An ultrasonic humidifier carries a number of benefits over other types of humidifiers.
For example, they happen to be the quietest and hence the best types of humidifiers for spaces where silence is precious such as your bedroom, baby nursery, offices, condos, libraries etc.
Another thing: these units mostly produce cool, surrounding mist and you’ll lounge in refreshing moisture all year round.
In comparison, humidifiers that emit warm mist (heated moisture) only can raise the room temperature making your rooms less habitable especially if you live in a zone with a warmer climate.
This guide will help you select the best ultrasonic humidifier for your needs.
You shall also discover our favorite ultrasonic humidifiers from what the market offers at the moment.
Read to the end.
What is ultrasonic humidifier?
An ultrasonic humidifier is a class of humidifiers that use ultrasonic technology (high-frequency sound vibrations) to generate moisture and spread it to the air.
The units have a built-in reservoir and a vibrating component such as a diaphragm.
It’s the latter that vibrates at an exceptionally high frequency (it so high such that no human being can hear).
These vibrations cause microscopic water droplets to form and be blown to the air filling your environment with a nice, rehydrating humidity.
You certainly understand that unrestrained air dryness during winter can lead to horrendous effects such as dried up lungs, skin, sinuses and the like and it’s imperative that you have a humidifier around.
Types of ultrasonic humidifiers
Majorly, you’ll find the following types of ultrasonic humidifiers out there:
- Portable/personal ultrasonic humidifiers
- Console ultrasonic humidifiers
- Ultrasonic humidifiers for furnace
Let’s briefly look at each of the above types:
Portable/personal ultrasonic humidifiers
These happen to the smallest and most lightweight.
They’re pretty portable and thus convenient for your travels, car, or office usage.
A portable ultrasonic humidifier is a clever way to checkmate the crippling consequences of being surrounded by unsavory dry air such as nosebleeds and cracked lips before they get the better of you.
Console ultrasonic humidifier
Ultrasonic console humidifiers tend to be larger than portable models and often add moisture to the whole home (as opposed to a personal space like in portable humidifiers).
They typically come with wheels to allow you to push it to the position where it’s most effective in distributing moisture.
You will find them quite effective. In fact, many of them moisten your space within a couple of minutes.
They are, however, costlier than portable models.
Ultrasonic humidifiers for furnace
These are essentially ultrasonic transducers that vibrate water making it a fine mist.
The vapor is then propelled into your furnace’s plenum by a fan.
These types of ultrasonic humidifiers ensure there’s adequate moisture in centrally heated homes and are mainly fixed to the furnace.
Ultrasonic Humidifiers Buying Guide
Ultrasonic humidifiers are widely available in malls, local convenience stores, online, and more.
Before you order one, however, there are several things you should beware of.
Keep reading.
Room to Moisturize
Size is a big thing and you have to put it into consideration…
How big is the room you want to use the humidifier in?
Is it a tiny bedroom? Or a medium-sized baby nursery? Or perhaps, a vast office space?
If you need a humidifier for the entire home, you should pick a console ultrasonic humidifier.
For smaller rooms and tight spaces, say office cubicles, you should be fine with a portable ultrasonic humidifier.
Ease of cleaning
There will always be a likelihood of residue minerals sticking to some parts of your humidifier because of how these models generate the water particles.
As a result, for any humidifier you intend to buy, ensure that cleaning it is as easy as possible.
Additionally, be sure to check out the manufacturer’s guidelines concerning cleaning; the last thing you want is to damage your appliance by using harmful materials/solvents to clean it.
Size is important too
If you’re a fervent traveler, research how easily it can be packed/carried around.
Here I’m assuming that you’re choosing a portable model because the console ones can be too bulky.
Other questions to ask
- How long does one fill last? The longer, the less the disruptions at night.
- Does it diffuse essential oils? You might want to purchase a humidifier with an essential oils container to enjoy the multiple benefits of engaging in aromatherapy such as stress relief.
- Is the mist output satisfactory? You want to go for a unit with decent dispersal of mist.
- Design: Is it aesthetically pleasing?
Other features
When shopping for an ultrasonic humidifier, you should be keen on features that make it convenient to use.
We list some of them below:
- LED lights– Ultrasonic humidifiers with nightlights help bring glamour to your rooms. Some of them come with even seven different pleasing colors that you can customize to taste.
- Programmable timer-An ultrasonic humidifier with a programmable timer makes it easier for you to control how it works and the duration of the humidification operation.
If, for example, it takes 30 minutes to restore cozy humidity levels, you set it to run for 30 minutes.
This can help lengthen the lifespan of your appliance as it ensures that it only runs when needed.
- Waterless auto-shutdown-You risk damaging your humidifier if you, by chance, leave it to continue running when the reservoir is empty.
And because monitoring the water level continuously is often quite stressful, an ultrasonic humidifier with a waterless auto-shutdown is recommended.
Best Ultrasonic Humidifiers Reviews
So, to make your life simpler, we went out and found some of the best ultrasonic humidifier options suitable for small spaces, hotel rooms, baby’s nursery, travel, and more.
We review them here…
Everlasting Comfort ultrasonic Humidifier
Kickstarting our ultrasonic humidifier reviews is this humidifier that’s built for baby bedrooms (up to 500 sq. Ft).
The 1.6-gallon tank means it can run for 50 straight hours!
Features
One of the things we like most about this model is the super high mist output- it can reach up to 9oz (270ml) per hour (one of the highest at this level).
We also like this that it is a humidifier/diffuser combo with a separate essential oil tray which means you can practice aromatherapy and benefit immensely health-wise and mentally from the experience.
