Mom FAQ: All About Nursery Humidifiers

1. What’s the Ideal Humidity Level to Maintain?

In general, you should aim to have the humidity level around 50% in your nursery. The Mayo Clinic recommends a humidity level between 30-50%. Anything below 30% can promote the spread of flu viruses, and anything above 50% is a risk for mold growth in the home. Aiming for 50% is ideal.

2. How Can I Measure The Humidity Level

You can purchase an inexpensive hygrometer to measure the humidity levels in your home. AcuRite makes a popular humidity monitor that costs around $10; you can click here to see it.

3. Should I Get a Vaporizer Instead of a Humidifier?

No, vaporizers aren’t recommended for baby nurseries for a few reasons. Read our guide on vaporizers vs. humidifiers to see exactly why.

4. What Size of Humidifier Do I Need?

It depends on the size of the room. You’ll be looking for a single-room humidifier, and if you look at the manufacturer specifications, you’ll see what size of area each covers. Our humidifier reviews page lists our choices for the top 5 nursery humidifiers and also tells you the coverage of each.

5. How Much Electricity Do Humidifiers Use?

You can’t really judge this, but in general, any cool-mist humidifier will cost less to use than a warm-mist humidifier. Since warm-mist isn’t recommended for nurseries, this really isn’t an issue. You shouldn’t really have to worry about the amount of electricity it uses, as it should be pretty minimal.

6. How Loud Are Humidifiers?

They aren’t very loud, and all of the ones we recommend you should have no problem with. In fact, the white noise emitted by most humidifiers is actually soothing to most babies. It shouldn’t be irritating to either you or your little one.

7. Can I Use Hard Water?

Generally, yes you can. However, if you plan on using it, you should aim to get a humidifier that has a demineralization cartridge. Ideally, you should use distilled water in your nursery humidifier, but this can be pretty expensive.

8. Where Should I Place the Humidifier?

You should try to have it off of the floor, such as on a dresser or even a chair. You should avoid having it near a wall registry or vent, because this will throw off the humidity reading, telling you the moisture is a lot lower than it actually is.

9. How Often Do I Need To Refill The Humidifier?

It depends on the size of the tank and how much output it has, but you can expect it to last about 12 hours, more or less. Our recommended humidifier, the Crane Drop, can last about 10 hours on a full tank of water.

Have Any Other Questions?

If you have any more questions about nursery humidifiers, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll be happy to help!