Best Humidifier for Flu | Reviews and Buying Guide
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The flu bug had been going around recently and despite my best efforts, I had caught the flu again and was running a fever.
This came together with a runny nose, cough, and muscle aches. It left me feeling horrible!
With my nose being extra congested and my usual dose of Vitamin C tablets not doing much either, it got me looking at alternatives to alleviate these wretched symptoms.
This led to me using a humidifier.
More...
An air humidifier helped to ease my cough and congestion by regulating the level of humidity inside my home. This was especially helpful for getting a good nights rest.
By making the air more moist, this moist air which enters the nose and throat made the built-up mucus liquid again, allowing it to flow.
This has been a huge help for my family and I.
The 5 Best Humidifiers for Flu:
Third Best | Fifth Best | Fourth Best | Best Overall | Second Best | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Header |   Homasy 5L Cool Mist Humidifier |   Vicks VUL520W Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier |   Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier |   Homech HM-AH001 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier |   TaoTronics TT-AH001 Cool Mist Humidifier |
Price | |||||
Tank Capacity | 1.3 gal | 0.5 gal | 0.4 gal | 1 gal | 1 gal |
Air Filter | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
Nightlight | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Having sieved through many models and sources thoroughly, here are the best humidifiers for flu that have been carefully picked for you to ensure you have all the information you need when choosing your next humidifier.
Trust me, place one of these in your bedroom and your flu symptoms will thank you later.
Homasy 5L Cool Mist Humidifier
Homsay | 5L Cool Mist Humidifier
Many find that the Homasy Cool Mist Humidifier is able to sooth irritation and moisturize dry skin, dry eyes, and clogged noses.
The unit starts up quickly but could make your bed sheet moist if put on full power on the nightstand. Recommended setting is 25% to 75% power if in a bedroom
Hassle-free operation and auto-shutoff. It holds up to 5 liters (1.32 gallons) of water at once, allowing up to 40 hours of mist making, and will shut off on its own when the water runs out.
Quiet as a whisper, perfect for night time. The humidifier only makes 25 decibels of noise, which is as loud as a whisper or the rustling of leaves. You can run it at night without being woken up but there is some noise when the tank is nearly empty.
Flexible mist creation makes it easy to coordinate with other humidifiers. Rotating nozzles and strength knob let you create mist up to 60 cm (2 feet) in the air, rotating 360° all around.
One Homasy Cool Mist unit covers up to 51 square meters (550 square feet), hence if you have more than one humidifier, you can easily make them work together to cover huge spaces without any overlap.
Uses an activated charcoal filter for odorless air, free of tobacco smoke. Activated charcoal is widely used to absorb chemicals. When used in an air filter, activated charcoal captures odors and smoke, especially tobacco smoke.
A 2018 study found active charcoal captures as much as 40% of tobacco smoke. This makes the Homasy Cool Mist Humidifier great for smokers as well.
Not suitable for tight spaces. Due to its long design, the unit must be put on a flat, hard surface 15 cm (6 inches) away from the wall, such as the floor or a table. In smaller apartments it would be hard to find a spot for the humidifier.
Water tank is huge, making it hard to handle. Amazon customers also mention problems when refilling Homasy Cool Mist because of the unusual design. Customers with a disability or arthritis may have trouble with its refilling.
Hard to clean due to small water tank opening. To counteract this, one mom advises using a spray bottle with vinegar, spraying every wall inside, shaking the tank and rinsing - which you can consider doing.
Vicks Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier
Vicks | VUL520W Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier
Vicks' Mini Humidifier has a compact design which makes it perfect for bedside use. If you’re having trouble with congestion and coughs waking you up during sleep, this is a humidifier worth considering for your flu symptoms.
Large tank opening makes it easy to clean. You can easily reach inside the water tank and scrub the walls. Soap or dish detergent with water will do just fine.
Small size makes it ideal for small spaces. If you’re living in a small apartment, you won’t be bothering your roommates with mist.
Supports using Vicks VapoPads for added scent. Doubles as an air freshener if you use Vicks VapoPads. Some amazon customers mention putting a drop of eucalyptus oil on the cotton pad for the same effect.
Power knob doubles as a nightlight. The power indicator emits a fairly strong glow that can help you see without turning on the light. If you want a 100% dark room for sleep, this might not be the best product.
Using tap water may leave a fine residue around the unit after use. Hard or tap water is filled with minerals that form scale deposits. Some Amazon customer reviews mention some fine dust around the humidifier. For best results, use distilled water.
A small tank capacity means refilling often. Although it's instruction manual indicates that the machine can run for up to 20 hours, some users have complained about getting as few as 5 hours on it as it can run through its water tank pretty quickly.
Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Pure Enrichment | MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
The Pure Enrichment MistAire Cool Mist Humidifier is one that you can find in many homes, and for good reason. Amazon customers praise it for helping with dry throat and sinuses, and especially so for flu symptoms that were just starting to appear.
Very simple and straightforward controls that uses a single button. There are four settings on the unit and you simply press the power button to cycle through them.
Stylish design makes it a relaxing sight for bedtime. If you have trouble falling asleep, the MistAire Cool Mist Humidifier is pleasant to look at, helping you drift off to sleep. Even great for daily use after recovering from the flu.
Comes with a small brush for cleaning. However, it has to be cleaned often, so its gratis brush definitely helps.
