If you ask me to recommend something that can significantly improve your life at home, I would recommend a humidifier. It can help you get rid of any discomfort caused by dryness. Once you get a humidifier, you may wonder where to put it? On the floor or nightstand?
For a short answer, placing a humidifier on the floor or nightstand is not the best idea. The humidifier on the floor can cause mold, a slip hazard, and a trip hazard. The humidifier on the nightstand is easy to be knocked over and can overwhelm your sinuses. Some models are specially designed for placing on the floor, though.
I will explain why the floor and nightstand are not the best places for humidifiers and what you should avoid when placing a humidifier on these two places. A lot of helpful information is waiting for you to explore. Let’s start！
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Can you put a humidifier on the floor?
Even though many of us choose to put a humidifier on the floor, it is not a sensible idea in most cases. The floor surface is flat so that the humidifier can work properly. However, there are many adverse effects that people often neglect.
Mold
As you know, humidifiers can cause mold on the wall, furniture, and other surfaces in the room. But when you place it on the floor, it is even more susceptible to it.
The mist or vapor coming out from the appliance would form a concentrated area with a higher humidity level. When a humidifier is close to floor, the mist will land on it and be absorbed into the wood or carpet. Over time, the water on the floor would cause mold, posing a health threat to your family.
Trip hazard
We don’t often look at the floor when walking at home because it is a place we are all familiar with. Therefore, when you place a humidifier on the floor, you are likely to forget it and then trip over it.
This is even more dangerous for the elderly and people with mobility issues. A fall is the last thing we want to happen when staying at home.
Slippery surface
The mist landing on the floor would accumulate and become slippery gradually. The slippery surface is another primary cause of falls and other injuries. When your children gambol around, they don’t have time to pay attention to it, which may lead to a cry or an injury later.
Burns
Burns will not happen when using an ultrasonic humidifier or evaporative humidifier. Nevertheless, putting a warm mist humidifier on the floor can lead to nasty accidents.
The hot water will leak out when someone tips it over, causing burns and scalding.
Can you put a humidifier on the carpet?
No, you can’t put a humidifier on the carpet. At least we don’t recommend you to do that.
Some carpet floors are not so flat that the humidifier can’t function normally. In addition, carpets are good at absorbing moisture and bad at releasing moisture. So the water will be kept in the carpet, which becomes the breeding ground for mold and mildew.
Carpets are not exactly light on the pocket, and you don’t want the mist to ruin them either.
When can you place a humidifier on the floor?
As I mentioned before, some models are designed for putting on the floor. If you are confused about whether your model is suitable for it, there are a few ways to help you identify it.
The height of humidifiers
These models are higher than their other counterparts. Let’s say the average height is around 11 inches. In this way, the mist propping out has more time to disperse before settling down on the floor. So the floor around it would not be as humid as when using a small humidifier.
Wheels, legs, or higher base
The wheels and legs create a space on the bottom of the humidifier. Therefore, the airflow going through can keep the mold away from the machine and the floor under it. The wheels and legs are also the way to raise the device’s height.
If you find your humidifier meets these requirements, especially if it is very tall, there is a significant chance that it can be used on the floor.
Evaporative humidifier
If the type of humidifier you have is an evaporative one, placing it on the floor is usually fine. This is because the water particles coming out of it are usually smaller and can quickly get into other areas of the room. So the floor will not get damp.
Can you put a humidifier on the nightstand?
Until now, you already have a firm understanding of why you can’t place a humidifier on the floor. Let’s talk about the nightstand, another place where people love to put their humidifiers.
The same, it is not advisable to put a humidifier on the nightstand since it could trigger a few adverse outcomes.
Easy to break
It is difficult to control what you do after falling asleep. If you put a humidifier on the nightstand, you can reach it accidentally when sleeping or stretching out your arm in the morning.
Humidifiers are not as heavy as a bookshelf. You can easily knock over it. When it falls down and hits the ground heavily, it will break or malfunction.
You can ruin your newly bought device quite easily by putting it on a nightstand.
Noise
You should recognize that no humidifier is entirely silent. The farther you put it, the less noise you hear. The humidifier on the nightstand is close to you, especially to your ear. Therefore, you will be disturbed by it constantly while sleeping.
Bad for electronics
Generally speaking, humidifiers will not damage electronics. But things can go opposite when you place a humidifier too close to it.
We are used to putting our smartphones, iPad, or lamps on the nightstand. The mist of the humidifier could cause failures of these devices.
Health risks
Breathing in too many water molecules is not beneficial to our health. It will lead to discomfort in the sinuses, throat, and mucus membranes.
The ideal placement of humidifiers
The nightstand and floor are not ideal for humidifiers, then where should we put a humidifier?
I think a good place for putting a humidifier is the table in the middle of the room. When a humidifier is placed on the table, it is stable and high off the ground, safer for pets, children, and the elderly.
Meanwhile, the moisture particles can disperse evenly to every corner of the room, meaning that it will take less time for a humidifier to work and give less chance for mold to grow.
Conclusion
Should you put the humidifier on the floor or nightstand? No, the floor and nightstand are not good places for humidifiers.
When you place a humidifier on the floor, the moisture particles can get into the floor, resulting in mold growth. It may even lead to injuries since people don’t always pay attention to the object on the floor.
Putting a humidifier on a nightstand is slightly better. But you can knock over it during the night or when you try to reach your phone. When the humidifier hits the ground, you may need to prepare to get a new one.
