Humidifier and Dehumidifier Buying Guide

Humidifier vs. Dehumidifier: Which Do You Need?

What is a dehumidifier?

A dehumidifier is an electrical cooling appliance that removes moisture from the air in an enclosed space. Dehumidifiers prevent the growth of mildew and bacteria, inhibit pests like millipedes and cockroaches from infesting a building, and can be used with an air conditioner or fan to help make a space more comfortable overall.

According to EnergyStar.gov, a building's optimum humidity ranges from 30% to 50%. Anything above that range promotes bacterial and fungal growth and encourages humidity-loving pests to infiltrate the building.

The following are signs that a building or room would benefit from a dehumidifier:

• A musty odor (often this smell is strongest in basements)
• Peeling wallpaper
• Wooden doors and furniture that are warped or sticking
• Cold-water pipes dripping with condensation
• Body perspiration builds up on the skin and clothes rather than evaporating
• Your skin feels clammy while in the room
• You or another person suffer from mold, mildew, or dust mite allergies

How Dehumidifiers Work

Dehumidifiers extract water from the air that passes through the appliance. There are two main types of dehumidifiers: compressor and desiccant. Desiccant dehumidifiers are primarily used for large industrial operations. Compressor dehumidifiers are the type used for commercial and residential needs, and that's what we have at Sam's Club.

Compressor dehumidifiers are the most popular type of dehumidifier because they are portable, efficient, and affordable. Compressor dehumidifiers have a cold internal surface where moist air lands, creating condensation. This condensation, commonly called "greywater," is collected within a plastic bucket inside the dehumidifier and can be manually emptied or pumped out through a hose. Typically, dehumidifiers come with an automatic shut off to prevent overflow from the water tank.

Sam's Club offers compressor dehumidifier models that collect between 30 and 140 pints of moisture per day. Whether you are looking for a dehumidifier for a smaller room, or one for large rooms or commercial spaces, Sam's Club provides some of the best options for you.

How to Choose a Dehumidifier

Price range from about $170 to $1,000, depending on the size and features of the appliance. A dehumidifier with a lower price point will generally be a smaller portable dehumidifier. They draw out less moisture per day than more expensive models. Smaller dehumidifiers will also require less voltage to run. Regardless of size, look into a certified Energy Star dehumidifier to save money due to energy efficiency. Larger and more expensive dehumidifiers are suited for larger spaces and often come with their own auto-defrost capabilities.

To determine which size dehumidifier is best for you, you will want to know the square footage of your space and also consider exactly how damp the space is.

• Is the space slightly damp with an occasional musty smell?
• Is the space moderately damp and often musty?
• Is the space very damp, so that you feel dampness upon entering and see some damp spots on the walls or floors?
• Is the space wet, with the sensation of dampness, visible mold, and seepage in the walls or floors?

Here are some guides on room size:

• 300 square feet small spaces require a 30- to 45-pint portable dehumidifier.
• 500 square feet require removal of 40 to 60 pints of moisture.
• 700 square feet require a home dehumidifier removing 50 to 70 pints.
• 1,000 square feet, you'll want a 60 to 70 pint Energy Star dehumidifier.
• 1,500 square feet or more, you will need a dehumidifier with a retention capacity of at least 70 pints of water and up to or exceeding 90 pints.

All of the dehumidifiers available at Sam's Club have auto shutoff functions once their water tanks reach capacity or once the programmed humidity level has been reached.

Brands of Dehumidifiers Available at Sam's Club

• Frigidaire
• Keystone
• MaxxAir
• Whynter

The members-only prices at Sam's Club make these brands great alternatives to brands like Danby, Honeywell, Eva-dry and Homelabs.

What is a Humidifier?

A humidifier is an electric appliance that adds moisture to the air. Humidifiers protect dry skin and breathing from irritating, dry air and can help ease some allergy, cold or flu symptoms. In the winter when the air is drier, or in summer months when air conditioners may take away too much of a room's moisture, humidifiers are great tools for balancing a room's humidity.

How does a humidifier work?

Humidifiers emit water as a cool mist or warm steam. The water is stored in their built-in, refillable water tanks and can be filtered with an ionizer before emission.

Ultrasonic humidifiers create water vapor by emitting near-silent sound waves into their water tanks. The vibrating waves break apart the water molecules, and the molecules are eventually emitted as a cool mist. These ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers are great basic humidifiers.

