dailynewsnblog
Summary: After finding mold in one of our old humidifiers and losing one of the tiny parts of another, I started hunting for a humidifier that was first and foremost easy to sanitize. This meant no small parts and no nooks and crannies requiring a special brush set and a flashlight to properly clean them. Everyone I asked said the same thing: Canopy. It took me two nights to understand why. After months of sleeping with the Bedside Humidifier 2.0, I truly can’t imagine ever sleeping without one again.
What I love
- Everything! Canopy’s Bedside Humidifier 2.0 is an app-free humidifier that uses tap water and goes in the dishwasher. Absolutely perfect.
- The few extra bells and whistles are an optional noise machine and nightlights, which are both adjustable.
- No teeny tiny parts or confusing instructions for taking it apart or putting it together — it’s intuitive and extremely easy.
- The filter is next level: MERV 5 pre-filter takes care of larger particles from the air, and the antimicrobial filter core reduces metals, minerals, and dust.
- Smart Persistent Airflow (SPA)™ uses smart sensors to run the fan when it detects water; UV light inhibits mold growth.
Things to keep in mind
- While I’ve definitely had a decrease in nosebleeds, and my skin feels less tight and dry in the morning, I can’t say I’ve seen a miracle-level “glow” to in my skin appearance.
- You don’t have to turn the humidifier off! It runs until the water runs out.
- This is a mist and condensation-free humidifier — no damp mess, no fuss, just a clean experience to increase your air’s moisture comfortably.
I’m a simple gal when it comes to appliances. I am not the type of person who is going to outfit every room with devices, and I like to streamline by finding the best multi-use option when possible (see my trusty immersion hand blender that has pureed every soup, pesto, hummus, and smoothie I’ve made in the last decade). Sure, a food processor might be faster or be able to handle larger quantities, but I’m doing just fine thankyouverymuch.
“I am not the type of person who is going to outfit every room with devices, and I like to streamline by finding the best multi-use option when possible.”
What’s my beef? However functional, appliances are generally ugly. They are often clunky eyesores with wires and plugs to negotiate, bringing either a corporate waiting area or hospital vibe to whatever space they’re hogging up. They have awkwardly shaped or too-large footprints, and they increasingly require apps and Bluetooth connection to run. Miss me with all of this please — especially in my bedroom, which is supposed to be a beautiful sanctuary where I can relax.
But there are some aspects of the human experience that even I can’t get around without compromising. And it turns out that sleeping in dry air is one.
Air moisture as skincare
I grew up in Houston, Texas, a sprawling metropolis known for being home to NASA and the birthplace of Beyoncé. But its biggest claim to fame? It’s year-round humidity. We’re talking a daily average of 75% that often breaks 90% in the summer. For a teenager in the early aughts, this meant spending all my babysitting money on a Chi hair straightener and oil-absorbing sheets for my glistening T-zone.
What I was too young to appreciate at the time was how living in the kind of humidity that feels like the inside of a mouth is, yes, disgusting most of the time — but it is also an absolute dream environment for aging skin. My mom is a testament to this — she’s never had a cosmetic procedure and isn’t exactly a skincare fiend, and yet she has the sort of smooth, soft skin of a woman half her age with a monthly facial appointment.
“Now that I’m 40 and accustomed to experiencing actual winters, my skin has decided to really go all in on its ambition to become a raisin.”
My skin has changed significantly over the years, in no small part thanks to my move from the muggy Gulf Coast to a more temperate climate in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Which is to say it’s gotten very, very dry. Now that I’m 40 and accustomed to experiencing actual winters, my skin has decided to really go all in on its ambition to become a raisin. No matter how much I hydrate, moisturize, and cater to its every whim through supplements, sun protection, and expensive serums, I still wake up most mornings feeling like the skin on my face is trying to shrink-wrap itself to my skull.
While winter (and the radiators behind our bed) are usually the biggest perpetrators of zapping all the moisture from the air, running the AC all summer can create a similarly dry environment. And I am, at my core, an indoor cat. Being in the dry, indoor air all the time causes all kinds of problems, from sore throats to nosebleeds to eye irritation. But for me, the most unbearable is the way it wrecks my skin.
