Most people make the mistake of thinking that a humidifier cools a room because it is called a cool mist humidifier, which seems to increase the cooling effect. But they are wrong. A cool mist humidifier provides a cooling effect because it uses a fan to vaporize water, but the cooling effect is only temporary. When a humidifier continuously releases moisture and changes the temperature, the more humid a room is, the warmer you will feel. So considering that using a humidifier will make your room cool is completely false. However, using humidifiers has many other benefits, which you will know by reading the article below.
But if you want to cool your room, use a fan or AC unit instead of a humidifier. There are many types of Humidifiers, such as cool or warm mist, evaporative, and ultrasonic humidifiers, that you can use to reduce dryness and get a moisturized environment. A humid environment prevents many seasonal allergies by inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Many people also think using a humidifier increases oxygen levels, but this is not the case. Therefore, if you have problems with dry air and low humidity, which causes many allergies like coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, chapped lips, and nosebleeds, you should install a humidifier in your home.
What is a Humidifier?
A humidifier is a device that removes dryness from the air by increasing humidity to a sufficient level. It usually works by converting water into vapors using different techniques such as heating material, vibrating diaphragm, fan, and wicks filter. There are various techniques because the humidifier has five different types: evaporative, ultrasonic, vaporizers, and warm or cool mist humidifiers. All types have the same purpose of providing essential moisture, but their way of working is slightly different.
However, thinking that using a humidifier will cool your room is very disappointing as it only increases the moisture levels and reduces dry air. A cool mist humidifier uses a fan and wicks filter to vaporize water to give you a soothing cool mist; you will feel a slight cooling effect. But that doesn’t mean you can use it as a device to make your room cool. So, if you want to cool your room, don’t waste your money on buying a humidifier; instead, purchase a portable fan or AC unit for your home.
Why Do I Need A Humidifier?
There are many things for which you can use a humidifier, and it also helps reduce the dryness of the atmosphere to give you a humid environment. Humidifier gives you relief from dry skin issues and the multitude of problems that can be caused because of low humidity. It also prevents the growth of bacteria and microbes in the air because moisture makes them heavier, so they don’t float or spread. For this purpose, you must maintain an ideal moisture level between 30% and 50% because too much moisture also encourages the growth of viruses. So, you must add a humidifier to your home to get many benefits.
Types of a Humidifier:
The humidifier has five different types, and they are all the best in their work to provide you with adequate moisture. However, they work a little bit differently from each other. These types include cool or warm mist, evaporative, vaporizer, and ultrasonic humidifiers.
What do the different types of Humidifiers do?
We have discussed earlier that humidifiers can be classified into five different categories. Here we give you these types, and their way of working is a little bit different from each other. So you will know clearly which humidifier is the perfect option for your that fulfills your requirements.
The warm mist humidifier gives you warm mist by boiling water using the heating substance, making your room a little bit warmer. It temporarily relieves cough, cold, flu, and sinusitis congestion by moisturizing your nasal passages. Because of the heating substance, you must be careful when using this unit near your kids and pets. Moreover, its maintenance is difficult and does not work perfectly in large-sized bedrooms.
Vaporizers are warm mist humidifiers because they convert water into vapors by boiling it using the heating substance and giving you steam, so they are also called steam humidifiers. When you use these humidifiers, you need to be alert as they are very hot and increase the risk of burns. Moreover, it prevents the growth of microbes inside the tank, which makes it the best antimicrobial option.
On the other hand, the cool mist and evaporative humidifiers both add cool mist to the air and give you a chilling effect. However, the cool mist unit uses a fan and wicks filter to give you vapors in the form of mist. While an evaporative model draws the room air to pass it through the basin to compress it and then send it back to the room in the form of vapors.
The ultrasonic models are also cool mist humidifiers and use a vibrating diaphragm to break water into tiny droplets in the form of mist. They are costly compared to other models but are very efficient and ultra-quiet while working, so they do not disturb your sleep. But the evaporative or cool mist humidifiers are loud in their operation, which creates disturbance while you’re sleeping at night.
Do Cool Mist Humidifiers cool a room?
As we discussed above, that cool mist humidifier only provides a chilling effect for a short time but does not cool your room. The reason is that it provides you with moisture, and when humidity levels increase, the temperature increases, making your room warmer. However, the cool mist models can help reduce snoring and insomnia problems by keeping your nasal and throat passages hydrated. So, using a cool mist humidifier for cooling your room is useless, so don’t waste your time.
Can we use the Humidifier in the summer?
The humidifier is a type of device which you can use for a year-long without any hassle. Seasonal allergies become worse in the summer because of the dry air. But when you use humidifiers, you will get enough moisture which keeps your body moisturized. You can use any type of humidifier to get moisture, but the cool mist humidifier or evaporative humidifier is best used in summer.
These humidifiers provide a chilling and cool effect by releasing an invisible soothing cool mist which is very relaxing, especially in warmer months. So, if you feel dryness all around in the environment during summer, use a cool mist humidifier.
Should the use of a Humidifier in winter is ok?
A humidifier is essential in winter when the air is too dry, which causes the problem of low humidity. Low humidity creates a very problematic environment for asthma sufferers, and they feel difficulty in breathing. In winter, the air becomes very dry because of the cool air and the excess use of heaters. Therefore, to get rid of dry air and low humidity, you must add a humidifier to your home. Which increases the humidity level by adding essential moisture into the atmosphere.
