Most people just think of humidity as something the weatherman talks about on the news. But during cold weather, the humidity in your home, or lack thereof, can have a dramatic impact on your health and comfort.
Have you ever wondered why winter is flu season? After all, all life on the planet is more active in warm weather. The flu virus is no exception. The answer is largely due to the lower humidity found in cold weather. Research has shown that in an environment with 40% or higher humidity, airborne flu germs are dramatically less likely to infect another person because the more moisture laden air causes the virus to fall to the ground quickly instead of being inhaled.
Not only this, a space heater is far less effective in a very low humidity environment. Dry air is a very poor conductor of heat. This can be seen in hot weather in the desert. Just getting out of direct sunlight results in a massively cooler feeling to the atmosphere. In a really humid environment, like a bayou in Lousiana, getting out of the sun offers very little relief from the heat. Because of this effect, heat from a space heater in a dry environment does not travel as well or as far in low humidity.
To take control over the humidity in your home and reduce the chances of catching the flu and increase the comfort brought by heating the home, a good home humidifier is a must.
And in order to help you pick the right humidifier for your needs, we invested 26 hours analyzing and comparing 40 different humidifiers. Out of these, we decided to select only the top five models to include in our list. We didn’t think a list would be enough, however, so we also created a general buying guide as well as a comparison chart.
Best Overall: Aircare EP9 800 Whole House Evaporative Humidifier
The Aircare EP9 800 is our top pick and we give it our highest recommendation. There are several things about this humidifier that set it apart from the rest of the pack, the most notable of which being its size. Compared to its competitors, this unit is quite large. But this is a good thing, as its size gives it the capability to keep spaces of up to 2400 sq. ft. in size at the recommended humidity level of 45% – enough to easily humidify a small to medium sized house.
And to keep up with the Air Care EP9 800’s humidifying ability, its 13.2 liter capacity water reservoir is likewise enormous, which means that on a full tank there’s always plenty of water available for the unit to condition the air in its rated space range.
So does this mean it should not be used for a single room? Absolutely not! The effectiveness of the unit for a smaller space does not change, its water supply simply lasts longer, with some users reporting that they only need to refill the Aircare EP9 800’s reservoir once a week.
Best Value: Urpower MH501 Large Capacity Ultrasonic Humidifier
We highly recommend the Urpower MH501 for those of you who want to get the most “bang for your buck.” This highly effective room humidifier was engineered to allow even the most fumble fingered technophobes among us to reap the health and comfort benefits of being able to control the humidity in the air we breathe.
The first element of this ultra simple philosophy is its extra large 5 liter water reservoir, which allows the Urpower MH501 to run far longer than most other competing models on a single refill. While the company rates its running range from 14-17 hours, most long-time users have reported being able to go days between refills. What makes this large reservoir important for simplicity is the idea that the more effort it is to use a product, the more likely it is that people will stop using it.
In conjunction with its large water reservoir, the Urpower MH501 also features an automatic shutoff for situations where the water is allowed to completely run out. For users who are likely to be forgetful and not as rigorous at monitoring the water level as some, this is an important feature to avoid damage to the machine or the home itself.
TaoTronics TT-AH001 Cool Mist Room Humidifier
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 is a small yet effective humidifier that’s specially designed to function as unobtrusively as possible while operating in close proximity to people. A key complaint often heard from those who are sensitive to noise is that their humidifier is just too loud. With the TT-AH001, this is not a problem. With its 38dB (decibel) max noise production, it is quieter than the typical computer. For situations where the humidifier will be placed next to someone, especially when noise level is a factor, like in a bedroom or office where important business calls may take place, the ability to humidify the air without polluting it with noise is crucial.
The TaoTronics TT-AH001 also features a mist nozzle that can rotate 360 degrees. This allows the owner the freedom of placing it in a given location and deciding where to aim the mist. Because of this and the unit’s small size, it can be place virtually anywhere without worrying that the mist is going to saturate some nearby object or wall.
4 Honeywell HCM350W Cool Mist Room Humidifier
In addition to the general humidifying it is capable of, the Honeywell HCM350W also includes a couple of features that, for some people, might be enough reason to give it the nod over competing units, one of which is its active bacterial killing feature. While virtually all quality humidifiers claim some filtration system to reduce the release of waterborne germs into the air, the Honeywell HCM350W is one of the very few in its class to use an ultraviolet light system to actually kill germs in the water as it passes through the unit. In addition to the unit’s UV (ultraviolet) system, it also has a traditional physical filter to help screen out nonliving particulates in the water from getting into the room’s air.
The quality of Honeywell is well known, but one of the features that really demonstrates the thought Honeywell put into making their product user friendly is the shape of the water reservoir. The shape of it allows it to be set down on a flat surface without tipping over. While this may seem like common sense, a surprising number of humidifiers have a tank that cannot be set down, meaning once it has been filled your hands are occupied until it is reattached to the unit.
5 Best Budget Model: Vicks V745A/V745-JUV Warm Mist Humidifier
Vicks is a company that has made a name for itself as a go-to source for cold and flu relief, which is why it should come as no surprise that the Vicks V745A/V745-JUV was designed with this in mind. They no doubt had highly budget-conscious shoppers in mind as well, since it’s so affordably priced.
