The Best Humidifier in 2024

Regardless of the season, dry indoor air can exacerbate or cause a multitude of problems – nosebleeds, asthma, colds, allergies, dry skin, you name it! And that’s when humidifiers come in hand. According to Cleveland Clinic, using a humidifier can help with the relief of such issues as well as improving your indoor air quality in general. 

Not all humidifiers are the same though. There are central humidifiers, evaporators, impeller humidifiers, steam vaporizers and ultrasonic humidifiers. With so many humidifiers on sale and mountains of humidifier reviews to go through, it can be tough to figure out which humidifier is the best one for you. 

Don’t worry though – we’re here to help. We’ve gone through the reviews for you and made a list of the top-rated humidifiers right in this post. By the end of this guide, you’ll know all about the top humidifiers in Canada and what the best home humidifier for your needs is. 

• Best humidifier overall: Honeywell HCM350B 
• Best humidifier for kids: Crane Humidifier 
• Best humidifier desk humidifier: AirCare Aurora 
• Best humidifier for large rooms: Levoit Air Humidifer 
• Best humidifier for small rooms: TaoTronics Humidifier 
• Best humidifier for sinuses: Vicks Filter-Free 
• Best ultrasonic humidifier: Levoit Top Fill 
• Best steam humidifier: Honeywell Warm Mist 
• Best cool mist humidifier: Pure Guardian H965 
• Best warm mist humidifier: Bubos Ultrasonic Warm and Cool Mist 
• Best humidifier for allergies: Total Comfort Warm & Cool 
• Best humidifier for bedrooms: Pure Enrichment Ultrasonic 
• Best personal humidifier: Fancii Cool Mist Personal Humidifier 
• Best humidifier for dry skin: BZBRLZ Fresh Air Humidifier  

Different humidifiers suit different needs, but here are some common things you should consider when you’re comparing humidifiers with one another.

Tank Design – When you’re looking at humidifiers, always take a look at the tank. You’ll want one that’s easy to open up and clean – if you don’t clean the tank and filters (or change the filters if they’re replaceable) regularly, you can risk mould growing in your humidifier, which can cause detrimental health issues. You definitely don’t want to be breathing in potential germs.

Warm-mist vs cool-mist – If you have children or pets in your home, cool-mist humidifiers may be the way to go so you can avoid any risks of burns or scalding. However, warm-mist humidifiers are less hospitable to bacteria since they heat water to its boiling point. Warm mist will also humidify your room faster, while cool is best used for warm, dry days and when you want to keep your humidity at a certain level easier.

Noise Level – If you want to get a humidifier to place in your bedroom, chances are that you’ll want one that runs quietly. For a unit you plan to place elsewhere, noise might matter a little less. Be sure to check the reviews for noise and sound levels, as what could be considered quiet to the brand may not be exactly the same level of quiet you need or want, especially if it’s going into the bedroom during the nighttime.

Size and square footage – How large or small is your room where you need more humidity? If you get too small of a humidifier, for example a desk size for a large room – it won’t do much. On the other hand, if you get a humidifier that is too big – you run the risk of creating a room that is too humid, causing other issues such as mould or water retention. Be sure the one you’re interested in comes in a size set for your room sizes square footage. 

With so many options out there, choosing the right air humidifier can be a bit of a challenge. Our team has spent over ten hours reviewing and picking out the best air humidifiers for almost every possible household need. We chose the best air humidifiers by looking through numerous verified online reviews as well as taking into consideration information from trusted sources such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The review process for this article was data-backed and fact-checked, but also included our own personal views.

For this buying guide, we mainly chose air humidifiers under $100 – we wanted to list humidifiers that performed well but were also listed at an affordable price point. We only considered humidifiers with a rating of 4 stars or greater on Amazon. 

The most important thing to us was picking out humidifiers that suit every need, whether it was a child-friendly humidifier or a humidifier that would work well in large spaces. We categorized humidifiers into various different categories and chose the top model from each category to put in this guide. 

What is a humidifier?

Humidifiers are devices that increase the moisture level of air via emitting water vapour or steam. 

Why humidify: What are the humidifier benefits?

There are many humidifier benefits, including:

Placing humidifiers in your home can help with a number of conditions such as cracked lips, asthma, allergies, nose bleeds and dry skin. In some cases, humidifiers can even help your household plants perk up. 

More humid air can benefit your daily life greatly, especially if you’re more often than not at home. Humidity can help stop the spread of colds and flus, as dry air is much easier for the germs to travel. Higher humidity can help loosen congestion if you are already sick, while helping to alleviate sore throats and dry airways. 

Dry skin and chapped lips are a thing of the past with a humidifier, along with static shocks. Especially during the cold winter months. Having a humidifier can also help alleviate a dry scalp and keep your hair happy and healthy. 

