The 8 Very Best Humidifiers
They’re the ones that are easiest to clean.
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Every home that uses heat should have at least one good humidifier on hand. That unplaceable feeling of staticky, irritated dryness could be banished forever so long as you find a machine you like using and don’t mind cleaning. It’s that latter point that separates a great one from the merely good enough.
Humidity is important, not just for comfort but for health. “When the humidity is low, dry environments cause skin to lose moisture” says Dr. Melissa K. Levin ofEntière Dermatology. “And that can then subsequently affect the skin barrier, leading to dryness, flakiness, and other irritation.” And it’s not just your external organs that are affected.Chad Kranakis a professional opera singer who attended college in Colorado for his singing. There, he quickly learned the value of all the humidity he’d taken for granted back home. “I was just always parched,” he says. “I didn’t have the necessary fluids on my vocal cords to make sound.” But he quickly found a solution in the form of a warm-mist humidifier, which he used every night to help his throat recover from the dryness of the day. “I think there was maybe like a night or two where it wasn’t working or something and I would notice it immediately.”
But not all humidifiers are created equal. Both Kranak and Levin cited ease of cleaning and maintenance as the main factor in what you should consider while shopping for the right one. After all, in order to fully serve their purpose, you’re meant to be running it 24/7, stopping only for refills. So any amount of grodiness gets amplified manyfold throughout your home’s ambient atmosphere if it’s not dealt with proactively. With that in mind, I set out to find a number of options to suit every need and budget that are capable of moistening your home’s air while being easy to clean and, ideally, nice to look at.
Updated on June 2, 2026
Our favorite humidifiers have been updated with the latest pricing and availability.
Our top picks
Whatwe’relookingfor
Capacity
You want something that’s going to last all day between refills — or at least all night. To that end, we’re looking for a capacity of at least three-liters or, better yet, over one gallon. Smaller options can be fine for specific applications — like bedside aromatherapy. But most people are better off going bigger, because that typically also means the hole for accessing and filling the reservoir will be big enough to stick your hand inside in order to get at every nook and crevice that mold or mildew could possibly take root in. You might be able to get away with a smaller-capacity model in a compact bedroom for use only at night, but the minor difference in footprint size is not typically worth the tradeoff of potentially running out of water in the middle of the night.
Type
There are good arguments to be made for evaporative and warm-mist humidifiers, but for most people, ultrasonic is the way to go. These humidifiers operate in near silence by vibrating a small pool of water until it vaporizes and is able to be dispersed out of a spout and off into your home’s atmosphere. The biggest downside to this approach is that anything that’s in the water will also go into the air, including naturally occurring minerals from your tap water and any residual dirt, grime, or funkiness that makes its way into — or grows inside — the unit. That’s why it’s so important to clean it regularly. “Not daily, but every other day,” according to Dr. Levin, adding that “weekly is the max.” As for the minerals, particularly mineral-heavy tap water can cause white dust to settle onto surfaces near the unit’s spout. You can get around it by using bottled water or reverse-osmosis-filtered water. Some units also come with optional cartridges that can mitigate this effect.
Warm-mist humidifiers work by heating water until it becomes steam, which is nice in cooler climates since adding humidity into already cold air can make it feel even colder. But even in these instances, we’d recommend turning up the thermostat over the additional and unnecessary risk of burning small kids or pets with steam. There’s also the lesser but non-zero risk of fire hazard anytime you’re combining continuous heat and electricity with materials like rugs or upholstery.
Evaporative humidification works by blowing air through a wicking medium that is moistened from a reservoir. If you’ve ever hang-dried your clothes in your apartment and noticed your skin was feeling extra dewy while this was going on, it’s basically the same thing. The downside here is that it requires a fan to work, which can be loud. Also, over time, the wicking material tends to attract dust bunnies and other debris from the surrounding areas that look so gross that it makes you never want to use the machine again once you’ve seen it. But the biggest advantage to this approach is that it’s impossible to overhumidify a space because the surrounding air has to be dryer than the wick in order to suck the moisture out of it (this is why air-drying clothes in a tropical climate can take so long, despite the heat and sunshine). As bad as dryness can be, overhumidification carries its own risks. “I grew up in Bangkok,” says Dr. Levin. “So the humidity factor there is usually 80 to 90 percent. And when you’re in these high-humid environments, you can get heat rashes, you can get fungal overgrowth, you can get excessive moisture and oil production.”