One of the main features of this compact humidifier is that it creates warm mist. What this means is that the unit essentially boils water and jets steam into the room. Many people suffering from cold and flu find that such warm mist is much less likely to induce coughing than a cool mist.
Another feature of the Vicks V745 that further indicates it was engineered with medicinal uses in mind is its ability to use Vicks (or Kaz) medicinal inhalants to infuse the air in the room with cough suppressing vapors. There is a special cup where the medicine is placed and the machine automatically mixes it with water during the vaporization process. Fortunately, its focus on medicinal use doesn’t really reduce the Vicks V745A’s ability to function well as a general humidifier. All in all, this is good pick for anyone who’s in need of a cheap, single-room air humidifier that can also double as a medicinal vapor diffuser. Read reviews on Amazon >
How To Choose The Best Humidifier
Humidifiers are all the same. At least, the general function is the same for every unit made. As they say, though, “The devil is in the details.”
The details when choosing the perfect humidifier are the features of the individual unit. Generally, there are 5 considerations:
Reservoir Size
The water reservoir of a humidifier determines how long it can operate between refills. Having an enormous water reservoir could mean going days between refills, but could also mean the unit is too large to tuck in an out of the way location. Choosing a humidifier with the right water reservoir size boils down to where you plan to put it and how often you want to top off the water.
Reservoir Type
Along with various sizes, there are different types of water reservoirs:
- The kind that requires you to take the whole unit to the sink
- The kind that can be detached from the unit so you can take it to the sink
- The kind that requires you to bring the water to the unit
Most agree that the most inconvenient water reservoir type is the one where it does not detach from the machine and the entire unit needs to be taken to the sink for every refill. Virtually all the air humidifiers that feature this type of tank are very small personal or single room humidifiers.
Mid sized humidifiers tend to use the removable reservoir system. With this system, the tank itself detaches from the unit and can be filled and cleaned separately. If this is the type that interests you most, it might be a good idea to find one that is top filled and has a flat bottom that can be set down.
We are defining top filled as a reservoir with the fill hole at the top when it is attached to the machine. Bottom filled models require the tank to be quickly flipped upside down to reattach to the machine, opening the possibility of making a serious mess. The flat bottom simply allows someone to set the tank down and do something else, instead of being forced to carry it around until it is reattached to the humidifier.
Reservoirs that require water to be brought to the machine tend to be really big ones. At almost eight and a half pounds per gallon, carrying a tank full of several gallons of water could be beyond many people. People with this type of humidifier tend to put it somewhere close to a water source, otherwise you may need to improvise some sort of system to trolley water back and forth to save yourself from having to make numerous back-and-forth trips.
Filter Type
There are essentially two types of filters used by most humidifiers. Materials vary, but the bottom line is whether they are washable or not. Many environmental conditions, particularly very hard water, can cause filters to quickly clog.
Hard water is essentially water that contains a high amount of minerals. This is mostly a function of the ground composition in the area. For those who live in an area with very hard water, a washable filter could save a great deal of money in replacement filters.
Warm or Cool Mist
Generally speaking, the temperature of the mist coming out of a humidifier has very little impact on the humidifier’s effectiveness. Whether warm or cool mist is preferred is usually a function of location.
On the East coast of the US, there is usually a great deal of humidity for most of the year. Because of this, humidifiers tend to be used mostly in Winter. During such times, many people prefer a warm mist because they find the feel of the vapor to be shocking in the cool air.
In the Western US, the opposite is true. The humidity tends to be low year-round, but especially during the hottest weather when air conditioners are running, further draining moisture from the air. For such locations, a cool mist humidifier is usually preferred to deal with the situation.
Aside from personal taste, there is only one other substantial consideration when choosing between a warm mist and cool mist humidifier. Like any appliance that produces heat, fire and burns are always a possibility if used improperly or knocked over. Because of this, humidifiers that will be operating in areas with children or pets without constant supervision should be either cool mist or placed well out of reach.
Vapor Additives
The last major detail to decide on when choosing between air humidifiers are vapor additives. Some humidifiers double as an aromatherapy device and feature a separate input for essential oil. Others feature an input for a medicinal additive to make breathing easier or suppress coughs. If these are desirable features, be sure the humidifier is made for it, as simply mixing things into the water could destroy the machine.
The humidity in the air we breathe is a very important, yet often ignored, aspect of our health and comfort. By keeping a few key details in mind, you can ensure that your new humidifier does what all humidifiers do in exactly the way you want.
Comparison Chart
Our Top Pick
$$$$$
13.2
2400
Yes
No
Yes
27
Best Value
$$$
5
500-700
No
No
Yes
5
Best Budget Model
$
3.8
400-600
No
Yes
No
5
Top Rated
$$$$
13.6
2000+
Yes
No
Yes
14
Very Good
$$$$$
12.9
2000+
No
No
Yes
20
Very Good
$$$
4
538
No
No
Yes
4
Good
$$$
4.1
400-600
No
No
Yes
10
Decent
$$
1.5
150-250
No
No
No
2
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