Carepod One Humidifier Review: Why It Wasn’t for Me
Winters in Minnesota can get uncomfortably dry, so Quin and I need to run a humidifier in our bedroom throughout the day. I owned the Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier for years, and, apart from the MEH design/aesthetic and having to frequently buy replacement filters, I had no major complaints. But I kept hearing people rave about the Carepod line of humidifiers, and I was drawn to (1) the brand’s sleeker look (better aesthetics for my condo), and (2) the dishwasher-safe, stainless steel tank (which I wasn’t sure I needed but the ease of cleaning sounded compelling). However, after purchasing the Carepod One (the only model from that brand that I’ve tried) and using it for a year, I ended up disappointed by it. Here is why:
Carepod One Humidifier Performance (Humidity Increase)
- First, we have had to use the high setting to get ANY sort of notable increase in humidity. And by notable I mean 3–7% (If I keep our bedroom door closed, the maximum increase I saw was 7%). I wasn’t sure if that was normal or not, so I did a poll and of the people that saw it, 68% said that their humidifier (any brand) raised their humidity by 10% or more. 33% of us have humidifiers that only raise it up by 9% (and 25% have humidifiers that raise it more than 16%, which I am envious of!)
- Other followers messaged me to say that they have also been disappointed by how little the Carepod One was able to increase the humidity in their room (See below for one example message).
Carepod One Features and Price
Carepod One Has a High Price but Basic Features
- At $275, the Carepod One is notably more expensive than many other humidifiers that come with extra “perks” like an app, adjustable lighting, or auto-settings.
- After I mentioned not liking the Carepod, many followers shared their recommendations with me. The more I looked at all the different humidifier options out there, the more annoyed I got at how this one is so much more expensive than the vast majority of options that you all sent me. AND it has the fewest “perks;” like it has no app, no display showing the humidity in the room, etc.
- The Carepod One offers only two control functions: low/medium/high mist and a timer—nothing more. And we always had to run it on high, so by morning it would have turned off because it was out of water.
Note: The price of this humidifier has increased substantially over the years. In 2021, it was $195, which is still higher than most humidifiers. Nothing changed in the design, but in Jan 2022 it jumped up to $220, then by July 2022 it was $250, and by Oct. 2023 it was $275 (the price it has stayed at).
Carepod One Design and Usability Issues
On the Topic of Limited Features…the Carepod One Has Bright, Unadjustable Display Lights
- It’s not possible to turn off or dim the bright green indicator lights, which bugs me.
Annoying Dripping Sound
- The Carepod One produces a drippy faucet sound that drove me bonkers. Even with our SNOOZ white noise machine running, I COULD STILL hear it. And I am not the only person it annoyed! I had a number of messages also commenting on the annoying trickling sound:
A Water Tank That SEEMS Large but Really Isn’t
- The tank holds 4 liters in theory, but it starts signaling “refill required” when 1.5 liters remain. Functionally, that means the tank holds only 2.5 liters that are usable before it needs a refill. That is also annoying to me.
- My previous humidifier (also 4L) used every last drop of water before I had to refill it.
Carepod One Customer Service Experience
Poor Customer Service
- The first Carepod One that I ordered from Amazon arrived used (with fingerprints and dings), so I returned it and ordered another directly from Carepod. Since I bought the first one on sale, I tried to contact the Carepod team to see if they would match the same 15% discount for my replacement order. I never received a reply, despite following up via email and Instagram. Luckily, after searching online, I found another 15% off code – but I have still never heard back from their customer service.
- Note: I’ve heard from others that customer service quality has dropped in the past year, which aligns with my experience. It seems like in previous years they had good customer service, so I am not sure what has happened lately to make it so dismal. Here is a message from a follower talking about their recent CS experience:
My Final Thoughts About the Carepod One
- It is indeed easy to clean. But I also think that humidifiers have come a long way in terms of ease of cleaning, but other brands haven’t done as good of a job at highlighting when they are easy to keep clean.
- It underperforms at humidification. The Carepod One only boosts humidity by a few percentage points—Quin got a lot of bloody noses through the winter while we were using the Carepod One, and that didn’t happen with our previous humidifier.
- It is simple, but almost annoyingly so, especially given the price! It lacks features commonly found in similarly priced or even cheaper models.
- It has disappointing customer service based on my interactions.
Bottom line: Given the high cost, modest performance, and annoying quirks, I regret buying the Carepod One and I wish it hadn’t been outside the 30-day return window before I figured that out.
Since I couldn’t return it, Quin and I decided that we needed to find a replacement, so I asked my followers on Instagram for humidifier recommendations. I combined the suggestions I received from them with info from a 2025 Wirecutter review (which I trust for its thoroughness) and put the results in another blog post, here. In that post, I describe several good humidifier options with a run-down of their features to help you choose one that’s best for you.
The Humidifier I Bought Instead (BlueAir InvisibleMist)
Quin and I bought the BlueAir InvisibleMist Humidifier because we like its attractive design, that it’s easy to clean with a dishwasher-safe tank, the filters last 6 months, and the display panel shows how much humidity is in the room.
Full review coming soon!!
