A humidifier raises the level of humidity or moisture in the air in a room. It eliminates the dry air that can irritate and inflame the respiratory passages in the nose and throat. Humidifiers are classified as steam, cool mist, warm mist, or ultrasonic humidifiers, among others. Anion humidifiers are similar to ultrasonic humidifiers. It adopts the technology of ultrasonic atomization. An ion is an atom with an electric charge. The one with a positive charge is known as a cation and the one with a negative charge, an anion. Ionizing means transforming an atom into one of these two forms. Anion humidifiers are stand-alone or table top units that create anions using electricity. These anions are released into the room and attract the positively charged atoms of dust, dander, bacteria, pollen, mold, smoke, chemical vapors, and other allergens. Using the technology of ultrasonic atomization, it converts the clean water into mist and along with anions is released into the room for humidification. The Fantasy Anion Humidifier is one anion humidifier. It utilizes ultrasonic vibration to generate the mist from water, which along with anions, freshens the air and increases humidity. It is a fancy decorative item having a colorful lamp which changes colors including blue, green, yellow, and red colors, every few seconds, creating a sense of euphoria and fantasy. The automatically changing colors bring softness in the surroundings with their comfortable lighting effects. These units are tabletop models or stand alone types with fancy stands.

Features of an Anion Humidifier

• air purifying and dust clearing
• skin moistening
• noiseless operation
• cool mist humidification using ultrasonic technology

Some models have an aromatic diffuser to add soothing aromas to the environment.

Since 1938, Armstrong has led the way to numerous savings in energy, time and money through the design, manufacturing and application of humidification equipment. Armstrong humidifiers offer a choice in equipment selection. Their patented Ionic Bed Technology reduces operating costs, cleaning and maintenance time.

Armstrong’s HumidiClean™ Ionic Bed Technology

It has a fibrous filtering medium that traps solids from the water as the temperature rises. This reduces mineral build up on the heat exchanger and the walls of the reservoir. Once the ionic beds have absorbed the minerals to their capacity it alerts the users so that the ionic beds can be changed. The advantages of Ionic Bed Technology are:

• Reduced frequency of heat exchanger cleaning and blow-down.
• Conserving water and energy.
• No excessive build up of heat exchanger surface temperatures.

Armstrong’s GFH Gas-Fired HumidiClean™ Humidifier series features the Revolutionary Ionic Bed Technology™. The GFH uses natural gas or propane and is quite economical to operate at 81 percent efficiency. The HumidiClean is easy to use and is adaptable to various water qualities. Armstrong’s Cool Fog offers controlled injection of compressed air and water into the system providing humidity and evaporative cooling. A series of foggers are regulated from a central control panel to carefully regulate compressed air and water to create a highly controllable fog at less than 10% of the cost of an electric steam humidifier. Armstrong’s HumidiPack®, a prefabricated steam humidifier system, takes the steam, separates the moisture from it and admits the dry steam into a duct or air handler air stream. The dry steam discharged into duct air instantly condenses and absorbed by the air. The Armstrong EHU (Electronic Humidifier Unit) Series 700 HumidiMinder, an electrode-type Armstrong humidifier, uses ordinary tap water. It minds humidity by itself, just as its name implies, so that you do not have to do anything.

ReliOn humidifiers are healthcare brands from Wal-Mart. Clean fresh air indoors is a necessity for good health and is no longer considered a luxury. Good air quality highly benefits people suffering from asthma and other such allergies. The air circulates through the wet filters leaving behind particles and the moist air is blown into the rooms. Moisture in our home’s air helps prevent sinus problems, itchy skin and sore throats during the dry winter months. Humidifiers come in various sizes and shapes. They are classified based on the technology used. There are steam humidifiers, warm mist humidifiers, cool mist evaporative humidifiers, ultrasonic humidifiers, and impeller humidifiers among others. Humidifiers are a safe product to use provided they are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Other wise people suffering from asthma, other respiratory problems and allergies could face increased breathing difficulties.