This past winter, my family came down with one of those seasonal colds we just couldn’t shake. Sleep had become impossible — trying to breathe hot, dry air through swollen, stuffed noses and throats ravaged by coughing up drainage is a singular sort of misery. After several weeks of this, it seemed like we were just passing the cold back and forth. So I went to dig out our old drugstore humidifiers and got to work trying to sanitize them.
“This is how my husband found me: On the floor of my kitchen, rage scrubbing at a moldy humidifier tank in the shape of a unicorn.”
Maybe it was because I already wasn’t feeling well, or maybe it’s because patience is not my strongest virtue, but this is how my husband found me: On the floor of my kitchen, rage scrubbing at a moldy humidifier tank in the shape of a unicorn.
Used tissues and oddly shaped plastic parts were scattered around me, abandoned after I’d failed to figure out how to put them back together. I was coughing, or maybe cursing, but he couldn’t really tell through his own sick haze.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Maybe it’s time we replaced these?”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I threw everything into the trash and sent out an ISO to all my text chains and work Slack channels. “What’s the best humidifier that has no weird small parts and is extremely easy to clean?” Unanimously, the moms from the PTA, some family members, and our TGT editors came back with the same answer: Canopy.
The Canopy Bedside Humidifier 2.0
The first thing I noticed about Canopy is that it wasn’t hideous. Sleek, minimalist, and shaped like a softly formed cube, I imagined it would be visually innocuous enough to melt into any environment it was placed. But truthfully, I was so over my winter cold and the rosacea flare-ups on my cheeks that I probably would’ve tried it even if it was lime green and with a brand logo in Comic Sans on its side. The sleek aesthetic was a much-appreciated surprise!
“The first thing I noticed about Canopy is that it wasn’t hideous.”
I am very bad at reading specs about appliances — it’s not unlike reading the rules of a board game to me. I’d much rather get a recommendation from someone I trust and then dive in and figure it out. This approach has produced mixed results over the years, especially when an appliance’s design and my intuition seemingly came from different planets. It might not be a true measure of a product’s design, but it is also the first impression that forever colors my feelings about it.
If this slapdash approach was a pop quiz, Canopy passed with flying colors. Because here’s a quick rundown of what happened when my Bedside Humidifier 2.0 arrived: I opened the box, and discovered a fully intact product with helpful stickers to orient me to it. I followed the stickers’ instructions to plug in the included power cord and then take the tank to the sink to fill it with tap water. (That’s right — tap water!) Then I put the tank back in place and pressed the on button. And suddenly, I had a working humidifier.
“If you also struggle with app fatigue, I know you’ll appreciate how truly luxurious it felt to open the box, plug it in, fill it up, and pess on.”
Reader, I want you to note that what made this easy setup all the more amazing wasn’t just how simple and straightforward the instructions were, but also specifically what I didn’t have to do: I didn’t have to download an app. And if you also struggle with app fatigue, I know you’ll appreciate how truly luxurious it felt to open the box, plug it in, fill it up, and press on.
The Bedside Humidifier 2.0 also came with an aroma kit: An essential oil blend and an aroma stone to put it on. I received the “Unwind” scent, a bergamot tea blossom fragrance that is relaxing and lush. There are two ways to use the oil: Either applying 5-8 drops on the stone and setting it in the middle of the vent on top of the humidifier, or using the built-in interior well that sits inside the filter.
Cleaning and maintenance
There’s nothing that freaks me out more than the idea that the appliance meant to make the air of my environment better for me is actually spewing mold. But I also know myself, and the truth is that I am unlikely to use a product that would require a complicated and fiddly cleaning routine.
One of the major selling points of the Canopy’s humidifier is that it is reportedly neither complicated nor fiddly to clean. The simple, intuitive design clicks together and apart easily, and almost every part of the machine is dishwasher safe.
“One of the major selling points of the Canopy’s humidifier is that it is reportedly neither complicated nor fiddly to clean.”
Another cool detail? The maintenance and care details are printed right on the body of the humidifier, so that when we inevitably lose the manual, you don’t have to look far. Brilliant!
