More and more people like to use humidifiers at home to make them more comfortable in the dry and cold winter months. Even though the humidifier is such a simple electronic device, you may still get confused when purchasing it. For example, many of us are not sure about how many humidifiers we need.
Generally, you need a humidifier per room. Many factors affect how many humidifiers you need, including where you live, how many rooms you have, the room size, how you use them, and the capacity of the humidifier you intend to buy. It is hard to give a single clear-cut answer to this question.
I will elaborate on these factors and teach you how to calculate the number according to your situation. Let’s start!
Factors that decide how many humidifiers you need for your house
Everyone’s situation is different. So it is hard to give a one-size-fits-all solution when deciding on the number of humidifiers you need. There are a few factors that will likely affect your decision.
1. Are you a tenant or a homeowner?
Usually, as a tenant, you can’t make permanent alterations to your house. Therefore, you can’t consider using a whole-house humidifier as it is likely to change the construction of the furnace, which may not be allowed by your landlord.
Your only option is to buy a console humidifier, even though various types are available.
If you are a homeowner and the humidifier would be an appliance you will use every year, installing a central humidifier could be a sensible idea.
The upfront cost of a whole-house humidifier would be higher than a single portable humidifier. But it can be offset if you have many rooms to cover. Anyway, it is also dependent on your budget.
So if you are a homeowner, you can install a whole-house humidifier instead of a few portable units.
2. Where do you live?
If you live in an arid area where you have to use a humidifier all year round, you may need more humidifiers.
Even though these devices are portable, it would still be an annoyance if you have to move them from here to there every so often. Meanwhile, it is also a good idea to run humidifiers in every room to protect your furniture, plants, and electronics.
However, if you live in a humid area and only need to increase the humidity level for a number of days in winter, then preparing a humidifier in your bedroom or living room is sufficient.
3. How big of a humidifier do I need?
You should get a humidifier that is appropriate for your room size. If the one you have is too small for your room, you will need to replace it with a bigger one or add another one, meaning that you will need more humidifiers in total.
Firstly, you should measure your room’s square footage and then pick a humidifier that can fit.
These days, you can find the information on the packaging showing the area range the humidifier can cover. Some are suitable for small rooms that are less than 500 sqft, and some can work in a room as large as 2000 sqft.
The humidifier is not something that bigger is better. If you put a humidifier for a large room in a small space, the air becomes over-humidified easily. When the humidity is too high, it can promote the growth of dust mites and mold. It could also trigger allergic reactions and other respiratory issues.
If you have a huge room, you can opt for using two humidifiers on each side of the room to increase the humidity more quickly.
For those who want their humidifier to take less time to work, you can get one that has a higher output rate. This way, it can make your room reach a comfortable indoor humidity level and relieve your dry skin in a shorter time.
4. How many rooms do you have? Should I put a humidifier in every room?
When calculating how many humidifiers you need, you should count how many rooms you have.
Apart from you and your family members, the pets, plants, and furniture will be glad if you prepare a cool-mist humidifier for them. Pets don’t like warm mist humidifiers and steam vaporizers as the hot water may burn them.
If you live in an arid region, putting a humidifier in every room is better because the wooden furniture can crack, warp, and blend. Keeping it in good humidity can save you time and money on repairing it later.
If you live in a humid area, you may only need to put humidifiers in bedrooms or living rooms where you like to spend the most time.
So, how many humidifiers do you need? Conclusion
A few factors can affect how many humidifiers you will need, so it is hard to give a single clear-cut answer to this question.
For homeowners, you can install a furnace humidifier to cover your entire house. In this way, you only need one humidifier.
If you plan to use portable humidifiers, you should pick one suitable for your room. A humidifier that is too big or small is not ideal. Moreover, our furry friends, houseplants, furniture, and electronics also need to live at a certain humidity level, so you should prepare humidifiers for them.
For those who live in a dry area, you’d better prepare a humidifier in each room since the furniture is prone to wrapping and cracking there. If you are tired of shuffling the humidifier from room to room, putting a humidifier in each room will save you some effort.
