Cool mist vs warm mist humidifiers for home: Which is better for babies/pets?
For a home, a cool mist humidifier is good because It has less sound, it is efficient, safe and simple. There are so many types of humidifiers available on the market, like evaporative humidifiers and ultrasonic humidifiers. Both of them are cool mist humidifiers. But I suggest to get the evaporative one. For a small room, ultrasonic humidifiers can be useful but I personally like the evaporative humidifier. When we have babies & pets then a warm mist humidifier will not be a good choice. Because if they accidentally touch it, they can burn their hand. In this blog, we will discuss about
- When we need to use a humidifier.
- Cool mist humidifier (Ultrasonic & Evaporative type cool mist humidifier, Advantages, disadvantages & solutions)
- warm mist humidifier.
- Whole house humidifier.
- Use a hygrometer for better observation.
- Best place to set the humidifier when you have babies & pets.
- Proper cleaning is necessary to keep your babies & pets healthy.
- Condensation issue with humidifier.
When we need to use a humidifier:
Humidifiers are used for those areas, where the air is dry or humidity level is low. Because it adds moisture to recover from dry air. We know air has moisture or H2O molecules. The capacity to keep moisture depends on the temperature. If the temperature is high then, the air can carry more moisture and in low-temperature air carry less moisture. For example,
In 20°C temperature 1 kilogram of air can carry 15 grams of water and in 0°C temperature 1 kilogram of air can carry only 5 grams of water.
That’s the reason in summer we don’t need to use a humidifier. And in winter we must need it.
In winter, the room environment becomes much drier than outside. Why does this happen?
It happens because the room temperature is higher than the outside temperature. If the outside temperature is 1°C the room temperature will be 30°C because we use heaters and other staff to keep our place warm and comfortable. This heat increases the moisture-carrying capability of the room air, for that reason our skin, eyes & lips get drier in room air compared to the outside air.
Well, every country has different weather, so for cold places, humidifiers can be a lifesaver.
Cool mist humidifier (Ultrasonic & Evaporative type cool mist humidifier, Advantages, disadvantages & solutions):
The reason I prefer an evaporative humidifier is it can be used for a whole house & commercial space. On the other hand, ultrasonic humidifiers are used for a single room only. It is also a good choice, but many people face white dust issues with it.
Ultrasonic humidifiers have less noise issue compared to the evaporative humidifiers. And when it comes to efficiency they both are almost the same. But ultrasonic ones consume a little less electricity compared to evaporative ones.
Here I explain all the details about both types of cool mist humidifiers. Both of them are safe for your babies and pets.
Ultrasonic type cool mist humidifier:
How it works:- This type of humidifier works in a very interesting way. a piezoelectric disc sits at the bottom of a pool of water. a very high-frequency signal in the megahertz range is fed to this disc, which causes it to vibrate at that frequency. This causes micron-sized water droplets to form on the surface of the water, and a small fan draws in air from below the device and pushes it out through this tube. When the tank sits on the base, the airflow carries these tiny water droplets up through this hole in the tank, and a little hat with a nozzle helps direct that water and air mixture upward and outward. What comes out of here are microscopic droplets of water suspended in the air. That’s why they’re visible in a sense, when this humidifier generates moisture it looks like clouds, but they quickly disappear. This is how an ultrasonic humidifier increases the humidity level in a room.
Problem with an ultrasonic humidifier:- this kind of humidifier doesn’t have any filter for that reason you can’t use tape water on it. Some people complain that white dust is coming from their ultrasonic humidifier. It happened because of not using super fresh water. If you use distilled water then the white dust problem will be solved.
If your tap water has lots of minerals, the humidifier will spray those minerals into the air. They dry up and leave behind that chalky white dust you’ve probably seen on your furniture or near the humidifier. Using distilled water fixes those issues but it’s not suitable for everyone to always use distilled water. Not using fresh water also can cause mold.
Bacteria issues:- Cold mist humidifiers spare a lot of bacteria at home, which warm mist humidifiers don’t do. It is because they create mist by using ultrasonic vibration. While warm mist humidifiers generate moisture by boiling the water, by boiling the water they kill the bacteria.
Don’t need to be worried for your babies, because some of the ultrasonic humidifiers come with ultraviolet light. This ultraviolet light kills those bacteria. If you buy this type of humidifier then go for the one that has an ultraviolet light feature, this will be much safer for your babies & pets.
