Humidifiers and health: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2024)

FAQs

Do doctors recommend humidifiers? ›

Humidifiers can provide great health benefits—but only if they are well-maintained. Given their moist environment, they can accumulate mold and bacteria quickly, so Dr. Patel recommends: Clean your humidifier with mild dish soap and water twice per week.

Dirty water tanks and filters in humidifiers can grow bacteria and mold. This mainly can cause problems for people with asthma and allergies. But dirty humidifiers can be trouble even for healthy people when they release mist or steam tainted with bacteria or fungi into the air.

It is a small change, but using a humidifier at night can make a big difference. It can help you to sleep better and help your body stay healthy. During both the winter and summer, in particular, maintaining a relative humidity level between 40 and 60% indoors has a number of surprising benefits.

Humidifiers can be particularly effective for treating dryness of the skin, nose, throat, and lips. They can also ease some symptoms caused by the flu or common cold. But overusing humidifiers or not cleaning humidifiers properly can potentially worsen respiratory problems and cause other health conditions.

Choose cool mist or warm mist (or both)

Because the water is boiled before it enters the air, the mist is less likely to contain bacteria.

Dry climates and dehydrated skin often result in flare-ups. To help those dealing with these skin conditions, dermatologists recommend humidifiers to prevent conditions from worsening.

So, can you use tap water in a humidifier? While you technically can; it's not recommended. Instead, look for demineralized, distilled, and purified water at the store. This kind of water is less likely to result in mold and bacteria growth inside your humidifier.

Humidifiers release moisture into the air, which keeps the nasal and upper respiratory passages from getting too dry. This can help you breathe easier when you have a runny nose, chest congestion, cough, or sore throat. Viruses and other infectious particles can survive longer and stay suspended longer in dry air.

Even though it may be tempting to let the water reservoir in your humidifier run completely dry, avoid making a habit of operating it for extended periods without sufficient water. This practice could lead to damage and reduce the humidifier's lifespan.

Lung issues, from flu-like symptoms to serious infection, are your main worries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Experts have also identified something they call “humidifier fever,” a form of viral lung inflammation caused by colonized humidifier bacteria.

What are the disadvantages of a humidifier in the bedroom? ›

Symptoms of fever, cough, dyspnea, and bilateral ground glass opacities on chest CT are seen in HP and other respiratory diseases, including idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, drug‐induced lung injury, and connective tissue disease‐associated interstitial lung disease.

While using a humidifier can help with dry sinuses, it can also cause harm. Dust mite and mold growth is promoted more in humid environments, so if people are allergic to dust and mold, or if they have asthma, using a humidifier could aggravate these conditions.

Using a humidifier may make it easier for you to breathe in some instances but may also make a respiratory infection worse if you have asthma or an allergy to mold or dust mites. If you or your child has asthma and you wish to use a humidifier: Make sure it's cleaned every 1 to 3 days and is free of mineralized crusts.

Increased humidity may ease breathing in children and adults who have asthma or allergies, especially during a respiratory infection such as a cold. But mist from a dirty humidifier or increased growth of allergens caused by high humidity can trigger or worsen asthma and allergy symptoms.