There is nothing quite like the Smartmi Rainforest humidifier. Ostensibly, this is a humidifier like any other, designed to make your home feel comfortable and fresh. But beyond that, this product is all about the ambiance. It creates a soothing, rainforest-inspired show in your very own home: the magic of rainfall indoors. Let’s take a look.
Smartmi Rainforest features
This humidifier is marketed differently from most of what you’ll see available. Instead of being a warm mist or a cool mist humidifier, Smartmi says that the Rainforest is mist-free. The company claims that the product humidifies by simulating rainfall. You can both see and hear the rainfall through the clear component of this humidifier.
The Smartmi Rainforest is designed to be very functional for home use. It has an LED screen, real-time water level display, smart home integration, optional voice control, and a top-fill design. (Top-fill design is one of my personal “musts” for a humidifier—they’re so much easier to use!) It uses a washable, replaceable, and recyclable polymer filter and its extra-large water tank lasts for about 15 hours.
Is this a good humidifier for large spaces?
The Smartmi Rainforest has a 3-litre water tank that can run for up to 15 hours. It has a 200mL/h humidifying capacity.
I can’t find anywhere where Smartmi recommends its Rainforest humidifier for small, medium, or large rooms. However, the brand advertises the Rainforest as being able to filter the air of a 320 square foot room in under 20 minutes. Additionally, humidifier coverage is typically calculated using a formula of 1L per 100 square foot of coverage. So, as a humidifier with a 3L water tank, we can assume that the Smartmi Rainforest is a humidifier made for a medium-sized 300 sq. ft. room.
How can a humidifer be mist-free?
The technology used in the Rainforest is designed to simulate “the natural process of rain evaporating” using centrifugal force. According to Smartmi, the Rainforest essentially flings water droplets toward the clear product shell in tiny, continuous layers. This impact forms tiny water droplets and the room is humidified through airflow.
Other sources I found during my product research suggest that Smartmi is essentially using large-scale ultrasonic humidification for this process. This is what you’d expect to see in a tabletop vaporizer that’s meant to be used with essential oils as a home fragrance tool. The concept for this is, as I understand it, pretty much the same. By both processes, water is agitated in the product quickly enough that it exists in the cool air generated in the humidifier by a fan.
Cool mist vs. warm mist vs. water enhanced evaporation
Every type of humidifier operates differently and there are pros and cons to each.
Warm mist humidifiers are the “traditional” type of humidifier. They heat water until it reaches its natural evaporation point of roughly 100ºC, then release the water as steam. They’re a great way to add humidity to the air but need a fair amount of electricity to run. The mist that exists then is hot, which can be comforting in the winter and is great for melting products like minty decongestants (I’m thinking Vicks VapoRub) into the air when you’re sick. However, warm mist humidifiers can pose a danger to small children due to the hot mist they produce and their heating elements become caked in calcium deposits in locations with hard water. As a result, warm mist humidifiers are becoming less popular as they have a high maintenance requirement.
Cool mist humidifiers are a generally safer and lower-powered choice for humidification. They’re popular for families with children, but they’re noisier to run and pose a higher health risk when it comes to bacterial growth and mold spores (which isn’t an issue for warm mist humidifiers as their water reaches a boil). In locations with hard water, the calcium in the water that isn’t latching on to a heating element gets dispersed into the air instead. This means that cool mist humidifiers can leave a gritty film of calcium on nearby furniture and surfaces. (In my experience, this can reach over 400 sq. ft. from the humidifier.)
Because of the issues with both of these methods of humidification, Smartmi’s water enhanced evaporation technology sounds pretty alluring. I believe it has the same pros and cons as a cool mist humidifier, but because Smartmi does not make it clear on exactly how this process works, I can’t confirm that.
Setting up the Rainforest humidifier
To set up this humidifier, simply remove the foam ring (from shipping), stack its components, and plug in. Download the Smartmi Link app, then fill the water reservoir by pouring filtered water directly onto the top of the product. You pour the water directly on top of the LED dome for this product. It feels a little weird to do so, but weird in a cool way—my brain keeps going “wait, you’re going to short-circuit the product!” Followed by, “whoa, I can’t believe that part is waterproof.”
Because Smartmi is a Chinese company, the language used in its app can be a little clunky. However, the Rainforest performs and connects well, with stable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity and a super quick setup. If you need to move or adjust the Rainforest after setup, remember to lift it from the bottom as its different parts don’t securely lock into one another.
What’s it like to use the Smartmi Rainforest humidifier?
At its core, the Smartmi Rainforest humidifier is a simple, minimalistic product. Smartmi’s design team put a lot of work into creating a very unique way to humidify a room, but aside from the Rainforest’s “rain” feature, its functionality is limited. It can’t diffuse essential oils, function as just a fan, humidify large rooms, or even provide HEPA filtration—but for the one thing it was designed to do, it does a fantastic job. And, while I usually want a product that does it all, I really respect that this one focuses on its one real aim.