Ionic mist humidifiers are similar to ultrasonic humidifiers, except they also come with an ionizer, which acts as a filtering agent. PureGuardian humidifiers, for example, use a micro-silver technology, embedding silver into their water tanks to fight bacterial growth. Some ionizers are built into humidifiers as electrostatically charged plates that effectively reduce bacteria in the air.

Evaporative humidifiers use wicks to absorb water from the tank, and fans to evaporate the air from the high-surface-area of the wick.

How to Choose a Humidifier

While there are many different humidifiers to choose from, it is recommended to purchase one that comes with some type of ionic or antibacterial technology in order to maintain the best air quality in your space. Whether or not a humidifier comes with an air purifier, regularly replace the humidifier's filter and clean its water tank to prevent mold or bacteria growth in the appliance.

The right size humidifier for you has everything to do with how much space you are working with and how long you want the appliance to run.

Lower Price humidifiers at SamsClub.com generally have smaller water tanks. Smaller portable humidifiers are better suited to a single room, of small or medium room size. For example, the Ionic Mist Humidifier with a water tank size of one quart is capable of increasing the humidity of rooms about 200 square feet.

Depending on the speed and vapor output of a humidifier, a small humidifier can run anywhere from eight to 70 hours before shutting off.

The larger console humidifiers that Sam's Club offers include the BONECO S450 Deluxe Steam Humidifier, which comes with a 3.5-gallon tank and can run for 24 hours. This humidifier can cover floors of an entire house up to 860 square feet.

Brands of Humidifiers Available at Sam's Club

• Advanced Pure Air
• Boneco
• PureGuardian

These are great alternatives to brands like Vornado and Vicks.

FAQ - Dehumidifiers and Humidifiers

Can a humidifier make you sick?

While cool mist ultrasonic humidifiers work to reduce the symptoms of chronic asthma or allergies, using a humidifier too frequently, or at too high of a vapor output, can cause problems.

Too much humidity in a room creates a breeding ground for bacteria and mold growth. Excess humidity can eventually cause damage to the room and furniture, and can negatively impact a person's respiratory health. Most humidifiers should be cleaned every week or so using mild soap, water, and diluted white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Specifications for cleaning differs slightly across individual humidifier brands.

Do humidifiers help with coughing?

If you have asthma or allergies, it is recommended to speak with your doctor before purchasing a humidifier to make sure it is the right choice for you.

In general, increased humidity can ease the breathing of individuals with dry coughs. Those who are experiencing respiratory infections from the common cold may find that humidifiers help loosen their congestion.

Is it good to sleep with a humidifier?

Yes, sleeping with a properly-maintained humidifier running in the room can improve the air quality and your quality of rest. The extra humidity can prevent dry coughing at night and allow for more open nasal passages.

Which is better cool or warm mist humidifier?

This decision depends on whether you have children, active pets, and how big your space is.

Cool mist humidifiers generally use less electricity than warm mist humidifiers. Because they don't use hot water to create their mist, they are safer to have around children and pets who may knock over the humidifier or burn themselves on the steam. Cool mist humidifiers can be somewhat noisy, however, and they might make the room feel slightly more chill.

Warm mist humidifiers can be quieter than cool mist humidifiers because they lack an internal fan. They also boil the water in their tanks before misting it, which kills any bacteria and mold before it would become airborne. This boiling water, however, can create a burn hazard if someone were to touch the mist or water tank directly.

Warm mist humidifiers are generally better suited to smaller spaces, such as a bedroom or an office. They can also be more expensive than cool mist humidifiers.

What is the best dehumidifier for a damp basement?

Since a basement is often the dampest place in a home, the best dehumidifier for the task should have a high-capacity water tank. Depending on the dampness level of the basement, a dehumidifier with a 65-to-70-pint tank capacity would be a solid choice.

Sam's Club proudly offers multiple 70-pint dehumidifiers from Frigidaire, Keystone, and Whynter.

Where is the best place to put a dehumidifier in a house?

Put your dehumidifier in the dampest or most humid room in your house, such as a basement, crawl space, laundry room, or bathroom. The dehumidifier will need to be placed in an appropriate area in the room in order to function properly, so take care to follow all set-up instructions in the manual.

Dehumidifiers with top-mounted air discharges can be placed up against the wall. Otherwise, dehumidifiers need to have open space all around them to ensure the best air circulation. While the appliance is running, doors and windows should remain closed. Make sure to keep the dehumidifier away from sources of dust, dirt, or debris, which can clog the machine.

Finally, if you will be using a hose to drain the water tank, make sure the dehumidifier is located near a tub, sink, floor drain or sump.