Humidifiers can also help you and your children sleep better, allowing you to breathe more properly and clearly, without running the risk of waking up with a dry and sore throat. Cool mist humidifiers work especially well during the dry summer months, and warm mist humidifiers make great companions during the winter. Warm mist can help humidify a room faster, while cool will help sustain and humidify, while being safer around pets and children that may touch or try to play with the humidifier.  

Where to put the humidifier?

To avoid mould or mildew in your carpet, you should place your humidifier at least two feet off the ground. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to place humidifiers in the areas you spend the most time in. Common places for most people include their bedroom and living room. 

What is the ideal humidity for a home?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the humidity in your home should be kept between 30 and 50 percent to prevent mould and to discourage pests.  

What is the best humidifier for the bedroom?

This will depend on a few factors, such as the size of your bedroom, if you prefer cool-mist or warm-mist humidifiers and if you’re a light or heavy sleeper. We’ve taken all these factors into account when making our list of the best humidifiers in Canada, so you should be able to find a humidifier in the above list that will be suitable for your bedroom.  

Nursery: What is the best humidifier for the baby’s room?

When it comes to placing a humidifier in your infant or child’s room, it’s best to use a cool air or cool-mist air humidifier – warm-mist humidifiers can cause burns if your children get to close to them. 

Diffuser vs. humidifier: Which one to buy?

If you want to bring the humidity of your home up for whatever reason, you should choose a humidifier. On the other hand, if you just want your home to smell nice, a diffuser is the right choice. If you want to do both things, there are humidifiers that double as diffusers – note that whatever the case, you shouldn’t put the scents you want to diffuse into your humidifier’s tank. Doing so may damage your humidifier or make it run less effectively. 

How to clean the humidifier?

In general, you should always check the instructions to see how to properly clean your humidifier. Otherwise, you should scrub and clean your humidifier’s tank and tray on a regular basis with plain water.   

What are the main types of humidifiers?

There are five main types of humidifiers – central humidifiers, evaporators, impeller humidifiers, steam vaporizers and ultrasonic humidifiers. Central humidifiers are ‘whole house humidifiers’ – they’re built right into your home’s cooling or heating system and add humidity to your whole house.  

When should you use a humidifier in Canada?

The answer for this varies from individual to individual – some individuals like to use humidifiers in the winter, when the air is cold and dry. Other individuals like to use humidifiers to help relieve dry skin or symptoms of congestion.  

Can you put essential oils in humidifiers?

The answer is that it depends. If the instructions that came with your humidifier don’t mention it being safe to add essential oils to your humidifier, then it’s probably best to avoid doing so. In some cases, adding essential oils to your humidifier could cause it to break or wear down faster than if you just used plain water. If you want your room to smell like essential oils, look for a humidifier that includes a compartment for diffusing essential oils or try using a standalone essential oil diffuser instead. 

Warm mist vs cool mist humidifier: Which one is the best?

There are different benefits to using a warm-mist or a cool-mist humidifier. Cool–mist humidifiers are safer to use around children since the water isn’t heated up. Warm-mist humidifiers, on the other hand, may not harbour as much bacteria since the water is heated up before being emitted as mist. 

Where can I buy a humidifier in Canada?

You’ll be able to find humidifiers both in online and physical retailers in Canada such as Costco, Amazon, Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, Home Depot and Home Hardware. 

What does a humidifier do for a cough?

Humidifiers can help moisturize your throat and make it easier for air to pass through as well as make it easier for you to cough up mucus. Before you use any product to help with your illness, you should consult with your doctor first.  

Do I need a whole-house humidifier?

This all comes down to personal preference – central humidifiers can cost you a few hundred dollars and up. If you feel your entire house is lacking in humidity, a whole-house humidifier might be a great solution for that without having to maintain individual units. However, you could probably also manage by placing a separate humidifier unit in each room – you probably don’t need to humidify rooms that you don’t often use or stay in. Depending on your budget, either choice would work fine. 

If you can’t find your perfect humidifier in our list above, here are a few more to consider that didn’t quite make it onto the main list. We’ve also included in this list humidifiers that people often have questions about.  

Honeywell Quietcare Hcm-6009  

If you’ve got a really large space that needs humidifying, you’re going to love this Honeywell humidifier – it can humidify spaces up to 2300 square feet. It holds 3 gallons of water (11.4 litres) and has a run time of up to 24 hours. A downside to this unit is that it requires a filter replacement approximately every month – unfortunately, the filters run for around $36. If you don’t mind the cost of filters and the fact that this unit might not be the most aesthetically pleasing one out there, this unit is a good fit for anyone in need of a humidifier that will humidify large spaces well. If you’re not in need of such a large humidifier but you like Honeywell as a brand, there’re other Honeywell humidifiers that are smaller and might be a better fit for you.  

