Humidifiers - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I need a humidifier?

The ideal humidity for a room should be anywhere between 40% - 60% rH (relative humidity). Some indicators of dry air (low humidity) are dry eyes, dry throat, dry skin and tiredness, although every person will feel differently. The best way to find out if humidity is low is to use a thermo-hygrometer this will display and monitor the humidity level.

I need a humidifier which one would you recommend?

More probing questions are required to establish the customers need.  The type of humidifier required can depend on the size of the room it will be in and the conditions it will be operating in.

My baby has croup what would I need?

A steam humidifier would be ideal as they can help reduce the harsh breathing noise and coughing that are associated with croup.  The ideal humidifiers are the Purline Steam or the Boneco AOSS150; we would recommend the use of a plug-in humidistat with these units so that they don’t over humidify the room.

I want a humidifier for my child’s nursery/bedroom what would be the best choice?

See above.

For safety we recommend that the humidifiers are placed out of reach.

If worried about using a steam humidifier with children then an evaporative humidifier would be another option either the Air-O-Swiss 2441 or the Boneco 2055D humidifier as they are both quiet machines.

I want a humidifier to use with musical instruments / antique / stop wood cracking what would you recommend?

We would recommend the Air-O-Swiss 2251 home humidifier. It comes with a built in humidistat and will maintain a constant atmospheric humidity level without rapid fluctuations.

What’s the difference between an evaporative humidifier and a steam humidifier?

Steam humidifiers operate very much like a kettle, boiling water using electrodes or an element and have no changeable filters. 

All evaporative humidifiers will have a filter which will absorb the water from the tank; air is then drawn through the filter and expelled through the top of the unit. 

If you are energy conscious then a low energy evaporative unit would be ideal, although the filter mats will need to be replaced regularly. 

What is an Ultrasonic humidifier?

Ultrasonic humidifiers vibrate water at ultrasonic speeds which changes the state of the water to a very fine mist; this causes minerals (white dust) to deposit themselves in the air which has been known to aggravate people with chest complaints.

Our Ultrasonic humidifiers have an in-built demineralisation cartridge which filters the minerals from the water before its liquid state is changed.  This eliminates mineral deposits in the surrounding air (white dust).    

I would like to have a quiet humidifier in my bedroom, what would you recommend?

The quietest humidifiers, decibel rating of less than 25 decibels (roughly the noise of a sleeping baby) are ideal.  The humidifiers that fall into this category are: Boneco 2055D, Boneco 7144, Air-O-Swiss 2441 and the Boneco AOSS150

I want to have a humidifier that has minimal upkeep?

We would recommend the Boneco 2055D humidifier.  This unit doesn’t have any filters; instead it has plastic discs which rotate. All humidifiers will need to be cleaned regularly to stop the build up of bacteria; this would need to be done following the manufacturers guidelines (located in the manual under maintenance) and is usually done every 2-4 weeks.

I need a humidifier for a large area what would you recommend?

A powerful domestic humidifier which can do a large area of space is the Air-O-Swiss 2251 Home humidifier. It does an area of 110m², which can be anything from a large room to a floor of a house. As this humidifier can do a larger area than most the fan within it can be very noisy when used on its highest setting. If the humidifier is to be used in an office then the best humidifier to be used would be the HumEvap mobile humidifier, this unit is far more industrialised and is designed to do far bigger rooms. For larger industrial areas would be better off with an installed industrial humidifier, information on these can be located on our commercial website, www.jshumidifiers.com.

I need a humidifier for a small area what would you recommend?

Most humidifiers will do an area of 50m² which is about the size of a standard room. There are a few units which will do either a slightly larger or a slightly smaller room. The Air-O-Swiss 2441 humidifier will do an area of 40m², the Boneco 7144 ultrasonic humidifier will do an area of 60m², the Air-O-Swiss 2241 will do an area of 85m² and the Air-O-Swiss 2251 will do an area of 110m².

I want a humidifier but feel I need an air purifier as well is there one which does both?

There are 2 units which will purify the air as well as providing humidification.  The first unit is the Air-O-Swiss combi unit. It has 3 sets of filters including a HEPA filter and a carbon filter which do need to be replaced on a regular basis to maintain optimum efficiency. The second unit is the Boneco 2055D unit; it is filterless machine which makes the unit cheaper in the long run as no filters are needed to be replaced. Instead of using filters this humidifier washes the air leaving the dust behind.

I want to humidify my office what unit would be best?

If a mobile unit is required then the best humidifiers to go for would either be the HumEvap mobile humidifier or the Century 4 humidifier. Both of these machines are suitable for an area of 900m³ and have large water tanks. If a more permanent (installed) solution is required this would be an industrial application and details of installed units can be located on our commercial website, www.jshumidifiers.com.

I suffer from breathing difficulties/stuffy nose what humidifier would be best?

The ideal units to help with breathing difficulties would be steam humidifiers. A steam humidifier can provide a healthy level of humidity which will help thin mucus and can help relieve coughing. Steam humidifiers can also be used as inhalers and have the option for essential oils to be added such as eucalyptus oil which will evaporate with the steam and can aid in easier breathing.

I want a humidifier that I can control.

For a humidifier that can be controlled it would be best to have one which has a built in humidistat. The humidistat will allow you to see what your room humidity is and then set the humidifier accordingly. A humidistat will control the humidifier according to the set level. Even if the humidifier doesn’t have a built in humidistat a plug in version can be used which will control the humidifier for you.

How often does a humidifier need to be cleaned?

Every humidifier comes with a manufacturer’s instruction manual which will detail the cleaning requirement for each unit. As a guide it is best to clean the tank every 2 weeks and to do a deep clean (clean all parts) of the humidifier every 4 weeks. If the unit is used regularly then the cleaning process may need to be done more regularly. If living in a hard water area then the humidifier may suffer from scale problems, if this is the case then the use of a descaler would be recommended, such as CalcOff,  this would need to be done once every 3 months.

How often do filters need to be changed?

If using a humidifier that has a filter it is advisable that the filter needs to be changed once every 2-3 months. This can vary depending on the location of where the humidifier is, for example if the humidifier is being used in the London area then the filter may need to be changed more regularly such as 1-2 months but in Scotland the filter may last longer than 3 months,  the reason for this difference is the air and water quality.

I am travelling to an arid country and would like to take a humidifier with me, is there one which would be small enough to fit in my luggage?