Debunking Your Top 10 Most Common Humidifier Myths

Debunking Your Top 10 Most Common Humidifier Myths

If there is one household appliance that has “enjoyed" its fair share of myths, then it has to be the humidifier. Many people aren’t really sure about what humidifiers can or can't do and the impact of their use on the people and environment around them. In fact, the number of myths surrounding the use of this air moisturizer is just astonishing. While some of the myths could be partially true, others are either misconceptions or outright lies and can be easily debunked. Let us have a look at the TOP TEN of the most common below:

Myth #1: Using a Humidifier to Moisturize Your House Can Cure Your Allergy for Good!

This is actually false. Making a humidifier part of your home can only partially help relieve your allergy, not curing it for good. Air humidification can help soothe allergy symptoms by eradicating dust, mold, dust mites, pollen, mildew and other allergy causative. If you suffer from more severe allergies like hay fever, a humidifier can also help purify your household atmosphere by getting rid of air-borne irritants that might affect your eyes, nose, skin or throat. For allergy sufferers, cool mist humidifiers could be your best bet yet.

Myth #2: Humidifiers Can Get Rid of Your Wrinkles!

Trust me there are people who believe in this however ridiculous it may sound to some of us! Although humidifiers are known to do a lot of wonders for our skins, unfortunately, this isn't one of them. However, a humidifier can help prevent or at least slow the advent of wrinkles on your face. Dry air dries out, hardens and/or cracks your skin making wrinkles appear more prominent. By filling your room with nourishing moisture, the humidifier helps in smoothing out our skins and reducing the prominence of wrinkles.

Myth #3: With A Humidifier, You Don't Have To Ever Dust Again!

Adding a humidifier in your house doesn’t mean automatically retiring your feather dusters. One of the most common misconceptions about air humidifiers is that they lift off the dust from surfaces in your room and magically disappear it. If that was actually the case, then fans inside humidifiers would literally cause a dust storm and make allergies even worse. So, don’t be misguided. Always dust your home and stuff; your humidifier can only slow the accumulation of dust in the house.

Myth #4: Humidifiers Are Not Healthy for Newborns!

Actually, the opposite is true. Installing a humidifier in your baby's room is quite a healthy thing to do. With their much weaker immune systems, humidifiers can help babies by reducing germs, viruses and bacteria in the air. A newborn’s skin and respiratory system are also much more delicate and sensitive and can be easily affected by adverse temperature and humidity levels in the room. This appliance can, therefore, help protect the baby's skin, sooth flus and colds, prevent asthma and generally keep the room clean, moisturized and germ-free.

Myth #5: Humidifiers Can Kill Indoor Plants!

There may be some truth here, but this is often exaggerated. While too much humidity can make the tips of the leaves of indoor plants to turn brown, this is unlikely to lead to the death of the plants. One good thing with indoor plants is that many of them are from tropical climates where they are used to high levels of humidity. Again, if you properly regulate your appliance’s humidity levels, your indoor plants are good to go.

Myth #6: You Don't Have to Clean Your Humidifier!

Really? Yet another ridiculous myth, don’t you think? No appliance in your home is immune to dirt, not even the humidifier. Mineral deposits and gunk in your humidifier can be an ideal environment for germs and bacteria to thrive. To make it even worse, the humidifier may release these bacteria into the air and cause diseases. Consult your humidifier manual or talk to your seller on why, how and when to replace humidifier wicks, regular filtration of the water used, vinegar cleaning, etc.

Myth #7: Humidifiers Get Rid of All Odors in Your Home!

Funny enough, some people have been made to believe that installing a humidifier in their homes eliminates the need to bother with daily hygiene because the appliance can get rid of ALL odors in the room. While a humidifier is capable of taking care of most unwanted odors in your house, this doesn’t at all mean that you should ignore the cause of the odor altogether. Don't just leave rotting food in your kitchen or avoid cleaning your dog’s litter box hoping that the humidifier will take care of the odor problem for you because that is not the only problem you will be inviting. Remember bacteria and molds are also unwelcome!

Myth #8: Moisture Produced by a Humidifier Damage Wood Furniture!

In fact, the opposite may be true! Humidifiers may actually help your home’s wood floor and/or furnishing look and feel better. If the air is too dry, your wood furnishings could crack, lose their natural luster or have their joints weakened. On the other hand, too much humidity is also unhealthy because it may result in mildew. You, therefore, need to find your home’s perfect humidity temperature balance so as to keep your furniture and wooden floor preserved and beautiful all through.

Myth #9: Humidifiers Get Rid of Tobacco Smoke in the Air!

Well, even if a humidifier can help clear your room’s air of tobacco smoke, it mostly does so by helping get rid of the odors left floating about in the air when someone has been smoking. It actually doesn’t effectively remove the smoke itself. Although a humidifier can be useful in helping purify your room’s air if you are a smoker, allowing everyone to breathe easier, don’t choke everybody with tobacco smoke. Do your smoking away from the house if possible, especially if you have small kids and babies in there.

Myth #10: With a Humidifier, You Don't Have to Worry About Harmful Airborne Bacteria!

Although having a humidifier at home can help alleviate flus and colds, don’t count on it when it comes to killing bacteria for you. By adding moisture to your home’s air, a humidifier helps stop airborne germs in their tracks by often making them too heavy to float in the atmosphere. However, most of them may remain alive on the floor and other surfaces. You, therefore, need to take other hygiene measures as well.