Cold snaps bring irritated skins, chapped lips, and dry nose to most of us – but that dry winter air doesn’t have to create a dry terrain on your body year. Using a humidifier to increase the humidity level in your home can bring peace to you by eliminating common respiratory and dermatological problems. Before winter approaches again, you should purchase a humidifier for your comfort.
If you can’t handle the cold winter air or an overzealous air conditioning unit, check out our top picks for Australia’s best humidifiers. But before that, have a look at important aspects that you should keenly consider before making the final purchase.
What is a Humidifier?
Humidifiers are devices that add moisture to the air to prevent dryness. With the aid of a humidifier, you can heal the dryness of various body parts, including the skins, throat, nose, and lips. Humidifiers can also help to ease the symptoms of flu or cold.
Types of Humidifiers:
1.Evaporative Humidifiers
These machines use the natural evaporation properties of liquid at room temperature to humidify the air. Since evaporating a bowl of water would take forever, the evaporative humidifier uses a filter or wick with a larger surface area and passing more air over that element via a fan.
Evaporative humidifiers have fewer moving parts, but they require more cleaning and some models require wick replacement at regular intervals.
2.Ultrasonic Humidifiers
Ultrasonic humidifiers use a rapidly-vibrating plate to ‘bounce’ water into the air, helping it to evaporate quickly as it falls to the ground. A few will add a fan, but most run extremely quiet, and they’re extremely efficient.
What to look for in a Humidifier?
Tank Size: Generally, the bigger the better. You’ll want the thing to hold enough water to make it through the night, but if it can do a day on top of that, even better. Realistically, this means a tank size of one litre or above.
Hygiene Safeguards: You should look for a device that treats and filters the substance before ejecting it into the air. You don’t want more microbes around you.
Ease of cleaning: To use humidifiers safely, they are to be kept clean as well. You must look for a device that is easy to clean.
Humidistat: It is important to know that your atmosphere has reached the maximum humidity i.e., 60% and you should stop adding moisture to the air for hygiene purposes.
Ease of control: The device should be easy to use and the features should be according to your liking.
Here are our top-most best picks for humidifiers in Australia
1.Beurer LB44
If you are searching for something for clinical looking, you should consider the German-engineered Beurer LB44. This device does offer aromatherapy and a 2.8L water tank, but it lacks an LED light feature.
The clear 2.8L water tank offers a visible water level, indicating when it needs to be topped up. Also, it has an auto-shutoff feature, so you don’t need to worry about it running dry.
Easy to use, it has one dial knob to control the vapor flow and a green indicator to signal it’s on. It is simple to clean and comes with a cleaning brush.
Pros
- Just one dial to adjust the vapor flow makes it simple to use.
- It can function as an aroma diffuser as well.
- Large 2.8L water tank
- A clear tank makes it easy for you to see the water level.
- Auto shutoff makes you less worrisome.
- The included brush makes it easy to clean.
- 3-year warranty included.
Cons
- High-priced
- It doesn’t have many consumer reviews, yet, and the ones it does have are mixed.
In summary
For a sleek and modern humidifier, consider the German-engineered Beurer LB44. Easy to use and clean, it can also gently fragrance your room. Thanks to its large capacity water tank, it doesn’t need constant refills. It has an impressive 3-year warranty which goes some way to justifying its $130 RRP.
2.Medescan Rainbow Mist
If you’d like a simple to use a humidifier that doubles as a nightlight and an aroma diffuser, you can’t go wrong with the Medescan Rainbow Mist. The cheapest humidifier we reviewed, with an RRP of $75, it’s loved by Aussies and comes with an impressive 2-year warranty and long runtime.
It offers 7 LED colors plus an aromatherapy option. This makes it a multifunctional device and represents good value for money – its RRP is $75, the cheapest humidifier we reviewed.
For this price, you’re getting an ultrasonic humidifier with an adjustable vapor flow as per your preferences. It has 7 LED colored lights, which you can turn off, or cycle through them all, or stick with your favorite color. This creates an ambient glow or makes a good nightlight for a child’s room.
It also has an aroma diffuser, allowing you to diffuse scents of your choice.
If you use the Medescan Rainbow Mist at its maximum flow setting, it’ll last around 10 hours. On the minimum setting, it’ll last up to 20 hours because of its large 2.8L water tank capacity.
