What to consider when buying a humidifier

A humidifier helps add moisture to the air, which prevents dryness that can irritate the skin, nose, throat and lips. They can also ease some symptoms caused by the flu or common cold.

Humidifiers mainly use water to create vapour which in turn cools or moistens the room. This is done by putting cold water in the container of the humidifier, and heating it up to make the vapor that cools the room.

To diffuse the air in the room, according to Apollo Kasirye, Managing Director of Dream Home Store, some people use air fresheners and others use essential oils (mixed with water) to bring out a certain scent. The essential oils can mainly be obtained separately.

Purpose

If you are buying a humidifier for freshening up your space, you will have different requirements from one who wants one for simply controlling room temperature.

“There are also humidifiers that have the option for heating the room, while others do not. That makes the purpose a good determinant for a humidifier purchase,” he says. 

Maintenance

A thorough cleaning is necessary to prevent the growth of germs and bacteria. Buy an appliance that can be easily cleaned.

Accessories, such as a decalc cartridge for an ultrasonic humidifier or a filter for an evaporative model should be taken into account when calculating the ongoing costs.

Advantages

Humidifiers help one cool down a room without breaking the bank. When one needs a warm room during the cold weather, one can go for humidifiers that have the option of heating up a room.

Not noisy

According to Jumia, the sound of the humidifier is within 0-30 decibels, which ensures that the air is humid while not affecting one’s sleep, work or study. It can be used by the elderly and children as well.

Easy to use

With only one button (for most), pressing for the first time starts the continuous spray mist, pressing again turns on the intermittent spray mist and pressing for the third time turns off the humidifier.

Multi-long press the power button turns on the fan and while humidifying, one can connect a small fan or other equipment to the USB interface of the humidifier to work at the same time.

Portable

The mini humidifier is lightweight and compact, easy to store and carry. Whether one is indoors or outdoors, this one can help one maintain air humidity.

According to Healthline.com, some people may also use humidifiers to relieve symptoms related to health conditions. These may include; cold and flu symptoms, allergies, sinusitis, and eczema.

Types

According to wayfair.com, there are different types of humidifiers, depending on their structure such as:

Tabletop

Tabletop humidifiers are great for single rooms. They are small enough to be portable, making them a great option for travel or to store away easily when not in use.

They have refillable tanks and require frequent refilling. They can easily sit on a table of any size.

Tower

Tower humidifiers sit on the floor, have a tower-like shape, and are ideal for small to medium rooms. They have larger tanks than tabletop humidifiers and do not have to be filled up as often.

Console

 A console humidifier is large enough to add moisture to your entire home. They can be transferred from room to room and have a larger water reservoir, ensuring that each room can be impacted by the humidifier.

Another distinguishing feature is the humidification method.

Evaporative

 An evaporative humidifier pulls air in and creates mist by blowing the air over a wet filter. Fans power the humidifier, helping it push the humid air into the room.

Steam

 Steam humidifiers are electrically powered and heat water by turning it into steam. They then cool the steam before emitting it into the air. Steam humidifiers can cause burns, so be sure to keep them away from children.

Ultrasonic

An ultrasonic humidifier produces mist by using high-frequency vibrations to transform the water into a fine mist. A fan then blows the fine mist into the air. Ultrasonic humidifiers tend to be quiet, making them a good option for light sleepers.

Some humidifiers help cool down the room while others are used to add warmth.

There are also dual humidifiers, which are capable of producing both cool and warm mist, giving you the flexibility of using one unit.

Cost

Humidifiers cost between Shs50, 00 to Shs150, 000 depending on the size and shop you buy from. From online shops, the cost starts from Shs30, 000.

Size

Humidifiers come in different sizes and will, therefore, have different performance capacities. The bigger the humidifier, the more space it serves in a short time. This will also work for those who do not want to have to constantly change the liquid in the container.

The small humidifier holds 125 millilitres and takes up to three to four hour to refill, the medium one holds 450 millilitres and takes up to seven hours and the large one, which holds 950 millilitres can last almost the entire day.