For many, having a humidifier in your home is essential in order to maintain comfort and better control allergies during the drier fall and winter months. Dry air may bring on or exacerbate eczema, may lead to itchy or inflamed mucous membranes, and can dry allergens which makes them more easily airborne and more than readily inhaled. Before choosing a humidifier to assistance you this season, take a moment to look over these five things to consider when buying a humidifier. Considering each before investing in a humidifier can help ensure that your purchase is not only suited to your specific needs, but that it volition run as efficiently and safely as possible.

Should I become a warm mist or cool mist humidifier?

In terms of humidifying the air in your home, there is actually little difference betwixt warm mist humidifier and absurd mist humidifier. However, there are specific differences that may make either a warm mist or a cool mist unit ideal for you:

  • Warm mist humidifiers may be specially soothing for those who have a cold or the flu.
  • Most warm mist humidifiers offering germicidal protection past boiling the water earlier information technology is released into the air.
  • Some warm mist humidifiers can be used in conjunction with medication.
  • The boiling water and steam emitted by older warm mist humidifiers could potentially be dangerous if immature children are around.
  • Warm mist can help make the cold air in your home feel warmer (although humidification in general, whether through warm mist or cool mist, will aid make your dwelling experience warmer).
  • Cool mist humidifiers are often easier to keep clean.
  • Cool mist humidifiers, specially ultrasonic models, tin can have much higher moisture outputs.

Air O Swiss 7135 HumidifierIf yous cannot determine between warm mist and absurd mist humidification, there are a few units that allow y'all the choice, including well-nigh Air O Swiss/Boneco and PureGuardian humidifier models. Enjoy the all-time of both worlds with these units that enable you to select either warm mist or cool mist humidification. Just note that often dual mist models simply preheat the water, and then the warm mist feature is ofttimes nowhere almost as warm as the a warm mist just humidifier.

What type of humidifier should I get?


There are a few different means that humidifiers propel moist air into your dwelling environs. These various functions interpret to different maintenance requirements for you lot. Before purchasing a unit of measurement, it's good to know how your unit works so that you lot understand how best to care for it and keep it working at peak performance. Hither's a brief breakdown of humidifier types:

Air-O-Swiss 2055 Air Washer/Humidifier Impeller humidifiers – Constantly rotating discs break water into ultra fine droplets. Impeller humidifiers release cool mist into the air. The Air-O-Swiss Air Washer and Humidifier turns its rotating discs into "air washing" feature, allow particulate to "stick" to the damp discs. As the discs rotate dorsum into the water pool/reservoir, the particulate remains in the humidifier, out of the air yous exhale. The output of these models generally isn't equally loftier as an ultrasonic or warm mist humidifier, but air washers can exist a good way with the benefit of some particulate removal.

Stadler Form Oskar Humidifier Evaporative humidifiers – These use a fan to draw air over a moisture wick to release moisture into the air. Lightweight and low on power usage, evaporative humidifiers are effective but tend to have one drawback. They can't warm the water like an ultrasonic or banality-style warm mist humidifier. As a positive though, as humidity levels increase, they tend to be less effective. So they tin can exist somewhat self regulating. Overall, well-nigh people enjoy them because nearly have a convenient top-make full feature.

Air O Swiss S450 Steam Humidifier Warm mist humidifiers – Equally mentioned to a higher place, warm mist humidifiers boil the h2o which is so emitted as steam. Not merely is this warm mist very soothing, but many have optional medicine cups that can exist used to vaporize some medications. On the downside, older models could cause problems if spilled by pets or children, but near newer models reduce or eliminate the chance of burns associated with spilling the very hot/boiling water. Power consumption is a little slightly college since the h2o is boiled/heated. Notation: the "warm mist" features of a dual mist humidifier, is Not as warm every bit a traditional warm mist humidifier.

Germ Guardian Ultrasonic Humidifier Ultrasonic humidifiers – High frequency vibrations in ultrasonic humidifiers plough liquid h2o into a fine mist. This cool mist fog is then dispersed into the room via a small, integrated fan within the unit. This type of humidifier offers the highest wet output of all, very low power usage, and operates in near silence. Conveniently, the vibrations used by ultrasonic humidifiers kill nearly microbes. Due to the loftier output, depression noise level, and an assortment of optional features, ultrasonic humidifiers generally offer a very wide variety of models in terms of price, wet output, and aseptic features.

