What Is The Best Humidifier For Allergies

Best Humidifiers For Allergies

Welcome to our latest article on the best humidifiers for allergies. So many people out there suffer from the frustration of having to live at home with allergies, or battle through colds during the winter months. When humidity levels are low, it can cause general discomfort including dry eyes and irritated sinuses.

A humidifier can help solve this problem as they transform dry air by adding moisture to it. There are both warm mist humidifiers and cool mist humidifiers on the market right now and it really can make a huge difference to your life. Weve put together the key information you need to make an informed decision on the right humidifier for you, as well as a list of the top 10 best humidifiers for allergies on the market right now.

How To Choose The Best Humidifier For Your Home

Compare mist options. Humidifiers either use warm mist or cool mist to add moisture to the air. Ultrasonic humidifiers can be either warm mist or cool mist, and some units include the option for both.

The type you choose is ultimately up to you, but in general, cool mist humidifiers are the safest option , according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Warm mist humidifiers, meanwhile, run hot and have the potential to cause burns if you get too close. Also, evaporative humidifiers often spit out invisible mist, so dont be alarmed if they dont appear to be working.

Measure your space. The best size for your humidifier depends on the size of the room in which you plan to use it. Personal or travel-sized humidifiers typically only reach 25 to 100 square feet. Check the square footage your machine can reach on its packaging before you invest in one.

Pick an easy-to-clean option. Its best to regularly change the filter or clean your humidifier, preferably daily, but at least every two to three days, so pick an option with cheap filters, plus parts that are easy to wash. Otherwise, mold could grow inside the device due to standing water and get blown through your home, making life pretty awful for those with mold allergiesor anyone, really. Better yet, use distilled water in your chosen machine if possible, since tap water contains minerals that can breed bacteria and irritate your sinuses.

How Does A Humidifier Help With Allergies

Allergies enter the body through the nose. When the air in your room has a properly balanced humidity level, it allows your body to expel allergens efficiently. Allergies get worse once the air becomes too dry. When this happens, your nasal passage dries out, becoming irritated and encouraging the body to produce excess mucus to deal with the lack of moisture. Your body can only purge the allergens when there is moisture in the air. This is why people end up congested, incessantly sneezing, coughing, and are always rubbing their itchy, watery eyes. It is also the same reason why people tend to get sick once the weather starts to turn from warm to cool. There is less moisture in cool air than there is in warm air. As your nasal passages dry out, your body cant purge allergens and bacteria that cause cold and flu.

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Best Humidifier For Allergies: Humidifier Vs Purifier Which Works Better

Recent studies indicate a significant portion of the population, upon testing, had a positive reaction to one or more allergens. Allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever, is an inflammation of the nasal cavity that occurs when your immune system has an overreaction to airborne allergens. This reaction manifests in the form of a stuffed up or runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, congestion, itching, and coughing. In many cases it is hard to tell if you are having an allergic reaction, or experiencing symptoms of a cold. Dust mites, pollen, and pet dander are all common allergens that we breathe in every day. Below, we break down the best warm mist humidifiers available to help alleviate your symptoms and save you from going through boxes of pills and Kleenex.

Using Humidifiers For Allergy Relief The Right Way

This winter, experience what life is like without irritated nasal passages, a dry throat, and dry skin. Humidifiers provide allergy relief and keep your home comfortable by restoring proper moisture levels to preventing bouts of colds or the flu, ease breathing in children and adults who have asthma or allergies, and protecting wood flooring and furniture.

Remember, a humidifier cannot replace medicine and requires a few precautions to provide the promised benefits. If you or other people in your house have asthma or indoor allergies, consult an allergist/immunologist to determine if a humidifier can help you and your sinuses survive winter.

Best Humidifiers

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Flaws But Not Dealbreakers

At 1 gallon, the HCM-350s tank is on the small side if you run it 24/7, youll need to refill it at least once. Larger tanks can support a full 24 hours of operation.

In a design quirk common to evaporative humidifiers, the bottom tray of the HCM-350 doesnt physically attach to the upper housing, where the fan and tank are located the latter just rests on the former. If you need to move the unit, youll have to reach all the way to the floor and get your fingers under the trayotherwise youll leave it behind. The individual parts are also small and light enough that you can move them separately, and then reassemble the humidifier in its new location.

The few electronic components can be damaged by prolonged exposure to heat or lengthy immersion in water. As a result, the housing around the fan can be notoriously difficult to clean. This shouldnt be a huge problem if youre running the rest of the humidifier on a regular basis, as the movement of the fan should help to discourage any mold from growing. Still, if you are concerned, we recommend making a solution of vinegar and water and using that to spray down through the grates and into the fan cavity. We found a bottle brush to be an effective way to get into the nooks and crannies. After youre done, rinse it out with clean water and let it air dry.