The Everlasting Comfort ultrasonic Humidifier was built with your baby in mind.
It even comes with a blue LED nightlight to help create serene and soporific surroundings and cause him/her to doze off peacefully.
This humidifier has also been designed to safely operate in the baby’s bedroom/nursery and should automatically turn off on running out of water thanks to the auto shut off.
The last thing that sets this model apart from the others is the unique design- the company has built it to work without filters making it an economical choice (no pricey filters to buy).
Overall, this is one of the very best ultrasonic humidifiers on the market.
Pros
- Very, very quiet.
- Operates smoothly.
- Excellent build quality.
Cons
- The tank is not translucent like in some models.
LEVOIT Ultrasonic Humidifier for Large Room
Levoit portable humidifiers are considered legends in reliability because of their world-class construction quality.
This is hands down the best portable ultrasonic humidifier designed to add moisture to larger rooms (maximum 753 sq. ft.).
Features
The first highlight here is its hybrid mist feature- this unit can disperse either warm or cool mist depending on your needs.
Secondly, the mist is quite strong- in fact, it’s at 300ml/hour actually better than in the famous Everlasting ultrasonic humidifier.
Neither is the tank too bad- the 1. 5 gals capacity will have it run about 20-36 hours without interruption.
Not to be outdone by other ultrasonic humidifiers, Levoit has as well added a handy essential oil features to facilitate your aromatherapy sessions.
Perhaps the greatest of them all is the built-in sensor. The unit will, thanks to this, measure humidity levels and automatically adjust them for you.
Lastly, this Levoit model comes with a pleasant LED digital display (with a display-off option), a useful 1–12 hour timer, and a working remote control.
And ooh, we love its compact size – it nicely fits on nightstands, desktops, or tables.
Pros
- Near soundless operation.
- You can turn off the display to fall asleep.
- Brilliant remote control.
Cons
- Perhaps they should adopt a top-filling tank design.
Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
In our opinion, the Pure Enrichment MistAire Humidifier could be the best multi-purpose ultrasonic humidifier.
It represents the best combination of humidification efficiency, features, pricing, and reliability that we’ve encountered so far.
Features
This slim humidifier packs loads of punch despite its budget price.
The beautifully-shaped tank holds 1.5 liters (approximately 0.4 gallons) which translates to 16 hours of ongoing operation (for one full tank).
It also features a super sensitive touch control panel with 2 mist settings (low and high) to choose from.
And it’s great that you can switch the mist direction when you wish to thanks to the 360-degree mist nozzle.
The integrated nightlight is wonderful too and will provide a soothing ambiance to make your baby sleep soundly.
We doubt that there’s a better-placed unit to serve in medium-sized offices, bedrooms, and such rooms (up to 250 sq. ft.) as well as this model.
Its 5-year warranty is among the leading in the industry.
Pros
- Pretty looks.
- Easy to use.
- Works like magic.
Cons
- Only good for one-room operation.
URPOWER 2nd Version Essential Oil Diffuser
This is our most recommended unit for those who love immersing deep in the world of aromatherapy even as the winter weather plays dirty games with the indoor humidity.
You will kill the proverbial two birds with one stone here: add uplifting moisture and enjoy the best that therapeutic essential oils have to offer.
Features
This super-affordable humidifier/diffuser hits all the right marks.
This little gem is to begin with lightweight and compressed enough to fit into just about any travel bag making it one of the best for your travels.
It also features 7 color changing lamps to calm your environment, a special nightlight to help you slip into slumberland effortlessly, programmable on/off cycles for convenient interval moisture disbursements, and obviously, an auto shut-off to shield it in case it drains fully.
Even better, this unit’s state-of-the-art vaporizing diffusion technology will quietly release a pacifying fragrant mist for 6 hours (maximum) nonstop.
Just mix 100ML of water with a few essential oil drops and enjoy a 6-hour long aromatic treatment.
Pros
- Elegant looking.
- One of the easiest to use models.
- Whisper-quiet operation.
Cons
- Rarely lasts the whole night.
MZTDYTL Portable Mini USB Humidifier, 200ml Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Because its USB powered, you can bring this model to dozens of places including your car, hotel room, beauty salon, conference room, reception center, pet room, hospital etc.
It produces a lot of mist and your surroundings will never again make you feel dizzy.
Features
This multi-talented ultrasonic humidifier is perfect for tackling murderous humidity in a short amount of time.
It doesn’t hold a lot of water (that rarely happens in portable units), but the best part is you have two separate mist speeds to use to bring about your comfiest humidity.
Indeed, the operation time is quite reasonable- you get 4.5 hours of steadfast moisture pump out with the first setting and double that duration (9 hours) in the second mode.
This device also features a colorful mellow night light to help you get a good night’s sleep.
The 7 light colors change to create the right mood in the bedroom, home, office, hotel, car, and more.
There are other extraordinary extras including a water level window to help you check remaining water capacity.
Pros
- There’s a handy auto shut-off.
- Super quiet operation.
- Exquisitely small (mini humidifier).
Cons
- No timer.
Wrapping it up
As mentioned at the start, an ultrasonic humidifier offers a number of benefits when pitted against other models including consuming very little electricity and being much quieter.
Having said that, proper maintenance is key for any humidifier.
The first thing that comes to mind is regular cleaning and disinfection- do it at the recommended time intervals as per your owner’s manual.
The other crucial thing is ensuring that the tank is adequately filled at all times.
That way, you’ll get the most out of your investment.
