Home humidifiers help moisturize the air in your home. Dry air can cause a number of problems such as itchy skin, dry noses and throats, chapped lips, nose bleeds, and much more. Beyond just health reasons, dry air can also crack wood furniture and cause peeling in wall paper. There are many great benefits to utilizing a home humidifier, so if you don't currently have one, now is the time to start shopping.
If you have never purchased one before or are unsure of how to choose the best humidifier for your home, this buyer's guide will help shed some light on the topic. Follow these simple steps when picking out a model that will best suit your needs.
Step 1- Choose the type of humidifier:
There are a few types currently available on the market: Warm Mist, Cool Mist, Ultrasonic, or some combination that often offer extra features like microbial protections, automatic programming, humidistats, or Ionizers.
Warm Mist: This type of humidifier uses a heating element that boils the water which creates a warm mist that is released in the air, increasing the humidity level of the room it's placed in. A warm mist humidifier will actually make the air feel warmer which will help save money on heating bills. Warm Mist units also have near silent operation and are the perfect option for individuals fighting a cold or flu. Some models even come with a medicine cup where you can add an inhalant to increase relief for cold symptoms.
Cool Mist: This is the most common type of humidifier. Cool Mist units can be either ultrasonic or evaportive models. Most tend to be evaporative which uses the principles of natural evaporation to add humidity to the air. This is the cleanest method of humidification and one of the reasons these models are so popular. A wick filter is situated at the base of the humidifier which absorbs water as a fan blows dry room air through it causing the water in the filter to evaporate into the room.
Ultrasonic: An ultrasonic humidifier utilizes high frequency sound waves to vibrate a metal diaphragm which then breaks down the water into a superfine mist. This mist will evaporate immediately, which in turn effectively and efficiently adds humidity into your home's air. A note on this type of unit is that if your water is hard, it will leave a white "dust" over furniture so it's best to used distilled water if you are aware of hard water coming from your water supply. On the other hand, it's the quietest type of humidifier available on the market and a great choice for bedrooms, nurseries, or guest rooms.
Step 2- Take into account the size of the room or area you'd like to humidify:
Different models will be suitable for different size rooms. You'll need to pay attention to how many square feet each unit will properly humidify (look under specifications, it should say something like "suitable for up to 600 sq. ft.") and also note the humidity output per day. Most units will list an output-per-day under their specifications (something like 2.5 gallon output per day). If you have a large room or area that needs to be humidified or are prone to very dry air during the winter or summer seasons, you will need to find a unit that has a high humidity output-per-day, usually over 3.5 gallons.
Step 3- Select the features that are important to you:
Finally, every humidifier will offer different features and amenities so make sure to choose a model that has all of the features you desire. Humidistats, Ionizers, demineralization cartridges, medicine cups for inhalants, auto shut-off options, programmable times, empty or clean indicator lights, and even night lights are all features that units can offer. Some are unnecessary but cool, others are really a benefit to have, so choose what you think you'll use and benefit from and leave the rest go. The more features a unit has, the more it is going to cost.
If you want more information of choosing a humidifier, check out a more in depth Humidifier Buying Guide. If you want to see reviews on some of the top models currently available on the market, check out Home Humidifier Reviews