What germicidal measures should my humidifier have?


If not properly maintained, humidifiers can actually cause more problems than they solve. Standing water tin breed bacteria and mold which is then spewed into the air and inhaled. Thus, humidifiers need to be emptied and cleaned consistently. But improper cleaning in itself can besides pose wellness hazards. When harsh chemicals such as bleach are used to clean the unit, the chemicals tin become airborne and inhaled.

Due to the possible risk and the high-maintenance nature of humidifiers, manufacturers have taken measures to provide germicidal protection. (Note: These measures practise not replace the need for regular maintenance.)

Some germ fighting options include:

  • Ionic Silver or Carbon Filters – Air-O-Swiss humidifiers at present use their included Hydro Prison cell (a carbon filter) to help go along h2o clean. While Pure Guardian used integrated silver ions in the tank, and Stadler Form opt for the more traditional Silver Ion Cube.
  • UV light – Kills microbes safely and finer, but requires the replacement of bulbs. This method has get less common, in favor of carbon or ionic silver.
  • Ultrasonic vibration – Kills germs at the same fourth dimension as water is "shaken" into tiny droplets.
  • Boiling/Heat – Warm mist (boiler-way) humidifiers impale germs past humid water before it is released into the air as steam. Dual mist units prewarm the water in warm mist mode, just often not warm enough to kill microbes.
  • Combination – Several units include more than 1 germicidal characteristic to provide you with a more than well rounded try to keep the h2o make clean and hygienic as well as some added peace of listen.

How many humidifying units volition yous purchase?


Five Things to Consider When Buying a Humidifier - Where to Place Your HumidifierGiven the many benefits of home humidification – keeping your domicile's paint, wood, and article of furniture from drying out; offer natural relief from common cold and influenza symptoms; soothing irritated sinuses; and lowering heating costs past making the air feel warmer – you may make up one's mind to purchase multiple units. Near humidifiers are unmarried room humidifiers, whose effects are often slow to be felt in other rooms, if at all. Unless you opt for a whole home humidifier (tied into the existing HVAC system), most opt for 1-iii units for better coverage throughout the home.

For example, if you have young children, you know first-mitt how many colds they selection upwards during the colder months – and you know how miserable it is for them (and you) to get up in the middle of the nighttime to tend to stuffy noses. Furthermore, given the FDA'south recommendation not to give children nether ii years of age coughing medicine or other over-the-counter common cold medication, natural relief is more of import than e'er. Humidifiers placed in children's rooms offer significant nap-fourth dimension and night-time relief.

The aforementioned goes for sick adults. Enjoy the benefits of nighttime-fourth dimension relief and the adept night'south slumber you crave through humidification in the bedroom. Some units even characteristic a medicine cup for calculation vaporizing common cold medications.

If you lot're interested in cutting down on heating bills, you lot may consider humidifying units for other areas of your home also. Adding moisture to the air – up to a certain level – helps the air feel warmer and lessens the need to turn that thermostat up.

Ultimately, a humidifier falls under the aforementioned advice equally many allergy relief products – showtime in the room y'all utilize the well-nigh, namely, the bedroom.

What chapters should my humidifier have?


Deciding what type of capacity yous want your unit to accept is not equally daunting as, say, deciding the same for an air purifier. Basically, the larger the chapters of your humidifier, the less oft you volition have to refill information technology. However, this must be balanced against considerations such equally how easy or hard the unit is to refill, how much space you accept for your unit, and how heavy the unit of measurement will be if you have to deport it to the bath or kitchen to refill. Many of our largest capacity humidifiers hold almost 2 gallons of h2o and can literally run for days without needing to exist refilled. Our smallest unit, the portable Germ Guardian Table Summit Humidifier holds slightly less than a quarter of a gallon. Other models similar the Stadler Grade Oskar are top-fill models that concur a large corporeality of h2o. While there is a fairly broad range of humidifier capacities to choose from, this choice largely boils down to how much convenience practice you want.

In one case you lot answered these five things to consider when buying a humidifier, you may discover that you've effectively narrowed your options down, and at present have a much easier decision than when you started. While at that place are certainly other factors to consider before y'all buy, these five questions are a bully place to start.

For more than help choosing the right humidifier, see our Humidifier Buying Guide or phone call one of our experienced and friendly customer service representatives at 1-800-339-7123.