Katie Golde: Hey, guys. It's Katie from Mattress Clarity and today I'm reviewing the Vicks
Starry Night Cool Mist Humidifier. This humidifier has got a cool extra feature going on. It's
a really awesome night light that projects a starry night sky under your child's ceiling.
This humidifier is great for a child's room but will also work for an adult's room too.
We're going to talk a ton about all the features. How to use it and of course, how to care for
it. Because cleaning your humidifier is super important, especially if it's in a kid's room.
If you're ready stick around because the review is about to start right now.
[music]
Katie: At Mattress Clarity we're all about humidifiers. I like to call us Team Humidifier.
That's because humidifiers add moisture to the air and when you have that moist air it's
breaking up nasal congestion, it's keeping you from having a sore scratchy throat, a
dry cough, or something that's going to wake you up during the night.
Humidifiers will really help you sleep longer. That's the reason why we love them. I personally
have three in all of my kid's rooms. We got a lot going on at our house. We're all about
the humidifier.
This one is a big hit. This is the Vicks Starry Night Humidifier. That's because it's doing
two cool things. First of all, it's adding moisture to your room because it's a humidifier,
but it's also got this fancy light projector that projects a starry night on to your ceiling.
There are going to be those two different features going on, but let's talk about the
details of the humidifier.
The humidifier itself is good for medium-size rooms. Think 250 to 400 square feet. That's
a good-sized child's room. It could probably go for a little bit bigger rooms as well.
The gallon tank holds one gallon of water. Of course, cool water. I would suggest distilled
water if possible because you don't want extra minerals being evaporated into the air. Although,
the wicking filter inside, which I'll talk more about, will absorb a little bit. Distilled
water if you can do it.
It will run up to 22 to 24 hours on the low setting. There's two different settings with
your humidifier. There's Max mode and Sleep mode. Max mode is a maximum amount of moisture
that the machine, the humidifier can add to your room.
It has a little bit of a louder sound to it, more of a white noise, which might be beneficial
for some parents if their kids are used to white noise. Otherwise, it can be more of
a disturbance. There's also sleep mode. This mode is a lot quieter, it's emitting less
moisture into the air, but enough to keep the room consistently moisturized.
You don't have to worry. Sleep mode is a nice option as well because you can use your humidifier
for up to 24 hours without needing to replace the water. It does allow it to be used a little
bit longer without having to change it.
The mist itself is cool mist, which is, again, good for children's rooms because you don't
want scalding hot water anywhere near them, especially if they're unattended. Cool mist
is beneficial in that sense, but this is invisible mist.
You're not actually going to see any cool mist coming out of this machine, but there
are vents in the front, and that's where that air is actually coming out. You want to make
sure that that vent is pointing not towards the wall or anything, but out into the room,
so that air can be moisturized.
I will also mention that there's a scent slot inside the humidifier. This is for vapor pads,
VapoPads. Vicks makes these little scented pads that you can put into your humidifiers.
Ours came with a free sample, but otherwise, you have to buy them individually.
Follow the instructions. You're not supposed to touch them. They're very concentrated and
strong. If you're going to go for it, just make sure you follow those directions.
All right, this machine comes in two different colors -- pink and blue. Obviously, we got
the blue one right here. At full price, it's $59.99 for this machine. You do have to factor
in the extra cost of replacement filters. There's a wicking filter inside this humidifier.
This is what helps add the moisture into the air.
You have to flip it over once or twice, depending on how many nights of the week you're using
it. You also have to keep an eye on it because you're going to have to replace it completely
every 30 to 60 days. The harder your water is, the more minerals it is, the more discolored
you're going to see your filter become.
You're going to also definitely need to replace it more quickly if that's the case. Another
reason why I highly recommend using distilled water. Just know that those are going to be
the added costs. Full price, otherwise, you're paying around $60 for this humidifier.
Let's talk about how to actually use the Vicks Starry Night Humidifier. Now keeping in mind,
this is probably going to go in your child's room. You're going to want to place it 6 to
12 inches away from any wall. Somewhere towards, not the center of your room, but just away
from walls because remember this is going to be adding extra moisture into the air.
