Crane Humidifier Cleaning and How it Ruined our Review

Like many other people we came across the Crane Humidifier when we were awaiting the arrival of our first child. For some reason these humidifiers set up shop in every top ten baby list on the internet. So, we though it might be a great humidifier to review. It looks great, it’s super popular, and was is affordable.

So after a year of use and lots of cleaning we’ve arrived at a solid conclusion. The Crane Humidifier is okay. It isn’t bad by any stretch; it works just as well as any other ultrasonic cool mist humidifier we’ve used. Plus it does look better than most too. However, this machine taught us that there are way better options out there and they are much easier to live with.

Why did we need a Humidifier

We live in a really, really arid part of the united states and winter brings even drier air to our neck of the woods. And, when we were building out our baby room we thought that our little guy would probably appreciate a little better conditioned air.

With this site comes a house full of purifier so we had that covered. We also have a selection of humidifiers sitting around in closets. The problem is that none of them are cute enough for a baby’s bedroom. Lucky for us… a cute ultrasonic humidifier exists and it goes by the name “Crane Drop Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier.”

Now to be clear about the adorable level the drop is cute like a handbag or Italian scooter. Not cute like a Japanese cartoon character. Crane also makes a series of humidifiers for the niche in search of that level of “cuteness.” If that’s what look you’re going for check out the Crane “adorable” series. They’re a little over the top for our taste, but to each their own.

How to Clean a Crane Humidifier

At first glance the Crane Drop looks pretty simple. It’s basically a base, a reservoir, and a plastic cap you use to aim the mist. That simplicity is als reflected in every “how to clean” video and overly positive review we encountered.

The typical how to goes something like this…

Step 1

Unplug the humidifier and wait a few minutes (not sure why we need a cool down on a cool mist machine… but everyone is recommending it).

Step 2 – Disassemble

Remove the nozzle from the machine, then lift the reservoir off of the base. Then unscrew the reservoir cap and dump any remaining water out into your sink. Also dump any water out of the base, but pay special attention to the dumping direction indicated on the base.

Step 3 – Clean the Tank

Add water to the tank, some say nearly to the top. Crane’s blog however says that two cups is plenty. That’s the direction we took. Though we never actually measured the water. We just eyeballed it and said… “good enough.”

We’d then add a splash of white vinegar to the water. Crane says two tablespoons if you’re going for precision. Then screw the cap back onto the reservoir and shake it like Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Actually just shake vigorously it’s probably not a good idea to toss it up in the air like an expert movie bartender. Continue shaking for about 30 seconds. Then dump the solution and give the reservoir a rinse with plain water. Allow to dry and move on to the base.

Step 4 – Clean the Base

Pour another two cups of water into the base and add two tablespoons of vinegar. Let the solution sit in the base for 20 minutes. When the time is up dump the solution from the base. Remember to pour it out in the right direction. Wipe it down and allow to fully dry.

Step 5 – The Step No One Tells you about

Maybe we got complacent. Perhaps we used tap water too often when we couldn’t make a batch of distilled water. Or make it to the store to buy a gallon or two. Either way… we quickly noticed some pink growth in the reservoir.

Removing all of the pink slime reveals a major drawback of the Drop humidifier. Nook and crannies and a ton of 90 degree angles make the use of cotton swabs mandatory. And, it takes time to make sure all of the pink stuff is gone. It sucks.

It only took a couple of detail cleaning sessions to derail our plans. We originally wanted to use it nonstop for 12-18 months before sitting down for a full review. This deep cleaning basically made us put the Crane in the closet. We bring it out every so often, but nowhere near as often as we planned.

How Often Should I Clean the Humidifier?

This really depends on how much you use your purifier. Most manufacturers recommend a quick cleaning every 24 hours to three days. On top of that; you need to give it a deep detailed cleaning at least once a week.

The most important cleaning session comes when it’s time to store your humidifier. Before you put it in the closet you need to get rid of the pink residue, scrub away any minerals, and make sure the entire humidifier is completely dry.

How to use a Crane Humidifier

If you’ve read every sentence up to this point you might think we have little to no love for the Drop. That’s not true. Aside from looking great this machine is super simple. Fill it, plug it in, and set the desired humidity. Its as easy as that.

That’s where the Crane really shines. It’s just so easy to use. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure that you’re not pumping out too much mist. With ultrasonic humidifiers excessive moisture tends to arc back toward the ground. Which makes carpet wet and might ruin wood surfaces.

Other than that though… the crane is ultra easy to use. And, it’s very safe since the mist is room temperature or cooler.

Crane Humidifier Review

We didn’t get as much time with the Crane Drop as we originally planned, but we did get quite a bit of experience using and cleaning the machine. But before we use out anecdotal experience to evaluate the Drop, let’s take a look at the features and specifications.

• 360 Degree Mist Nozzle
• Auto Off – When Tank is Empty
• Antimicrobial Material in Base

Overall, this is a good air purifier. It’s well built and looks great. It works as well as any ultrasonic cool mist humidifier we’ve used. The Drop is also pretty quiet and is incredibly easy to use.

The only hang up is how hard it was to clean. And, like we said earlier…. maybe it’s just us. Based on comments we’ve seen online… that’s probably not the case. But, this is one of the more difficult humidifiers to clean.