Canopy uses Smart Persistent Airflow (SPA)™ to keep the fan running anytime the smart sensors detect water in the tank. This is just one of the safeguards in place to prevent mold.
The filter has two layers — a MERV 5 pre-filter that takes care of larger particles from air, and the antimicrobial filter core that traps metals, minerals, and dust (I was sort of shocked when I pulled it out to see just how much dust it caught!). There’s a UV light in the water flow that also inhibits mold growth.
Every 6-8 weeks, it’s time to change the filter. A handy dandy little red light comes on right over the filter icon to alert you. Then, the process couldn’t be simpler: Unplug the machine, disassemble, and remove the filter. Take everything but the body to the dishwasher, or handwash everything if that’s your jam. The tank has a wide mouth that makes it easy to use a normal sink sponge or wand — no special bottle brush or tool needed!
“Every 6-8 weeks, it’s time to change the filter. A handy dandy little red light comes on right over the filter icon to alert you.”
In addition to app fatigue, I’m also generally not a huge fan of forced subscription services. In theory, yes, they prevent hassle and can keep you from ever being in the lurch when you run out of something. But! I am a freelancer who doesn’t always have a regular cash flow cadence, and I also hate ended up with so much backstock I don’t have anywhere to store it.
Plus, sometimes I don’t use up the products (like shampoo, for example) anywhere near the same rate as the timed deliveries assume. Sure, you can pause and manage them, but when you have a dozen or so subscriptions on the go, who has the time?
That said! The Canopy filter deliveries are the kind of subscription I happily keep. Not only do the filters arrive on a schedule that reminds you to keep up with the filter changes, but also the packaging is compact, economical, and very easy to tuck away. The most popular subscription plan is $10 every 45 days; I get mine in packs of 3, every 6 months for $49, which saves me about $10.
“The Canopy filter deliveries are the kind of subscription I happily keep.”
In any case, after changing the filter for the first time, it was clear that it’s not the sort of thing you should sleep on. The amount of dust caked onto the outside, along with the telltale orange hue of our city’s iron slime bacteria staining the inside, I knew I would stay on top of these changes!
Is the Canopy humidifier the wellness appliance you’re missing?
Here’s my honest take on how the Canopy Bedside Humidifier 2.0 has affected my health, skin, and wellness over the last few months:
What has definitely improved:
- A noticeable reduction in throat dryness and scratchiness — especially during cold and allergy season.
- Eliminated my hay fever eye irritation, including itching and watering.
- My overall sleep environment significantly benefited from the soft light, noise machine, and relaxing aroma.
What needs further review:
- My skin isn’t visibly improved, though I do think the morning dryness has reduced. This is a tough one to isolate without disrupting my entire skincare regimen, so jury’s still out. Still, it definitely hasn’t gotten worse!
So is this the silver bullet wellness appliance your life is missing? I mean, I can’t answer that! But what I can say is that if you are in the market for a humidifer that cleans the air, takes tap water, goes in the dishwasher, and doesn’t require an app to use? YES! This is your gal!
“A humidifer that cleans the air, takes tap water, goes in the dishwasher, and doesn’t require an app to use? YES!”
While the humidifier is a touch pricier than the drugstore counterparts ($159 vs an average of $60 or so), I think it more than earns this price point. Not to mention that bundling it with filters and aromas (with or without a subscription) knocks off $10-$20, even if you don’t wait for it to go on sale. The model also comes in multiple colorways, and can be bundled with their other products for further discount.
The bottom line? The Canopy Bedside Humidifier 2.0 is a bit of a unicorn: A multitasking appliance with high functionality, low maintenance, and a clean appearance that won’t clash with your home and (doesn’t require an app!) is no small ask.
But there’s no doubt: Canopy delivers.
Stephanie H. Fallon is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a writer originally from Houston, Texas and holds an MFA from the Jackson Center of Creative Writing at Hollins University. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and she is the author of Finishing Lines, where she writes about her fear of finishing, living a creative life, and (medical) motherhood. Since 2022, she has been reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, fact-checking sustainability claims, and bringing her sharp editorial skills to every product review. Say hi on Instagram or on her website.