ReliOn Humidifiers Overview

ReliOn humidifiers from Wal-Mart offer a complete series of room humidifiers. They relieve cold and flu symptoms, soothe dry, itchy or chapped skin. They come in different models suitable to all pockets:

• Cool Mist Humidifiers. ReliOn cool mist humidifiers blow moist air into the room in the form of light mist. The air passes through a filter that is wetted, trapping impurities, and is blown into the room. The humidifier is easy to clean and fill. Filter needs to be regularly cleaned and depending on usage, needs to be replaces about twice in a season.
• Warm Moist Humidifiers. ReliOn® Warm Moisture® humidifiers blow invisible moisture-balanced warm air into the room. Water passing through the power unit gets heated and the warm moisture system blows it into the room.
• Ultrasonic Humidifiers. With variable mist control they supply up to 20 hours of soothing cool mist. They allow you to breathe easier and sleep better.

Skuttle has been in business since 1917, the oldest manufacturers of home humidifiers. Skuttle humidifiers restore a home’s relative humidity to a balanced, healthier, more comfortable range. These humidifiers are unsurpassed in quality and easy to operate. Improper humidity leads to dry skin, itching, parched throats and discomfort. Skuttle humidifiers ensure proper home humidification by reducing static electricity, revitalizing dry skin and soothing scratchy throats. The compact size of Skuttle humidifiers makes it ideal for homes where space is a constraint.

Skuttle Types of Humidifiers

• Flow-Thru Humidifiers
• Steam humidifiers
• Spray Humidifiers
• Drum Humidifiers

All the above types of warm air humidifiers have various models in their arsenal covering different areas to be humidified. The type of Skuttle humidifier suitable to your need depends on the type of heating system you have in your home, the size of your home or the area you wish to humidify, the hardness of the water etc. Some models have the option of Automatic Humidistat and some of Flushing Timers.

Extend your Skuttle Humidifier’s Life

Maintenance and cleaning of your humidifier extends its life. Mineral build up on the heating element will drastically affect its life. You may need to clean your humidifier about 3 times in a season. Models fitted with Automatic Flushing Timers may require less maintenance but checking and clearing of mineral build up is important. The advantage of the Skuttle Flushing Timers is that it:

• Automatically flushes the pan, twice daily, with fresh clean water.
• Maintains your humidifier’s efficiency by reducing build up of minerals on the heating element and dissolved solids in the reservoir.
• Reduces the number of times servicing is required.
• Uses 80 percent less water than the conventional Flow-thru humidifiers and also less electricity.

Robitussin humidifiers, cool mist type, warm mist type or the impeller type, ensure sleeping comfort and relief from dry skin, breathing, cold and flu symptoms. In cool mist humidifiers, the dry air passes through the Natural Cool Moisture system and is blown out as humidified moisture-balanced air in the form of mist. Its new HealthShield technology filter prevents growth and migration of mold, fungus and bacteria. Mineral deposits on the filter can affect its life. This depends on the quality of the water and can have effect on the humidifier too. The warm mist vaporizer Robitussin humidifier creates steam that is dispersed as mist into the environment. It comes with an auto shut off, when the reservoir is empty. It is easy to operate and has a built-in medicine cup that dispenses soothing vapors.

Maintenance of Robitussin humidifiers

Like all humidifiers, these humidifiers also need regular maintenance for efficient operation. Humidifiers should be cleaned daily after each use. In the case of warm mist vaporizing humidifier, a weekly scaling removing and disinfecting has to be carried out: Weekly Scale Removal.

• Put 250 ml undiluted white vinegar in the base. Let it remain for about 20 minutes swishing every once in a while to wet all surfaces.
• Using a soft brush, clean all inside surfaces of the base with vinegar. This will remove the scale.
• Wipe the exterior of the heating assembly to remove any scale.
• Flush the base with clean water to remove scale.

Weekly Disinfecting.

• Ensure the base is empty.
• Add one-teaspoon chlorine bleach to one gallon of water. Pour this solution into the base and leave it for about 20 minutes swishing every once in a while to wet all surfaces.
• Scrub the area around the heating element gently and wet all surfaces.

The steam generating Autoflo humidifiers are marketed as high performance and most reliable humidifiers. The humidity generated from steam is directly introduced into the ducts. The S2000 and S2020 steam humidifiers from the Autoflo stable have built-in computer chips, and are known as ‘The World’s Most Efficient Humidifiers’. The computer chips ensure maximum efficiency, accuracy, reliability and safety. The steam humidifiers come with a ‘sacrificial’ metal – Z100 – that attracts all the minerals in the water. This results in decreased scaling of the humidifiers.

