Buying Guide When Looking for the Right Home Humidifier

Moisture and humidity indoors can instantly drop when outdoor temperatures significantly go down. This situation can create several physical discomforts, such as dry skin, itchy eyes, flu, and allergic irritations. That’s why it’s essential to have a humidifier to maintain the balance of moisture inside your home when the dry air in winter is in its heyday.

But what are the features to look for in an ideal humidifier? Well, here’s a buying guide that will help you find the best humidifier to keep a reasonable amount of moisture in your home.

Size of the Unit

You need first to determine the size of the area that needs an added humidity for you to decide the size of the humidifier that you should buy.

Portable or tabletop humidifiers are ideal in humidifying specific small- and medium-sized areas of your house. You can also move them from one location to another, and they have removable water containers that make it easy for you to clean.

If you wish to humidify multiple rooms or your entire home, on the other hand, console humidifiers and whole-house humidifiers are ideal for it.

A console humidifier is typically placed in a central location to provide humidity throughout your house, while a whole-house humidifier is installed in your HVAC system to evenly distribute the right amount of moisture in your entire home.

Moisture Output

The moisture output refers to the amount of moisture a humidifier can provide into the air. It’s measured by the number of gallons of water discharged per square foot in a day. The moisture output varies depending on the size and type of the humidifier.

Portable or tabletop humidifiers typically provide moisture of around 1 to 9 gallons per day. Console and whole humidifiers, on the other hand, have a moisture output of 9 gallons or more daily.

Cool Mist vs. Warm Mist Humidifiers

There are two general types of humidifiers: the cool mist and warm mist. The two both provide the right balance of humidity to the air but differ in their processes. Personal preference and the climate in your area are huge factors when choosing between the two.

For instance, cool mist humidifiers are ideal for homes located in a relatively warmer climate. Impeller, ultrasonic, and evaporative are the three kinds of cool mist humidifiers.

• Impeller humidifiers use a rotating disk to generate cool mist into the air.
• Ultrasonic humidifiers provide moisture using a vibrating nebulizer.
• Evaporative humidifiers propel air over a wet wick using a fan.

Warm mist humidifiers provide air moisture by spraying a warm mist. They are perfect to have in places with a relatively cooler climate like in Colorado. So if you’re living in Colorado and can’t stand anymore the cool and dry climate, you can check this Humidifier geek Colorado Guide for that purpose.

Humidistat

A humidistat is a device that helps monitor the air moisture and control the level of humidity in your home.

The ideal humidity level indoors should be between 35 to 50 percent to prevent the problems that come with having a dry indoor air. Going beyond 50 percent humidity level is also problematic because it can turn your house into a breeding ground for mold and mildew.

Thus, a humidistat in your humidifier is essential because it helps you set the preferred level of humidity in your home. Modern units have a built-in humidistat that makes it easier for you to maintain the ideal amount of indoor air moisture. They’re also energy-efficient because they automatically shut off when the preferred humidity level is achieved.

Noise Level

All humidifiers tend to generate some noise, but there are ones that cause a disturbance because of the noise they make. So if you don’t like disturbing noise, it will be wise on your part to test the noise level of the unit before you take it to the counter.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Some units require to be cleaned and rinsed out with water every day. For busy people out there, this frequent cleaning may tend to be quite a difficult and inconvenient task. Regular cleaning and changing of the filters of such humidifiers is also an added burden not only to your efforts but also to the cost of the maintenance.

So when buying a humidifier, you should ensure that it’s convenient to clean and maintain. Nowadays, some humidifiers have filters that don’t need to be regularly cleaned and changed. With such humidifiers, you’ll surely save time, as well as money for the maintenance cost.

Takeaway

Dry air can cause several physical discomforts and health problems to you and your family. Thus, a humidifier is essential to maintain the ideal humidity level in your home and prevent such problems from happening. You can follow the buying guide above for you to know what to look for in an ideal home humidifier.

Author Bio:

Michelle Navarro is a blog writer and aspiring interior designer. She gives home improvement tips as well as buying guides when looking for the ideal home appliances in most of her blog articles. Aside from writing, Michelle also loves street photography and traveling.