Boneco 7144 Ultrasonic Humidifier  

Just as a heads up, this Boneco humidifier doesn’t seem to available from most retailers – however, you can find a refurbished version for sale on the Boneco shop website. This is one of the priciest units we’ve seen – a refurbished version costs $199.99 USD (approximately $282 CAD). There doesn’t seem to be anything unique that this unit has that other units don’t – the features it comes with all seem quite standard (sleep mode, warm and cool-mist functionality, etc.)  

A number of reviews on Amazon also note that this unit doesn’t humidify large spaces very well – anything larger than a 200 square foot bedroom probably won’t be humidified properly, says one user.  

Sunbeam Humidifier (SUL900-CN Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier)

If you’d like a humidifier that runs without filters and you don’t mind white mineral dust coming out of your humidifier, this Sunbeam humidifier could be a good fit for you. (If white mineral dust does bother you, you can reduce/eliminate it by using distilled water instead of tap water.) Otherwise, this air humidifier will hold 4 litres of water and can run for up to 24 hours. 

Dyson Humidifier (AM10)

Who knew that Dyson made more than just vacuums? What’s special about this humidifier is that it has accreditation from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America for being asthma and allergy-friendly. It also contains an ultraviolet light for cleaning the water you place in the tank, plus it automatically adjusts its output based on the temperature and humidity of the room.  

Stadler Form Humidifier (Oskar) 

If you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing humidifier that’ll match with your minimalistic furniture design, this sleek cube-shaped evaporative humidifier comes in black or white. According to its description, it’s able to humidify spaces of up to 540 square feet. A great feature about this humidifier is that you don’t need to lug it to the sink to refill it – it has a door on the side where you can simply refill the tank with a watering can or pitcher. This unit’s description also guarantees that mineral deposits from your water won’t get dispersed by this unit as white dust. 

On Amazon, this unit has a rating of 3.8 stars – the reviews are mixed. While some reviews are a fan of how quietly this unit runs and how easy it is to refill, some other reviews warn that getting into contact with customer service is difficult if something goes wrong with your unit. 

One last thing to take into consideration is the price – this unit runs for around $240.00 – if you’re simply looking for a humidifier to humidify a relatively large space, there are probably other humidifiers that will do the job for a lesser cost. However, if you want to find a humidifier for someone with reduced mobility or if you want a humidifier that doubles as a furniture piece, this unit might do the job.  

Babymoov Hygro Plus Humidifier 

This Babymoov humidifier seems to be a unit a lot of parents consider when they’re looking for a humidifier to add to their child’s room. It comes with some neat features – it doubles as a nightlight that can change between 7 different colours, plus it has an LCD display showing the current temperature and humidity of the room.  

However, there are also a few potential downsides to consider. Since this unit is small, it’ll only humidify spaces up to 215 square feet. Plus, a number of reviewers on Amazon have noted that this humidifier, unfortunately, makes loud water bubbling and glugging noises. 

Noma Evaporative Humidifier 

Here’s another humidifier to take into account if you’re looking for one that comes with a fairly large capacity – this one holds about 4 litres and has a run time of around 24 hours. Plus, it’s easy to fill since you can pour in water through the top grill instead of having to lug the entire unit to the sink. It also comes with standard features such as a 360-degree vapour outlet and an auto shut-off mode for when the water runs out. However, some reviewers note that this unit is quite loud. 

You could probably find a different large capacity humidifier with similar features for a cheaper price. 

Bionaire Humidifier 

This humidifier is yet another option for people who need a relatively small humidifier. While it has a 20 hour run time and doesn’t require a filter to run, the reviews aren’t so favourable for this unit. The reservoir is difficult to clean (since there is only one very small opening) and these units seem prone to stop functioning at random. 

Star Wars R2D2 Humidifier

We have to admit, this humidifying unit is pretty cute. There is one shortcoming though, unfortunately –the capacity of this unit is 1 water bottle (500-600 ml), meaning you’ll constantly have to refill it. It’s probably not the worst humidifier you could get. If you’ll only need short bursts of humidifying and you love R2D2, this could be a decent option. 

Essick Air Ma 1201 Evaporative Humidifier

If you don’t like the idea of placing multiple humidifiers around your home, this humidifier might be the right one for you – it can humidify up to 3,600 square feet. However, it does weigh just over 6 kg, so it might be difficult to move when you’re trying to figure out what the best place in your house for it is. Something else to consider is that it has a 3.6 (13.6) gallon tank capacity – that might sound like a lot until you remember that this unit is humidifying your entire house. If you don’t mind frequent refills and that this unit isn’t easily movable, this evaporative humidifier could be the answer to your humidity problems.