Autoflo Humidifier Overview

As part of preventive maintenance these Autoflo humidifiers come with the Automatic Flush system that drains the humidifiers after every 12 hours of use. The humidifier completely drains and refills only when required to adjust humidity. When the humidifier is not in operation, there is no stagnant water for growth of bacteria. These steam humidifiers will work on any heating system and respectively humidify 2800 square feet and 3500 square feet area. Other than the steam humidifiers, Autoflo also has flow through style and drum type bypass humidifiers. The flow through style humidifier is a high capacity humidifier and is easy to install. It can be used with any forced air furnace and can be mounted on either the warm air plenum or the cold air return. It humidifies by forcing air from the warm air supply into the humidifier and pulls it through the return duct. The moisture is picked up by the air from the humidifier’s evaporator pad, mixes with the return duct air and is forced out into the room. Autoflo humidifiers with the drum type bypass technology also work with any forced air furnace. The hot dry air from the supply side is forced across the evaporator pad to absorb moisture pulled through the return and is released into the room.

Dust particles, mold spores, chemical fumes and other pollutants find their way into your home’s air every day. Poor indoor air quality negatively affects both your home environment and health. Lennox humidifiers enhance air quality and control humidity in your home. Incorrect humidity can make your home uncomfortable and there are effective ways to regulate humidity in your living environment. Dust mites and mold can trigger allergies and asthma in people causing ill health and discomfort. Correct humidity levels can reduce the likelihood of mold growth. To keep it from feeling too dry or too humid, 30% to 50% humidity is a comfortable level.

Lennox Humidifier Overview

Lennox humidifiers are designed to provide efficient and economical comfort. A Healthy Climate humidifier from Lennox ‘is one of the easiest, most effective ways to add moisture to your home’s air’. The Power Humidifiers and the Bypass Humidifiers from the Lennox stable maintain optimal humidity conditions. The Power Humidifier circulates humidified air through your furnace duct system with the help of a built-in fan. Bypass humidifiers, the most common of all furnace humidifiers, use furnace fans to circulate humidified air to every room in your home. Healthy Climate whole home humidifiers reliably control humidity through the automatic sensor control – SignatureStat. Lennox humidifiers constantly monitor moisture levels and automatically respond to outdoor temperatures and indoor humidity changes. This reliable advanced technology eliminates the want for constant manual adjustments of humidity settings. Proper humidity levels create a healthy home environment and lower the risks of dry skin, chapped lips and respiratory infections. Different models of Bypass and Power Lennox humidifiers humidify areas covering 750 square feet to 4200 square feet. To avoid bacterial growth, ensure proper and regular cleaning and draining of the reservoir of your humidifiers. Maintenance will also keep your humidifier in top working condition.

It has been believed for long that humidifiers help relieve nasal congestion in children and adults. Vornado Humidifiers create humidity naturally through evaporation. Vornado’s exclusive Vortex Action distributes humidity evenly and noiselessly throughout an entire room. Vornado humidifiers are marketed as “delivering moisture the same way Mother Nature does.” These humidifiers are easy to use, and have easy-fill, no-spill, leak-free bottle design. An evaporative type humidifier, water is drawn up into a cellulose wicking filter. A fan sucks the air through the filter, evaporating water into vapors that are blown into the room. The evaporative method is simple, clean-running and costs little to operate. Vornado humidifiers are designed to run continuously but require bottles to be filled every 24 to 48 hours. Care needs to be taken that the unit does not keep on running when the water runs out. This will cause the wicks to dry out, increasing the chance for the growth of mold and mildew.

Vornado Humidifiers – An Overview

Vornado’s VortexHumidifier with its VortexAction silently generates and circulates healthy, multi-room humidification. Vornado Humidifier HU1-0015-11, the multi-room humidification Humidifier holds 4 gallons of water, which is sufficient for 24 hours’ running on high fan speed. The wicks filter out minerals and impurities, which are present naturally in water. The multi-room humidification Humidifier has two filters and they need to be changed at least once each season. Vornado rates this humidifier to cover 2000 square feet of area. VortexHumidifiers are available in two sizes – 4.5 gallon for multi-room humidification and 2.5 gallon for single room use. Another Vornado Humidifier is the Vornado HU1-0016-14 Air Softener. This humidifier filters, humidifies and circulates air throughout the room. It moisturizes the harsh winter air, providing a tranquil and a relaxed atmosphere. Its filters trap minerals, dust, and other impurities.

