Humidifier Buying Guide: Warm & Cool Mist Humidifiers

How to Choose A Humidifier

Humidifier Buying Guide

Air O Swiss U650 Humidifiers

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.
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.
Germ Guardian H1600 Humidifiers

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.
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 proviso that a favorite humidifier the, Air-O-Swiss is not receptive to softened water and will disperse white dust if softened water is used.
Warm mist humidifiers are much quieter than cool mists. Air O Swiss humidifiers are exceptionally quiet.
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.
Graco 4 Gallon Humidifiers

All humidifiers have some maintenance costs associated with them and expect to pay between $30 to $50 for annual filter or other replacement costs except for Germ Guardian humidifiers that don’t have any filters. Otherwise, throw machines away after one season’s use. You do not want to run a dirty humidifier.
Most humidifiers are filled from the faucet, but the shape of the tank determines which humidifier is easier to fitunder the faucet. The Graco humidifier gets good marks from us in this regard.