It comes with an automatic shutoff and a 2-year warranty.
Pros
- You can control the vapor flow.
- It has 7 LED-colored lights that can function as a night lamp.
- Can also function as an aroma diffuser.
- Auto shutoff makes you less worrisome
- All the pieces come apart, can be easily cleaned.
- Can run for a long time
- Simple to use
- The affordable price tag with lots of amazing features
- 2-year warranty included.
- Good reviews by users with a 4-star rating.
Cons
- Lack of access to the water tank
In summary
If you’d like a simple to use a humidifier that doubles as a nightlight and an aroma diffuser, you can’t go wrong with the Medescan Rainbow Mist. The cheapest humidifier we reviewed, with an RRP of $75, it’s loved by Aussies and comes with an impressive 2-year warranty and long runtime.
3.Beurer LB12 Mini
The Beurer LB12 Mini is a small humidifier, perfect for your bedside table or to accompany you on a trip.
This thing is tiny, measuring just 9cm (W) x 7.5cm (D) x 12cm (H). That’s about the size of a block of butter. As well as being small, it’s quiet, making it ideal for bedroom use. Its smart design (German-engineered, naturally) uses a standard plastic water bottle as the removable water tank. This means it’s easy to fill, although expect fairly regular refills.
It is also easy to wash since it is dishwasher safe and includes a brush. It retails at around $100 and has great, although limited, consumer reviews.
A good option if… You want a nifty, quiet humidifier for your room or trip and you’re not too bothered by its design (an upside-down plastic water bottle isn’t exactly elegant).
4.Ionmax Hybrid with UV ION90
The Ionmax Hybrid with UV ION90 is filled with unique features. It ejects both cool mist and warm mist, which they claim makes humidification faster. It also has ‘UV bio-photocatalyst sterilization’ which apparently ‘helps to decompose smelly particles to achieve maximum deodorization and sterilization effects’.
The bright LED display and labeled buttons make it user-friendly. The built-in humidistat will automatically monitor, control, and maintain the right humidity level for you. It has three modes of mist output. It also has a 1-9 hour timer, although it can run up to 21 hours on cool mist as it has a large 6.5L water tank. Switch it to sleep mode and the display dims and it’ll switch off automatically after 8 hours. Ionmax swears by their product’s low noise, which means it’s good to use while you’re sleeping. Safety features include a water shortage indicator and an auto switch off when the tank is empty.
This machine retails at $299, it’s very expensive. It gets great, but limited, consumer reviews.
A good option if… You want all the bells and whistles, including cool and warm mist, UV sterilization, a smart humidistat to do the work for you, and are willing to spend $300.
5.Breville the Easy Mist
The Breville the Easy Mist is similar to the Ionmax Hybrid with UV ION90, but a lot simpler. It has a cool and warm mist and 3 mist modes. It’s also compact. Unlike the ION90, it doesn’t have a LED display, opting for 3 simple, user-friendly buttons instead. It does offer aromatherapy though. Although smaller than the ION90’s, the 5L water tank means you won’t be constantly refilling it.
It comes with a 2-year warranty. It retails at $149.00 and 1 glowing 5-star consumer review. It’s also Sensitive Choice-approved, which means the National Asthma Council Australia recognizes it as asthma and allergy-aware product.
A good option if… You want a compact, easy to use a humidifier that offers cool and warm mist, aromatherapy, and 3 mist levels.
6.Philips HU4803/70
This machine has an auto humidity mode when inspects the level of humidity in your and automatically turns on and off, as required. This ensures that humidity is at the right level.
It also offers 2 other modes: standard and silent. With standard mode, you can between 40, 50, and 60% humidity. Sleep mode runs the humidifier as its quietest setting, with minimum lights on.
The minimalist design allows you to easily clean it, inside and out, and Philips claims the water tank is ‘easy fill’. It has retail at $209 (the most expensive we reviewed), and hardly any consumer reviews.
A good option if... You want your humidifier to select the right humidity level for your room, and want different operating modes, especially a quiet sleep mode.
The overall verdict
When coughs and colds strike, a humidifier can be your life savior. Providing an infusion of moisture, a humidifier can help tackle the dryness that can cause plenty of discomforts. Every home needs a humidifier to feel warm and cozy.
