A humidifier is a great device to ensure your health and comfort. It maintains the humidity level of your house and improves the quality of your sleep. It also helps you to cope with dry skin and acne. But do you know what is the best position for humidifier? We will explore all the options in this article.
If you aren’t a gadget expert, using a humidifier can be a bit tricky, especially when it comes to deciding the best location to place it! The best humidifier position depends on its type, size, and the room where you want to place it. Here are some tips for finding the best position to keep your humidifier.
Top 6 Best Position for Humidifier (A Detailed Analysis)
Depending on your need, there is an ideal place for humidifiers in your home. Not all humidifiers are created equal. Different humidifiers have different needs. You must position your humidifier in the best place to derive optimum benefit from it. Placement of your humidifier makes all the difference, that’s why you must know about the best position for humidifier according to your need.
First, use a hygrometer to determine the level of humidity in your bedroom. Put your humidifier in the position that has the least humidity. This will add more humidity to the air of the room.
If you choose a small humidifier for a spacious bedroom, it is best to place it close to your bed. If you keep it too far away, the mist won’t reach all the areas of your room, and you won’t be able to notice any difference.
If many people share your bedroom, you will need a large humidifier. In that case, it is best to place it in the corner of the room, at least 3 feet away from your bed. This is because larger humidifiers need more space around them to disperse the mist into the air.
If you want a cold-mist humidifier to use its cooling effect for a comfortable sleep, then place it near the bed. It will also boost your immune system. You can keep it on the nightstand at your bedside. It will improve your breathing by removing allergens from your bedroom. The proximity of the humidifier determines the freshness of the air around it.
For warm-mist humidifiers, you have to be a little careful. It is advisable to keep it away from your bed while sleeping. Else, place it on a stable platform so that it doesn’t fall. It is for safety purposes. As warm-mist humidifiers use boiling water, keeping it near the bed while sleeping can be dangerous. You run the risk of suffering burns from its hot mist. Plus, placing a warm-mist humidifier neat your bed dampens the pillows and sheets.
If you want everyone to reap your humidifier’s benefit, then it is great to place it in the living room. Also, the risk for dangers is low, as everyone is alert and awake around it. Still, there are certain specifications for the best spot.
You can use the hygrometer to find the area that needs it the most. But make sure that you keep it away from furniture, technology, and electric sockets. Also, avoid keeping it at a place that is susceptible to water damage.
If your living room is a small one, it is advisable to choose a small humidifier. A large humidifier will produce too much mist, moisten the environment, and might even lead to mold and mildew. In the case of a large room, you can put the humidifier in any stable or safe place. It will distribute the vapors evenly throughout the room and maintain the humidity level.
Never put your humidifier near a radiator or vent or near any other heat sources. It can meddle with the humidity readings. The vent’s low-humidity air would make the humidifier run much higher and create mist than actually needed.
You can use a plastic table or a small foldable table especially designed to keep the living room’s humidifier. When you are not using the humidifier, you can just fold away the little table along with it.
Children need to be protected from the bad effects of extremely dry air, air-borne viruses, and allergens. So, you might want to use a humidifier in your baby’s room. But make sure it’s in the best position. Else it would put your baby’s safety and comfort at risk.
First and foremost, it should be kept at a good distance from your child. Otherwise, it might cover your kid in the mist. Moreover, it should be kept at a height where they cannot reach it. Else, they might tip it over or meddle with its settings.
You can put the humidifier on the top of a dresser or a nightstand if they aren’t near the crib. Else, the baby may knock it down or pull it into their crib if they wake up during the night.
If you want to improve the entire house’s air quality, then whole-house humidifiers will work perfectly for you. You can either choose stand-alone humidifiers or the ones that need to be attached to the furnace.
Stand-alone humidifiers are compact enough to fit in any corner of your house. In the case of the unattractive models, you can keep them at a place where they aren’t visible. For the attractive ones, you can make a beautiful display out of them. You can even customize them to match your decor.
The humidifiers that are designed to be directly attached to the furnace work best for large houses. They are powerful enough to distribute moisture throughout your home. It doesn’t really matter whether you mount the humidifier on the supply or on the return side. And you can place it either on the line that goes towards the kitchen or the bedrooms. Either way, the effect would be the same.
Compact and portable humidifiers work the best for offices, especially if you work in a cubicle. A large humidifier would raise the entire office’s moisture level, which your colleagues may not like.
The best is to choose the USB powered desktop versions. You can keep such small humidifiers close to yourself for your comfort alone. They aren’t powerful enough to raise the moisture level of the whole office. So, you can just derive your benefit without disturbing the others.
The best position for humidifier in your office is to put it on your desk simply. Placing it on the floor might be too risky, for someone might trip it over while walking. Plus, it will be closer to you, making you feel more comfortable.
It is not necessary to put humidifiers in the bathroom unless you are suffering from a cold or have a large bathroom. To use it in the bathroom, you will have to find out the area that needs it the most. Put the hygrometer to use for the purpose.
Make sure you don’t keep it at a place where water may damage it. Also, keep it away from electric sources. If you have a shelf anywhere on the roof, that would be the best place for it.
Do not switch on the humidifier after showers. It could produce excessive vapors leading to mold or mildew. Remember to vent your bathroom after using the humidifier to avoid the accumulation of harmful mold.
Table or Floor—Which is better Position for Humidifier?
The answer depends on the situation and size of the humidifier. For large humidifiers, the floor is the best option. For a smaller one, you might use the table. Putting large humidifiers on the table is risky, especially if you have pets or children who can pull it down. Placing the smaller ones on the floor won’t be of much help.
Avoid keeping your humidifier directly on the floor. This is not the best position for humidifier. Rather, place a plastic tray or any other water-resistant material between them. It will catch the droplets and spills from the humidifier and save your carpet or the floor.
If you have pets or children running over the house, keep the humidifier out of their reach. A high-shelf would be better so that they don’t accidentally push the buttons or muddle with the settings. Also, having the device elevated ensures even distribution of mist.
Wherever you place it, just make sure it’s not too hard to approach. Humidifiers need maintenance occasionally. If you place it in an inaccessible place, it won’t be easy to service.
Dangerous Places for Humidifiers
Here are some places that you should avoid while deciding the best position for humidifier.
Electric Outlets: Water from humidifiers might lead to rust or short circuits if you place them near electric outlets.
Technical Devices: Droplets or spills from humidifiers can damage the devices like televisions or computers.
Direct Sunlight: The water inside the humidifier can produce bacteria if you expose the machine to direct sunlight. It may lead to respiratory issues as the device would vaporize that water for you to inhale.
We all have our doubts when it comes to deciding the best position for humidifier. A lot of factors come into play while choosing the perfect spot. So, it is advisable to consider everything before settling down for the right place—be it in your bedroom, living room, or office. Consider all the pros and cons before you select the perfect position to place your humidifier.