Now, you do want it to be on the flat, firm, and waterproof surface. You may have to put
a towel underneath it if you're going to put it on top of your dresser or a nightstand.
You do want it to be elevated if possible. If you think about it, the humidifier has
the vents towards the bottom of the machine.
If it's going to be on the floor, it's going to be hitting the bottom of the floor first
before rising up. Then you're not going to get the best air promotion or the best air
circulation. If possible, put it on top of a dresser, a nightstand, or a desk. Please
put a towel underneath it because there are some waterproofing issues with this machine,
which we're going to go over later.
We got all of that. Now, you're going to take the machine and use the handle to lift off
that water tank. Then put that aside. We're going to deal with that second. What you're
going to see inside the base is a dry wicking filter. That needs to be soaked in cool water,
flattened out because it comes circular. You're going to flatten it out.
Then place it in that filter tray that's also in the base of the humidifier. It is removable,
so you can pull that out, put it in, and then put all of that back in.
Now is also a time if you want to add one of those little vapo scents to it. Add some
Eucalyptus to your room or whatever nice extra scent you want. They do have the little VapoPads.
You can buy them separately. Mine did come with a sample. You could put that in the little
scent slot right near the switches inside the base.
Once you've done that, it's time to go back to the water tank, turn it over. You're going
to see that big tank cap. Now, unscrew that counterclockwise, fill it with cool water.
If you can use distilled water, I'd highly recommend that. That's preferable because
there's no minerals that are going to get into the filter or into the air. Definitely,
do distilled water if possible.
Then close that tank cap. You're going to turn it over. Using the handle, place it right
back on top of the base. It should fit beautifully. OK, so you're going to want to plug in the
humidifier. Then you can activate the switches. You're going to see two different switches.
On the left-hand side, you're going to see one for the projector. On the right, you're
going to see the one for the humidifier.
The projector basically just has on or off. The colors of the starry night sky are going
to appear. They're going to rotate different colors. You can't set one color. You can't
turn it off. Once it's on, it's on.
For the humidifier, you have two different options. You've got a max option which the
sound is a little bit louder -- it's adding the most moisture to the air -- and then the
sleep mode. It's quieter, less moisture but consistent. That's why they usually suggest
it for sleep mode or overnight. Once you've set your settings, you can just relax and
enjoy your beautiful humidifier.
Let's talk about the pros of the Vicks Starry Night Humidifier. First of all, humidifiers
in general are a giant pro because they add moisture to the air, which is awesome, especially
for kids with their tiny little nasal passages, they need moist air to help them sleep. We
all know that a well-slept child is a happy child. Way to go Team Humidifier.
Of course, that's a pro in general. Also, this one in particular, it's so fun because
it's got that starry night projection. I know my four-year-old son loves it. He loves having
that night light at night. He loves to look up and see the colors change. Of course, it's
super fun for a kid's room. It can also work in an adult room if you need the humidifier,
yourself.
I also say that it's on the more affordable end for humidifiers. That's because it has
a filter. Again, to factor in that extra cost later on, but at full price it is $60. If
you're looking for a filter-free version, Vicks does make them. You can go to mattressclarity.com
and look for my review of the Vicks Filter-Free Cool Mist Humidifier.
This one does require a filter, so plan ahead to have extra ones to make sure you rotate
them, but it does bring down the cost a little bit. We've established that it's a super cute
humidifier and great for kids to add moisture to their room, but there are some considerations
I need to think about including one, big, giant designer flaw that I feel I have to
tell you about.
That has to do with the wicking filter and the filter tray. If you think back to the
earlier video where I showed you how to use it, you are going to soak the wicking filter
and place it in the filter tray, which then you will put both of those things into the
base of your humidifier.
That's an important step you don't want to miss it, but what happens is that gravity
pulls the wire down from the wicking filter into the filter tray. That filter tray then
fills up and overflows.
Especially if you're going to pick the humidifier up after you've done that step and place it
your child's room, any sort of movement splashes that tray. The water then goes to the bottom
of the base. There's a tiny hole for it to drain, but it's going to drain all over you,
all over the floor, all over your dresser, all over wherever you're placing your humidifier.
