While both are effective in adding moisture to the air, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the use of a cool mist humidifier. Vaporizers can cause burns if your child gets too close to the steam or if they accidentally hit a device filled with hot water. Both humidifiers and vaporizers can make the home more comfortable by relieving excess mucus, dry skin, chapped lips, and sore throat. They can be useful for people with allergies.
A cool mist humidifier or steam vaporizer can help with cold and flu congestion alike. Why? The benefit comes from moisture reaching the nostrils and irritated lungs. In general, humidifiers do this by creating mist from cold water. Vaporizers, on the other hand, heat water to create a vaporization process.
Vaporizers are designed to increase the humidity in your home similar to humidifiers. Steam vaporizers tend to use more electricity than cool mist humidifiers, since more energy is needed to boil water in the tank. If your goal is to reduce electricity consumption or lower your monthly bill, a steam vaporizer may not be the best option. Unlike humidifiers, vaporizers can be used to administer medications and relieve symptoms of the common cold.
And because vaporizers use heat to boil water and release steam, you're less likely to spread mold and bacteria throughout your home. Humidifiers release vapors, while vaporizers let out hot steam. Therefore, humidifiers can have a cooling effect in your room. On the other hand, vaporizers can also make your space feel a little damp and swampy.
If you are looking for relief from dry skin and nose, chest congestion, and coughing through a natural solution that is relatively inexpensive, both cold steam vaporizers and steam vaporizers are a good choice during the dry months of the coming winter. That said, the steam produced by steam vaporizers can be more hygienic, since the water is boiled before leaving the machine. While steam from a vaporizer cools to a comfortable level when it touches the room, steam vaporizers are not recommended in homes with babies, young children, or pets. Because steam vaporizers boil water in steam to increase RH, they kill bacteria, mold, or any other contaminants that form in the water tank.
