How to choose a steam humidifier: reviews and recommendations

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The steam humidifier is an important electrical appliance that has a beneficial effect on people's he alth. Read below about how to choose this unit correctly, what are the advantages and disadvantages, as well as reviews about it.

What do you need?

Steam humidifier parents should purchase if:

1. Baby doesn't sleep well.
2. Baby's skin dries and flakes.
3. Child gets sick often and for a long time.
4. Baby gets tired quickly at home.

If any of these points are true, then your baby needs this device, since dry air may be the cause of the above conditions. The fact is that if the child is constantly in a dry environment, then the surrounding mixture of gases (nitrogen and oxygen predominate) absorbs moisture from the child's body: from the skin, hair, respiratory tract, and hence the drying of the mucous membranes. And as a result - difficulty breathing, the formation of crusts in the nose, poor protection against viruses, decreased immunity, etc. Therefore, dry air is a real disaster that needs to be de alt with.cope. And the most effective way to deal with it is to purchase a device such as a steam humidifier.

What humidity should the room be?

For a person, the moisture content in a room should be between 50-70%. For plants, so that they grow well and do not fade, - 55-75%. For furniture, parquet and possible musical instruments - 40–60%.

For comparison: in winter, when the heating is turned on, the humidity level in the house does not exceed 20%, and should be 2 or even 3 times higher. Therefore, you should not postpone the purchase of such a necessary device as a steam humidifier. And how to choose the right one from a large number of devices will be discussed further.

Types of steam humidifiers

1. Device for air with cold steam. It works like this: a special fan, which is located inside the unit, pumps water through the mesh, on which dust and all kinds of bacteria remain, and purified humidified air enters the room.
2. Hot steam appliance. It functions on the same principle as a cold humidifier, but there is an additional heating element. And as a result, the air in the room will be not only clean, but also warm.

Pros and cons of a cold steam humidifier

The advantages of such a device are as follows:

- low price;

- consumes little electricity;

- there is an adjustment of the desired percentage of moisture, andalso the noise level;

- can be placed in any children's room, regardless of the age of the child.

Flaws:

- decrease in air temperature (albeit insignificant, but it exists) due to the released cold steam;

- such a device perfectly moisturizes the room, but does not clean it well of germs.

Pros and cons of a hot steam humidifier

Dignity:

- low price compared to ultrasonic or ionizing device;

- with its help you can save money due to the fact that you do not need to buy additional filters;

- quickly humidifies the air in the room;

- The steam is great at killing germs.

Disadvantages of such a device:

- there is a possibility of burning with hot steam, so you need to put it away from children;

- there is no function to adjust the set percentage of humidity, so it is possible to over-moisten the room - in this case, you need to monitor the operation of the device;

- due to the fact that hot steam enters the room, the air temperature rises, this is especially bad in summer, when it is already so hot.

Which one to choose: ultrasonic or steam?

Today, the choice of humidifiers is huge, for every taste and budget. But the most popular are two types: steam and ultrasonic humidifiers. Often people do not know which one is better to buy, and in order to dispel all suspicions, we will describe the advantages and disadvantages of the second option (we already talked about the first one above).

Prosultrasonic humidifier:

- Very quiet operation, almost inaudible.

- Achieves results much faster than a steam humidifier.

- Has additional features such as auto-off, evaporation rate control, filter change sensor.

Cons of an ultrasonic device:

- High cost.

- Do not use in a children's room where there is a child under 4 years old (due to the peculiarities of the structure of the lungs of the crumbs).

- Filters need to be changed, which are expensive.

- Settling of white plaque on objects, things in case ordinary tap water is used. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to specially buy purified liquid.

Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of both devices, there will be no question of which humidifier, ultrasonic or steam, to choose. It is necessary to proceed from the financial capabilities of the family, as well as individual preferences.

People's opinions

A device such as a steam humidifier has very conflicting reviews. Supporters of the unit note its effectiveness: the air quickly becomes humid, the well-being of children and adults improves markedly. An important criterion that people pay attention to when choosing this desired device is its design. There is a wide variety of steam humidifiers, especially for children: in the form of a ladybug, dog, mushroom, etc.

Negative reviews also exist, and, unfortunately, there are a lot of them. People are unhappy withwhat:

- evaporation often leaves white residue on furniture;

- inconvenient filling of water in the tank;

- the device is noisy;

- when the unit is operating at full power, condensate forms, which occurs under the cover, and as a result, a puddle forms under the humidifier;

- the attachment of the handle to the body is unreliable.

But no matter how many cons people list, the positive effect of using this electrical device is visible to everyone.

Recommendations

When choosing a humidifier, pay attention to the following conditions:

1. The size of the room the device will operate in.
2. Adjustment parameters. The smaller the room, the more compact the appliance should be.
3. Noise level. It should be no higher than 30 decibels.
4. Water quality. It is recommended to buy purified water so that later there are no questions about the presence of white deposits on furniture.
5. Power consumption. Such devices consume a lot of light, so it is recommended to choose a device with the lowest degree of consumption.

You can choose the right steam humidifier for a nursery if you follow the above recommendations.

In closing

Now you know what a humidifier is for and how it affects the human body, in particular, the child. We also talked about which device (ultrasonic or steam) to choose for yourself, based on financial capabilities and individualpreferences.