Humidifiers - love them or hate them? First of all, let me
begin by saying that we are a great fan of increasing humidification
in winter months, especially for those of us who are in the
frozen north and have to live indoors all winter. However,
as a company we have had a love-hate relationship with humidifiers,
since many of them started to have reliability issues in recent
years, and customers began quite understandably to complain.
Our challenge has been to find a humidifier that does the job
but without the drawbacks or reliability problems of the past.
We recommend that indoor humidity levels in winter should
be around 30 to 40%. Wintry cold air holds less moisture, and
when it is heated indoors it becomes even drier, setting the
stage for itchy dry skin, sinus attacks, dry eyes and the like.
The good news is that humidifier technology has been improving
over the last couple of years and humidifiers are now easier
to maintain and do not spew out the white mineral dust which
causes respiratory problems. Some humidifiers are now even
quiet and don’t make the common gurgling sounds. We did
find however that there is a universal tendency for manufacturers
to exaggerate the square footage that is usually covered by
their humidifiers. We have adjusted our technical specification
charts on our web site to reflect what we believe to be the
real square foot coverage.
Here are some real benefits of a humidifier for your
home:
- Humidifiers reduce the possibility of winter infection
by keeping the mucous membranes moist and allowing the tiny
hairs in the nose and throat to work to expel any particles
that were suspended in the air.
- Dry aching sinuses receive a great deal of relief from
a humidified bedroom.
- Sleep with a snoring partner? Humidifiers relieve the
intensity and noise level of the snoring.
- Cold symptoms are greatly relieved by using a humidifier
in your bedroom at night.
- Dry, itchy skin is prevented, and chapped lips are relieved
with humidifiers
- Unpleasant static electricity shocks are reduced by humidifiers
- Valuable wood furniture and floors, musical instruments
are protected from cracking and warping.
Things to keep in mind when choosing a humidifier:
- Home humidifiers usually cover an area less than the manufacturer
states, so buy a larger size humidifier than you think you
need.
- Humidifiers will definitely add moisture to the air, but
you may not be able to reach the humidity level that you
want to achieve i.e. 30 to 40% with a small capacity humidifier
- Humidity over 50% encourages dust mites, and even higher
humidity levels encourage mold spore growth.
- The level of humidity that you can achieve is dependent
on the outdoor humidity.
None of our humidifiers
produce any white mineral dust which can be a by-product of some
other brands. The exception to that statement is a that our favorite
humidifier, the Air-O-Swiss,
will disperse white dust if softened water is used.
Humidifier
features to consider:
- All humidifiers have some level of "gurgling" sound
when the water in the tanks is drawn into the base of the units,
and the noise can be disconcerting if you are not expecting
it.
- Decide on area that you wish to be covered. Cool mist humidifiers
will cover a larger area, but since they are noisier, consider
placing them out of earshot.
- Digital humidistats in humidifiers are not very precise,
but they do give you an indication of level of room humidity,
and the best humidifiers will automatically shut off when the
required humidity is reached. Remember, over-humidification
can lead to mold, dust mite and bacteria growth.
- Warm mist humidifiers are usually quieter than cool mists.
The Air-O-Swiss ultrasonic
humidifiers are exceptionally quiet.
Running costs of a ducted central humidifier, such as Desert
Spring solution are more energy efficient in the long
run, provided you have forced hot air heating and your furnace
can accommodate this type of solution. This kind of humidification
solution benefits the whole family and your furniture too. - Hard water presents a problem for all humidifiers, and you
should expect the filters to need changing more often. On
the other hand, softened water can still be used in cool
mist humidifiers but not in the Air-O
Swiss, as it would cause white dust to be dispersed.
Using distilled water is fine but only if you have a free
source, otherwise it adds to the running costs.
First Published: December 2006
Updated: April 2007
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