I would hate for you to walk into your child's room in the morning and see your dresser or
their dresser soaked with water. That would be truly heartbreaking. Plan to have a towel,
place it underneath, and just know that if there's any movement, any sloshing. That water
is going to go over that tray and come out the bottom of your humidifier.
I had to learn this the hard way. I'm passing this message on to you. Be advised. There's
a couple things I'd like to see you think about as well. First of all, the projector
is cool. It changes different colors, but I do wish that you could stop it at one color
if you like, not a super bright color so you make the night light a little dimmer.
I wish that there was a shut-off timer so you could have the night light going for maybe
like 10 minutes while your child falls asleep. Then after they are asleep, you can turn off
the light.
Neither of those features exist. Once the night light is on, it's on unless you come
in and mainly turn it off in your child's room which, of course, means risking waking
them up. That's up to you.
There's another thing with lights as well. There's a blue light at the bottom of the
humidifier that is on when you have the humidifier on. That light is bright when your room is
completely dark. Because it's in the same place as your vent, you can't turn it away
from you. You can't turn it towards the wall to block out the light because then the mist
is coming out and hitting a wall.
Blue light just seems completely unavoidable. It's rather too large to block. I feel like
I just had to deal with it. It was super disturbing for me. Not a big fan of that extra blue light
going on as well.
There's also a couple things with the ventilation itself. In other humidifiers, including Vicks's
Filter-Free Humidifier, you can decide which direction that air is going to come out. With
here, it's just a single vent and two different settings.
It's either on max, or it's on slow speed. There's no way for you to customize how much
coolness is coming out. There are other options out there that are way more adjustable and
customizable that I seem to like better. This is two settings, one direction. You're going
to have to deal with that.
How do humidifiers help us sleep? As I mentioned at Mattress Clarity, we're all about things
that help you sleep, helping you stay comfortable. That's why we're including humidifier reviews.
Humidifiers add moisture to the air. That moisture is going to help you stay comfortable
at night.
Whether you have allergies or asthma, maybe you're dealing with a cold or your child is
dealing with a cold, or it's winter and you've turned the heat on for the first time and
you're feeling that super dry air, or maybe if you live in an area that has dry air all
the time, those are all good reasons to having humidifier.
That added moisture is going to help keep your breathing passages, your nasal passages,
your throat, and your chest all open and moist.
When they are not moist and they are dry, you get nose bleeds, you get a sore throat,
you get a cough. All these things can wake you up during the night and keep you from
going back to sleep comfortably. That's a huge reason why humidifiers are so awesome.
We're talking about how to clean your humidifier, specifically how to descale and how to disinfect
your humidifier. These are very important processes and things that should be done weekly
if you're going to plan to use your humidifier every night.
I say that because standing water grows bacteria and mold. If you don't keep your humidifier
clean, you risk all that germy air being evaporated through the water and into the air of your
room or your child's room. That's obviously not going to help any one out.
Be prepared to clean your humidifier. Let's start with the descaling process. Descaling
is very helpful especially if you're using tap water that has minerals that can build
up around the machine. You definitely want to descale it.
What you're going to do is pour out all of the extra water that you already have in your
humidifier from using it. Soak all of the filtered tray. Set that working filter aside.
You're not going to need that for the moment. What you're going to do is get diluted white
vinegar. Fill up the tray and leave that to the side.
You're also going to fill up the water tank itself. Close it off at that tank cap. Swoosh
it around. Get a covering over it. Leave that as well. Now get a clean rag and put diluted
vinegar on that as well, and rub it all over the base to strengthen and wipe off and rinse
off the base of your humidifier as well.
Leave that for about 10 to 15 minutes to work its magic. Then rinse it all out so you're
no longer smelling that vinegar. Next step is to disinfect.
The disinfecting processes can be very similar to the descaling processes, but you're just
using a different solution to clean it. You're going to have a gallon of water and a tablespoon
of bleach. You're going to put that bleach into the water then make your solution.
You're going to want to have gloves, I will be using this in the space so that you don't
want to worry about getting bleach on, a sink or somewhere that you can have access to water.
What you're going to do is again pour out any extra water that you have in your humidifier
already. You're going to put that filter to this side.
