The 6 Best Humidifiers of 2024 Reviews by Wirecutter

Table Of Content

• AprilAire 865 Whole Home Steam Humidifier
• The Best HVAC Coil Cleaners for Yearly Maintenance
• Levoit Classic Smart Humidifier
• Amazon Slashed $70 Off This Waykar Dehumidifier—And With Over 7,500 5-Star Ratings, It’s a Hot Deal Not to Miss
• Best Fan-Powered: AprilAire 700 Whole-House Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier
• Vornado UH200 Ultrasonic Humidifier

The pot method also had the downside of working only at the whim of the radiator’s heating cycle (and in our tester’s case, the radiator didn’t really kick on until 9 or 10 p.m. each night). The Vornado UH200 Ultrasonic Humidifier feels (and sounds) like an evaporative one, and it’s particularly great for larger spaces. It offers the same steady humidification as our other Vornado pick, along with a larger tank and warm-mist capabilities, and it has one of the best warranties we’ve seen. On its standard setting, the EVDC300 uses about 8 to 9 watts of energy—roughly one-third as much as our other picks. And yet it also has a separate Energy Smart Mode, which uses as little as 1 watt of energy. You could run this humidifier 24 hours a day for a full year, and it would barely cost you a dollar (based on average US electricity costs in October 2023).

AprilAire 865 Whole Home Steam Humidifier

The Best Whole-House Dehumidifiers of 2024 - Bob Vila

The Best Whole-House Dehumidifiers of 2024.

Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

We chose the Aprilaire 600 as the overall best whole-house humidifier for its efficiency. The humidifier has an impressive coverage of up to 4,000 square feet and has an evaporation capacity of 17 gallons of water every day, so you know it's reaching every nook and cranny. The humidifier is automatic with dual sensors, which means it regulates the relative humidity of your home based on the temperature outside and the moisture level inside. What's more, the Aprilaire 600 is very easy to install if you're construction-savvy. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, our pros recommend this humidifier and air purifier combo from Dyson that the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has certified as asthma- and allergy-friendly. While we agree that it’s pricey, it comes with bells and whistles, like ultraviolet light technology and a HEPA filter that claims to kill 99.97% of bacteria before dispersing cool mist into the dry air of your room.

The Best HVAC Coil Cleaners for Yearly Maintenance

To better understand each humidifier’s efficiency, we set each one up in our Lab’s humidity-controlled chamber to measure the time it takes the humidifier to reach set humidity levels. Finally, we send humidifiers home with testers to share real feedback on how they performed in their homes. These are the best humidifiers of 2023, based on extensive testing data and picks our testers couldn’t get enough of. Though the design isn’t quite as sleek as other humidifiers we tested, the controls are simple and easy to operate – just turn the knob to adjust fan speed and humidity levels.

Levoit Classic Smart Humidifier

It lets you keep tabs on your home’s humidity levels remotely, so you can be relaxing on vacation while knowing your home is being properly humidified. Though this is an excellent option for homes with hard water, the maximum coverage area is 20,000 cubic feet, which is approximately 2,500 square feet if you have eight foot ceilings at home. Due to the smaller coverage area, this may not work as well for larger or less tightly constructed homes.

Automatic sensors adjust humidity to the chosen level, so it might run longer. It can be noisy when working hard, but the unit will shut off when it reaches the user-set humidity level. The easy-fill water tank holds 6 gallons, allowing up to 70 hours of continuous output. If you're not in the market for a whole-house humidifier connected to your HVAC system and just want something small and easy to manage, then our pick for the most portable humidifier is the Aircare HB Space-Saver. At a high capacity of 7.2 gallons daily, this humidifier covers an area of 2,300 square feet and possesses a three-speed motor. You have to fill up the water tank and change the filter regularly, but it has casters which make it conveniently mobile.

Which is better: air purifiers or humidifiers?

Some people value portability, for example, while others want a built-in option. The bacterial cultures we swabbed during one round of testing also made us realize just how quickly bacteria can build up in these machines, especially when operating in non-sterilized environments. Regular and thorough cleaning of your humidifier will extend its lifespan and ensure that it's running as efficiently as possible. Zacharek suggests cleaning a humidifier every third day of use, if you plan to keep it running non-stop. Bigger tanks need frequent emptying because all the water is seldom used up. For these, consider whether the tank is removable to easily fill, and how heavy it is to carry when full.

Best Fan-Powered: AprilAire 700 Whole-House Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier

We’ve used this humidifier at least three times a week (sometimes daily!) over two months to help us deal with cold and sinus symptoms. We found that the humidity in our living room made a noticeable difference. Our favorite feature was being able to set our ideal humidity level on our phone. Since this is a powerful humidifier, when it did run constantly, our hygrometer let us know that the air was too moist, so we had to turn it down. While using the auto feature, we only had to refill the humidifier every few days.

Can a Whole-House Fan Keep Your Whole Family Cool?

