Humidifiers
During the winter months, having a humidifier in your home is essential to maintain environmental control of allergens. Dry air may bring on or exacerbate eczema, may lead to itchy or inflamed mucous membranes, and can dry out allergens which makes them more easily airborne and more readily inhaled.
Choosing the right humidifier for your needs is very important. Ultimately you will want to achieve a balance between ease of use, cleaning and good humidification.
Types of humidifier:
#1 Rated Model: Air-O-Swiss 7135 - recently rated the top of its category in home humidifiers. From hygiene and safety to ease of use and coverage area, the AOS 7135 ultrasonic humidifier came in as the recommended model for home humidification.
Other Great Models:
Enviracaire 211-D Warm Mist Humidifier – In addition to soothing warm mist, this humidifier has a medicine cup so that you can add medications to the mist. It also has a large germicidal chamber with a UV light. It offers virtually total protection from airborne contaminants.
Air-O_Swiss 7146 Travel Humidifier – This useful little unit is very small and uses a water bottle so is terrific when travelling.
Swizz Fred Humidifier – This cool look humidifier has won design awards and will not just humidify but make a statement as well. Comes in fire engine red or space ship silver!
Choosing the right humidifier for your needs is very important. Ultimately you will want to achieve a balance between ease of use, cleaning and good humidification.
Types of humidifier:
- Ultrasonic - spray mist into the air using ultrasonic vibrations. The ultrasonic vibrations also kill most microbes in the water.
- Evaporative - Evaporative humidifiers, rely on the basic principle of evaporation. These units have wicks that absorb the water and a fan that pushes the moist air out and through the room.
- Warm Mist - They either boil or heat the water before spraying a warm mist into the air. The heating process kills much of the mold and bacteria in the water. Many people find these more comfortable during the colder months of the year.
- Cool Mist - They emit a cool (room temperature) vapor into the air. Many people find these more comfortable during the warmer times of the year.
- Dual Mist - These popular humidifiers allow you to choose whichever is more comfortable.
#1 Rated Model: Air-O-Swiss 7135 - recently rated the top of its category in home humidifiers. From hygiene and safety to ease of use and coverage area, the AOS 7135 ultrasonic humidifier came in as the recommended model for home humidification.
Other Great Models:
Enviracaire 211-D Warm Mist Humidifier – In addition to soothing warm mist, this humidifier has a medicine cup so that you can add medications to the mist. It also has a large germicidal chamber with a UV light. It offers virtually total protection from airborne contaminants.
Air-O_Swiss 7146 Travel Humidifier – This useful little unit is very small and uses a water bottle so is terrific when travelling.
Swizz Fred Humidifier – This cool look humidifier has won design awards and will not just humidify but make a statement as well. Comes in fire engine red or space ship silver!
Comment
Growing up in New England I was accustomed to digging out the family’s collection of humidifiers at the onset of the colder months. We had a wood stove to heat our home, but it was more like a glorified, high-efficiency fireplace. It was both an irritation to keep up with and a pain to breathe the dry air. Our collection of humidifiers strategically placed around the house was a necessity.
Humidification is something that has become a year-round staple to my family. Currently, I live in Georgia; and while I no longer manage a wood stove, I do struggle with the oppressive heat in the summer. Not only does the heat dry out any moisture in the house, but also we've been in drought conditions for years. This combination makes for very dry indoor air all year round.
My daughter's bedroom is ground zero in terms of the driest room in the house. The sun beats down against her windows all day long. During the summer months I keep her shades pulled in an effort to reduce the heat in her room. This doesn't stop the moisture in the air from completely drying out. We run a humidifier every night for her while she sleeps, and she refuses to go to bed without it. We run it during the winter months as well, as the air is dry due to the heater. Additionally we have also found that if we keep a 40 - 50% level of moisture in the air, the heat is maintained more efficiently in the house, helping with our gas bills.
Humidifiers are just as important to my family as the furnace, the a/c or even the sofa. We need them to feel comfortable and happy all year. It’s no surprise that I have bought many over the years. With this experience, I have found that there are certain aspects that I require from my humidifier and other aspects that I would like to have if available.
My Humidifier Requirements:
Enviracaire EWM-350
Enviracaire EWM-300
Air-O-Swiss 2055
Enviracaire 211
Additional Features I Would Like In A Humidifier:
Enviracaire EWM-211
Humidification is something that has become a year-round staple to my family. Currently, I live in Georgia; and while I no longer manage a wood stove, I do struggle with the oppressive heat in the summer. Not only does the heat dry out any moisture in the house, but also we've been in drought conditions for years. This combination makes for very dry indoor air all year round.
