The Best Whole-House Humidifiers of 2022

If you've lived anywhere with cold temperatures or low humidity, you've probably noticed a moisture imbalance in your home. Cold weather often makes the air feel drier when you breathe it in, and it can leave your skin feeling cracked from the lack of moisture. The worst part about these drastic changes in humidity is that they often lead to health consequences. The good news? You can avoid them by using a whole-house humidifier to add warm or cool mist to your home.

Having a humidifier in your home can help balance out the moisture level no matter the temperature or humidity. Besides preventing illness and helping your family breathe more easily, humidifiers can even keep your furniture in top shape. And, in contrast to an ultrasonic or evaporative humidifier, with a whole-house humidifier, you never have to worry about lugging around a 'portable' humidifier from room to room. No matter the size, layout, or number of floors your house has, one of these top 12 best humidifiers can help you breath easy year-round.

With tons of options to choose from, we narrowed down the best whole house humidifiers with the top performance for any home size and location. We wanted to offer a variety of features so that you're guaranteed to find one that's perfect for your home. Here are the main factors we took into account when selecting the best whole house humidifier:

• ​Size​: If it's not built into the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, chances are the humidifier will need to sit in a central location in order to effectively cover your entire home. We made sure to include a variety of sizes and styles on our list so you could find the humidifier that best fits your desired aesthetic.
• ​Features​: Whether or not you have to check the water tank levels or filters every few days, we wanted to make sure some essential features came with every unit: a digital display and automatic shutoff for optimum water use. Other features we considered were the inclusion of separate humidistats, smart connectivity, and ease of mobility.
• ​Price​: When it comes to the best home humidifiers, you might prefer one within a certain budget, or you might be ready to splurge on a well-known brand. While most of the humidifiers on this list fall within a reasonable price range, we added a few stand-outs for anyone searching for one on either end of the spectrum.

1. Honeywell Home HE280A Whole-House Humidifier
2. Objecto H7 Ultrasonic Humidifier
3. AIRCARE Digital Whole-House Pedestal-Style Evaporative Humidifier
4. AIRCARE 696 400HB Whole-House Credenza Evaporative Humidifier
5. Aprilaire 800 Whole Home Steam Humidifier
6. BONECO H300 Hybrid Humidifier Air Purifier
7. AIRCARE Valiant Digital Whole-House Console-Style Evaporative Humidifier
8. AIRCARE 831000 Space-Saver, Whole-House Humidifier
9. AIRCARE MA1201 Console Evaporative Humidifier
10. Aprilaire 700 Whole-Home Humidifier
11. Hamilton Whole-House Furnace Mount Humidifier
12. Condair HumiLife Residential Whole-House Humidifier

The Honeywell Home HE280A Whole-House Humidifier is a warm mist, fan-powered humidifier that can be installed directly into the HVAC system in your home. Using a detailed instruction manual, you'll likely be able to install it yourself and on your own time. After installation, the machine can be easily monitored and adjusted with the humidistat controller that you can place wherever is most convenient.

This humidifier includes a featured water-saving technology to optimize water usage, as well as a PerfectFLO water distribution tray to make any water changes easier on the homeowner. Honeywell Home's products require less maintenance than some of its competitors, and every humidifier comes with a one-year warranty.

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This electric, four-pound cool mist ultrasonic humidifier has a sleek, modern, and bright white aesthetic. It's tall and thin, and has a unique shape, and because of this, you can count on it to fit in any area of the house.

Objecto's H7 Ultrasonic Humidifier also has three different settings and can cool down a room size between 500 and 800 square feet. After filling it up with water, it'll last up to 22 hours, and on the off chance that it doesn't live up to your expectations, you can find comfort in its one-year limited warranty.

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The AIRCARE Digital Whole-House Humidifier is a pedestal-style unit that can be placed anywhere and emits a cool mist to balance the moisture in your home. With a modern, sleek black design, this humidifier can camouflage itself into any home layout. The digital control system is built into the unit, and it also has an easy-fill water compartment on the side.