Excellent customer service replaces units, gives advice and sends parts. A rarity for some products, many Amazon customers praise Pure Enrichment's customer service that gives "110% effort".
Even those who made a 1-star Amazon review for Pure Enrichment's MistAire Humidifier were pleasantly surprised by the customer support.
Tips over easily due to tiny size. If you have pets (especially cats), this might not be the best product.
Needs to be completely cleaned often or the mold sets in. The top of the humidifier has crevices that are hard to clean.
We've seen suggestions to circumvent this by soaking the tank in bleach or by mixing vinegar with crushed ice, putting it inside the tank and shaking to scrape off the gunk on the inside. Both of which worked for those users.
Homech Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Homech | HM-AH001 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
This is a humidifier that I really love for how it has helped my little daughter and I clear our nose congestion during the night. It's one many consider the best humidifier for flu symptoms.
Moreover, holding a 4 liter (1 gallon) water tank, this unit can run all night without refilling.
Convenient handle is great for Amazon customers with disabilities. Users with disabilities will be greatly helped by the carry handle.
The handle lets you easily take out, refill and put the water tank back in.
Automatically dries its fog pipe to prevent mold buildup. This humidifier is designed to keep drying its fog pipe for 3 minutes after the device stops producing mist.
High-capacity tabletop humidifier that’s perfect for plants. A great choice for plant owners who want to make sure their leafy friends are never thirsty.
Simple design makes it easy to clean. It’s easy to reach inside the water tank to scrub it through and through.
Uses air filters, which need to be replaced every once in a while. Homech's Cool Mist Humidifiers come with an air filter and a replacement one. If you like these humidifiers, consider buying the air filters in bulk as you will have to replace them over time!
No nightlight option means it’s fiddly to use during night. What is a common feature in other humidifiers is completely absent in Homech Cool Mist.
TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier
TaoTronics | TT-AH001 Cool Mist Humidifier
Amazon customers mention resolving chest congestion thanks to the Cool Mist Humidifier from TaoTronics.
Sleep mode turns LED light off completely for a 100% dark room. Great choice for the weary ones who sleep lightly.
Water filter purifies water to prevent mold and mildew growth inside the humidifier. The manufacturer recommends changing filter every 5 months.
Built-in humidistat helps you pinpoint the optimal humidity. Digital display shows information such as relative humidity, so you can make an informed choice on your desired level of humidity.
Cleanable porcelain filter prevents scale buildup and minimizes cleaning. Clean the filter by soaking in vinegar for 30 minutes once a month. However, a new filter needs to be bought every 4-6 months.
The humidifier loses all settings when turned off and on. One down side is that the humidifier loses all of its previously saved values when turned off and back on - which can be frustrating!
Humidistat may be wrong by as much as 10-20%. Some have found that the humidity levels may not be the most accurate. When compared with other humidistats, the actual humidity was 10-20% higher than the one shown by their TaoTronics' Cool Mist Unit.
Things to Consider when Buying the Best Humidifier for Flu
Buying the right humidifier to ease flu symptoms is more than just looking at the price tag
So what steps should you take?
First, you should choose a few features as a priority and set yourself a budget.
After that, go through as many humidifier models as you can find and eliminate those that don’t have the features you’re looking for.
BeCalmingHaven / Amazon
Next, create a list of deal breakers, such as “I don’t want to refill it every day” and eliminate all the humidifiers that have one of these deal breakers.
Then, remove those that don’t fit in your budget.
Finally, you’ll arrive at a shortlist with 1-2 best humidifiers, one of which is the perfect solution for your flu symptoms.
OR you can just use this post to help with your decision! All the research has been done for you, just choose the most suitable one.
No matter which air humidifier you buy, you’ll have to do regular maintenance.
In general, larger models are better because they are easier to take apart and hold more water.
Air filters are also a necessary evil and models using them have a much better run - filterless humidifiers work just fine too but they are hit hard by poor air quality.
If you have air filtration in your home, feel free to choose a filterless humidifier; otherwise, look for a model with an air filter!
In short, for the flu, get the biggest humidifier with an air filter you can find and buy a tiny one only if you’re living in a micro apartment or have roommates.
Bottom Line - Best Humidifier for Flu
So, which is the best humidifier for flu?
Out of the five humidifiers that were reviewed, all of them had some success in alleviating flu symptoms.
However, not all were equally fit for all environments.
Homech's Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier was by far the largest of the five reviewed, about twice the size of Vicks' Mini Filter Free Humidifier and 20% larger than Homasy's Cool Mist Humidifier.
In this case, bigger is better.
The two small humidifiers, the Vicks Mini Filter Free Humidifier and the Pure Enrichment MistAire Humidifier, have shown weaknesses that don’t make them the best humidifiers for flu in the long run.
Mold buildup and difficult cleaning were two major sore points.
Moreover, their dainty design spells danger for knocking them over means ruining the unit for good.
TaoTronics' Cool Mist Humidifier was a pleasant surprise - it was mid-sized but sturdy humidifier with a stable footing.
The Homasy Cool Mist Humidifier was also a solid unit, except that it’s a hassle to clean. The activated charcoal filter is definitely a plus but the humidifier is pretty bulky.
In summary, Homech struck the right balance between pros and cons.
If you want the very best humidifier for flu symptoms at the lowest price, go with Homech's Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier!