Kaz humidifiers are marketed with a catch line, ‘Vapor therapy for healthy living’. Heating systems in winter and air conditioners in summers deprive you of natural moisture present in the surrounding indoor air. This moisture deprivation can lead to irritation and itching of skin and eyes. To function effectively and stay healthy, lungs and the respiratory tract require moisture. Kaz evaporative humidifiers regulate moisture output avoiding over saturation. Dry air drawn into the humidifier, passes through the wicking filters, absorbs moisture, and is blown back into the room. The bactericide treated wicking filters of the Kaz humidifiers trap minerals, pollutants, and bacteria, and provide a cleaner, healthier, more comfortable environment. The humidifier operation is quiet and efficient and is practically noiseless. In fact, so noiseless as to not disturb even the lightest of sleepers.

The Kaz Evaporative Humidifier 3300

The Kaz Evaporative Humidifier 3300 is of a technologically advanced circular design with a special filter that soaks water, from the tank, with a wicking action. These humidifiers increase humidity when the air is dry and decrease moisture output when humidity is high, by naturally regulating moisture output. Moisture regulation insures there is no moisture over saturation – which leads to growth of mold. Kaz’s Evaporative Humidifier 3300 can humidify an area of 1175 square feet. Its reservoir holds 1.5 gallons of water and does not require a refill for 17 hours. Its exclusive FillChannel allows easy filling without removal of cover. Water-level indicator shows the water level in the reservoir. Depending on usage, environment and mineral content of water, filters are required to be changed about 2 to 3 times a season. It weighs – a not heavy – 6 lbs.

Kaz Humidifiers – An Overview

Kaz produce different kinds of humidifiers that produce moisture in different ways:

• Evaporative (Cool-Mist) Humidifiers. These humidifiers work on the principle of evaporation through the fans and filters. The filters soak up water from the reservoir with a wicking action and the fan causes the water to evaporate into the air. Cool-Mist humidifiers cannot function without filters.
• Warm Mist Humidifiers and Vaporizers. They produce moisture by boiling small amount of water and releasing steam into the air. Bacteria or mold in the water will be killed by the temperature of the water.
• Impeller type Humidifier. This type of Kaz humidifier produces moisture by spinning a small shaft – impeller – that pulls water up through centrifugal force.

A humidifier is a household piece of equipment that increases the level of water vapor, or moisture, in a room. Hamilton Beach humidifiers are cool mist humidifiers appropriate for single room humidification; say a bedroom or an office. These humidifiers are perfect to humidify areas up to 1200 sq. ft. and help relieve sinus pressure and headaches, allergies and asthma, with moist air. The Hamilton Beach humidifier comes with a digital humidistat with AirSmart control. You can set and automatically maintain your preferred level of humidity. The noise is at an acceptable level. These humidifiers are extremely quiet on the low setting, the noise barely detectable even to the most noise sensitive person. These humidifiers work continuously up to 24 hours without tank refill. It uses evaporative wicking action – a process of evaporation that produces a minimum of noise. They give relief from the dry environment – the main cause of irritated skin and nasal passages, chapped lips, parched throat and itchy eyes.

Unique Hamilton Beach Humidifier Features

• A digital humidistat with AirSmart control to automatically set and maintain your preferred level of humidity. To avoid dust mites, the recommended humidity is between 35-40%.
• Disperses up to 3.5 gallons of water every 24 hours over a 1200 square feet area.
• All humidifier parts that are transparent smoke color, and the water tank are dishwasher safe.
• The humidifier set on the low QuietMist setting is practically noiseless.
• Its large EasyFill™ tank has an extra-large opening for easy filling.
• It comes with a convenient cord storage feature that allows the extra length of the cord to remain inside the humidifier.
• It is made with a durable heavy-duty material and comes with a 3-year warranty.
• It has an adjustable three-speed fan control.

These humidifiers need to be cleaned once a week and the filters need to be replaced every three months, depending on the use. The fine atomized mist does not overly soak everything and does not leave traces of mist on the windows. The humidifier’s automatic humidistat prevents the room from being over humidified. Over humidification can lead to growth of mold. Hamilton Beach humidifiers come highly recommended due to their AirSmart™ – electronic auto humidistat panel – and QuietMist™ – low humidifier setting for the noise sensitive – features.