When to Use a Humidifier? 7 Common (or Uncommon) Use Cases You Need To Know

3.5L Ultrasonic Humidifier

2.5L Ultrasonic Humidifier

Christmas is coming up and what better gift to ask Santa for than a humidifier to help fight the dreadful dryness that winter brings! Actually, you'd be surprised at the variety of uses for humidifiers - winter isn't the only time in which you should use a humidifier. Today, we're going over when to use a humidifier and what other uses you can get out of one. We’ll cover 7 use cases for humidifiers - some obvious, and others not so much - as well as some useful tips for using humidifiers.

When to Use a Humidifier in Summer

For many people, the summer months mean BBQs, kickbacks, and camping, but they also mean allergy season. To combat allergies, it's best to use a cool mist humidifier from June through August, when pollen and mold are at their strongest concentrations and seasonal allergy symptoms are at their worst.  

The reason why we say to use a cool mist humidifier for the summer months is that the cooler temperature of the airborne water droplets created by the humidifier is more efficient at reducing the concentration of pollen and mold particles present in the air. This is due to the fact that colder water droplets will evaporate at a much slower rate during the warm summer months and can therefore disperse hyper allergenic particles in a larger area. Additionally, cool mist humidifiers will provide better relief of allergy symptoms, such as stuffy noses, itchy eyes, and coughing.  

When to Use a Humidifier in Winter

The winter months can get extremely dry in some regions, causing dry skin and chapped lips, and can even crack your wall paint and furniture - that's why it's a highly advisable idea to use a humidifier during the winter months, generally November through February.  You can easily tell if the air in your home is too dry simply by checking your thermostat or central humidifier system. If the humidity is below 40%, the air is too dry. Otherwise, you will notice the signs with the above symptoms, along with cracking of wall paint or dried-out leather furniture.

Using a humidifier in winter comes with a myriad of benefits and is the best season to use one in the whole year. Your skin will thank you; your furniture will thank you, and your plants will thank you.

Here are the benefits of humidifiers in winter:

• Helps combat dry skin, especially beneficial for people with skin conditions.
• Better sleep.
• Soothes cold and flu symptoms which are most common during the winter months.
• Helps to prevent cracking and drying out of furniture and home decor.
• Increased indoor humidity levels make plants healthier.
• Prevents wooden instruments from warping and going out of tune.

There are several different types of humidifiers, such as evaporative humidifiers, central humidifiers, and warm mist humidifiers, to name a few. We recommend using ultrasonic humidifiers, especially in the winter months, because they are the safest and most efficient humidifiers available. This is important if you need to use your humidifier a lot as other types of humidifiers rely on heat to release moisture into the air, which can be dangerous if you have children or pets and is not as energy efficient.  

We also recommend using a humidifier in low to medium settings every night in winter in order to get a night of better sleep. Using a humidifier every night in winter will significantly reduce the annoying symptoms of low humidity levels, such as nasal congestion and dry mouth.

When to Use a Humidifier for Baby

If your baby was born during the dry winter months or if you live in a particularly dry region, humidifiers can create a much more comfortable and safer environment for your infant. Central air systems can not only increase the dryness in your home, but can also potentially spread germs, mold, and other particles that you might not want your newborn to be exposed to. A humidifier will increase the actual humidity, making the air in the room cleaner, safer, and more comfortable for your child to breathe. 

Best Humidifier for Baby - Maxcio Top Fill Ultrasonic Humidifier

This cool mist humidifier is ideal for an infant's room given its smaller water tank, quietness, and safety. The AAP suggests using cool mist humidifiers for babies because there is no risk of burns occurring should your child get curious. Furthermore, this Maxcio humidifier is extremely quiet and will not disturb your infant's sleep. Lastly, the smaller water tank makes more sense for your baby's room because it is likely smaller and will not benefit from a 3 Liter plus water tank.  

When to Use a Humidifier When Sick

Using a humidifier when sick is one of the best ways to get quick relief from cold and flu symptoms, such as congestion, coughing, and sore throat. Humidifiers increase the moisture in the air which generally seems to make breathing much easier if you're all blocked up and have a runny nose. According to Einnews, the sale of humidifiers went up 6 percent when Covid 19 cases scored in 2020 and have seen continued growth, which is a testament to how effectively humidifiers provide Covid symptom relief. The humidifier benefits when sick are numerous but will not cure your symptoms completely; however, they will make you feel significantly more comfortable than if you don't use one.  

