If you stumbled onto this article, you’ve probably torn apart between the two obvious options of air purification. This kind of appliance provides ample moisture to the atmosphere to maintain a crisp temperature. It also keeps the air safe from contaminants and helps keep your family healthy.
Based on the climate in your area and the amount of space in your house will determine which of the two appliances you need (if not both). It might be foolhardy to make your pick without having sufficient information about the devices.
Therefore, we have discussed both their benefits and scrutinized their drawbacks. All of this information will clear out your confusion and let you make the right choice.
Difference Between Air Purifier and Humidifier
Both the air purifier and humidifier have individual features that make the air safer to breathe. They also operate efficiently to make the atmosphere more comfortable. However, they both have their ways of doing it. So, we provided all their pros and cons to make sure you get your money’s worth.
Air Purifier
The air purifier is an essential device that helps maintain a safe environment in your household. It traps allergens and provides clean air that can improve your mood. Nevertheless, it also comes with a few drawbacks.
Pros
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Eliminates Dust and Allergens
As much as you love your pets, they can emit certain odors that can be harmful to some people. It can induce severe allergic reactions that might often be life-threatening. Thankfully, an air purifier can discard this odor to a certain extent.
Along with that, the device can also trap dust particles and pollen that can create problems with your respiratory system. They prevent most of the dust mites, pollens, tobacco smoke, and other minute particles from entering your body.
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Traps Tobacco and Cigarette Smoke
Air purifiers can be highly beneficial for those who have a chain smoker in their family. You might already know about the numerous health problems caused due to smoking. It can cause even bigger problems for anyone who inhales passive smoke regularly, especially kids.
The elderly can even suffer from dementia from inhaling secondhand smoke. Fortunately, air purifiers with HEPA filters can easily trap tobacco smoke and reduce the side effects. It also includes activated carbon that absorbs tiny air pollutants to keep it safe to breathe.
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Helps Asthma Patients
Asthma triggers are much more common in confined spaces than it is outdoors. A variety of minute air particles such as paint fumes, smoke from cooking, carpet fumes, hairspray, and perfumes can easily trigger an asthma attack.
Breathing in these tiny particles can cause wheezing and other asthma symptoms. In that case, an air purifier can remove these microscopic particles to help you breathe steadily. Even dust mites and mold spores don’t stand a chance against this device.
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Eliminates Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Several things in your house, such as paints, furnishings, air fresheners, and even aerosol sprays, release chemicals called VOCs. Once you breathe in these chemicals, it can have serious repercussions on your body.
Repeated exposures can even lead to cancer or, most likely, lymphoma. You’ll know VOCs are present in the house when you have a burning sensation while breathing and also nausea. So, air purifiers can efficiently rid the atmosphere of these chemicals.
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Removes Insects and Mosquitoes
Many houses are often infested with pesky bugs that are not only annoying but can also transmit diseases. These insects are usually tiny and hard to get rid of. Mosquitoes can also be a nuisance in some areas and cause malaria and other deadly diseases.
Most people rely on insecticides to eliminate these bugs. However, these insecticides contain hazardous toxins more often than not. It can cause drastic respiratory troubles when used every day. Hence, air purifiers can act as a safer substitute and prevent such diseases from spreading.
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Improves Mood Levels
You’ll be surprised to know that your mood can often be determined by the environment you live in. A lot of people can suffer from depression due to subtle changes in the weather. Breathing in fresh air delivered by air purifiers enables you to maintain a positive mood.
When you’ve just had a bad day, coming back home and taking a sniff of that fresh can improve your mood significantly. Some air purifiers are equipped with ionizers that release negative ions that are released in the breathing. Breathing it in can reduce stress and help you sleep peacefully.
Cons
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Cannot Trap All the Particles
Air purifiers come with filters that are very efficient at trapping minute particles. However, they also have their limits. These filters can only trap particles that are above 0.3 microns. Certain viruses and allergens are way smaller than that and can easily sneak into the atmosphere.
