10 Things You Need to Know About Humidifiers
Updated: Mar. 07, 2023When humidity in your home is low, the dry air can affect everything from your skin and hair to your wood furniture and flooring. Humidifiers can be a great way to maintain a healthy humidity level, but there are some things you need to know before purchasing one.
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Consider Where You Need the Humidity
Is just one room in your home in need of more humidity or could your entire home benefit? A small humidifier can work in a bedroom, while a whole-house humidifier can deliver moisture to a large space.
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Warm or Cool Mist?
Warm-mist humidifiers have an element that will heat the water and release it as warm moisture. Since these humidifiers have a heating element, be especially careful to keep them away from children and pets. Cool-mist humidifiers create a room-temperature mist. Warm models often use a little more electricity since they need to heat the water. Ultrasonic humidifiers can deliver both warm and cool mists.
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Think About Style
Tabletop humidifiers can sit atop a desk or dresser, while console humidifiers sit on the floor. Many tabletop humidifiers come in sleek or fun designs.
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What About Noise?
Humidifiers do make some noise. If you'll use your humidifier in the bedroom, consider an ultrasonic model which creates a soft, soothing sound and is quieter than other tabletop models.
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Consider Maintenance
No matter what type of humidifier you use, there will be some maintenance required. The main thing is to keep the water tank clean to avoid mold and mildew, which can impact your home's air quality. Each day, drain and rinse the reservoir. Once a week, remove any residue and disinfect, following the manufacturer's instructions.
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There is Such a Thing as Too Much Humidity
While dry air can affect your health, create static electricity and cause some damage to your home, furniture and fixtures, high humidity levels can cause problems as well. Too much humidity can lead to mold growth and window condensation. Indoor humidity should be at a level of 30 to 50 percent.
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Think Timers
Many humidifiers have a built-in timer. This allows you to set the humidifier to turn on at a set time so the room has the right level of humidity when you get home.
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Find a User-Friendly Model
If you'll be using a tabletop humidifier, choose one that is easy to clean and move. All humidifiers should have clear display settings that are easy to see and simple to understand.
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Humidistat Models
Some humidifiers have a humidistat that will cause the unit to shut off when the humidity reaches a certain, preset level. This can come in handy if you plan to leave the humidifier on when you're not in the room.
Originally Published: November 29, 2017
