"I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life, but I’ve still never gotten used to the long, dry, frigidly cold winters. My skin especially doesn’t take well to the winter chill. I have dry, sensitive skin year-round, but the winter always feels like a constant battle against flaky patches and itchy, red irritation. During the colder months, I pull out all the stops to keep my skin as moisturized as possible, including upping my water intake, using a silk pillowcase, and slugging every night before bed. But the thing that has made the biggest difference in my dry winter skin (and overall quality of sleep) is my Canopy humidifier.
If it isn’t going to make me feel like I’m wrapped up in a warm hug, I’m not wearing it.
You may have seen the Canopy brand on social media—the minimalist, monochromatic humidifier is an influencer favorite—but if you’ve ever looked into buying one, you may have balked at the price. The standard-size humidifier costs over $150, a much bigger splurge than the basic humidifiers you can buy on Amazon for around $40. So if you’re wondering if the Canopy humidifier is actually worth the money, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve owned and used a Canopy humidifier almost daily for over a year now, and I’m ready to share my thoughts. Below is my honest Canopy humidifier review, including the features I love and the downsides I wish I’d known before purchasing.
What is the Canopy humidifier?
Made by the brand Canopy, this evaporative humidifier adds moisture to the air to help hydrate skin and alleviate dry mouth and nose. It features a replaceable filter, mold-inhibiting technology, and dishwasher-safe parts, making it easy to keep clean. The Canopy brand has been around since 2020 and also sells filtered showerheads and aroma diffusers. Popular on social media, the bedside humidifier has a simple, monochromatic design and comes in a variety of colors, including white, cream, lavender, and sage green. You can purchase a Canopy humidifier at retailers like Target, Amazon, and Sephora, as well as directly from the brand’s website.
Canopy humidifier features
Canopy’s standard-size bedside humidifier works in rooms up to 500 square feet in size, so it’s ideal for bedrooms and smaller living areas. The brand also offers a “large room” version that can hydrate spaces of up to 1,000 square feet. Both sizes can run for up to 36 hours before you have to refill the tank. Beyond its humidity-boosting qualities, the bedside humidifier also features optional white noise settings and a built-in light with two settings: warm white for reading and red light for winding down before bed. It also comes with the option to diffuse essential oils (using a small aroma stone placed on top or a larger stone well placed inside the humidifier itself) as you humidify the air.
Pros of the Canopy humidifier
It’s super easy to clean
The fact that the Canopy humidifier is dishwasher-safe was honestly the main draw for me. Everything except the main body of the humidifier (which houses the electrical components) can go directly into the dishwasher, which makes cleaning ridiculously easy. After spending way too much time scrubbing out my previous humidifier by hand, being able to pop the tank, cap, and tray in the dishwasher feels like such a luxury.
It’s designed to inhibit mold
In addition to being easy to clean, the Canopy humidifier stays clean for longer thanks to its mold-inhibiting technology. It’s designed to run continuously until all the moisture has evaporated, preventing water from sitting inside the unit and contributing to mold or mildew growth. Before water is evaporated into the air, it also passes through UV light, which helps kill mold and bacteria.
It has a filter that catches dust and contaminants
Since the filter catches contaminants before the water is evaporated, you don’t have to worry about your Canopy humidifier spewing bacteria and dust into the air along with the moisture. As long as you replace the filter when needed, you can rest assured you’re breathing in clean, humidified air. Plus, the filter removes the need for using special purified water. With my old humidifier, I had to fill it with only distilled water or risk hard mineral deposits building up inside the machine and on my nightstand. But thanks to the filter in my Canopy model, plain old tap water works just fine.
Cons of the Canopy humidifier
The unit and filters are pretty pricey
The most obvious downside of the Canopy humidifier is the price. The unit itself costs $159 for the standard size and $255 for the larger version. Then you also have to factor in the cost of replacing the filter every five to seven weeks. If you buy them separately, filters cost $15-$20 each, depending on the size and type. You can opt for a subscription that’ll send you a new standard-size filter every 45 days for $10 apiece, but still, that’s over $80 a year to keep your humidifier running. (Note: You didn’t hear this from me, but you can also find replacement filters on Amazon that are compatible with the Canopy humidifier but cost about half as much.) While the filters are handy for keeping the whole thing clean, the cost does add up over time.
It’s fairly loud
This isn’t necessarily a con for me because I like sleeping with a little white noise. In fact, I keep my humidifier running year-round because I sleep better when it’s not dead quiet. However, if you are a super-light sleeper or need absolute quiet in order to drift off, this might be too loud for you, especially on the higher settings.
It turns on and off automatically
The automatic on/off feature is probably my biggest gripe with the Canopy humidifier. This feature ensures that as long as the humidifier is plugged in, it continues to run until there’s no more water in the tank and the tray and filter are completely dry. While this is great for keeping the humidifier clean (no moisture means no mold), it’s annoying if you want to turn your humidifier off when you leave the room. My humidifier is in my bedroom, and it doesn’t make sense to run the humidifier all day long when I really only need it on while I’m in there sleeping.
Since there’s no “off” button, the easiest way to turn it off is by unplugging the whole thing, which Canopy doesn’t recommend. According to their website, the best way to turn it off is by removing the tank, emptying the tray, and letting the fan run until the filter is dry. However, a multi-step process is not something I want to do immediately after rolling out of bed. So while I understand the reason behind the feature, I wish there were a less clunky solution.
How it compares to other humidifiers
The Canopy humidifier works a bit differently than many other humidifiers on the market because it uses evaporative technology. Here’s how it works: The filter inside the machine absorbs water from the tank, then a fan directly above the filter pushes the humid air out into the room. This process is different for the two other main types of humidifiers: ultrasonic (which uses vibrations to turn water into a fine mist) and vaporizer (which boils the water to create steam). So you won’t actually see any mist coming out of your Canopy humidifier, but if the fan is running, that means it’s working.
IMO, the biggest thing that sets the Canopy humidifier apart from others, however, is the ease of cleaning. With other humidifiers I’ve owned, I was constantly battling mold growth and struggling to clean all the little nooks and crannies with a brush by hand. I felt like I could never get it totally clean and thus was always worried about breathing in gross bacteria and mold. Not exactly conducive to restful sleep! So for me, the Canopy humidifier’s simple design and dishwasher-safe parts were a huge game-changer.
I also love that the Canopy humidifier is way more aesthetically pleasing than most other humidifiers. The color options are so pretty—I personally have the cream version, but I also love the jade green—and the minimalist design is not such an eyesore on your nightstand.
Should you buy the Canopy humidifier?
I would wholeheartedly recommend the Canopy humidifier to anyone who lives in a cold climate and is sick of battling dry skin and sinuses. I think it has made such a difference in my quality of sleep and how I feel when I wake up, and for me, the ease of cleaning and beautiful design justify the higher price point. That said, if you just want a bare-bones, budget-friendly option and don’t mind putting in elbow grease to clean it, a basic ultrasonic humidifier might be the way to go. But if you are like me and would rather invest a little more in something that will make your life easier and the cold weather more bearable, the Canopy humidifier deserves a permanent spot on your nightstand.
Jessica Friedhoff, Senior Lifestyle Editor
Jessica Friedhoff is the Senior Lifestyle Editor at The Everygirl, where she oversees the Home & Living category of the site. She writes and edits stories across a broad range of topics including decorating, food, entertaining, travel, and more. With a pulse on the latest trends, she uses her eye for detail and design to create timely, inspiring content for our readers.