Humidistat
If you’re going to get an ultrasonic humidifier and you want to be sure you don’t over-humidify, make sure you choose one that has a built-in humidistat. It does what you think it does: maintain a specific, user-determined level of humidity by turning the mechanism off and on according to what it’s reading. “For normal, healthy skin, you look for an ideal range anywhere between like 40 to 60 percent,” says Dr. Levin. You can definitely experiment within that range to find what works best for you, but the important thing is to not go too far above 60 percent. That’s when the fungal overgrowth starts coming into play.
Dimmable display
If one of these is going in the bedroom, and it should, then you don’t want to be staring all night at an illuminated display. It’s not always easy to determine if you’re going to be able to fully dim the lights on any given unit from reading the spec sheet, but all of our picks have this feature.
Smart features
Many humidifiers are app-connected, but I didn’t bother installing any apps, and neither should you. I can’t think of any reason why being able to access my humidifier from the cloud would be worth giving away my own data.
Best humidifier overall
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Capacity:6L |Type:Ultrasonic |Humidistat:Yes |Dimmable display:Yes |Smart features:Yes
When I reached out to Dreo for advice on what to test, I had in mind a different model with a four-liter capacity that came highly recommended from other reviewers. But the company was adamant that this newer, biggerHM524Swas the one to look at because it was new. While I am typically skeptical of such claims, I thought,Why not give it a go — I can always buy the smaller one if this one is a dud.To my complete surprise, this was by far my favorite ultrasonic unit out of all the ones tested.
In addition to nailing the table stakes as far as capacity, humidistat, and a dimmable display, its capacious reservoir is easy to refill from the top — and can be removed to bring to the sink if you prefer that route. There are few sharp corners to impede your dutiful cleaning routine and even fewer pieces to have to take apart. It produces a thicker, more robust stream of vapor than any other unit I tested that is also easy to direct in any direction you want it to go. There’s even anoptional mineral-filtration cartridgeas well as a separate little tray for essential oils if you want to enhance your home’s scent and vibes in addition to its ambient humidity. And even though I usually detest the LED ambient lighting features on these things, I have to admit that the way they’ve implemented it here with the light-up column in the middle looks pretty nifty when it’s on (which is almost never in my household). The only nit I have to pick is its lack of a warm-mist feature — which is now available on Dreo’s higher-end models — but that oversight is acceptable at this price.
That it does all this at almost half the price of some of its competitors is frankly astonishing. In all my years of reviewing home appliances, this might be the best bang-for-the-buck unit I have ever laid hands on.
Best humidifier with warm mist
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Capacity:8L |Type:Ultrasonic |Humidistat:Yes |Dimmable display:Yes |Smart features:Yes
The HM717S builds on everything I love about my best-overall pick by adding a highly effective warm-mist setting (it begins working immediately and comes to full temperature within 8 minutes) and increasing the reservoir capacity by 33 percent.
Like all warm-mist ultrasonic humidifiers, it produces a gentle burbling noise when warming is activated, which I personally find soothing. Otherwise, it performs much like its smaller sibling. It’s whisper-quiet and easy to clean — each part that needs attention can be disassembled for easy access. It features a large reservoir opening that can be refilled while running or lifted and carried to the sink via a folding handle. And it produces a thick, wide, and adjustable column of mist. It also has an essential-oil tray and acceptsoptional demineralization cartridgesto mitigate white powder and scaling issues that may occur in areas with hard water.
The HM717S’s increased capacity means it can run for up to 80 hours between refills depending on the conditions. I ran it continuously in my office with the hygrostat set to a reasonable 60 percent, and it went for four days before needing to be refilled. I could’ve extended this further by using the well-designed Dreo companion app’s scheduler to make it only run during work hours. You would think that its capacity of over two gallons would make it feel huge, but its footprint is only about an inch wider than its smaller sibling, and it’s only two inches taller. It can look a bit obtrusive when all the lights are on, but I found it blended nicely into the backdrop with the display disabled.
Easiest-to-clean humidifier
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Capacity:4.2L |Type:Ultrasonic |Humidistat:Yes (no display) |Dimmable display:N/A |Smart features:No
The Carepod Cube Plus X50V is about as close to an ideal ultrasonic humidifier as you can find today. This dentist-developed machine is the latest in a line of home humidifiers that adds an automatic humidistat (there’s no display but holds relative humidity between 40 to 60 percent) and a self-sanitizing mode to an already excellent design. It has warm and cool mist settings, a totally dishwasher-safe stainless-steel interior, and humidifies spaces as large as 700 square feet with a torrent of mist evoking a medieval dragon — observably thicker than the Levoit’s and seemingly a bit denser than the Dreo’s. Although its 4.2 L capacity lasts up to 32 hours on the lowest of three settings, that’s only useful in the smallest rooms. When I refilled the unit around 8 p.m. and set it on high, it had stopped running for some time by the time I returned downstairs at 6:45 a.m.