Our pick

*At the time of publishing, the price was $18.

Vicks Warm Moisture Humidifier

This warm mist humidifier from Vicks has a scent pad heater to use with Vicks VapoPads, a medicine cup for use with liquid inhalants and has a filter-free design. The tank has a one gallon capacity with automatic shut off and up to 24 hours of run time per filling. The parts of this humidifier are removable and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.

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How Does Indoor Humidity Affect Allergies

Allergies are crazy as they are but low humidity in a house, apartment, or another living space can aggravate them even further. Dry hair essential damages the cilia in the nasal passage a filter that ensures debris and bacteria cannot past. When this area is damaged, then anything can get by, causing irritation to allergies, or worsening the nasal passages in general. The dryness of the air can also be caused by those that have forced-air heating, avid air conditioner users, as well as those with wood burning stoves. Those that suffer from allergies may see even further nasal passage cracking, nosebleeds, dry eyes, and cracking noses as they continue to suffer without a solution.

Weve mentioned dust mites before, and its important to note that they tend to die off when the humidity levels are below 50%, but its even lower than that for allergens. Unfortunately, allergens do not dry out until the humidity levels hit 30% so your house will truly have to be suffering , for it to get down to this level.

Allergies And Dry Air

Dry air is used to refer to air found inside homes that is devoid of humidity. When the cold air from outside comes inside, or heaters are used in winters, it makes the indoor air very dry. The air inside homes can become dry during warm weather as well. Regardless of the cause, it can lead to severe irritation of the sinuses, dry the nasal passage causing nose bleeds, and makes skin dry and itchy.

Other allergy symptoms include:

• Chapped lips

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Basic Quiet Affordable: Levoit Classic 200 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier

*At the time of publishing, the price was $32.

If you want an affordable, basic, quiet, attractive humidifier, go for the ultrasonic Levoit Classic 200 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier. One of this models main limitations is almost no discernible difference between its settings, as well as the common ultrasonic tendency to over-humidify. All of that may be fine if you feel you can live without a versatile, detailed humidistat.

Despite its simple features, the Levoit Classic 200 provided some consistently powerful humidificationabout a 13% humidity increase in the first hour, and an average increase of 24% over the course of four hours. Levoit claims the water in the tank can last up to 40 hours on low or 10 hours on high. But like most ultrasonic models, this model can over-humidify the room if it runs for too long in our tests, it ultimately turned the bathroom into a clammy sauna, with an 84% relative humidity level that made the porcelain glisten.

However, the Levoit Classic 200s 4-liter tank actually has a slightly larger capacity than that of the HCM-350, and the surprisingly large fill hole makes it easy to clean. Most of the other models we tested have a screw cap to close the tank, but the Levoit Classic 200 has a one-twist cap lined with a rubber gasket . The tank is rectangular, which makes it easy to fill and to stand on its own this Levoit model also includes a tray for essential oils.

The 7 Best Humidifiers For Dust Allergies And Sinuses

Allergies are part of our lifestyle. Believe it or not, we cannot escape from it!

Especially when the climate changes, many people find themselves affected by allergies such as sinus congestion, dust irritation, breathing disorders, sinuses, etc.

If you are one among them and find yourself helpless during these times, you surely need a good room humidifier which can save you from lots of troubles caused due to indoor allergies.

When talking about allergies in detail, there are many types.

These may be dust allergy, pet allergy, food allergy, seasonal allergies and many more.

Dust allergy and Sinus infection are the most common of all the allergies.

Even when we try our level best to safeguard our family by using devices such as air purifiers, we cannot escape the hazards as there are many other influencing factors that increase the possibility of getting affected by allergy.

Dry air is one such condition that aggravates the allergy and infection for many.

Quick Content!

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A Who Is Going To Use The Humidifier

First and foremost, who will be using the humidifier?

This is important because the best humidifiers for adults may not be beneficial to small babies or toddlers and vice versa.

When you are buying for children and animals, warm-mist is a strict no as it can be hazardous to them.

Instead, go for the ones that make them feel comfortable.

Pros And Cons Of Using A Humidifier For Allergies

When it comes to humidity, balance is key. Using a humidifier to help protect against the uncomfortable symptoms of dry winter air is very effective. However, if you overuse it and create too much moisture, it can lead to different negative effects. For the best results, keep your homes overall humidity level between 40-60%. Here are some of the pros and cons to help you in deciding if this is right for you.

