Air Innovations MH901D Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
Great Innovations was started by Joe McDonnell in Miramar, Florida. The company creates and sells humidifiers, fans, air purifiers, aromatherapy diffusers, purse organizers, and totes designed to make everyday life easier. In 1999, McDonnell started selling his Rejuvenate cleaning and restoration line of products on QVC. Other product successes include Pursfection.
Performance Comparison
Ease of Cleaning
The Innovations comes with its own detail brush, which is the first indicator that it takes time and patience to clean it properly.
The tank of the Innovations is easy to wipe clean because the fill flap on the top is large enough for most hands. Using a bottle brush will help you get the mist tube clean, but the bottom of the tube narrows significantly (below left), so you'll want to choose your brush wisely. The external longer mist diverter tube is only partially accessible with a bottle brush, it is too long to reach all the way, and the brush only fits from one side.
The base has small areas and corners that require the brush (above right) to clean and vinegar to break up the mineral deposits. You have to install a rubber stopper in the inlet to the pump to avoid getting debris into the pump.
Effectiveness
The Innovations isn't as effective as the competition for humidity production.
While this unit starts strong and in line with the competition, as time went on, it struggled to keep up with the competition even at its highest setting. After an hour of running on high, this unit had one of the lowest levels of humidity in the group. Depending on your needs or ambient climate, this could be a deal-breaker or no big deal.
Noise
The Air Innovations has a decibel level of 42 at its highest setting. This level is lower than most of the competition, with only a few of the competition registering lower than 40.
The Innovations is virtually silent compared to the loudest ultrasonic competitor and evaporative humidifiers.
Ease of Use
With several programmable features including a timer, humidity level control, auto shutoff, and a fill-in place tank, the Innovations is relatively easy to use.
While single dials are obvious and easy to use, the digital interface on the Innovations is only slightly more complicated. This unit has a reasonably intuitive digital user interface we were able to figure out without using the manual. The display is easy to read, and the beeping sound can turn off to avoid waking your baby when you make late-night changes to the programming.
This unit has a flip-top (above left) on the tank so you can fill it at any time without removing the tank from the base. This feature can be very convenient for the middle of the night refills. This product uses a demineralization filter (above right) to decrease minerals and white dust in the air and on surfaces. Using distilled or filtered water can further reduce this problem and help prevent mineral deposits from hard water in the base and tank. These deposits can be challenging to clean.
The Innovations comes with a long diverter tube to direct mist output up higher away from the machine. This design means you have more control of the mist direction, and you can set the base on the floor without saturating the surrounding area as much as the competition.