These days, at least here in Chicago, it feels like I can’t catch a dang break when it comes to the dry air. And not to sound like an old, but it seems to get worse every year; this winter, I haven’t been able to stop coughing unless I’m mainlining water, taking a shower, or wetting ye ol’ whistle like I’m drinking martinis with Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street. I’m also coming off a hella long stint of being sick. I had the flu before Christmas, and if you’ve had the flu recently, you know that this year’s variant is accompanied by roughly four weeks (or in some cases, more) of persistent coughing that you can do nothing about.
At one point, after a couple weeks of dry air and coughing hell, my fiancée asked if we should be using a humidifier. I was ambivalent, because I’d never used one before (I didn’t have one of those childhoods with parents who “took care” of me like that), so we started looking into different models and their pros and cons. These days, especially because of my job as a shopping writer, I’m especially partial to products with lesser-seen or unique features, and that’s why an app-driven smart humidifier capable of both hot and cold mist (and sporting a “plant mode”) caught my eye. Thus, we wound up with the Levoit LV600S smart humidifier, which has been a game-changer for my indoor climate control. Here’s how it works, what makes this device so helpful, and what it’s done for me.
Videos by VICE
What’s cool about the LV600S humidifier
First, let’s go over the specs: I was drawn to the LV600S because it claimed to have a generous 753 square feet of coverage, and a six-liter water tank; it also boasted 50 hours of runtime, which was exciting because I’m immediately inclined to hate anything that requires me to refill it constantly (except my cat). The LV600S is also capable of producing both warm and cool mist, and using the app, you can check the current humidity in your space and to set timers and change your humidification schedule.
As far as design, it’s rather basic, but does look pretty attractive as far as boxes of water go, thanks to its minimalist white construction and ultra simple screen—it seems like what I imagine a humidifier made by Apple could look like. A display shows the humidity level in the room, as well as the timer function, while buttons include designations for cool mist, warm mist, and sleep mode.
I was worried that getting a humidifier would either visually or audibly change the environment of my apartment, but it did not at all. In fact, in addition to the chill look and the aforementioned humidity options, this model has some pretty excellent features. Within the machine’s base is an “Aroma Box,” where you can add essential oils to be diffused (I haven’t used this yet, but am partial to lavender). Also included in the app is a “Plant Mode,” which focuses on hydrating your plants through “custom plant management.” My fiancée takes care of over 50 plants in our apartment, and currently has the living room humidifier nestled within a grouping of them, making our dining room look like a freaking greenhouse or something—I can’t imagine a better endorsement than that.
Pros and cons of the LV600s (from my experience)
Using the LV600S is extremely easy. While the app is a nice amenity to have, it doesn’t feel necessary for most everyday use since the device itself already has a real “set it and forget it” vibe. The control panel is intuitive but high-tech, and you can quickly jump around between the different modes and simply press a single button to change the humidity level in your room. The water reservoir has a top-fill design and a handle that makes refilling it quick and spill-free. (Still, I find having to refill the tank every day or two to be annoying, but that’s probably more my problem than the machine’s—and this is a common usage demand of most humidifiers.)
The “hybrid mist” is a huge point of appeal. What’s especially neat is that while the ejection of warm mist is audible (it’s actually comforting, in a white noise way), the regular cool mist is extremely quiet, and a “sleep mode” makes things even quieter, so you likely won’t notice the humidifier at all if you don’t want to, making it an easy upgrade to your apartment or house that integrates without disruption. To give a sense of how quickly and efficiently this humidifier works, while writing this article, I turned it on about 20 minutes ago, and the humidity in the room was 41%; now, it’s 66%, due to the cozy, warm haze shooting out of the top of this wonderful device.
Also, this is anecdotal, but I was definitely coughing significantly less after we started using it. Now, I’m no doctor, so I can’t say with authority that my cough changed exclusively because of the humidifier or whether it was the passing of time and my body simply recovering from the last dredges of my illness, but either way, it seemed to me like the humidifier helped. On that note, we even bought a second device so we could have one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which is at the other end of the apartment. If complaining about it being dry and coughing all the time didn’t already spiritually turn me into my grandmother, making a super bougie choice to own two smart humidifiers definitely has. (Plus, watching Columbo every night and drinking martinis doesn’t hurt.)
TL;DR: The Levoit LV600S is an excellent smart humidifier that’s easy to program, dependable throughout the day and night, and only a minimal inconvenience to refill. It doesn’t leak or make weird noises, and the humidity in my apartment did empirically change. I appreciate the app, but didn’t find it necessary to use, though some people might if they want to unlock features like the Plant Mode. All in all, the LV600S has really helped me tolerate this dry-ass winter. Yes, I’ll still be slamming martinis like Matthew McConaughey until temperatures rise above 50 degrees, but I’ll be doing it in an apartment with the ideal indoor relative humidity.
Buy the Levoit LV600S smart humidifier here.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.