It should be mentioned that humidifiers can present adverse health effects for people with certain respiratory health issues. For example, people with asthma can potentially experience asthma symptoms or even asthma attacks if the air in a space is too humid. People with acute asthma should be more careful when using humidifiers. Mayo Clinic recommends consulting your doctor if you have asthma or any other respiratory health conditions before using a humidifier. 

When to Use a Humidifier for Pets

Humidifiers can also greatly benefit pets in the same ways that they benefit us humans. Just like us, dogs and cats can get itchy or irritated skin from dry air conditions as well as seasonal allergies and colds. Humidifiers will provide relief and will also prevent some of these symptoms from ever occurring. Once again, it is recommended that you use a cool mist humidifier because they have no risk of burn injury, should your pet get playful with the humidifier.

When to Use a Humidifier for Furniture and Decor

During the winter months, your home furnishings and decor can actually get damaged if the humidity level isn't kept at the right level. The ideal humidity level for the home is between 40-60%, but your central humidifier (if you have one) will likely have difficulty maintaining this level in winter. A humidifier will bring the humidity level to that ideal percentage, helping to ensure that your leather furniture, wall paint, and other decor features don't crack or warp. 

Best Humidifier for House - Maxcio 3.5L Top Fill Ultrasonic Humidifier

Maxcio 3.5L Top Fill humidifier will silently and efficiently provide proper humidification to the larger spaces in your home by atomizing the water into tiny water molecules that disperse more quickly than most humidifiers. Moreover, its 3.5L water tank will fight dryness for up to 40 hours along with its top-fill mechanism makes humidifying more practical and low-maintenance than ever. Maxcio understands that devices like humidifiers have an impact on the aesthetic of your home, so with that in mind, Maxcio went with a minimalist design and silent function, so it won't stand out - you won't even notice that it's there. It's ideal for your living room, master bedroom, and open-concept houses.

Before choosing a humidifier, there are a few things to know if you regularly use a humidifier:

• It is best to use distilled water as opposed to tap water in your humidifier.  Tap water tends to have a high mineral content. If you use "hard water" in your humidifier, you may notice a slow accumulation of white dust on the surfaces of your furniture. This white dust is simply mineral particles and can be wiped off with a cloth, but it can be annoying all the same. Use distilled water to avoid this inconvenience altogether.  
• You should clean your humidifier about once every two weeks. Bacteria and fungus can accumulate inside your humidifier's water tank, seeing as they tend to thrive in bodies of water. Even if your humidifier has a filter, you still need to clean it. Place a 1:1 ratio of peroxide to water in the water basin and use a dish cloth or brush to clean the water tank and inside of the humidifier.
• For most ultrasonic humidifiers, you can create cool or warm mist simply by putting cold or hot water in the water tank. In most cases, the cool mist is most beneficial, just put cool water in the water tank and a couple of ice cubes if you want.
• Keep at 50 inches between the humidifier and other objects, such as furniture or walls. This will ensure the efficient distribution of water droplets throughout the space and won't get anything over-saturated, too.   

When to Use a Humidifier for Guitars, Violins, and Other Instruments

The sound quality of acoustic instruments, such as guitars, violins, and ukuleles, greatly depends on the shape of the instrument itself. The shape and structure of wooden instruments in particular can get warped and misshaped if left in dry air conditions for extended periods of time, ultimately resulting in sound, tuning, and performance issues. GuitarSpace recommends using a humidifier in the same room as your acoustic instruments, especially your acoustic guitar, as you can greatly decrease the chance of them warping and having their sound affected. You can also use disposable humidity-releasing packs, such as  D'Addario Humidipaks to keep your instruments from warping.

And there is your guide for when to use a humidifier. As you can see, humidifiers do much more than just combat winter dryness. They are essential devices with a multitude of uses that literally anyone can find a practical use for. Check out Maxcio's 2.5 and 3.5 litre top-fill silent ultrasonic humidifiers to add a whole new level of comfort and convenience to your home this holiday season!