Depending on the climate you live in, low humidity may have a major impact on your health. If you’re prone to allergies or you’re trying to combat a cold or the flu, a humidifier could play a key role in improving your wellbeing.
There are a lot of choices out there when searching to find the humidifier that’s right for you. Comparing cool mist and warm mist humidifiers, there are a few things you’ll want to consider regarding their similarities and differences to make an informed decision.
Humidifiers Overall
Cool and warm mist humidifiers have a lot in common. They both increase the humidity in a living area with the objective of achieving the optimum humidity level from 40-60%. Anything below 40% is too dry, and if the humidity level is above 60%, you run the risk of spreading mold and bacteria.
Whether you go with cool or warm mist, they both do a great job humidifying the air to this ideal level. The benefits of both humidifiers include better rest at night, healthy improvements to your throat and nasal congestion, and dry skin relief.
They’ll reduce the likelihood of virus survival, which can help you overcome sickness and improve your breathing in general.
The Main Difference
If the title is any indication, cool mist and warm mist primarily differ by the temperature of the mist they produce, using different methods to disperse the water placed inside. Cool mist uses room temperature water to send a mist through the air, while warm mist is released by boiling water.
Warm mist will also slightly increase the temperature of the room, making it more ideal for winter months than cool mist, but cool mist is more practical for use year-round, considering the hotter months.
Benefits of Warm Mist
Cool mist humidifiers utilize fans and filters, while warm mist does not. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about changing the filters out if you go with a warm mist humidifier. The fans in cool mist humidifiers can cause more noise, while warm mist is quiet.
The fact that the water isn’t heated makes cool mist more likely to spread bacteria and mold. While all humidifiers should be cleaned out regularly, you run more of a risk by neglecting a cool mist humidifier. Warm mist, by boiling the water, lessens the chance of spreading these irritations.
Many warm mist humidifiers also have features that can dispense essential oils into the air. This is something that you can’t do with cool mist, but check your product’s directions to make sure this is something that is capable with your specific warm mist humidifier and that it is done properly.
Benefits of Cool Mist
Unlike warm mist, cool mist humidifiers remain at room temperature and don’t heat up. This avoids some potential hazards that you may run into with warm mist.
Cool mist humidifiers are often recommended for nurseries, as there is the chance that a child could get burnt by the warm mist. Regarding the water of warm mist, if it happens to spill, it could directly burn skin or surfaces within your house. This has the potential to cause damage to flooring, furniture and more.
While cool mist utilizes a fan that can cause a slight noise, it doesn’t use as much electricity as warm mist humidifiers, since there is no need to heat the water. As mentioned before, cool mist is more ideal for use year-round.
Which One to Choose?
If you have bad allergies, need to fight illness or want a better night’s sleep, a humidifier wouldn’t be a bad investment. If you were hoping to find a definitive answer to guide you to a perfect choice, it’s not quite that easy.
Several factors can help you to consider what you might find best, but it’s all about preference when it comes to choosing between warm or cool mist humidifiers, ultimately. They both accomplish the same goal through slightly different and equally beneficial methods.
You may want to take your climate into account when deciding what it is you need. Would you prefer a room temperature mist to a heated mist? Would you prefer less maintenance to ensure that you’re not spreading mold? Are you worried about the potential hazards for your children or yourself when dealing with heated water?
Like most things, there are pros and cons on both sides of the coin. You’re the one who has to make the final decision but rest assured, both cool and warm mist humidifiers can get the job done.
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