The Best Humidifier

Do you frequently find yourself with dry sinuses or nosebleeds? Do you wake up coughing at night, with cracked and sore lips? If so, you might have a humidity problem. And a good humidifier can help with that.

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The ideal home should have relative humidity levels between 30% and 60%. That’s according to most medical research, as well as the EPA. Staying within that range helps to alleviate the symptoms listed above while discouraging mold and mildew growth, which can happen in excessively humid conditions. Proper humidification has also been shown to help slow the spread of airborne viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. It can’t prevent infection or disease, but it can help your immune system while also impeding viral particles in the air, all while making you more comfortable in general. If you want to measure the humidity in your space before you buy a humidifier, or if you want to monitor the performance of a humidifier you already have, you can get a basic hygrometer on Amazon for about $15.

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But humidifiers also require a lot of work. Standing water attracts all kinds of funky microbial growths. Even the most low-maintenance humidifiers still require your attention at least once a week, or else you may find yourself facing some serious health risks, such as the dreaded “humidifier lung,” a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. At that point, your humidifier might be doing more harm than good. Some humidifiers can also release harmful particulate matter into the air along with the moisture, depending on the quality of your water. You can reduce the risk of that by using distilled or demineralized water and by cleaning your humidifier regularly.

Cleaning is an issue with all types of humidifiers. Evaporative, ultrasonic, cool mist, warm mist—they’re all annoying to clean, and they all get disgusting if you don’t maintain them correctly. This is another scenario in which distilled or demineralized water can help to mitigate the risks. But either way, you have some work to do. So before you commit to buying a new humidifier, you need to ask yourself honestly whether you’re ready to be a “humidifier parent.”