Which Home Humidifier Is Best For You?

A home humidifier can have a positive impact on anyone who owns one.

Embracing the benefits of a home humidifier is a great first step towards getting better sleep and improving your overall quality of life. Once you decide that you want a home humidifier, you need to figure out which one you’ll get the best use out of. All humidifiers provide the same general benefits but their method of deploying the comforting mist varies. The different types and sizes should also be considered when deciding the best one for your home.

In this article, we’ll be looking at three common types of home humidifiers to help you narrow down your options. Remember, regardless of whichever one you purchase, the most important thing you can do is maintain it with a regular cleaning and disinfecting routine to keep mold and bacteria from building up and spreading throughout your space. There are general cleaning practices but I strongly recommend you use the manufacturer’s instructions for best results and longer use. Without proper care, even the best humidifier can become a dangerous, bacteria-filled device that does more damage than good.

Cool Mist Humidifiers

Cool mist humidifiers are considered the best types of humidifiers. They can be used to emit their soothing vapor in larger settings and are generally safer than warm mist humidifiers. Many people compare warm and cool mist humidifiers to find that the benefits of cool mist outweighs those of warm mist humidifiers. One of those benefits is the safety factor. Since there’s no water to boil in order to create the vapor, a cool mist humidifier can be left overnight in a children’s room or near pets without worrying about having a terrible accident.

If you’re considering a cool mist humidifier, you can choose between an evaporative humidifier and an ultrasonic humidifier (I go into more detail on the ultrasonic humidifier later in the article).

Best used for: keeping large rooms comfortable, balancing moisture levels, during the day or night to keep you sleeping better throughout the night, alleviating cold symptoms and allergies.

Who can benefit: parents wanting a safer option for their family, those looking for relief during warm or dry climate, those looking for an economical option, anyone suffering from asthma or seasonal allergies, anyone looking for relief from cold symptoms.

Room Humidifier

There are many room humidifiers developed with room size in mind so you don’t have to worry about whether or not your room is too big or too small. Be advised, however, that whenever you purchase a room humidifier, the trade-offs can vary between convenience, efficiency, and noise production depending on the size. When it comes to room humidifiers, there are different built-in functions that can add to the convenience factor. You can find one with a humidistat built in to keep the moisture content in your room at optimum levels. This helps regulate the moisture content in your room without you having to think twice about it. Too much moisture can reverse the benefits of a humidifier and cause mold and mildew to grow and spread much easier, so keeping a handle on that is one of the most important things you can do with any humidifier. A timer is also common in a room humidifier but it can backfire if you forget to dry the humidifier between uses.

Best used for: nighttime use to help you sleep better throughout the night, especially smaller models; portability and traveling; dorm rooms.

Who can benefit: anyone wanting low maintenance convenience, someone who is always traveling and wants to be able to take the comfort of a humidifier with them.

Ultrasonic Humidifiers

Ultrasonic humidifiers use high-frequency sound vibrations in order to produce vapor. When comparing it to other humidifiers, these tend to be the quieter ones. Keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a completely quiet humidifier but if you’re looking for one that doesn’t keep you up with an obnoxious buzzing, this is your best choice. I mentioned earlier that this is a type of cool mist humidifier, which makes it one of the safer types to use but also more prone to bacteria build up. Without the boiling water to help kill bacteria, disinfecting ultrasonic humidifiers is an important part of maintenance. On the other hand, ultrasonic humidifiers don’t have a filter built in which helps save on filter purchases. The only downside to this is that you may notice greyish dust forming. To ease this, you can purchase an ultrasonic humidifier with a ceramic filter and use distilled water instead of tap water.

Best used for: daily use, around pets and children, anyone wanting relief from warm and dry climate, relief from cold symptoms.

Who can benefit: someone looking for a low cost, low maintenance humidifier; those looking for a quieter option; anyone who needs a safer humidifier that can be used in any room; anyone suffering from sinus conditions and dry skin.