A humidifier adds enough moisture into the air to prevent skin irritation, dryness, and chapped lips. Cool mist and warm mist humidifiers are well-known for dealing with dry air due to their benefits and downsides.
However, cool mist humidifier has more popularity compared to warm mist humidifiers. But how does a cool mist humidifier work? In this article, we have mentioned the working principle of a cool mist humidifier, its types, and the pros and cons.
Do Cool Mist Humidifiers Really Work?
A cool mist humidifier works efficiently using its water storage tank and filter to draw water from the unit. The fan blows around the wick filter to make water vapors that evaporate to add a cooling effect to the air. There are different cool mist humidifiers, each with a somewhat similar working mechanism.
These units also ensure the safety of kids and pets, which isn’t possible with a warm mist humidifier. A cool mist humidifier will solve all health-associated issues if you or your child suffers from a cold or sore throat with a cough.
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What Are The Types of Cool-Mist Humidifiers & How They Work?
Before heading to answer how a cool mist humidifier work, the most important thing you must know is its type. There are three major types of cool mist humidifiers, and we have explained how each works separately.
Impeller Humidifiers - How Do They Work?
- The components of impeller humidifiers include a diffuser, a circulating disk, and a reservoir for water.
- You will add water inside the reservoir while the rotating disk will push water inside the diffuser.
- Diffusers make drops of water which will blow in the air without containing minerals.
- You will get clean, humid, and fresh air for breathing.
- Impeller humidifier requires less power to work; therefore, you do not need to worry about large electricity bills.
We suggest using only distilled water in your impeller cool mist humidifier. The only flaw of these devices is their loud operation due to the rotating disc.
Evaporative Humidifiers - How Do They Work?
- Most homeowners prefer using evaporative cool mist humidifiers due to their self-regulating features.
- It has three components, a wick, a water reservoir, and a fan.
- A reservoir or water tank is functional for storing water which often requires refills.
- The porous wick surface will absorb water through the reservoir and lead it toward the fan.
- The fan will blow air to initiate water evaporation through tiny droplets.
- The relative humidity or the room temperature will decide the need for moisture from the humidifier. If the relative humidity is high, your unit will need to work more to humidify the air.
- Fortunately, these humidifiers self-regulate the humidity levels as per requirement.
You can use these units for babies due to their safety features. They are also affordable. The only drawback of having an evaporative humidifier is the continuous need for cleaning to prevent contaminant accumulation.
You may also check our guide: Do You Need A Humidifier With An Oxygen Concentrator?
Ultrasonic Humidifiers - How Do They Work?
The working mechanism of ultrasonic humidifiers differs from the other two.
- It works with a ceramic diaphragm which sways at a specified frequency for making water drops.
- There is a plate to increase the speed of vibration, which will loosen the grip of water drops to convert them into vapors moving out of the fan.
- The water vapors will get in the air to add enough humidity.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers are beneficial as they don’t cause any health hazards. No filter is installed in these devices while they operate quietly compared to evaporative and impeller humidifiers.
A large amount of white dust produces when ultrasonic humidifiers start operating. If you want to reduce it, use only distilled or demineralized water.
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What Are The Benefits of Cool Mist Humidifier?
A cool mist humidifier acts as a natural moisturizer for all health problems associated with skin dryness. Even coughing, wheezing, and severe allergies are prevented well with these units.
Maintains Room Temperature
Treats Stuffy Nose
Safe For Babies
Babies' sensitive skin is more vulnerable to infections through the environment. A fetus in the womb is surrounded by amniotic fluid, which assists in keeping the skin moist and free from harmful agents.
Under dry environmental conditions, the baby’s skin can dry and shows susceptibility to irritations. A cool mist humidifier will protect the mucous layer and prevent chest congestion in cold winter. However, you must take certain careful measures and learn how close the humidifier should be to the baby.
More Energy Efficient Than Warm Mist
The energy consumption by cool mist humidifiers is comparably less than warm mist humidifiers because there is no need to boil water to create mists. The fan blows water vapors into the air that falls on the skin in the form of cool mists. Their filter, fan, and other parts do not require much power to work efficiently.
Are There Any Harms or Negative Consequences of Using Cool Mist Humidifier?
- A cool mist humidifier can sometimes enhance humidity levels to a range where mold and bacteria start to grow rapidly.
- The filter often requires replacements which definitely cost money and time.
- The white dust produced by ultrasonic humidifiers can cause a lot of trouble by leaving mineral deposits in the unit.
- You will need to clean these humidifiers regularly to ensure their durability and longevity.
Which Is Better? - Cool Mist Humidifier Vs. Warm Mist Humidifier
If you want to invest in a humidifier for the safety of babies and prevent them from injuries due to steam, a cool mist humidifier will suit you best. No doubt, both cool and warm mist humidifiers effectively add humidity to the air to prevent dryness and irritations. So you can get a warm mist humidifier if you are not concerned about protecting kids and pets.
Final Thoughts
We hope you now understand how a cool mist humidifier works, but which type should you choose? You can pick one of the three cool mist humidifiers, but if you are tight on budget, the evaporative humidifier will be ideal.
An ultrasonic humidifier is perfect for this purpose if you can afford a better one that offers pin-drop silence. For ease of cleaning, an impeller humidifier will suit you best.