One thing you have to keep in mind is that if you're traveling or just not going to use the device for a while, you should empty the tank and not leave the water sitting in there. Adding a humidifier to your bedroom or any other room in your home zaps dry air with much-needed moisture so you can maintain ideal indoor humidity levels ranging between 30% to 50%. One of the most sought-after benefits of a humidifier is that it helps you breathe easier. But that doesn’t mean that humidifiers are only for asthma sufferers or those with allergies. An air humidifier adds moisture to the air, helping soothe dry skin and even relieve common cold symptoms like a stuffy nose or coughing at night during dry seasons. But those aren’t the only humidifier benefits — a humidifier can actually make it easier to breathe so you wake up feeling more rested and refreshed.

Vornado UH200 Ultrasonic Humidifier

He also oversees our continuous in-home, survey-based consumer testing for all types of humidifiers, which allows us to evaluate these devices in real-world conditions. Most humidifiers also need filter replacements every six months, and it’s a good idea to check the cost of those filters to get an idea of ongoing maintenance costs before you buy. First, check your home’s humidity levels—ideally, it sits around 30 to 50 percent—with an inexpensive digital hygrometer.

When it comes to washing this unit, we recommend disassembling it when the water tank is mostly empty, as we found it challenging to move the humidifier for cleaning with a fuller water tank. There are also multiple parts involved in this humidifier’s cleaning disassembly, so you want to be careful with the heating fan on this model, as it can be very warm after use. However, we've found the touchscreen-style buttons to be difficult to use at times. We think, for most users, it'd be more convenient if the unit had buttons that protruded more. However, overall, we're incredibly pleased with this humidifier's consistent performance, user-friendly smartphone app, and easy-to-clean water tank. Warm mist humidifiers tend to be quieter than cool mist products, and the warmth can offer some comfort for conditions like allergies and asthma.

In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products. The water tank holds 3 liters, which is about 12 cups; during testing, we found that it lost only about 5 cups after eight hours on the high setting. The frosted glass of the water tank makes it a bit harder to see the water line, but we didn’t have much problem telling how much was left when we got up close. Some humidifier/diffuser combos treat the second part as an afterthought, but the Levoit humidifier was equally effective at aromatherapy as well. Ten drops of peppermint essential oil lasted all day without becoming overpowering. The minty smell lingered inside the tank until we deep-cleaned the unit with vinegar, but we found no visible buildup of limescale or mold.

The 3.6-gallon water tank is somewhat small compared to the other models on our list, but if your priority is portability, it could be worth the added refilling time. The Levoit Classic 300S Ultrasonic Smart Humidifier has been our top pick for several rounds of testing because it is reasonably priced, operates quietly, and has smart features, including Alexa voice control. It's packaged in a compact, modern silhouette that's easily displayed on a nightstand or tucked away in a closet between uses. Throughout the testing process, we discovered that this humidifier offers numerous conveniences, such as its top-fill water tank, adjustable mist spout, and easy-to-monitor water levels.

Keep in mind that the larger square footage coverage does mean the unit takes up slightly more space than AprilAire’s smaller humidifiers, so you’ll want to accommodate its larger footprint in your installation plans. Brittany VanDerBill is a travel, insurance, and finance writer whose work has been published with several Dotdash Meredith brands. To find the best whole-house humidifiers, she researched a variety of options, keeping in mind type, capacity, coverage, and more. She also consulted Logan Cox, assistant general manager of John The Plumber Kingston, and Pawel Wargocki, ASHRAE fellow and professor at the Technical University of Denmark, for additional insights. The type of maintenance required for a humidifier will depend on what type you select.

Our experts love that the system automatically increases your home’s humidity when levels are too low and that it is suitable for large spaces over 5,000 square feet. For those looking to add humidity to their home quickly, it’s worth mentioning that this unit has some of the most impressive output at up to 34.6 gallons per day, thanks to its efficient steam operation. If you’re looking for the portability and convenience of a standalone humidifier, with the coverage of a furnace-mounted option, this could be a great fit.

Because this furnace-mounted humidifier is likely to be installed in your basement, it comes with a separate wall-mounted digital control panel for remote adjustments. The panel displays the humidity level, and it also has indicator lights that tell you when the humidifier is on, if the filter needs to be replaced, or if the unit needs service. The Carepod Cube X50 has all of the same perks and flaws as the original Carepod, with the added bonus of warm-mist capability.

Some humidifiers on this list, like the Vicks 3-In-1 SleepyTime Humidifier, have features like color-changing night lights and essential oil diffusers that might especially appeal to children. For starters, this humidifier can be connected to other Honeywell Home thermostats, so if you already have one installed, you can easily adjust the humidity based on your home’s temperature reading. You’ll also need to manually fill the water tank, but it’s removable so you can bring it to a sink for easy filling. The digital controls are intuitive to operate and let you control humidity levels, fan speed, and the unit’s power.