A month or two after we take our air conditioner out of the window and into the basement for storage, we unpack our humidifer from the closet, thoroughly clean it out and set it up in our bedroom. We've had our humidifier set up since mid November and it will likely stay through March and possibly longer. (but fingers crossed for a real Spring this year!)
It is one of those things that I don't necessarily notice if we don't set it up right away in the cold months but after a few nights of using it and then sleeping one night without it ('cause I was too lazy to fill the tank), I definitely noticed! The next morning my throat was sore from dryness, my voice a little raspy and my nose actually seemed to hurt from the dry air. I now make it a point to make sure our humidifier tank is full before retiring to bed.
We have the AOS 7142 Digital Warm & Cool Mist Ultrasonic by Air-O-Swiss and it works great. It humidifies the air in rooms up to 860 square feet (80m2). It is pretty quiet except for the occasional gurgling noise and the tank holds enough water to last all night and then some. You can preset the humidity level you desire in your room and it automatically senses when the desired level is reached and shuts on or off to keep it that way.
We received ours as a Christmas present in 2008 — they cost approximately $210.
I chose the next 4 humidifiers based on the top reviews from consumersearch.com For more information on what to look for in a humidifier, Consumer Research also has this very helpful page.
Kenmore 15408 Est. $110
• Reasonably priced
• Humidifies a large 1,700-square-foot area
• Better than average durability
• Double-fill water tank
Honeywell HCM-630 Est. $50
• Inexpensive
• Compact size
• Dishwasher safe base
Honeywell HWM-450 Est. $65
• Compact size
• Can raise room temperature
• Digital controls
• Replaceable mineral pads
Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic 7135 Est. $150
• Near-silent operation
• Hygrometer, LCD readout and antimicrobial silver stick
• Low maintenance
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I've used humidfiers previous years to find, last year, that one of them got the carpet soaking wet. I was afraid of mold. Luckily, it was ok. This year, instead, I'm leaving several bowls of water around...so far, so good. It seems to work ok with the dryness. If you use a humidifier, it would be a good idea to put it on a plastic mat.
Does anyone have any experience with a combination humidifier and air purifier? Or does one need to get separate units for each?
well, mine looks like an elephant so it's obviously better than all of those :)
I had to look up the elephant humidifier! Totally cute. I would choose the penguin!
http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Adorable-Gallon-Humidifier-Penguin/dp/B000GWJD0A
Venta Air Washer works like a dream.
Hahaha. I have the elephant too! We bought it for my daughter's room, loved it, so bought one of our own!
The Venta is great - combination air purifier and humidifier. (I got it because of pet allergic houseguest; it worked really really well on pet dander.) It's relatively low profile too -- a small black box, not one of those white elephants. It doesn't get moldy because you put an additive in the water every few weeks.
p.s. the cheap n ugly humidifiers made by Vicks, sold for under $20 in drug stores, also get the job done in a pretty efficient way. Great for winter sleeping, esp if you're sick.
I have the Air-O-Swiss 7144 and absolutely love it.
I use a Walgreens flavor (an ultrasonic built by Sunbeam) and the Vornado 4x4 (which they no longer make) and they get the job done very well.
The Walgreens one used to cost $30 now with a lame nightlight (which is blue and not good for a restful sleep - blue and green lights are not good for electronics in your bedroom) it's $40. However, it works very well.
I don't recall how much my Vornado monster cost, it's ugly but it works very well. I can get the wicks for $13 at the local Bed Bath & Beyond now, which is very convenient.
Living in Colorado we are already dealing with a dry climate but in winter, heating sure makes it that much worse. I keep my humidity levels at about 45% and it really helps my skin and sinuses a lot. They are a necessary appliance around here no matter what you use.
However, leaving a few bowls of water out would not create enough humidity in our climate. One can find stylish ways to protect the surface of where a humidifier sits like going to a tile store and get a large 12x12 or 15x15 marble or granite tile that matches your decor. Sometimes you can find odds and ends at said stores that are much cheaper too. At least you are protecting your furniture in a semi-fashionable way.
I use the bowls of water method in my Boston apt, and the humidity is a steady 40%. I picked up some cheap thrift store vases, filled them with water and tucked them around the apt near our baseboard heat. Works great, uses no electricity, and no mold worries!
Air-O-Swiss here too. Love it.
Can someone tell me the different between a warm air humidifier and a cool air one? And what's a vaporizer? I have one of those cheepie Vicks ones from CVS (warm air), but I have no idea if it's actually improving the humidity in my apartment. Case in point, I still wake up in the morning with dry, sore, and sometimes cracked nasal passages. Ouch! Help!
I forgot: It's a total pain to clean out the old water, which always has this weird black stuff in it in the morning (carbon? dust?).
I recently bought a humidifier because of sinus problems that weren't going away. I still have them....but they have definitely decreased since the purchase of the humidifier.
I went with simple...a child's humidifier. It works great and hasn't messed up yet. It's the Crane brand humidifier in the shape of a frog character. It has overall gotten really good reviews.