Winter is hell on my skin and sinuses. The combination of the cold, dry air and the radiator heat in my apartment that I can't control horribly dries my skin. Sometimes, the skin at my knuckles even crack and seep blood, which is exactly as unpleasant as it sounds.
That all changed when I picked up a Levoit Humidifier Classic 200S, which is on sale right now for $36 on Amazon during Black Friday sales. Available in what I like to refer to as "dumb" and "smart" versions, the humidifier holds up to four liters of water and comes in a compact two-tone white and blue design. The dual nozzles can cover a room about 376 square feet in size, making it perfect for my bedroom, where I set it up on a nearby nightstand to keep my sinuses comfortable overnight.
While this humidifer wasn't one of CNET's top picks for the best portable humidifier, we did make one of our favorite budget air purifiers with the Levoit Core Mini. I also own two larger Levoit Core 300 air purifiers and run them non-stop in my bedroom and living room, so I know and trust Levoit's quality.
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Quiet and comfortable indoor humidity whenever you need it
I usually top it up once a day, and it can run overnight and well into the next morning or afternoon. It's incredibly quiet at just 30 decibels, so I never hear it, even when it's on at full blast. According to the specs sheet, it can run for 40 hours on the lowest setting, but that varies depending on the indoor humidity.
There's also a smart humidifier model that will cost you a bit more, at $60. It comes with full app control via the Vesync app, letting you enable automatic control and scheduling. You can set your indoor target humidity to anywhere from 30% to 80%, and the humidifier's sensor will automatically turn off when it reaches the target. It will resume once humidity levels drop 5% below the target humidity.
There are also manual control options if you'd like to leave it on all the time, along with scheduling and timers. It also integrates nicely with my smart home setup, with full Alexa integration that lets me control it remotely no matter where I am.
If there's one complaint I have, it's that the humidifier is bottom-fill rather than top-fill, meaning you need to grab it by the handle, flip it upside down and take it to the sink to fill it up. A top-fill humidifier would let you more easily fill it up on-location with a water jug or bucket. Still, this is a minor gripe in the scheme of things, and I usually only fill it up once a day, so it's not too much of an inconvenience.
Why the Levoit Humidifer Classic 200S makes a great gift
Gifting a humidifier may be an oddball choice if you don't know the person or their needs all that well. That said, if you have a friend or family member living in a dry climate or suffering from harsh winters, a humidifier like the Levoit Classic 200S can be welcome with its whisper quiet cool mist that won't interrupt sleep.
Will the Levoit Humidifer Classic 200S be on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The 4L model is currently on sale for $36, a $14 savings from its usual $50 price. For just a little bit more money, you can pick up the smart version for $60. It's not currently on sale, but it may get a price on for Black Friday, and the smart features will give it a lot of additional utility. In the meantime, be sure to check out CNET's roundup of the hottest Black Friday deals you can shop right now.