Evaporative type cool mist humidifier:
How it works:- It is a combination of three ingredients (Filter/water pad+Fan+water tank). The filter or water pad absorbs the water from the water tank and gets wet. The fan pulls air through the wet filter. The large surface of the water pad/filter helps the air to evaporate the water. As the water evaporates, the filter continues to absorb more water. The water tank allows for continuous operation by constantly, until it’s run out of water.
Noise issue: The evaporation humidifier has noise issues. But the noise is not too much. If you buy a good one then noise will not be an issue for you.
Warm mist humidifier:
A warm mist humidifier works like an electrical water heater. In the water chamber, there is a heater pipe. When the humidifier is operational the heater pipe gets hot, which slowly boils the water and generates moisture. It works very fast but consumes very high electricity. For that reason, I don’t suggest it for home use.
Previously I used a Vicks warm mist humidifier. It was years ago and a cheap one. That time it was ok for my small room. But now as I live with my family, I bought an evaporative humidifier.
Whole house humidifier:
If your house has an existing HVAC ducting system, then you can easily use it with a supply duct line. If you are concerned about your babies and pets, then this will be the best option for you. Because, unlike portable humidifiers, it can increase moisture all over the house. If you use a portable humidifier then your kids can accidentally drop it. But in the whole house humidifier, you don’t get those problems. It is a very efficient, practical and reliable system.
Use a hygrometer for better observation:
A hygrometer is a small tool, which helps you to know about your room’s humidity level. A lot of humidifiers have an inbuilt hygrometer on them. For this sensor, you can set the humidifier in a specific setting. Imagine you set it to 50%, now the humidifier will maintain this humidity level for the whole time. If it goes higher it will turn off automatically and again if the humidity level gets lower than 50% it will turn on again. With this method, the electrical consumption will become much lower. Nowadays almost every humidifier comes with a hygrometer.
If you use a model that does not have a hygrometer, then you definitely need to buy a hygrometer. Then do an experiment by yourself on how many times it takes to reach the required humidity level. Then use the auto timer setting. This will be the smartest way to use an auto-timer setting. To do this you must have a hygrometer. It is a very cheap and affordable tool. It’s not 100% accurate but will definitely help you to observe your room’s condition.
Best place to set the humidifier when you have babies & pets:
Set the humidifier on a higher surface level. So that the babies & pets can not reach it. And keep it far from the bed when babies are sleeping, because the humidity around the humidifier is very high. If babies & pets inhale this high humid air then they can get sick. Make sure the room has a proper fresh air supply, without this in the long term mold can grow on the wall or furniture. Place it on a waterproof mat, this way you can save the floor from extra water and find a place where moisture can perfectly distribute all over the room.
Proper cleaning is necessary to keep your babies & pets healthy:
Clean the humidifier once a week. The filter in the humidifier is always wet in water. Which makes it a perfect place to grow bacteria. If bacteria grow on the filter then through the air virus will scatter all over the house. Which can cause illness like Legionnaires, Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, Respiratory infections, Allergic etc. To avoid those problems make sure you clean the humidifier properly.
There are so many chemicals on the market for washing. But don’t use them because if you use chemicals and a single drop of chemical remains on the humidifier then this will be scattered all over the room. By inhaling this room air anyone can get sick.
So avoid those issues, soak the dirty part in vinegar for some time. Then using a brush, clean it. And if you use chemicals to clean the humidifier then make sure you wash it properly.
For weekly washing, you can use enzyme cleaner or hydrogen peroxide cleaner. It is available on Amazon so you can purchase it from there. In the regular wash, it’s better than vinegar. vinegar is only effective when you face white duct issues or when water minerals become hard dust. Otherwise, enzyme cleaner or hydrogen peroxide cleaner is best for cleaning.
Condensation issue with humidifier:
When the outside weather is very cold, don’t run the humidifier on a high setting. Because the moisture in the room air is warmer than outside air. When this warm air comes to the cold window, due to heat exchange, the air around the window gets colder. We know that cold air can’t carry moisture and this is why water is attached to the window. It also can happen to your wall & floor also if your house’s insulation factor is not that good. This can be a cause of mold & bacteria brought to your house, which can make your whole family sick including your beloved babies & pets.