One of the hardest parts about the winter is the constant use of heating. Although heating is such a luxury and it solves the problem of being cold it brings with it a new discomfort of dryness in the eyes, skin, and chapped lips. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way.
With a humidifier in your home, you can have all of the comforts without any of the downsides, except maybe for having to refill your humidifier on occasion. They also have a handy benefit of reducing transmission rates of viruses and bacteria, as well as making life more comfortable and making the air easier to breathe.
In this article, we’ll help you identify the different factors you should think about for selecting the best humidifier for the winter.
Our Recommended Humidifiers for the Winter
Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
The Pure Enrichment MistAire Cool Mist Humidifier is a fantastic small-sized humidifier. The MistAire is rated to increase the relative humidity in rooms of up to 250 square feet, though some users found it works well in larger rooms, as well. It sports a 1.5-liter tank, allowing it to run for an impressive 16 consecutive hours per refill.
This humidifier has a single button on the bottom that you press once to turn it on and press twice to shift between fan speeds. To turn it off, press the power button once more. While the MistAire is far from being the most feature-packed humidifier on the market, for its low cost and fantastic performance, it’s a great device for warding off wintertime dryness.
- INSTANT DRY AIR RELIEF: Ultrasonic cool mist technology safely and quickly moisturizes dry...
- YEAR-ROUND COMFORT: High and low-speed settings combined with a 360° mist nozzle help you...
Levoit Humidifier
If you’re looking for a humidifier that comes with all the bells and whistles imaginable, look no further than this Levoit Humidifier. It comes with a massive 6-liter tank, which provides up to 60 hours of nonstop humidifying per refill. Thanks to its beefy motor, the Levoit can properly humidify all four corners of 500-plus-square-foot rooms in as little as 30 minutes.
Instead of manually scrolling between fan speeds, you can let the built-in humidifier gauge choose which speed to run and for how long. Or if you have a smart speaker at home, you can sync it to this humidifier to send voice instructions. Overall, this Levoit device has everything you’d ever want or need in a humidifier.
- 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝...
- 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩...
Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier
The Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier is like many other large-sized humidifiers out there. It sports a 6-liter tank that produces up to 50 hours of mist to humidity in 500-square-foot rooms.
By twisting the nozzle, users can manually adjust how much mist this humidifier releases, thereby extending its runtime per refill by several hours. It also comes with a fancy essential oils tray, which you can use to introduce a nose-pleasing aroma in any room you want in. Thanks to the automatic shutoff feature, you won’t have to worry about the motor overheating as it will turn off when the tank runs dry.
- COLD MIST HUMIDIFIERS FOR BEDROOM: This large capacity humidifier from Everlasting Comfort...
- LARGE ROOM HUMIDIFIERS FOR HOME: Our cool mist humidifier works perfectly as a room...
Buying Guide
Different Types of Humidifiers
There are a couple of different types of humidifiers that we should introduce before getting into some of the nuanced aspects of owning a humidifier. There are warm mist humidifiers that boil water prior to misting it into the air and also offer the benefit of helping to heat the air.
There are also cold mist humidifiers, which typically can offer a wider spread and also are safer as they don’t involve boiling water.
Cold air humidifiers can also be useful during the summer months as they cool the air. Some humidifiers may even offer control over the temperature they disperse the water at. There are also fancier ultrasonic humidifiers that work by vibrating the water to disperse it into the air.
The benefit of using this type of humidifier is that temperature is not involved so they can be used without heating or cooling the house and they are also quieter than the evaporative kind.
The Cons of a Humidifier
Buying a humidifier is not without its downside as you will need to change the water to fuel the humidifier frequently. It’s also better to use distilled water rather than tap water as regular use of tap water will leave salt deposits on both the inside of your humidifier as well as on objects that the water vapor touches.
Humidifiers are also the ideal breeding place for bacteria and mold as it is wet, moist environment that is usually controlled at a specific temperature.
Thus, it’s advisable to clean your humidifier at least once every two weeks if not weekly. The filters should also be replaced at the same time. You’ll also need some type of humidity monitor if your humidifier doesn’t come with one built in as you shouldn’t humidify air above 50% humidity.
