Simply put, a humidifier makes the air less dry or more humid by releasing moisture into the air. As you can imagine, this can be done in several ways. Therefore, humidifiers come in several types.
Evaporative Humidifiers
Evaporative humidifiers are basic humidifiers with a reservoir/tank, wick and fan. The water is absorbed from the tank by the wick, which also works as a filter. Then the fan will blow air to the wick to evaporate the water into the air. The moisture output will increase if the room humidity is low.
The wick will trap any mineral deposits in the water, therefore this kind of humidifier has less possibility of releasing white dust together with the moisture. For this kind of humidifier, you need to change the wick often, otherwise it will stop working.
I recommend: Bemis Essick Air H12-400 3-Speed Evaporative Console Humidifier (Review)
Cool Mist Humidifiers
Cool mist humidifiers have a rotating disc that throws water onto a diffuser which in turn will break the water up finely and release it into the air.
A cool mist humidifier will lower the temperature of the room by one or two degrees, but beware if you have allergy or asthma, as this kind of humidifier also releases any minerals and microorganisms contained in the water together with the mist. It is advisable to use distilled water for this kind of humidifier.
Warm Mist Humidifiers
A warm mist humidifier boils the water and releases steam into the air. More often than not, these humidifiers enable you to add medicated inhalants to be projected simultaneously with the steam.
Warm mist humidifiers are said to be better for health because steam from boiled water does not contain any harmful microorganisms or minerals. Minerals tend to build up around the heating component and require constant cleaning.
This kind of humidifier also heats up the room a degree or two, and might be a safety hazard for kids.
I recommend: Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier (Review)
Ultrasonic Humidifiers
Ultrasonic humidifiers create a cool fog by ultrasonic frequency vibration. These are like cool mist humidifiers; they need to be cleaned regularly and they are also not selective about the elements they put into the air.
I recommend: Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic 7135 (Review)
Use a measure tape to measure the size of the room in square feet. You need determine this so that you know what capacity your room humidifier has to be. But if you need to humidify the whole house (almost all of the rooms are below optimal humidity level, for instance), it costs less and is more convenient to install a whole house humidifier or furnace humidifier.
Capacity of a humidifier is defined as the total amount of water the humidifier is able to release into the air in a day. It is NOT the capacity of the tank/reservoir, as many people misunderstood it to be.
If the capacity of your humidifier is too low, it won’t give you your money’s worth; but if the capacity is too high, it may cause over-humidifying.
For large spaces: Bemis Essick Air H12-400 3-Speed Evaporative Console Humidifier – Best Whole House Humidifier(Review)
For small spaces: Crane Adorable 1 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier
3. Features of Humidifiers
Some important features of humidifiers that you’d want to take into consideration:
Noise Level
Some humidifiers are noisier than others. This can cause some disturbance to sleep if you put a noisy humidifier in your bedroom. Check the reviews for noise level and decide whether you want to run the humidifier throughout the night.
The best quiet humidifier is: Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic 7135 (Review)
Control settings
I wouldn’t want a humidifier that is too complicated to use, but I would like to be able to control the humidifying time, humidity level and fan speed, if applicable. The control settings are preferably all digital, simple and user friendly. I find the controls of this humidifier very efficient: Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier (Review)
Ease of handling and maintenance
If you want to move the humidifier around to humidify different areas of the house, make sure you get a lightweight one. The tank should be easy to clean and fill up.
Safety features
Will you be buying a warm mist humidifier? Take care to put it somewhere your child can’t reach it because it is hot! Check for safety features of the humidifier you want to buy such as thermal cutoff, overheat protection and automatic tip-over switch that will prevent electrical hazards.
Filters
Will you need to change the filter for the humidifier you buy? Check the price of humidifier filters as well because you’d want to include them in your budget.
Warranty
A good humidifier should also come with a warranty from the manufacturer. You might also want to check the reputation of the manufacturer and its customer service.
Related Posts:
- Best Humidifier – Main Page
- Duracraft DWM250 2-1/2-Gallon Humidifier – Best Warm Mist Humidifier
- Honeywell HWM450 Quick Steam Warm Moisture Humidifier – Best Fast Humidifier
- Bemis Essick Air H12-400 3-Speed Evaporative Console Humidifier – Best Whole House Humidifier
- Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic 7135 – Best Quiet Humidifier