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Humidifier reviews

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Last updated: 11 September 2023
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In dry cold winters, a humidifier can help provide a more comfortable environment at home. We lab test and review three types of portable humidifiers – ultrasonic, evaporative and vaporiser – to help you find out:

  • which humidifiers are best at increasing humidity
  • which ones are the most energy-efficient
  • which ones are the easiest to use.

Most can perform well enough in hot humid conditions, but our rigorous testing sorts out which ones operate best in challenging cold conditions. We also measure their real water removal rate and how much they'll cost you to run.

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Our humidifier buying guide will help you decide which type of humidifier you need, while how we test humidifiers explains our testing rigour and scoring method.

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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

    Price

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    Recommended or typical retail price.

    enter value/s in increments of 1 between 47 and 349

    Recommended products

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    Type

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    Evaporative humidifiers work by evaporating water inside the humidifier which sends water vapour into the air, while non evaporative (or ultrasonic) humidifiers transmit moisture to the air in a visible or perceptible form without the need for a fan.


      Humidity score

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      This score is based on how well each humidifier dispersed the moisture.

      enter value/s in increments of i between 45 and 95

      Did water pool on the floor after testing?

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      With some of the humidifiers we tested, water was observed on the floor after the humidistat test.

        Included in this review

        Members-only access
        • Overall score
        • Recommended
        • Running cost (24 hours)
        • Running cost (90 days)
        • Humidity score
        • Water output score
        • Energy efficiency score
        • Ease of use score
        • Power consumption (W)
        • Noise on high setting (dBA)
        • Measured output of moisture (mL/hr)
        • Water consumption (L/hr)
        • Energy use (kWH/L)
        • Pooling of water on floor after testing
        • Dimensions (H x D x W, cm)
        • Good points
        • Bad points
        • Price
        • Type
        • Claimed humidification area (m2)
        • Cool mist only
        • Warm mist only
        • Dual mist
        • Antimicrobial claims
        • Humidstat
        • Adjustable humidistat range
        • Fan
        • Programmable
        • Smart app
        • Remote
        • Water level gauge
        • Empty tank indicator
        • Night light or glow in the dark
        • Cleaning brush
        • Measured tank capacity (L)
        • Cord length (cm)
        • Weight (kg)
        • Recommended weekly maintenance
        • Filter cleaning interval
        • Filter supplied
        • Refilling instructions
        • Claimed power consumption (W)
        • Warranty (years)
        • Country of origin

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