Despite all of these cons, it’s still well worth owning a humidifier as there is simply no better relief from the dryness of winter than with one. There are also humidifiers on the market that remove most, if not all of these cons.
Location Matters
Make sure you know where you’re going to put your humidifier as well. The ideal spot for a humidifier is in a room that you are frequently in, or if primarily seeking to avoid dryness when going to bed it makes sense to have it in the bedroom.
Avoid placing the humidifier near vents or in places where they have a chance of being knocked over.
It could be especially dangerous to knock over the humidifier if it is a hot water humidifier. Nurseries can be an ideal spot for a small personal humidifier to keep your baby comfortable. Most humidifiers will be most effective in the room they are in, and won’t have much of an impact in other rooms of the house.
It may be necessary to have multiple humidifiers to make more than one room comfortable. Also, make sure you have a way to measure the humidity in each room there is a humidifier to ensure it is not over-humidifying.
So Which is The Best
Who knew there was so much involved in choosing the best humidifier. We’ve provided an overview of the different types of humidifiers from ultrasonic to evaporative and the cons of owning a humidifier: weekly cleaning and filter replacement as well as having to use distilled water.
There are humidifiers on the market that can solve most of these problems, however, and there are even humidifiers that incorporate aromatherapy as well. Now that you have an idea of what to look for in a humidifier and what the potential headaches of having one are.
Make sure to take a look at our reviews designed to assist you in choosing the best humidifier for the winter.
FAQs
Using a humidifier during the wintertime isn’t illegal is it?
Seriously though, yes, you should. Cold air retains fewer moisture particles; this is why people get chapped lips and eczema flare ups occur more often. The relative humidity level is between 30 and 40 percent during wintertime. You can’t do much to alter the humidity levels outdoors, but you can at least place a humidifier in the middle of your living room to blast tiny water molecules into the air to lubricate your nose and throat.
It’s generally safer to use a cold mist humidifier in your baby’s nursery. The reason for this is that warm humidifiers can be hot to the touch since their heating elements are on at full power. Plus, the closer your hand is to the mist vent, the hotter the water vapor is.
However, if your baby is suffering from a cold, a warm humidifier might be able to help your child deal with their symptoms. A 2017 study showed that fewer nasal suctions were needed when children with the flu were introduced to warm humidifier than cold mist ones.
Not at all. Even in the wintertime with your radiator on at full power, the cool mist humidifier’s water vapors will almost immediately warm up to room temperature. In fact, if you’ve ever used a humidifier before, you might be aware that a room will grow stuffier by the minute.
This is the water vapor molecules at work; excess humidity can trigger sweating and mugginess. This is why it’s crucial to maintain a proper relative humidity level of between 30 and 40 percent at all times.
It’s generally recommended that you leave the door open a crack to let excess water vapor escape a room and humidity another part of your home. Overly humid rooms are the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and mold, which can lead to dire health consequences.
Yes, you can. Leaving your humidifier running for hours on end can cause a spike in indoor relative humidity, which in turn can promote mold and bacteria growth. Make use of the humidifiers timer and only refill the humidifier when you intend to use it.
Typical signs of an overly humidified room include condensation droplets on glass windows, clammy air, a strong smell of mildew, worsened allergy symptoms, soft and/or rotting wood, and the beginning signs of mold growth on drywall.
If there’s black stuff growing on humidifier’s water tank, filter, base, or air outlet, there’s a high likelihood that it’s mold. It’s not uncommon for mold to grow in and around a humidifier, especially a warm humidifier, but you might not need to immediately toss the device in the garbage.
You can use a 1:1 solution of distilled vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to remove the mold. Dump the solution into the thank and, with a small toothbrush, scrub the black stuff away. If the mold isn’t going away, you’ll need a new humidifier.
If you have any questions or comments, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes or omissions. Thanks!
Sources
Best Humidifiers for Sinus Problems – HouseholdMe
Differential Diagnosis of Cheilitis – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Last Update: 2024-04-17 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
