Humidifiers are home essentials.

So…

They’re must-haves for everyone and every home.

Humidifier therapy involves adding moisture into the atmosphere to eliminate dryness responsible for irritation in various parts of the body.

The appliances are ideal for treating nose, skin, lips, and throat dryness. A humidifier also eases common cold or flu symptoms.

But…

Don’t overuse humidifiers to prevent respiratory problems from potentially worsening. Therefore, learn how to use your humidifier correctly.

Designed to act as a natural dryness relief and moisturizing agent, humidifiers have various health benefits. They include relieving:

• Headache/sinus congestion
• Dry skin
• Nose irritation
• Dry throat
• Dry cough
• Bloody noses
• Cracked lips
• Irritated vocal cords

When air dries in your home, you’re prone to the discomforts above, especially in winter or when running an air conditioner in summer.

Therefore, when shopping for a humidifier, find one that meets all your unique needs. Here’re some factors you should consider when looking for the right humidifier for you:

4 Factors to Consider When Looking for the Best Humidifier

1.   Size

There are different sizes of humidifiers. It would help if you bought a humidifier that’ll fit well in the available space in your room. When at the appliance shop, check the packaging for the specs of the humidifier.

Small humidifiers can do for smaller rooms. The bigger the size of the room where you intend to use the humidifier, the bigger the size of the humidifier you need.

Small humidifiers are more cost-effective. They feature lightweight and portable tanks you can use on the go. The only challenge is that you need to fill them more often because the water in the tanks depletes quickly.

To avoid buying many humidifiers for all your rooms, buy a central humidifier that supplies humidity to all the rooms in your house.

2.   Type of humidifier

Humidifiers come in varied designs and types. The right humidifier type for you depends on your budget, preference, and size of your room or house, the intended application area.

Some humidifiers are also portable. The seven types of humidifiers include:

• Evaporators
• Central humidifiers
• Steam evaporators
• Impeller humidifiers
• Ultrasonic humidifiers
• Hot-water humidifiers
• Cool-mist humidifiers

The humidifiers vary in their functionalities. The reason for buying a humidifier also matters.

Whereas some humidifiers are made for use in the summertime, others find use in winter. Based on uses, you’ll also find humidifiers for babies. The specs for winter and babies’ humidifiers include:

• Humidifiers for Babies – humidifiers for use around children provide cool mist. Steamy humidifiers may spill hot moisture that can burn babies. A warm humidifier is ideal for babies born in winter.

• Hot air dries in summer. And, dry air affects the skin of babies and causes congestion. Humidifiers come in to add moisture to the air. This ensures that your baby has optimal breathing conditions and germ-free air, atop reducing skin irritation.

• Humidifiers for winter – winter often comes with dry air that’s uncomfortable, explaining the need for humidifiers to improve air quality.

The appliances reduce the brutality of winter through moisture control. Use a humidifier to keep healthy levels of moisture in your house during winter.

3.   Extra features

Why buy a one feature humidifier when you can get one built to deliver multiple functions? You can get a humidifier with a built-in humidistat. With this type of humidifier, you can preset your humidifier to your preferred level.

When the humidity of your house reaches your preferred level, the humidifier goes off on its own. Other humidifiers are also designed to switch off when the water in the tank is depleted. The more the features that the humidifier has, the better.

Automated humidifiers are easy to operate, and they give you ample time to go about your other tasks. Other humidifiers have timers that can be set to run for specified times.

Ultrasonic humidifiers are also good. They produce fewer sounds, resulting in lesser noise in the house. Spend your money only after being convinced that the humidifier has features that are worth your investment.

4.   The level of humidity

If you’re not considering buying a humidifier with an inbuilt hygrometer, buy a separate hygrometer to use for checking the humidity. The humidity level should be kept at a range of 30% to 50%.

Knowing the right humidity is essential.

Extremely dry air is terrible for nasal passages and skin. Excessive moisture is also harmful. Bacteria grows in high humidity, and these can trigger allergic reactions.

Monitor the hygrometer to keep the level of humidity to its correct range. The hygrometer indicates when to stop and regulate the humidifier.

Conclusion

When you’re out shopping for a humidifier, comfort is everything you need. You can’t control the weather and what it brings. But now, thanks to humidifiers, you can regulate the air moisture in your house.

Choose the right humidifier for your unique conditions. Conduct research to determine the most appropriate humidifier you need for the moment. The right choice of a humidifier totally depends on you.

The factors discussed above are just some of the to consider before buying a humidifier.