Are you on the hunt for a room humidifier? Before heading to the store or ordering one online, you need to decide first what room humidifier you need. Getting the right room humidifier requires knowing what you need for your living space.
Room Humidifier: 7 Things To Consider
1. Your Current Room Temperature
The?Environmental Protection Agency?recommends all US homes should meet a 30 to 50 percent humidity level. Another important reason is the right humidity will prevent too much moisture in your room. A room humidifier may help control your living space temperature up to this level and prevent mold from growing.
2. The Size of Your Room
Another essential requirement in choosing the right humidifier is its capacity to regulate your room in the right humidity levels. You may experience a sore throat, stuffed nose, and dry skin if the humidity is too low. If your room has too much moisture, your room will be a perfect environment to grow bacteria, dust mites, and mold. To make sure this wouldn’t happen, measure your room’s size in square footage, and get either one of the following according to the room size:
- Up to 300 square feet rooms = small room humidifier
- Rooms sized 399 to 400 square feet = medium-sized humidifier
- Bigger than 500 square feet rooms = large room humidifier
3. Who Occupies the Room
Some humidifiers may be a safety hazard for children. For example, a warm mist humidifier might be risky to your kid’s bedroom as it poses the risk of accidental burn or fire. On the other hand, a warm mist humidifier may be perfect for your child or an elderly member of the family who’s recovering from a respiratory illness. You may add some healing essential oils or certain medication in your humidifier, which then gets introduced via mist or steam.
4. The Type of Room Humidifier You Prefer
The two main types of room humidifier are based on the mist temperature the gadget emits. They are then further classified into five specific types:
- Ultrasonic Warm Mist – The metal diaphragm in the wellness device vibrates at super fast speed, creating small water particles in the process, making up the super fine mist.
- Ultrasonic Cool Mist – ?Instead of a warm mist, this type of room humidifier produces a micro-fine cool mist. The warm and cold mist may also be featured in one room humidifier.
- Steam Vaporizer Warm Mist – The water in the tank gets heated to a specific temperature to kill the bacteria and organic compounds. The resulting mist then gets dispersed in the air.
- Evaporative Cool Mist – This room humidifier will evaporate water in the tank using the air sucked out in your room and the heat from the moistened wick. The humidifier will then blow cool air from the evaporated water back to the room.
- Air Washers – Water passes through rotating discs to remove any impurities, especially abundant pollen, and dust particles. As a result, this humidifier type produces purified air.
5. Your Machine Comfort Level
Some room humidifiers can be difficult to clean. For example, several?warm mist humidifier brands come with mineral filters that trap impurities. Others may need cleaning daily, twice a week, to once a month.
On the other hand, some companies had made wellness gadgets smarter with technology. The latest room humidifiers today come with a humidistat. This feature automatically sets your humidifier to shut down once your room reaches an ideal room humidity. Some humidifiers are also noiseless, which can be perfect for the nursery.
6. Your Budget
Top-rated room humidifiers can be somewhere around $170 upwards and will include high-tech features like an antibacterial system and noiseless mist production technology. If you’re looking for the cheapest one on the market, a decent one is around the $36-$50 range. They’re not hard to clean and may include a particular receptacle or partition where you can put your favorite inhalant or essential oil. If you’re willing to spend more, get a buyer-approved cool mist humidifier that’s leak-proof and dishwasher-friendly.
7. Cost You’ll Be Giving Up
Maximize the purpose of your humidifier with these tips!
? https://t.co/R1cCbTJceV pic.twitter.com/qecyxlW6L7? Life Beyond Organic (@LBorganic) August 24, 2017
There is always a financial trade-off when you’re introducing a new gadget in your home. For example, an evaporative humidifier will require periodic replacement filters. Some high-end humidifier models will require a specific type of water or a demineralization cartridge to prevent mineral buildup. For a room humidifier that costs around $50-$150,?Consumer Reports?said maintenance and replacement expenses cost as high as $50 a year.
Watch this exclusive room humidifier buying guide by Consumer Reports:
Whatever you decide, choosing the right room humidifier could make your living space better. Before settling on a brand or a humidifier type, to identify what you and your family need first. If you and your family’s needs are different, find a middle ground wherein you settle in on a specific set of humidifier requirements. If it’s budget constraints, think of your room humidifier as a great investment towards your overall health.
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