You're not going to need the filter, but you are going to need the filter tray. You're
going to fill up that filter tray with that bleach-water combination and set that aside.
You're also going to do the same thing with the water tank. Make sure you're swirling
it around. Skidding all the areas. You're going to set that aside as well.
Then you're going to take a clean rag and use the solution. Make sure you're using a
glove. A little bit of bleach, a little bit of water. Wipe down the inside, again that
base of the humidifier, all the areas that you can get to. Leave that.
Let 20 minutes go by again to work more magic and then rinse it all out. Rinse it out so
you do not have any more bleach scent. Nothing like that is going on. Dry it. You can take
a wet rag and re-wipe down the inside of the humidifier, of that base, to make sure all
that bleach is gone as well. Then you have fully descaled and disinfected your humidifier.
I would say before starting any of these, unplug your humidifier. I hope that goes without
saying, but I felt like I just got to say it. [laughs] Don't do this with your humidifier
plugged in.
[music]
Katie: We're going to go over some of the frequently asked questions that come up when
you are talking about using a humidifier. Specifically, this one is, "How do you use
a Vicks Starry Night Humidifier?"
There's two different ways to use a humidifier. There's a light projection which is the left-hand
switch, which is a night light for you or for your kids. There's also the humidifier.
As I mentioned early in the video the step-by-step process, you're going to fill the water tank
up with water. You're going to soak the wicking filter that it comes with. Place it in the
filter tray. Put everything together, and you use either max mode or sleep mode to turn
the humidifier on.
It's going to take the dry air into the wicking filter. The moisture's going to be absorbed.
That's going to be evaporated and adding moisture into the air. That's why it needs a water
tank full of water to keeping adding that moisture into the air. If you put it on sleep
mode, you get about 24 hours of run time before you need to replace the water.
"How do you clean your humidifier?" As I mentioned, it is very important to keep your humidifier
clean. You're going to want to do it weekly. There's two different processes. A descaling
using diluted white vinegar and a disinfecting which is a big combination of a lot of water
-- a gallon of water -- and a tablespoon of bleach.
This is going to kill any molds, spores or bacteria from the standing water that may
be growing inside your humidifier. Both of these processes are essential to keeping your
humidifier not only working well, but avoiding having anything evaporate into the air that
could be harmful when inhaled. Weekly cleaning your humidifier is big.
When it's time to replace it, you're going to want to use the Protec filter. This is
a WF2 model. There's a little picture of the Vicks Starry Night Humidifier, and that's
so you know it's the right one.
This is just one filter but you can buy more of them. This is the one that the brand recommends
replacing with. It's important because some inhibit mold growth better than others. You
want to make sure that it's definitely a priority when you're replacing your filter.
The last question is, "Do you have to have a filter for humidifier?" The answer is yes
and no. For the Vicks Starry Night Cool Mist Humidifier, yes you need to have a filter.
It comes with a wicking filter. You have to replace it. There's none of that part of the
Cool Mist humidifier that we reviewed today.
However, Vicks does make a Filter-Free Cool Mist Humidifier. It's a little bit simpler
to use. I had a chance to review it before. Go to mattressclarity.com. Search for it and
it'll be right there. You'll be able to check it out, see the different components, and
how to use that one as well.
Know that if the filter is daunting to you, you can find a Cool Mist Humidifier that does
not have a filter. That's a wrap. That's my take on the Vicks Starry Night Cool Mist Humidifier.
We know that it's cool for kids. It's got that really awesome light projection. I do
wish that you could control the light on that, but needless to say, different colors in your
room. A night light is pretty nifty for your kid. Plus you're adding moisture to their
room. Yay! That's awesome.
There were some design issues that I thought were happening specifically with drainage
and leakage coming out the bottom. I'm certainly going to solve, try to figure out that whole
process out. You do really have to commit to keeping this clean and descaled in order
to make everyone's room as healthy as possible.
There's a lot to think about here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let
me know. I've had a chance to review other humidifiers including another one from Vicks.
If you want a personal recommendation, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm always here.
As Mattress Clarity, we are Team Humidifier, but we're also Team a lot of other things.
We got a ton of content. Like or subscribe for more on our YouTube channel. I'll see
you again soon, thanks.