Recommended Humidity Level

• While the exact humidity level you'll want to achieve in your home from your humidifier varies based on personal preference, a general guide is you should have a humidity level between 40 and 50 percent in your home.
  
  

Warm Mist

• Warm mist humidifiers work by heating water, which creates steam and then enters the air to increase the humidity level. One of the dangers of these is that the steam is hot and can possibly cause burns.
  
  

Cool Mist

• Because of the lack of a heating element, cool mist humidifiers are more energy efficient than their warm mist counterparts.
  
  

Cold Mist vs. Warm Mist

• Warm mist humidifiers have a few advantages, including that they can be used to dispense medication that will be inhaled. Also, the steam will kill bacteria that may form in the humidifier. Cold mist humidifiers must be cleaned routinely, and because they are fan operated, are noisier than warm mist units.