This humidifier holds three gallons of water at a time, powered by a nine-speed fan. The machine will automatically shut off when it's reached the optimum humidity level, and the digital read-out display allows you to adjust the level accordingly.

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Similar to the AIRCARE Digital but with a classic new look, the Credenza Evaporative Humidifier stands alone and delivers up to 45 hours worth of humidity balance at a time. With refill indicators readily accessible and 5.6-gallon bottles that have an easy-fill spout, this humidifier just needs a check every couple of days. The Credenza includes a new humidistat that maintains humidity levels automatically by only running when you need it.

This humidifier is powered by a nine-speed fan that puts out a cool mist to humidify your entire home. The stylish build will naturally blend in with any home style. At 23 pounds, it's light enough to be moved if necessary, but heavy enough to ensure it won't tip over.

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Aprilaire has been a trusted household brand since 1954, and it's known for producing one of the first steam humidifiers with electrode technology — meaning no water is required. The Aprilaire 800 Whole Home Steam Humidifier runs automatically and connects directly to your home's HVAC system.

This humidifier includes dual sensors to monitor humidity levels both indoors and outdoors so your home is always at the optimum comfort level. With automatic sensors and a digital display, you can simply set it and forget it. It's delivered to your home with all the pieces you need, along with detailed instructions for an easy DIY installation.

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This three-in-one humidifier, air purifier, or both, provides the humidity you need to breathe more easily. And, at the same time, it cleanses the air of contaminants, odors, and allergy-causing pollen.

The six different performance settings and presets, such as Auto, Sleep, and Baby profiles can help improve your or your newborn's sleeping habits. This humidifier is also particularly quiet, which will also prevent a disruptive night's sleep. It even comes with a compartment that you can fill up with essential oils and aromas like sage or lavender for a fresh and calming room scent.

Other perks? The control knob is easy to use, it has an automatic shut-off option, and the clean-up process is simple since all of the parts are dishwasher and washing machine safe. Let's not forget that the BONECO app will guide you through the set-up and use processes and will provide you with real-time measurements.

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In AIRCARE fashion, this console-style humidifier fits well in any home and is easy to maintain. With its smaller size and longer run-time, the Valiant Console-Style Humidifier out-performs some of the other humidifiers on our list while also taking up less space.

This humidifier holds 5.7 gallons of water at a time and is powered by a nine-speed fan, giving off a cool mist. It has a digital humidistat that automatically adjusts and turns off when necessary, and the built-in digital display helps you monitor it easily. The modern look of this humidifier will easily blend with any design aesthetic no matter where you choose to set it up.

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For smaller homes or homeowners who prefer getting the cleanest air by having the humidifier in the room with you, this is one of the few humidifiers on our list that can easily be transported. Whether it's an extra dry day and you need a boost of cool mist, or your home is small enough so that you don't need one of those bulky units, the AIRCARE Space-Saver works wonders and is more powerful than it looks.

This humidifier has digital controls and a built-in humidistat so you can monitor and change the levels at any time. The large water reservoir means longer run times and fewer trips to the sink to fill it up. The unit only weighs 14 pounds, and the built-in caster wheels make it even easier to transport throughout your home.

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As one of the smallest and lightest units on our list that includes caster wheels, the AIRCARE MA1201 Humidifier is one of the most mobile humidifiers on the market while still being high-functioning. Its range is up to 3,600 square feet, and just one tank can last a day and a half without needing to be refilled.

Like other AIRCARE humidifiers, this humidifier has a digital humidistat to automatically maintain its water vapor output while also optimizing energy and water usage. Similar to an air purifier, its evaporative wick traps unwanted debris and minerals and makes cleaning the machine hassle-free.

