying the space beyond its 10-foot periphery.
Effortless cleaning and maintenance
If you’re too busy (or lazy) to clean your appliances, you and the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier may be a match made in heaven.
That’s not to say you don’t have to clean this unit regularly — I still advise that you follow the EPA’s recommendation to clean your humidifier every three days. Otherwise, you increase the risk of spreading bacteria and other harmful pathogens in your home. However, because it’s so small and portable, it’s not a pain to clean. My biggest gripe with big humidifiers is not only that they are heavier but they seem to have more nooks and crannies — not to mention, surface area — to scrub and wipe.
That wasn’t the case with the Pure Enrichment humidifier. In addition, because the water tank is only 1.7 liters, carrying it while it’s full of water won’t feel like an arm workout. I managed to fill it up in my shallow bathroom sink and carry it back to the “test” room effortlessly.
Yes, you do have to fill it up every day due to its short run time, but at least you won’t feel like you’re in the middle of one of the 12 labors of Hercules while doing it.
What I didn’t like about it
No built-in hygrometer or humidity indicator
The fact the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is stripped down does mean it has some disadvantages. The missing hygrometer means it can’t detect the humidity level in the room and automatically shut off when it hits the ideal level of 40% to 60%.
That may not sound like a big deal, but there’s a real danger of over-humidifying a room, which could lead to moisture issues, mold and bacterial growth, and bad health consequences. So, since there’s no humidity indicator on the unit either, you won’t know if your space is over-humidified unless you invest in a separate hygrometer.
Luckily, hygrometers are usually inexpensive on Amazon. I recommend investing in one if you’re getting this humidifier.
Small-capacity tank
As mentioned, this Pure Enrichment humidifier only has a 1.7-liter water tank, which isn’t much considering there are so many 3-liter and 6-liter options on the market. Based on its water capacity, the manufacturer rates its run time at up to 25 hours, meaning you’ll need to fill it daily.
If that already sounds like an inconvenience to you, here’s another bit of bad news: during my tests, I only managed to get 18 to 20 hours of use when I ran it continuously on low. But that five-hour discrepancy doesn’t make a big difference. It’s not like your plants will die or all the moisture in your space will disappear just because the humidifier stopped at the 20-hour mark and you won’t be home for at least another four hours.
It’s also not uncommon for such appliances to fall slightly below their manufacturer specifications in real-world scenarios.
I mention this because it’s a big factor if you’re already at capacity and don’t have much bandwidth to add another small task to your daily list. But since it is small, filling up that water tank is a piece of cake. But having to do that every day may feel like yet another chore you have to do.
Bottom line
It turns out there’s a reason why the Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is a crowd favorite. Never mind that it’s so easy to set up, use and clean, this ultrasonic humidifier punches above its weight in performance too. It proved during testing to be capable of increasing the amount of humidity in a small room just as effectively as its bigger, more kitted-out rival at its low-mist setting.
Of course, due to its small size and minimalist feature set, the Pure Enrichment humidifier does have limitations, the most glaring of which is that it cannot detect the humidity level in the air and is, therefore, unable to automatically shut off before it over-humidifies a space.
However, if you’re looking for an under-$50 humidifier that’s easy to use and doesn’t take up much space, this will keep the dry air at bay. It’s truly earned its best small humidifier for bedrooms accolade.
Michelle Rae Uy is a writer for CNN Underscored. She handles product testing and best-of updates across multiple verticals. An experienced and passionate traveler based in Los Angeles, she dreams of running her own animal sanctuary and traveling to space one day.
