Humidifiers are not always as common in a home as a dehumidifier.
You may have had one for your children when they were younger, but humidifiers can offer great help to people.
Depending on the size of the humidifier you purchase and the location you put it, you can have varying levels of effectiveness.
We have a few areas of the house that are the best places to put your humidifier.
The Best Place to Put a Humidifier in a House
Here are the three best places to put a humidifier in a house and a few common pieces of advice to make sure your placement is safe and effective.
1. Living Room
Putting a humidifier in your living room is a great place to increase the humidity levels and allow for easier breathing in the living space.
The problem with finding the perfect spot for the humidifier in the living room is that it is usually a large room.
With the size of the living room being bigger, you will need to make sure your humidifier is the proper size to support the entire room.
The humidifier should always be placed on a hard and stable surface so that it does not tip or get off balance.
If a specific person in the home needs the humidifier the most, then it makes sense to place it near their favorite place to sit.
You can run the humidifier all the time or just at certain times of the day which make the most sense.
Depending on the type of humidifier you have, make sure you pay attention to where you are placing it and the recommendations for operating it.
You may only want to run the humidifier a few hours at a time.
If you keep plants in your living room, chances are they will enjoy the humidifier, and you should place them in an area where they can benefit from it.
Check the area around your humidifier often.
If you notice there are water marks or water stains, you are going to want to address the issue immediately.
It is not a good idea to place a humidifier directly against a wall.
If you look at the way the humidifier works, it is probably pulling in air, adding moisture to it, and then releasing the air.
2. Bedroom
Many people suffer from dry mouth and other complications when they are sleeping.
A humidifier can really help to relieve this if it is placed properly in the bedroom.
Let’s start with an adult bedroom.
You will have to make sure you choose a humidifier large enough to work for your room.
If you have a small bedroom, chances are you will have no issues with the humidifier doing its job.
However, if you have a large bedroom, you may notice the moisturized air is not making its way to your bedside.
This is certainly not helpful and essentially makes it pointless to have a humidifier.
We recommend moving the humidifier closer to your bedside.
When you do this, make sure there are no cords exposed that you could potentially step on if you get up in the middle of the night.
Safety when dealing with electronics like this is critical.
Which brings us to our next point of children’s bedrooms.
Only cool mist humidifiers are recommended for children’s rooms because of the risk of injury with other humidifiers.
Again, you will have to watch where the cord is located and make sure that the humidifier is placed up high and out of the reach of children.
Many humidifiers are made for kids’ rooms, so you should have no trouble finding one that is a proper size for your children’s bedroom.
It is a good idea to talk to the pediatrician about placing a humidifier in a child’s room before you do so.
3. Office
The office of your home is a room that usually has the door closed, and it also may or may not have a window.
The office can get a bit stuffy, and this makes it a difficult place to keep the air moist and flowing.
Putting a humidifier in an office will also make sure the air is easy to breathe for the person who spends the majority of their time in the office.
For an office humidifier, you are going to want to make sure you choose a model that is quiet.
If you are in your office trying to focus on your work, you may have a hard time doing so if the humidifier tends to make a lot of noise.
Again, where you place the humidifier is another important thing to remember.
Many people assume that under their desk is the best spot to place the humidifier.
This is really not the case.
Although you will be hiding the humidifier from sight, it could do some damage under the desk.
If you were to accidentally kick the humidifier over when it is located near cords and outlets, there will be damage.
You will also want to make sure the moisturized air the humidifier is releasing is not getting trapped under your desk.
Not only is this not going to help you breathe better, but it could create too much moisture under the desk and cause a problem.
You don’t want to have water damage start to occur because of a humidifier.
The best place to keep the humidifier is on your desk or a small table near your desk, where it is not close to any electronics.
Keep an eye on the bottom side of the humidifier to make sure it is not leaking and ruining the surface you’ve placed it on.
Difference Between a Humidifier and a Dehumidifier
You may hear people use the term humidifier and dehumidifier and get them confused.
This is very common, but people should really know the difference between these two units before purchasing one for their home.
Some households will need both a humidifier and a dehumidifier to get the help they need to manage the humidity in their home.
Humidifier
A humidifier will add moisture to the air when it is dry.
If you live in a dry climate or your winters are moisture free, you may suffer from issues with the dry weather.
Dry weather can lead to dry skin and sometimes difficulty breathing as well.
Humidifiers are commonly used in a home where there are young children who may be sick.
The humidifier can help to make the air a little easier for a young child to breathe.
Many doctors recommend using the humidifier in the room of a sick child at night to make it easier for them to get over their sickness.
Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier is essentially the opposite of a humidifier.
With a dehumidifier in place, you will be able to remove some humidity from the air.
Since the dehumidifier removes moisture, it is more common to see these machines used during the warmer, more humid times of the year like spring and summer.
There are a few reasons people use dehumidifiers.
One of them is to help the air feel a little less sticky.
When there is a lot of moisture in the air, it can be quite uncomfortable.
When you add in heat, the situation gets even worse.
Dehumidifiers are also good to put in basements where you could have a mold or mildew problem.
The dehumidifier will work to get the moisture out of the air and keep things drier.
If you store quite a bit of product that is prone to collecting mildew or mold, the dehumidifier will do a great job of keeping things in good condition.
Do I Need a Humidifier or a Dehumidifier?
Now that you have a general understanding of the difference between the humidifier and the dehumidifier, you will be able to decide which one you need.
Unless you have some obvious issues with moisture or lack of moisture, you may not know if you need a humidifier or a dehumidifier.
The best way to test your humidity level in your home is to purchase a hygrometer.
A hygrometer is not an expensive tool, but it will allow you to determine the home’s humidity level.
If your humidity level is above 50%, then a dehumidifier is necessary.
Sometimes running a dehumidifier in addition to your air conditioner can help to make the room feel more comfortable.
Sometimes dehumidifiers are created to take care of much larger spaces, and because of that, they are going to cost a bit more than a humidifier.
Whichever you end up needing, make sure you follow the directions on the unit so it will function properly.
Can Moisture Cause Issues in Your Home?
Too much moisture will bring up some issues in your home.
The good news is that most humidifiers have settings on them to ensure they are not offering too much moisture to your home environment.
If your home has too much moisture, you can sometimes see things like mildew start to grow on fabrics, and this is a bad sign.
You will also notice that furniture or objects in the room seem as though they are moist.
Another issue many people are not aware of is bugs and insects.
Bugs and insects are usually attracted to more moist areas because it is similar to the dirt and the sand they are used to living in.
If your home has too much moisture from overuse of a humidifier or not using a dehumidifier enough, then you could experience an insect problem.
Many pest control companies will tell you to keep areas of the house a bit drier to prevent this from happening.
Will Weather Affect Humidity in the Home?
The weather outside is going to tremendously affect the humidity levels in the home.
This is a large reason people choose to have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
As your seasons change, you may have to switch from one to the other to get the perfect indoor conditions.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our information about the humidifier has helped you understand the best places to put one.
As long as you follow a few simple steps and check on your humidifier often, you should not have any issues.
It is essential to consider the size of the unit you purchase so it can properly treat the room you are in.
Buying a humidifier which is too small will likely have very little effect on the humidity levels in the room.
For those who struggle when the air gets dry, the humidifier is an excellent investment.
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