Humidifiers are not just used for allergies or colds and flu problems. While they do help with those by keeping the recommended humidity levels at 30%-40%, they are also good for wooden furniture and painting you want to protect if you live in a dry or cold climate, or if you use your fireplace frequently and need to get needed moisture back into the air. People who have asthma also need to have good humidity levels and for a baby’s nursery when they are sick, humidifiers can be gold. Often, a customer seeks a humidifier that not only through cold or warm mist, filters out water elements, but also ones that are a combination humidifier and air purifier, taking that extra step to ensure correct humidity levels and quality air levels.
There are three basic types of humidifiers—ones that have cold mist, ones that release a hot mist, and the ultrasonic models that are the newest on the market and are generally quieter than models that have fans.
Brands and Options
Many companies sell humidifiers of all kinds, including Honeywell, Bemis, and the Holmes Company. Warm mist models use electricity to release the warm steam into the air. They are economical and most models use tap water. If you seek a warm mist model, make sure it says it has an automatic shut off when the tank is empty and look for ones who say they remain cool to the touch to avoid burns not only to you, but to the carpet and floors they sit on.
Cool mist humidifiers don’t have the worry of becoming hot to the touch or hot steam. Cool mist humidifiers come in the ultrasonic models, others have an impeller technology, and lastly, there are the evaporative humidifiers that use fans to blow water into the air. The ultrasonic models emits the cool mist through vibrations and the impeller models use disks that break up the water and force it into the air. Almost all cool mist humidifiers require distilled water because of the filtering options. In addition, because cool mist humidifiers do not get hot or produce hot steam, the water inside their tanks is more susceptible to germs or bacteria.
What to Look For
Before you choose a humidifier, you’ll need to figure out the size of the area you want to use it for. Smaller ones may only regulate humidity up to say 700 square feet, while larger ones promise all the way up to 2,600 square feet. If you are using it for your baby’s nursery, you’ll probably seek out one that is a compact one-room model.
You should also think about the hardness of your water. If it is hard water, you should seek out models that take care of this through filtering options. Automatic shut off models are good so they don’t get damaged once the water tank is empty. Some models have lifetime filters that are permanent and only require cleaning while others have replacement filters and wicks that you’ll have to buy—usually every three months.
If filtering the air is also a concern of yours, look for models that are humidifiers and air purifiers. All humidifiers will keep the humidity level of your house or room at the recommended levels but so some research on which models you choose and what kind of customer ratings they have. Talk to your friends who have humidifiers for good choices.
Where to Buy?
You can buy humidifiers in hardware stores, home and garden centers, and most large retail discount stores. You can also buy them online by doing an Internet search where you’ll find not only humidifier retailers but also model manufacturer websites where you can buy them directly from the manufacturer along with all replacement parts. Remember when buying replacement filters to buy the one that is for your model and your model only—buying the wrong filter could damage your humidifier.
Whether you choose to buy a humidifier in a store where you can ask an expert about various models, or on the Internet, where you can get a lot of customer reviews, both are great places and will keep humidity levels in your home up to par.
