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Best Humidifier for Winter
Winter weather drains moisture from the air and in turn your skin, nose and throat. The simplest way to replace this moisture is by using a humidifier in your home. Even keeping a humidifier at the lowest setting will make your home feel like a tropical paradise.
Different rooms in your home will naturally have different levels of humidity. The kitchen will generally be humid from cooking. As you cook your food, moisture is released into the air. If you keep the lid on your frying pan it will collect condensation. The same thing happens with a slow cooker. Once you remove the cover a huge plume of aroma and moisture releases into your kitchen.
Hot water from washing dishes in the sink or a dishwasher also put out a lot of extra moisture. Higher temperatures encourage evaporation and more moisture gets into the air. As soon as humid air comes in contact with your ice cold windows it will form condensation.
Using the shower does the same thing as using hot water in the kitchen. Most of the time an exhaust fan pulls the humid air out of your home to a vent on the roof. It is important to run fans like this no matter the season to prevent excessive moisture from allowing mold or mildew to grow on your ceiling or walls.
Consider the placement of your humidifier to avoid higher than ideal levels of humidity in your kitchen or bathroom.
What setting should I use on my humidifier in winter?
Normally the air in your home should be 40 to 60% relative humidity. The best setting for a humidifier in winter is 40%. This is as low as some humidifiers adjust to. The lower you can get your humidifier and still feel comfortable, the better. If you can stand keeping the air in your home a little on the dry side you can greatly reduce the amount of condensation that ends up on your windows.
Unfortunately the humidity that keeps your nose and throat comfortable is the same humidity that collects on your windows. It’s almost impossible to completely prevent this condensation. Check your windows up to every 12 hours and wipe them down with a dry cloth. If condensation sits for too long it can lead to mildew growth and damage the finish on your wooden window sill.
Humidifier Reviews
The best humidifier for winter will have a two distinct features:
Low setting of at least 40% relative humidity, even lower will be helpful in the coldest months
A built in humidistat so it can self monitor and keep humidity levels where you want them
Below we compare a few humidifiers that have both of these features and pick our favorite at the end of the article.
| Humidifier | Maximum Treatable Area in Square Feet | Tank Capacity in U.S. Gallons | Maximum Hours of Continuous Operation | Antimicrobial Protection Method | Filter | Find it on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier | 82 | 1.05 | 15 | Water is treated before it leaves the humidifier | Yes, permanent and user cleanable | |
| Holmes Cool Mist Humidifier HM1865-NU | Designed for large rooms | 1.5 | 48 | Yes, built into the filter | Uses HWF65 C replacement filter | |
| AIRCARE EP9 800 Whole House Pedestal Humidifier | 2,400 | 3.5 | 60 | Essick Air 1970 Humidifier Bacteriostatic Treatment | AIRCARE 1043 Replacement Space Saver Wick |
And the best humidifier for winter is…
The TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier, we named this the best humidifier for winter for a few reasons. It’s quiet enough to use in your room at night. The TaoTronics is also the only humidifier we reviewed today that has a cleanable filter. This will help save money over time. You also do not need to wait for shipping if you forget to buy a new filter.
Overall the AIRCARE EP9 800 is the best humidifier here based on treatable area and run time. It may not be the best humidifier for winter since it is designed to treat an entire home. This may leave some rooms over or under humidified. If you have an open floor plan this may be the one for you since other humidifiers will struggle to adequately treat larger areas.
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