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Get Misty for MeHumidifiers to help you through the winter.

By Laura MoserPosted Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at 7:25 AM ET

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Vornado Model 40 Home Humidifier, $79.99
This evaporative cool-mist humidifier looks straight out of a Soviet hospital. If you can get past its grim appearance and flimsy-seeming construction, though, you'll find much to admire in this manual-dial unit. It quickly increased the humidity of my apartment, and cleaning was a breeze. I wouldn't have minded a digital screen to control fan speed and moisture outlet, or an automatic shut-off function, or some indicator that the water tanks have emptied, but none of these deficiencies were deal-breakers. What I couldn't get past was the bad design. The two water tanks flanking the sides of the appliance are tricky to fill, and their narrow spouts made refilling more arduous than usual.

Performance: 7
Maintenance: 7
Feng Shui factor: 0
Total: 14

Air-O-Swiss AOS 7142, $179.99
Hands-down the handsomest machine I tested, this cool silver and black ultrasonic humidifier looks more like a high-end stereo than a drab household appliance. The control panel features a timer, a digital humidistat, a mist-output regulator, an automatic shut-off/sleep feature, and flashing indicators when it's time to refill or clean the machine. This almost-silent humidifier also has a cool two-part rotating spout that shoots the mist in multiple directions, for an excellent Laser Floyd effect. The vertical shape is also convenient.

But for all its fancy flourishes, the Air-O-Swiss did have its problems. Assembly was a little arduous. Like the other ultrasonic model I tested, the mist left sheets damp, and even on high, it didn't increase the room's humidity as quickly as other models. And while I admire the manufacturer's eagerness to tackle the microdust issue, maintaining this humidifier seems quite the costly enterprise. Owners are encouraged to clean the base with EZCal, a proprietary de-scaling agent ($9.99 for three packets), and to replace the demineralization cartridge ($14.99) every two or three months, and the Ionic Silver Stick ($29.99) once a year.

Performance: 6
Maintenance: 6
Feng Shui factor: 5
Total: 17

Germ Guardian Manual Ultrasonic Humidifier, $149.99
The Germ Guardian has winning graphics on the control panel: a snowflake for cool mist, a fire for warm (though "warm" was a major overstatement—I couldn't distinguish this mist from the cool), a moon for sleep, and a water droplet for humidity control. This machine is extremely compact, and the water tank lasts longer than 24 hours at normal operation. Its cleaning instructions are suspiciously straightforward, too, with no hidden costs. And I saw no evidence of the scary "microdust" that these ultrasonic models have been reputed to spew. The main problem with this machine is its range. While perfect in my cozy bedroom, it made little impact on the humidity level of my larger living room.

Performance: 5
Maintenance: 9
Feng Shui factor: 3
Total: 17

Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier, $79.99 (on sale for $50.34)
I still hold the same general reservations about these vaporizing models—the fire hazard, the mugginess—but this model trounced the other warm-mist humidifier I tested. It's commendably quiet and compact, with the same smart vertical design that made the other Honeywell humidifier stand out. This humidifier comes equipped with "mineral absorption pads" that make a daily scouring unnecessary. Its digital operating screen offers plenty of choices: three moisture levels, an auto-regulating humidistat (beware the wildly inaccurate readings), and a refill/clean indicator. Unlike my experience with the other Honeywell, I've experienced zero leakage problems to date, and for extra credit, the water tank fit nicely in my kitchen sink.

Performance: 7
Maintenance: 7
Feng Shui factor: 3.5
Total: 17.5

Kenmore 8 Gallon Humidifier, $99.99 (on sale for $89.99)
This evaporative cool-mist humidifier is an unbelievable value. No, it's not the foxiest unit, but it's not hideous, either. And it certainly does work. The "double-fill" water tank is brilliant: The first time you fill the 1.2-gallon tank, the water empties into the machine. You then immediately refill it, and the water remains there until the first batch has evaporated—a neat trick that cuts in half the number of times you have to stop life to schlep back and forth from the bathtub. Other features reflect this emphasis on efficiency. Next to the super-basic digital screen—which offered the most accurate numerical readings of any humidifier I tested—are just three buttons: off/on, fan speed, and desired humidity level.

Further benefits: It shuts off when the room has reached the target humidity level; it tells you when to refill the tank and when to change the filter. In addition to the three fan speeds, an automatic function brings the air to the desired humidity level as quickly as possible, if you're willing to put up with an occasionally jarring soundtrack. On the Sears Web site, customers' main complaints about this humidifier involve the perpetual unavailability of replacement filters. While Sears does have a real problem stocking these filters, I found several off-brand versions online.

Perhaps most important of all: This humidifier did the best job of making my Sahara-like apartment livable again. With its help, I'm sleeping soundly—and sans ChapStick for a change.

Performance: 9
Maintenance: 8
Feng Shui factor: 3
Total: 20