My daughter's bedroom is ground zero in terms of the driest room in the house. The sun beats down against her windows all day long. During the summer months I keep her shades pulled in an effort to reduce the heat in her room. This doesn't stop the moisture in the air from completely drying out. We run a humidifier every night for her while she sleeps, and she refuses to go to bed without it. We run it during the winter months as well, as the air is dry due to the heater. Additionally we have also found that if we keep a 40 - 50% level of moisture in the air, the heat is maintained more efficiently in the house, helping with our gas bills.
Humidifiers are just as important to my family as the furnace, the a/c or even the sofa. We need them to feel comfortable and happy all year. It’s no surprise that I have bought many over the years. With this experience, I have found that there are certain aspects that I require from my humidifier and other aspects that I would like to have if available.
My Humidifier Requirements:
- A large capacity - since I use it year round. I have smaller units but find it annoying to have to continuously refill them.
- A germicidal feature - If I'm going to run a humidifier with a large capacity, I am concerned about stagnant water and mold growth. (My humidifier has a UV light that kills both germs and mold.)
- Automatic shut off when it is empty.
- The ability to swivel the direction of the vapor without moving the whole unit.
Enviracaire EWM-350
Enviracaire EWM-300
Air-O-Swiss 2055
Enviracaire 211
Additional Features I Would Like In A Humidifier:
- A night light for use in my daughter's room.
- A place to put respiratory medicine to be dispersed though the air (a good thing for winter colds!).
- The ability to control the temperature of the vapor (cool in the summer and warm in the winter).
- Digital Controls.
Enviracaire EWM-211
Several friends have recently asked me to help them choose a humidifier in their home. I was able to offer the following experience:
1. Before using a humidifier, always use a hygrometer (also known as a humidity gauge) to learn exactly what the relative humidity is in the area you want to humidify. Our company sells the Acu-Rite Digital Humidity Gauge. It is worth every penny; hang it on the wall so you are constantly reminded. We have one in our home in our nursery and we use it daily. You only need to humidify the air if the relative humidity in the room is less than 40 percent. If it is over 50 percent, do not run a humidifier.
2. If the hygrometer indicates the humidity is under 40 percent, it is ok to use a humidifier; otherwise you will be adding too much moisture to the air.
3. Placement of the humidifier in the room is very important. Humidifiers need to be elevated off the ground. Otherwise, the area directly around the humidifier will become to moist. This can create several problems, slippery wood floors that can cause falls or mold / mildew if carpeting is directly below. Our solution to this problem is to place the humidifer on a small table about two feet off the ground. We put a towel directly under the humidifier to protect the table.
4. It goes without saying that the humidifier should be cleaned regularly. The one we use, the Air-O-Swiss AOS7135 Ultrasonic Humidifier, lets us know when it needs to be cleaned.
5. In my experience, all humidifiers are a little cumbersome to fill. The one we use is no exception. The resovoir has to be removed and turned upside down. The tank is too big to fit under our sink so we fill it in the bathtub. Be patient; the gain of having a little one sleep all the way through the night is well worth the trouble.
1. Before using a humidifier, always use a hygrometer (also known as a humidity gauge) to learn exactly what the relative humidity is in the area you want to humidify. Our company sells the Acu-Rite Digital Humidity Gauge. It is worth every penny; hang it on the wall so you are constantly reminded. We have one in our home in our nursery and we use it daily. You only need to humidify the air if the relative humidity in the room is less than 40 percent. If it is over 50 percent, do not run a humidifier.2. If the hygrometer indicates the humidity is under 40 percent, it is ok to use a humidifier; otherwise you will be adding too much moisture to the air.
3. Placement of the humidifier in the room is very important. Humidifiers need to be elevated off the ground. Otherwise, the area directly around the humidifier will become to moist. This can create several problems, slippery wood floors that can cause falls or mold / mildew if carpeting is directly below. Our solution to this problem is to place the humidifer on a small table about two feet off the ground. We put a towel directly under the humidifier to protect the table.
4. It goes without saying that the humidifier should be cleaned regularly. The one we use, the Air-O-Swiss AOS7135 Ultrasonic Humidifier, lets us know when it needs to be cleaned.5. In my experience, all humidifiers are a little cumbersome to fill. The one we use is no exception. The resovoir has to be removed and turned upside down. The tank is too big to fit under our sink so we fill it in the bathtub. Be patient; the gain of having a little one sleep all the way through the night is well worth the trouble.