Night mode, which turns off all the LEDs, is activated by holding the Timer/Night button. And you can choose between a four-, six-, and eight-hour timed humidification setting by tapping that same button. Warm mist is activated or deactivated with a single tap of the far-right button, and sanitize mode is activated by a press and hold of that same button. In this mode, the machine will run until it’s low on water, at which point, it will heat itself up to a temperature (not specified in the manual) that is hot enough to kill off any mold, bacterial, or fungal development. Pretty nifty.
Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio is a big fan of Carepod’s ultrasonic humidifier and its easy-to-clean stainless-steel reservoir. “It’s basically like a mini-stockpot that lifts out to fill, so it’s naturally less prone to germs because it’s stainless steel and dishwasher-safe,” she says. (The only part that has to be hand-washed is a small plastic oscillator; the rest of the reservoir can go in the dishwasher.) Since the humidifier is ultrasonic, there’s also no need to buy or replace filters. You could get away with the smaller, slightly more affordable Carepod One in a room that’s smaller than 500 square feet, but again, the lack of humidistat-powered Auto mode is a bit of a tricky proposition for an already spendy device.
Best humidifier for larger spaces
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Capacity:7.6L |Type:Evaporative |Humidistat:Yes |Dimmable display:Yes |Smart features:Yes
The fan that an evaporative humidifier uses to blow dry air over a wet wick also helps disperse moisture more evenly throughout a larger space. It won’t produce an impressive plume of mist like an ultrasonic model, but that doesn’t mean it’s not working. I’ve been using the Blueair Dreamwell in my living room and adjoining sunroom (about 450 square feet combined) for two months now, and I find it makes the whole area perceptibly less dry within a few minutes of being refilled and turned on. Even when it’s well below freezing outside and the wood pellet stove is running at full tilt, it can increase relative humidity by up to 10 percent after 30 minutes or so. The one-gallon Dreamwell I tested lasts over a day between refills — more if I remember to turn it off when I’m not in the room, or if I use the Blueair app to schedule when it runs. I also appreciate that when I forget to refill it in time, it automatically activates a wick-drying mode that protects the wick from mildew.
On its highest of three fan settings, the Dreamwell is only as loud as other evaporative humidifiers’ medium settings. It doesn’t produce the burbling sounds that ultrasonic humidifiers often do, and the gentle whooshing doesn’t distract from conversations or watching TV. If your home is feeling particularly dry, I’d recommend running it at a higher steady fan speed instead of automatic mode, which favors lower, quieter fan speeds over slightly louder, more humidifying modes.
Compared to other evaporative humidifiers I’ve used, the Dreamwell is easier to fill and clean. Its LED screen displays a red droplet with an X through it to indicate when it needs to be filled. The entire top panel serves as a funnel, directing water into the reservoir without interfering with the fan, so it can be filled while running — unlike Blueair’s other evaporative humidifier, the InvisibleMist. The screen flashes an orange droplet with an X in it to tell you when to stop pouring. Alternatively, you can remove the reservoir and carry it to the sink by the convenient folding handle for faster refilling. The reservoir, which Blueair recommends cleaning weekly, has a wide opening that’s easy to reach into and wipe down in a few quick strokes. It’s also dishwasher safe. Similarly, thereplaceable wickis machine-washable and only needs to be swapped out annually. Finally, Blueair recommends soaking the pump in a dilutecitric-acid solutionevery so often to prevent scale buildup (once or twice per winter should be plenty, unless you have exceptionally hard tap water).
Best hybrid air purifier and humidifier
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Capacity:3L |Type:Evaporative |Humidistat:Yes |Dimmable display:Yes |Smart features:Yes
This combination Blueair unit is neither the best humidifier nor thebest air purifier, but it’s decent at both tasks, making it a good value overall. You could get a separate air purifier and humidifier of comparable capabilities for about half the price. Still, the convenience of having everything in one package is worth the premium for some scenarios — such as a nursery or bedroom with limited floor or table space.
