Don’t Get Soaked! How to Choose the Right Humidifier/Dehumidifier For Your Home

Do you know how to choose the right humidifier or dehumidifier for your home? Purchasing the wrong model for your family could wasting energy one way or another, and wasting energy means wasting your hard-earned money. Luckily, we’ve got you covered! Here are some good guidelines to follow when choosing your next humidifier or dehumidifier.

What do they do?

As their names suggest, a humidifier adds humidity (moisture) to the air in your home, while a dehumidifier removes humidity. Depending on the season, climate, and your specific needs, purchasing one of these two useful devices might be a good idea

How to Choose a Dehumidifier

For a dehumidifier, size is by far the most important factor. Their size is measured in the capacity of moisture they can remove from the air during one 24-hour period. For example, a 30-pint dehumidifier removes 30 pints of water from the air in that room each day.

Sylvane has an awesome sizing chart on their website for choosing the right size of dehumidifier for each room in your house—check it out!

There are also other factors that can increase the strength of the dehumidifier you should choose. For example, it is recommended that you add 5 pints (each) to the recommended size of your unit if any of these conditions apply:

• Multiple people live or regularly spend time in the room.
• There are multiple doors and windows in the room.
• There’s a washer and/or dryer nearby.
• If you live in a particularly humid climate, add 10 pints!

How to Choose a Humidifier

First, you need to know about the two different types of humidifiers: warm mist and cool mist. While there is no significant difference between the two in terms of performance, they do add moisture to the air in different ways. Given that it is highly recommended that you regularly clean out your humidifier (to ward off growing bacteria), you might make your decision between warm and cool based on how easy the unit is to clean.

Like with dehumidifiers, size matters. You’ll want to purchase an appropriately sized humidifier for the room you’ll be using it in. Here are some general rules of thumb to follow:

• Small unit: room of <300 square feet
• Medium-sized unit: room of 300–499 square feet
• Large unit: room of 500–999 square feet
• Extra large unit: room of 1,000+ square feet

Beyond choosing a type and size, there are a few other options that you might want to consider:

• Do you want any extra bells and whistles, like a humidistat or a timer?
• Will noise be a factor? Be careful if you’ll be putting your unit in a room where you’ll be sleeping!
• As with dehumidifiers, choose models that are easy to clean and maintain.
• Are you a stickler for choosing the best name brand? Some good names to look for are Crane, Essick, Holmes, Honeywell, Hunter, and Vicks!

Thinking of investing in a humidifier or dehumidifier? Make your purchase using the Star Energy Rewards app to earn cashback!