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    How to Find the Right Humidifier for Any Room

    Plus, top performers from Consumer Reports' tests

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    Lasko UH300 Humidifier
    To find the right humidifier, you need to measure your room’s square footage.
    Photo: Lasko

    When you’re shopping for a humidifier, matching the unit to the size of the room is key.

    A humidifier that’s too small for your space probably won’t provide relief from cold-weather symptoms like dry and itchy skin.

    In this article Arrow link
    More on Humidifiers

    But a bigger model isn’t always better. Ideally, the humidity level in your home should be between 30 percent and 50 percent, according to Energy Star. In colder areas during the heating season, the sweet spot ranges from 30 percent to 40 percent to prevent window condensation.

    A humidifier designed for a room that’s larger than yours can create an overly moist environment that breeds dust mites and mold and triggers allergic reactions.

    “Since high humidity leads to its own set of problems, avoid buying the largest humidifier and instead pick the one designed for the size of your space,” says Misha Kollontai, the engineer who leads Consumer Reports’ humidifier testing.

    How to Choose the Best Humidifier

    To find the right humidifier, calculate your room’s square footage (by multiplying the width by the depth).

    Then use our humidifier ratings, which are organized by room size, from models made for areas up to 25 square feet to consoles meant for spaces of 1,000 square feet or more.

    Manufacturers typically claim that their humidifiers are intended for a specific room size, which is why we measure the moisture output and calculate how well each model humidifies the specified area.

    Most of the models in our humidifier ratings are cool-mist units. A few are warm-mist units, aka steam vaporizers, or dual-mist units, capable of producing both warm and cool air. In our ratings, you’ll see humidifiers from dozens of brands, including Air Innovations, Boneco, Crane, Dyson, Honeywell, Lasko, Vicks, and Vornado.

    Here’s a look at five high-scoring humidifiers from our ratings of over 100 models, each meant for a different room size. Most use ultrasonic technology—a small vibrating diaphragm—to create the cool mist. (The evaporative models, which tend to be noisier, use a fan to blow air through a wet wick.) For more help in choosing the right model for you, check out our free humidifier buying guide.

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Tobie Stanger

    Tobie Stanger

    As a senior editor at Consumer Reports for more than 30 years, Tobie Stanger specialized in helping readers shop wisely, save money, and avoid scams. Her home- and shopping-related beats have included appliance and grocery stores, generators, homeowners and flood insurance, humidifiers, lawn mowers, and luggage. She also covered home improvement products, including flooring, roofing, and siding.

    Allen St. John

    Allen St. John has been a senior product editor at CR since 2016, focusing on digital privacy, audio devices, printers, and home products. He was a senior editor at Condé Nast and a contributing editor at publications including Road & Track and The Village Voice. A New York Times bestselling author, he's also written for The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife, their two children, and their dog, Rugby.