Out of the box, the Rainforest is a beautiful product. Once you fill it with water and turn it on, however, it’s really something. It looks so cool; serene, beautiful, and like nothing else I’ve seen on the market. I love that it features a top-fill design but that you’d never even guess where you fill it—every time I fill it, I feel almost like I’m doing something wrong!
The Rainforest isn’t designed for large spaces, but it comfortably raised the humidity level in my living room to 50% after about an hour and a half. It turns on automatically to “auto” and you can use voice or app control to fine-tune its settings. If you’re not a big fan of the Smartmi app, they’ve designed this product to work with Alexa, Hey Google, and Apple HomeKit, too.
Long-term Rainforest care and maintenance
I’ve had the Rainforest for a limited amount of time, but so far, I’m very pleased with it. For long-term use, I recommend cleaning the device frequently and, if possible, using soft or distilled water to run it. Smartmi has included a self-cleaning mode that’s designed to be used with water and citric acid, so if you’re worried about calcium buildup, there are definitely ways to tackle it when it comes.
Would I recommend the Rainforest humidifier to a friend?
Absolutely. As a humidifier, the Rainforest is a middle-of-the road product. You can find a humidifier that works just as well for a lot less money. But as a luxury product that really becomes a statement piece in your home, the Smartmi Rainforest is unbeatable. It’s uniquely beautiful and soothing. I can, and have, stared at the Rainforest for long stretches of time just to zone out during the day. There is nothing else on the market like it, which makes it very special.
Shop the Smartmi Rainforest humidifier at Best Buy today.
I would put it in my daughter’s room to help with her winter colds
I would place this in my bedroom to help with my sleep quality.
This would go in my apartment so I could breathe better at night
This would go in my bedroom so I could breathe better at night
This would go in our bedroom so I could breathe better at night
I would put the unit Upstairs in the bedrooms to help with sleep
I have a room just for house plants (I know!) so they would get this humidifier.
This would go in our bedroom so I could breathe better at night.
I’d put it in my own room, I often wake up with dry eyes.
I’d definitely put this in my bedroom so that I can get a better and more comfortable night’s rest
living room, needs the moisture
I would put it in my bedroom, which is small and dry.
I would place it in the main bedroom for a better quality sleep.
I would put it in the living room as a functional center piece because It creates a soothing, rainforest-inspired show in your very own home.
I’d place this in my bedroom
I’d place this in my bedroom since that is the room I spend the most time in.
It’d help with dry mouth and eyes after sleeping.
bedroom to sleep better
bedroom for better sleep
I would place it in the bedroom for better sleep.
I’d use it in our bedroom love the convenience of a top fill.
I like the top fill design because it’s easy to use.
Would def use in my bedroom to enhance sleep
I would use the humidifier in the bedroom for a better sleep
the family room like the dinning area
Bedroom – I am sure it would improve sleep
In the bedroom since we spend at least 7-8 hours there and good air is essential
I will place the humidifier in my bedroom for a better sleep
Bedroom – clean air to breath
I will place the humidifier in my bedroom for a better sleep
I would place it in my living room as I already have small, quiet humidifier in my bedroom which I use when the furnace is on.
I would put the Smartmi humidifier in my bedroom during the winter months when I can’t open a window because it would freshen the air and it would also be soothing at bedtime.
In my kids bedroom in the winter, because she finds it dry
The basement – always damp in there? Please and thanks
I would put it in the living room as a functional center piece because It creates a soothing, rainforest-inspired show in your very own home.
I would place this humidifier in my living room. I burn wood in the winter which makes the air extremely dry, especially in this room.
I would place this is the basement, close to my daughter’s bedroom as the winter months can get very dry in the basement.
It would work well in our enclosed sitting area in the summer, and in the winter it would be great for the bedroom
In a bedroom to help with sleep in winter
I would place it in the bedroom in the winter months due to it getting drier and stuffier in there with the windows always clothes.
I’d place the humidifier in my bedroom – would be great for the dry winters!
It would go in my bedroom and would great for the winter months
I would place the Smartmi Rainforest humidifier in my bedroom during winter months.
If I only had one I would place it in whatever room I was going to be in the longest like the living room for the day and then my room at night.
Bedroom because I spend the longest continuous time there.
I will place the humidifier in my bedroom for a better sleep
humidifier in my bedroom in the winter would be better for sleeping
I would place the humidifier in the bedroom in my home because it would be useful during dry winters.
I’d place it in my bad room for a better sleep
humidifier in my bedroom in the winter
In my home office because the air is very dry there.
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