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Noisy
Most air purifiers filter out the air using multiple fans that relentlessly spin inside it. This constant motion causes a sort of white noise that prevails whenever it’s on. The noise might be that noticeable during the day but can surely be unnerving in the quiet of the night.
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Suitable for Small Spaces
Due to the HEPA filters in air purifiers, they can only perform efficiently in small rooms. The filter sucks in the air from the entire room to purify it. If you install it in a large room, the device might not be as effective.
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Regular Maintenance
HEPA filters are designed to be dense and trap all the air pollutants. Due to the amount of dust and debris it collects every day, they need to be clean regularly. HEPA filters are also pretty expensive and often need to be replaced.
Humidifier
Cold climates are often associated with patchy skin, sore throat, static electricity, and chapped lips. Even confining yourself within your house may not prevent these issues. A large humidifier can raise the humidity level in your home automatically and maintain a steady temperature.
Pros
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Comfortable Environment
The Winter season is usually the favorite time of the year for most people. If you hate cold climates, it’s probably because of the runny nose and patchy skin caused by dry air. The lack of humidity can leave you in a state of discomfort for months.
In this regard, a whole-house humidifier can easily solve the problem. You can manually choose the humidity level and keep the house warm with just a push of a button. The humidifier will work efficiently to add moisture to the air. It makes the atmosphere more comfortable, so it feels like any other day of the year.
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Good for Plants
A lot of people like to plant flowers and other types of plants in their household. They can be an excellent addition to your house and make it seem livelier. Unfortunately, most of these plants are suited for tropical environments. They can be hard to maintain during the winter as they tend to wither away.
A humidifier can provide the exact level of humidity they need to thrive. Now you can protect your dear plants from seasonal changes and keep them happy!
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Saves Energy and Money
You might already know that the level of humidity in the air can determine how hot you feel. In colder areas, the humidity level drops below 23% during winter. Most people install heaters or use furnaces to raise the temperature.
At the same time, this level of comfort comes at a cost as it can hike up your electric bill. So, instead of relying on them, why not buy a humidifier. It only requires a limited amount of power to keep your house warm throughout the day. The temperature remains constant, and you don’t have to worry about the bill.
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Safe Electronics
If the air in your home is extremely dry, it can cause drapes to cling to each other or make your hair stand at the top of your head. But more importantly, static electricity can occasionally create sparks that can damage your computer or any other electronic device.
Keeping the humidity level stable will stop this from happening altogether.
Cons
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Excess Moisture
Yes, there is such a thing as excess moisture. According to your preference, the most comfortable humidity level lies between 50% and 45% (according to your preference). Some humidifiers can’t automatically regulate the humidity.
Besides, this can make you sweat and feel agitated. You can buy humidifiers equipped with humidistats, but they will cost you more.
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Needs Frequent Cleaning
If you let your humidifiers run for days on end without cleaning, it can cause serious problems. The water inside the humidifier goes stagnant, which can cause infectious diseases. Make sure you clean it regularly by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Bacteria and Fungus
Not cleaning the filters and tanks regularly can turn the efficient humidifier into a medium for deadly diseases. An unhygienic humidifier is the perfect carrier of a particular form of bacteria that can cause pneumonia.
Other types of germs can also pass through the filter and enter your respiratory system. Therefore, you should always be the humidifier stays clean enough to serve its purpose.
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Noise
Humidifiers use the water running through the pipes in your house to convert it into a form of mist. This mist is then released into the atmosphere. There multiple mechanisms inside the humidifier that make this possible. Needless to say, this causes a constant noise in the background.
Conclusion
By now, you probably know how different an air purifier is from a humidifier. Although they do have some similarities, they still have different applications. An air purifier is designed to maintain a safe environment, prevent contamination of airborne disease, and also help reduce stress.
On the other hand, a humidifier is more effective at providing moisture to the air, keeping you warm in winter, and is also ideal for plant life. They are more suitable for large spaces, unlike air purifiers. Now you can assess all their uses and pick one according to your needs.
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