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How To Tell If Your Air Is Dry

Now that you know how dry air can impact your allergies, you are probably wondering how you can tell if your air is dry. The best way to do this is to get a humidistat, which is a tool that measures the humidity level in your home. However, there are other signs you can look for that do not require the use of any special tools. If you notice any of the below, low humidity could be the culprit.

• Are you noticing extra static electricity in your home? This could mean your hair is standing up after brushing, your clothes are sticking together, or you are experiencing static shocks.
• Is your nose running and has been for a while? When the nasal passages are dry, the body will try to moisturize them through other means, including giving you a constant runny nose.
• Have you been feeling fluish but never seem to quite get a full-blown flu? It could be that the dry air is aggravating your allergy symptoms just enough to make you feel under the weather.
• Does your mouth and/or throat always feel dry? It could be because the dry air is causing your mucus membranes to lose the moisture they need.

Now, dry air is not the only thing that can cause these symptoms, but it is one possible cause. As such, you should consider it a possibility if you experience any of the symptoms above. In some cases, these signs can actually be due to too much humidity, so if possible, measure the humidity level before taking action.

Best For Bedrooms: Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier

Sleep easier with this ultra-quiet, easy-to-clean humidifier, which pumps out moisture at a low, cool mist for up to 18 hours on its quietest setting. Its big enough to keep your room comfortable, yet small enough to place on your nightstand or move around with ease. And if aesthetics are your priority, you wont need to hide this one from guests: Its water tank is in the back, and it easily blends into the background.

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Best Combination Humidifier: Levoit Ultrasonic Humidifier

$89.99

Not sure if you should get a warm-mist or a cool-mist humidifier? Theyre equally effective in their abilities to humidify the air, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is important to note, however, that hot water or steam from a warm-mist humidifier can burn if touched or spilled, so you should only use cool-mist humidifiers in childrens rooms. That being said, if youre shopping for yourself or another adult but arent sure whether youd benefit more from warm mist or cool mist, then the Levoit Ultrasonic Humidifier is perfect, since it offers both options. Not only does it boast a six-liter capacity for longer run time, but it also features a built-in humidity sensor, easy-to-read LED display, touch panel, and remote for an added layer of convenience. Dont miss these other .

Enrichment Mistaire Ultrasonic Humidifier

With an ample 1.5-liter tank, feel moisturizing relief for up to 25 hours of continuous and safe operation. The MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is backed by Pure Enrichments industry-leading 5 Year Warranty so your satisfaction is guaranteed.

• Large Easy-Fill Tank: 1.5 liter water tank provides ideal coverage for bedrooms, offices, nurseries, and other medium-sized rooms.
• Broad Coverage Area: The perfect air humidifier solution for rooms up to 245 sq ft.
• Whisper-Quiet Operation: Ideal for sleeping babies and working individuals with its near-silent operation.
• Year-Round Comfort: High and low-speed settings combined with a 360° mist nozzle help you consistently balance and regulate the humidity in your home all year long for relief from cold-like symptoms and sinus issues.

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Best For Small Spaces: Cvs Health Cool Mist Humidifier

$31.99

Although this CVS Health humidifier doesnt come with any bells and whistles, Consumer Reports named it as one of its CR Best Buys of 2020 for its performance and price. Designed for small rooms, it has variable output settings, a soft-glow night-light, and automatic shutoff, and it will run for up to 20 hours per filling. The transparent tank and filter-free design make it easy to clean, and its whisper-quiet, so its perfect for nighttime use. If youre looking for something simple, this is your unit. On the flip side, these are the 15 worst products Consumer Reports has ever tested.

Easiest To Clean: Miro Luma Touch Modular Humidifier

$159.00

If you relish the ability to clean all the things, the Modular Humidifier by Miro is for you. But first, lets talk about what it can do: This unit features a 1.06-gallon tank, so it can humidify up to 600 square feet continuously for eight hours on the highest of its three settings and 24 hours on its lowest. It also has a smart touch control panel and an LED light that can be set to your favorite color or turned off completely. And now for our favorite part: All of the Miro NR08M partsincluding the water tank, fan, and ultrasonic misterare waterproof and washable . With the Miro NR08M humidifier, theres no need to sit your humidifier in bleach or vinegarno more spending 40 minutes cleaning a humidifier. Cleaning this humidifier is as simple as doing the dishes. This model opens in one motion for washing, and its built-in magnets make reassembly a snap. If youre wondering whether or not cleaning your humidifier is really necessary the answer is yes, you really do need to clean your humidifierand heres how to do it.

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