I have seen reviews that say no filter is good, and others that say it's bad-- can someone point me to a good source of information?

Evaporative Humidifiers use a fan to blow dry room air through an evaporative wick filter. This wick filter sits inside the base of the humidifier, absorbing the water inside. When the fan blows air through the wick filter, the water in the wick filter evaporates and is distributed into the room in the form of humidified air. While this method uses no heating element, and therefore uses very little electricity to run, it does require regular replacement of the wick filters. There is also a possibility of mold, bacteria and fungi to grow on the paper-based wick as it sits in the water. There are bacteria treatments and antibacterial cartridges available which can be added to the water tanks to help prevent the growth of bacteria, but eventually the wick needs to be replaced with a new one. How often you need to replace the wick filter depends on many factors, including water hardness and frequency of use, but in general wick filters should be replaced at least every two months.Ultrasonic Humidifiers are another form of cool mist humidifier, but instead of using a fan to blow air through a wick filter, a small metal diaphragm vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency, which breaks the water down into tiny water droplets and becomes a fine vapor mist. Ultrasonic humidifiers are the quietest humidifiers around, and they use very little electricity. They can release minerals that are present in the water into the air with the mist. These minerals sometimes take the form of a fine dust, called "white dust", which can settle on furniture near the humidifier. White dust, while not harmful, can be reduced with the use of demineralization cartridges, or by using distilled water. Other than these cartridges, ultrasonic humidifiers require no other replacement filters.source: http://www.iallergy.com/default.php?cPath=11_86_87

does it use purfified or tap water

Either tap or purified water can be used. If you live in an area with 'hard' water, you'll need to clean the unit more frequently since calcium will build in the base inside. That calcium will harden up over time and you'll have to literally scrape it off to clean it. Another solution is to use filtered water from one of those name brand water filter jugs.

Does this plug into the wall or is it a USB plug?

Wall plug... 120V... the unit is the size of a volleyball and a USB plug would not have the "juice" to run the ultrasonic atomizer and fan. Product is very nice and leakproof by the way.

can I use essential oils in the water?

Thank you for checking with us. Do not use essential oils with this unit, as the oils can damage the tank and the nebulizer. If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact our consumer relations team by emailing us at SocialSupport@HelenofTroy.com. Thank you.

Material Type	Plastic
Shape	rectangular prism
Color	Blue
Item Weight	3 Pounds
Item Dimensions D x W x H	8.5"D x 8.5"W x 9.5"H
Room Type	Office, Bedroom, Nursery
Voltage	100120
Runtime	20 hours
Power Source	Electricity
Control Method	Touch
Capacity	520 Liters
Floor Area	218 Square Feet
Operation Mode	Ultrasonic
Special Features	Quiet, Auto Shut Off
Filter Type	Filter-free

Honeywell HUL520L Mistmate Cool Mist Humidifier, Blue

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