My hubby came home from work with soaked boots the day after I got this, I put his boots on the machine overnight, and sure enough they were perfectly dry in the morning. I even use it to warm up my shoes before heading out in the cold Wyoming temps.
It is virtually silent.  The base never got hot, I was a little worried about leaving it on all night, but no problems.  Remember to unplug it when you're done, it doesn't have an on/off switch.