The humidifier also gives you temporary relief from cough, cold, flu, and congestion, especially in winter. If you are suffering from a cough or cold and feel discomfort breathing, you can use a humidifier to get a soothing humid environment. Humidifiers are also beneficial for furniture and wooden floors as they protect them from cracking due to low moisture. That’s why using a humidifier is not only ok but also very necessary for reducing dryness from the environment.
Can you run a Humidifier all the time?
Using a humidifier all the time is not harmful. However, its usage timing will depend on your home’s moisture level. If the moisture level is low in a few months, you only have to use the humidifier in those months. But when the humidity level is stable, using a humidifier will cause over-humidification. Over-humidification leads to many health problems and encourages the growth of bacteria in the air, which is not good for asthmatics.
But if you live where the moisture stays low all year, you can use the unit all the time. By following some key factors, you will get help in using a humidifier efficiently and running it all the time.
Clean the unit regularly:
If you decide to use the humidifier all the time, you have to pay extra attention to its cleaning. When you clean the humidifier regularly, its performance and working efficiency will be enhanced then you will get better results. You can clean the unit regularly using soapy water or a damp cloth. After cleaning the unit, set it aside to dry it properly and then use it again.
However, for a thorough cleaning, you can dedicate time once or twice after a week using a mixture of bleach or vinegar with water to clean the tank of the unit. But you need to be careful while using these mixtures and avoid using them together. Otherwise, the performance of your unit will be affected badly.
Detect the moisture level:
To get complete benefits, always detect the moisture level and try to maintain it according to the ideal level of humidity between 30% to 50%. If the humidity level increases from the ideal moisture level. There is a chance of over-humidification, enhancing bacteria and germs’ growth. Essential and ideal humidity level reduces bacteria release, but too much moisture becomes a breeding place for them.
Therefore, to avoid this problem, buy a humidifier with a hygrometer or humidity sensor. Which automatically adjusts the humidity according to the ideal moisture level. However, buy a hygrometer gadget separately if your humidifier has no built-in hygrometer facility.
Change the water daily:
To keep your humidifier working efficiently, change the water in the tank daily. If you do not change the water regularly, there is a risk of bacteria and germs growing inside the tank. Because of the bacteria growing, you won’t get a clean mist for breathing. Moreover, always use distilled water or demineralized instead of tap water to refill the tank. As tap water contains lots of minerals that accumulate in the tank.
Where can you keep your Humidifier?
The humidifier can be placed anywhere you want in your home to get a soothing humid environment. A humidifier is not harmful to use around kids and children or near your bed. If the unit is cool mist, you need to be careful while using the warm mist humidifier. The reason is that the warm mist unit uses a heating element to boil water, increasing the risk of burns.
However, if you suffer from cough, cold, and dry nasal passages, you can place the humidifier on your side bed. To get proper humidity which keeps your nasal passages and skin moisturized. You can also keep the unit in your office if you face the problem of low humidity. The small-sized or portable humidifier is best to use in small offices and is completely safe.
The need for sufficient moisture is not only for adults; babies also need it, which helps reduce their respiratory disorders. That’s why you can also place the unit in baby nurseries to keep their soft skin hydrated and gives them relief from a cough or cold symptoms. Moreover, the humidifier is also necessary for the proper development of plants as some plants need high moisture to grow. So, if you have room for your houseplants, you should install a humidifier to keep your plants healthy and safe.
My Review
From my experience, a humidifier does not cool the room. I have installed a humidifier in my room and never feel the temperature change because it just adds moisture to the room. But after using a humidifier, I feel the temperature rise which means the room gets a bit warmer. However, when I use the cool mist humidifier, the room is cool at first, but after a while, the temperature rises. You will feel that your room is warm because of the increased humidity. So, I suggest you use a humidifier to achieve ideal moisture, not to cool your room. To cool your room, you can use an AC or portable fan.
FAQs About Does A Humidifier Cool A Room:
Which is better for kids, warm mist vs. cool mist humidifier?
The experts recommend a cool mist humidifier is the best option to use near kids and pets because it does not use any heating substance to convert water into vapors. But the warm mist model has heating material which increases the risk of burning.
Can you use the humidifier all night?
To run the humidifier all night, it must have an auto shut-off option that automatically turns off the model when it runs out of water, so it prevents the risk of burns due to overheating. So, you can use the humidifier all night without any hassle.
Does a humidifier make the room warmer?
When a humidifier provides constant humidity, the room’s temperature rises, and you feel a warming effect.
Is regular maintenance essential for the better working efficiency of the humidifier?
Regular maintenance is essential for the better performance of the unit because if you do not clean it regularly, there is a risk of bacteria and microbes growth inside the tank, which makes the mist contaminated.
Final Thought:
After reading the article, you will know that humidifier is not used to cool the room. Instead, it provides you with the essential amount of moisture to keep your body hydrated. It will also reduce the amount of dryness in the air. There are lots of other benefits that you have studied in the above article. So you can buy a humidifier if you have a problem with low humidity but not cool your room.
You can check our website if you want more information about humidifiers, dehumidifiers, vaporizers, and many more.
Christine Jones has worked on a wide range of projects, but her main focus is writing about the products that play an essential role in our daily lives. She did researches and investigates interesting topics and shares her experiences with others by providing more information. She firmly believed that you could virtually do anything yourself with the proper knowledge and product. Christine Jones is also an award-winning scenic designer. Moreover, She teaches in the Arts School “At NYU’s Tisch” and is addressed at Princeton. Her future projects include Starring Peter Dinklage, Cyrano, NY, etc.