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With the ease of a built-in unit and the natural evaporation process of a water humidifier, the Aprilaire 700 combines the best of both of worlds. The evaporating technology uses the heat from your HVAC unit to evaporate the water from your water line and circulate the perfect level of warm mist throughout your home.

This humidifier has a built-in fan that pulls air directly from your home's furnace. A digital humidistat can be placed anywhere in your home to monitor and control as you please. With such wide coverage, the Aprilaire 700 is perfect for large homes or spacious ranch layouts.

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The Hamilton Furnace Mount Humidifier is made to connect directly to your home's furnace or any forced-air heating appliance. Its lightweight build makes it easy to install, especially in any higher-up or hard-to-reach locations, but it's best to have it professionally installed.

Hamilton humidifiers are known for using 80% less water than its leading competitors. The unit includes a humidistat for full control and monitoring purposes. All things considered this humidifier is well worth the surprisingly lower price tag for the power it gives and the warm mist it emits.

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With today's technology, a humidifier with Smart connectivity is an easy choice, especially for those who already have a Smart home. The Smart connectivity allows you to control the room's humidity level from the touch of your phone. While this extra perk does come with a jump in price, the opportunity to control the humidity from your home anytime, anywhere makes the Condair HumiLife Humidifier worth it.

This Smart humidifier maintains humidity levels at the optimum amount for health and comfort 24/7. It has an auto-adaptive control technology that creates steam and filters out any harmful minerals. The Condair Smart app gives you full remote control to change and monitor levels whether you're at home or on the go.

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The first thing to consider when looking for a humidifier is how it's powered and where it needs to be located to run efficiently in your home. Certain types of humidifiers like bypass or furnace-mounted humidifiers will need to connect directly to a heat source in order to work properly. Other kinds like fan-powered or steam humidifiers can run on their own.

While most whole-house humidifiers have a wide range, whether they're built-in or stand-alone units, you'll want to consider the range of the unit and whether or not you want to be able to move it from room to room. Normally, the types of humidifiers that require more maintenance come at a lower cost, but they can also take up more space in the house. Other things to consider are how much noise it produces, the power source, the quality of water required, the water tank size, and how often they should be run.

Whole-house humidifier units that are cleaned regularly and use a high-quality water source can last around 10 to 15 years. If a unit has not had regular maintenance or it has inconsistent or failing technology, you'll want to have it replaced. To keep it functioning correctly, be sure to monitor and change any filters regularly and always use clean, quality water.

Whole-house humidifiers can make your home more comfortable to live in and also offer major health benefits. Regularly filtering the air in your home and maintaining optimum humidity levels can clean out unwanted dust or pollen that causes allergies, triggers asthma, or spreads germs to others. There are other smaller benefits, too. For example, sleeping with a humidifier can have huge benefits for your hair by creating prime conditions for avoid frizz and enhance hair strength.

Humidifiers are often differentiated by their power or heat source, completely different from ultrasonic humidifiers or evaporative humidifiers. For example, bypass humidifiers are powered by hot-air appliances, such as the furnace in your home. Fan-powered humidifiers usually have a built-in fan to power them. Steam humidifiers run electrically and create their power source from water that's boiled within the unit.

The important things to consider when choosing a whole-house humidifier are the square footage of range it needs to cover and whether or not you want it installed in your HVAC system or as a stand-alone unit. While built-in units require less maintenance overall, stand-alone units can be easily moved if you rent or move often.

The best way to tell if your home needs a whole-house humidifier is to notice if anyone in the home has irritable symptoms often caused by dry air. These often include dry skin, itchy eyes or scalps, dry or scratchy throats, or even nose bleeds. For anyone who suffers from allergies caused by dust or pollen, humidifiers can help significantly decrease their discomfort at home by filtering the air and keeping it clean.

Some features to look out for in whole-house humidifiers are their range, how often it needs maintaining or how often the water needs to be refilled, whether or not it has a humidistat for monitoring and changing humidity levels, whether or not it's portable, and what power source it needs to run smoothly.