# Help me choose an air humidifier!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-an-air-humidifier/684836>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 29, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-an-air-humidifier/684836 "2014-03-29T16:27:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-an-air-humidifier/684836/1 "2014-03-29T16:27:28Z")

</div>

A little less than a year ago I moved into a studio apartment, renting. I’ve since learned, that most of the year relative humidity drops extremely low in my low-end penthouse. It’s been sitting at ~20 % RH for a while now, down from the 40 % RH or so last fall. This is not only unhealthy, it also messes up my bass and archery gear, ie. precision-made wood objects. Low-tech solutions such as drying laundry indoors only boosts the RH for a while.

I’m thinking of buying a portable air humidifier to raise the RH back to 45 % or so, good for me and my stuff. There are tons of models to choose from, vaporizers, ultrasonics & what-have-you, at many price points. I’d like to hear your experiences on using air humidifiers in living quarters - what to look for, what to avoid? What do I need to \>double the RH in my 375 sq.ft. bedsitter? I’d hate to spend money on a machine that only got me few precious points in the RH scale, and I’d really appreciate quiet operation, but my means aren’t unlimited - I’d avoid several-hundred-dollar appliances, if possible.

Or should I just place a half-dozen vats of standing water around my joint and deal with it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-an-air-humidifier/684836/2 "2014-03-29T18:03:05Z")

</div>

I’ve used the Crane cool mist type before, like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Ultrasonic-Humidifier-Gallon-output/dp/B005PK7RW4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396115961&sr=8-1&keywords=cool+mist+humidifier). I liked it well enough. I now live where I don’t particularly need one, so I no longer have one.

Before that I tried one that required a filter and didn’t like it, but I don’t remember the brand.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-an-air-humidifier/684836/3 "2014-03-29T18:45:23Z")

</div>

I would get an evaporative humidifier. To my knowledge, all the rest of them will leave residue all over your stuff. I have [this one](http://www.sears.com/kenmore-8-gallon-evaporative-humidifier/p-03215408000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3) and it humidifies my entire apartment (about 700 square feet). It is annoying to have to keep buying filters though - they don’t last very long and are pretty expensive.