The rather tall Blueair is about the size of a skinny kitchen trash can and has a removable three-liter reservoir at its bottom. However, it’s meant to be refilled at the top. You pour water from a pitcher or kettle directly over the waterproof control panel, and it drains down a pipe into the reservoir below, making a rainstick noise as it does so. It’s a bit unsettling at first, but once you get used to it, it’s pretty convenient. Three liters is not very much, so you’ll have to do refill it at least every other day depending on how dry the room is. Its HEPA filters are located above the reservoir, surrounding the humidifying wick. Both of these need to be replaced approximately every six months. The accompanying app tracks their lifespans and can remind you to order new ones when the time comes.
Best portable humidifier
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Capacity:0.33L |Type:Ultrasonic |Humidistat:No |Dimmable display:N/A |Smart features:No
No humidifier of this size will be capable of increasing the relative humidity in a whole room, but if you want something to provide a personal pocket of humidity around your office desk, hotel night stand, or even in your car, the Hey Dewy Wireless Facial Humidifier is a good bet. Its eight-hour maximum run time, cupholder compatibility, and premium-feeling rubberized exterior earn it high praise from user reviewers, and it even has a replaceablewicking filterthat keeps excess minerals from turning into white dust on your desktop. Like larger ultrasonic humidifiers, it does produce a soft hum, but it’s much quieter than any fan-based device. There’s also a gentle nightlight that can be activated with a two-second extended press of the power button.
One quirk of the Hey Dewy compared to most ultrasonic humidifiers is that the wick needs to soak for five minutes after refilling before it’s ready to generate mist. Also, in practice, you only get six hours of run time if you use it on the default continuous setting. Eight hours is possible when using the intermittent mode, which turns it on and off every few seconds. This is fine for occasional travel, but not ideal for nightly use at home — for which I’d recommend any of the other picks from this review. While it is possible to use the Wireless Facial Humidifier while charging to extend its run time, Hey Dewy said in an email that doing this regularly may prematurely degrade the battery’s health.
As for maintenance, it takes about 4.5 hours to charge in full via the included USB-C cable. Hey Dewy recommends emptying the unit of any excess water every day, scrubbing the spout once a week with a small brush, and replacing the filter every four to six months.
Best humidifier for aromatherapy
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Canopy Bedside Humidifier 2.0
Capacity:2.5L |Type:Evaporative |Humidistat:No |Dimmable display:N/A |Smart features:No
Canopy’s Bedside humidifier was designed from the ground up to sit on your nightstand and become a part of your nighttime routine — it even runs off of USB-C power. If that’s what you’re using it for, then it’s perfect. While we usually recommend ultrasonic models for their silent operation and greater output, that output can be a little much if it’s sitting on your nightstand right next to your face while you sleep. The Canopy’s gentle fan is not too loud, and it comes with a cute little aromatherapy ceramic tile with a matching tray that you can drip your favorite essential oils onto, or you can use the bergamot-forward scent blend that comes with it. It’s a nice little touch that makes the whole experience feel a little extra special. The biggest downside of evaporative humidifiers is having to regularly change out the wick and remembering that it needs to happen, but Canopy makes it easy to subscribe to all the parts you need at the cadence that you need them. Although version 1.0 had a small reservoir opening that made it impossible to stick your hand inside for thorough cleaning, the 2.0 version has a larger opening that addresses this issue — in addition to a quieter, larger fan — and is constructed using more antimicrobial materials.
Best humidifier to buy in a pinch
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Capacity:4.7L |Type:Ultrasonic |Humidistat:No |Dimmable display:N/A |Smart features:No
Let me be frank: There is no reason to buy this thing if you can wait a few days for one of our other picks. It’s as good as any other for humidifying a space, but unlike the others, it makes a consistent burbling noise that can be quite irritating. There’s also no display to dim — though the ambient LED lighting can be turned off. The stream of vapor that comes out the top on the highest setting is not quite as strong as the Dreo’s or the Levoit’s. But it’s good enough. You also don’t want it to be too strong because it doesn’t have a humidistat. You have to manually turn it on or off — though it will automatically shut down if it’s empty. As I said, every other option on this list is a better pick. But if you need a humidifier now within driving distance, this thing is better than the others I’ve picked up in the past when faced with this same situation.
Our experts
• Chad Kranak,opera singer
• Dr. Melissa K. Levin, dermatologist atEntière Dermatology
• Jen Trolio, Strategist senior editor
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