Air Purifier Vs Humidifier; What’s the Difference?

Air purifier vs humidifier; which one do you need? Both air purifiers and humidifiers play distinct roles in improving indoor air quality. The quality of indoor air that we breathe can have a significant impact on our health. To improve the quality of your indoor air, you need to buy an air purifier to clean the air and a humidifier to add moisture to your indoor air. If you don’t understand the difference between air purifiers and humidifiers, we shall have an air purifier vs humidifier comparison guide to help you understand how each of them works and which one to buy.

If you live or work in an environment that is prone to air pollution and dry air conditions, you will likely suffer from allergies and other respiratory conditions such as asthma. By knowing how air purifiers and humidifiers work, you will have an easier time deciding on which one to use in specific situations to achieve the recommended indoor air quality level for a healthy living environment.

What is the difference between an air purifier and a humidifier?

Air purifier

An air purifier cleans the indoor air by removing most of the prevalent airborne contaminants such as dust, pollen, smoke, mold, pet dander, VOCs, virus, and bacteria. There are different types of air purifiers in the market that use different air purification technologies.

Most of the common air purifiers are filter-based and they clean the indoor air by trapping air contaminants in an air filter. They include pre-filter, HEPA filter air purifiers, and Activated-carbon filter air purifiers.

For ionic air purifier models, they release negatively charged ions that attach themselves to positively-charged ions of the present air pollutants making them too heavy to float and they fall on the floor or surface.

How does an air purifier work?

An air purifier works by using a fan to draw the contaminated air inside the device where it passes through one or more air filters to trap the air contaminants before releasing the clean air back into the room for re-circulation. Different air filters have different potentials when it comes to trapping common indoor air pollutants of different sizes.

Air purifiers with True HEPA air filters can trap 99.9% of the common air particulates as small as 0.0 microns. If you are dealing with smoke and smelly odor problems, activated-carbon air filters are the most effective in cleaning your indoor air.

When should you use an air purifier?

The following are the kind of situations in which you are recommended to use an air purifier over a humidifier;

• If you suffer from allergies and other respiratory conditions such as asthma and allergy and they get worse every time you are inhaling polluted indoor air.
• If you live in an environment that is prone to air pollution, especially dust and smoke like in urban areas.
• If there is a big problem of constant smelly odors or smoke either from cooking, pet, mold, or nearby external sources which lower the quality of your indoor air.
• If there is a high prevalence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), viruses, and bacteria in your indoor air and you want to keep them at minimal levels.
• If you have a pet in your home and you want to reduce the amount of pet dander in your indoor air for cleaner air quality.

Benefits of using an air purifier in your home

It helps improve indoor air quality for better sleep, and comfort, as well as reduction of asthma attack risks by eliminating most of the allergen triggers such as dust and other prevalent air contaminants.

Air purifiers help eliminate harmful gasses and chemicals such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide from your indoor air which can lead to serious health effects if not controlled.

They help reduce the spread of most airborne diseases by trapping or destroying microscopic airborne pathogens such as bacteria and viruses thus, reducing the rate of infection.

Humidifier

A humidifier adds moisture to the air to increase the humidity levels in your indoor air. It releases evaporating steam or water vapor drawn from a tank to make the indoor air wetter. If you live in a dry environment and your respiratory system feels dry and irritated, you need to buy a humidifier device to maintain the recommended indoor air humidity levels in your home.

Humidifiers come in different types and depending on their functionality, you can be able to see the water vapor that is released into the air or not. If you are in an area that will demand the humidifier to keep working for longer hours, you need to monitor water levels at the tank reservoir regularly and refill it when necessary.

A humidifier needs to be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and mold which can lead to negative health impacts like respiratory irritation and illness.  

How does a humidifier work?

A humidifier works by running a fan that draws dry air inside the device and it goes through a wick filter which soaks water from the tank reservoir so that the dry air passing through it becomes moist. The humidified air is then released back into the room for re-circulation to increase the humidity levels.

When should you use a humidifier?

You should consider using a humidifier to improve your indoor air quality if;

• You live or work in an environment that is prone to dry air, especially in hot climatic conditions.
• During winter seasons you start suffering from dry skin and eyes as a result of too much exposure to dry air.
• You have breathing difficulties when you are exposed breathing dry air and the situation can only get better if the humidity levels in the indoor air are increased.

Types of humidifiers

There are 3 common types of humidifiers that you can get on the market today. They vary based on their different indoor air humidification methods. They include;

Steam humidifiers

A steam humidifier is also referred to as a vaporizer. It works by heating the water in the tank reservoir and distributing the warm moisture in the room in form of a warm stream. There are many portable steam humidifiers in the market today and they are affordable.

Evaporative humidifiers

An evaporative humidifier works by using the cold water stored in a reservoir where a wick filter absorbs the water. The dry indoor air is drawn to the humidifier device by a fan where it passes through the damp wick filter and becomes wetter before it’s released back into the room for re-circulation.

Ultrasonic humidifiers

They vibrate a metal diaphragm at an ultrasonic frequency to release water moisture in form of a cool fog to the indoor air thus increasing humidity levels. Ultrasonic humidifiers operate quietly with minimal noise levels.

Benefits of using a humidifier in your home

• A humidifier helps improve a dry air indoor environment making breaking easier and eliminating the risk of congestion, and irritation.
• It improves the overall respiratory health conditions as dry air creates a good environment for cold and flu to spread.
• Using a humidifier to add moisture to your indoor air reduces the risk of dry skin as dry indoor air can make your skin crack easily.

Air purifier vs humidifier FAQs

Air purifier vs humidifier; Wrapping up

So which is better? An air purifier or humidifier? The best answer will depend on the kind of indoor air quality problem that you are facing. If your problem is dry air, you need to buy a humidifier to help add moisture to your indoor air to increase humidity levels. On the other hand, if you are struggling with most air pollutants such as dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, odors, VOCs, and molds, an air purifier is the best choice.

However, if you have a challenge with dry air and at the same time air pollution is also a big concern, you can use a humidifier and air purifier in the same room to improve the quality of your indoor air.