Put an End to Chapped Lips and Pained Nostrils With the Best Humidifiers

This is an ideal air purifier and humidifier for a small room no bigger than 300 square feet. The 2-in-1 uses HEPA and carbon filters to pull both PM 2.5 and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air. There’s an air sensor that corresponds with the purifier’s indicator light. Blueair has custom light codes that I find confusing: blue for excellent, green for very good, yellow for good (yellow usually means moderate in US AQI color codes), orange for polluted, and red for very polluted. And while the indicator light might take some getting used to, the Blueair app is excellent. The 2-in-1 also has the “welcome home” geolocation feature that automatically turns on the appliance 15 minutes before you walk in your front door. It also has both the air quality and humidity readings.

For an appliance that is 3 feet tall, the humidifier’s tank is surprisingly small at 0.79 gallons. The option of using the top-pour design at least makes the task of refilling the tank relatively easy. If you are short on space and want to combine your air purifier and humidifier, then Blueair’s 2-in-1 is an excellent choice. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

The Dreo has one of the longest run times—nearly 100 hours—of any humidifier WIRED has tested. That large tank solves one of the main complaints I hear from humidifier users: the need for frequent refills. Keeping a humidifier stocked with water is much like watering a thirsty plant: Humidifiers often require daily attention. The Dreo’s nearly 3-gallon tank eliminates that. Still, that large water tank comes with some downsides. The Dreo Smart without water weighs a light 6 pounds, but when the water tank is at capacity, it weighs a difficult-to-carry 28 pounds. Standing at 2.5 feet tall, the humidifier’s long, rectangular tank also limits the kind of faucet/spigot that can be used to fill it. There is a pour-over option, but it requires three 1-gallon pitchers of water to fill the tank. The other issue with a long and tall humidifier—and perhaps this is only an issue for cat owners—is the possibility of tipping over. It didn’t tip during testing in a two-cat household, but I did worry about the possibility.

The Dreo Smart is a well-priced whole-house humidifier, up to 700 square feet, with a mist over 6 feet high. Its seamless, intuitive app gives users complete control over maintaining humidity at the preferred setting. There is also an aroma pad tray for those who want to use a few drops of essential oil in their mist, turning the humidifier into a giant air diffuser. The Dreo Smart’s humidity indicator light glows yellow when humidity is lower than 30 percent, green for 31 to 60 percent, and blue for 61 percent and above. According to the EPA, ideal indoor humidity is between 30 and 50 percent. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

I tested this old-school, energy-efficient portable humidifier in my home, but realized its true potential when I woke up with a dry and almost bloody nose while staying in a California hotel. I had been living in ideal humidity back in New York City. As I sprayed saline up my nose, I had a single thought in my mind: I should have brought a humidifier. Around the size of a rectangular box of tissues or toiletry case, the Homedics Ultrasonic is not too large and deserves space in my luggage. But unlike so many petite humidifiers, its nearly 2-liter tank can effectively add humidity to a 258-square-foot room, making it perfect for bedrooms and hotel rooms.

The Ultrasonic looks like the humidifiers I bought for my kids’ rooms when they were babies, but it has added features like the small plastic capsule that is Homedics' “demineralization cartridge.” And, being a Homedics product, it also has an essential oil tray and pads. I’ve used the Homedics essential oil tray before with the brand's air purifier. Essential oils in the Homedics tray didn’t negatively impact my indoor air quality, according to my air quality monitors, but pet owners might want to skip this feature, as essential oils are not considered pet-safe. Lastly, the Ultrasonic has a built-in seven-color glowing nightlight. This option is especially useful in a child’s room or unfamiliar hotel room. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

Most humidifiers are plastic. That's how this world is. But the Carepod One is stainless steel, which has the added benefit of somewhat resisting the mold and bacteria growth that plastic is heir to. It's suitable for rooms of about 500 square feet, and has fewer features than its larger Carepod siblings—no sensor, auto mode, heat, or sterilization. But it's inexpensive and works well, notes WIRED contributor Lisa Wood Shapiro, and the tank is stainless steel. If that's important to you, it's probably very important to you.

Three settings are available, as are timers of up to eight hours, and the device is quite effective at maintaining temps in midsize rooms. It might be too much for a small bedroom, however. It also needs to be at least 2 feet off the floor. Unfortunately, neither of the Carepod stand accessories fit the Carepod One. Still, the Carepod One might be just the right size to sit on a stool. —Matthew Korfhage

The Natura by Homedics has several novel elements new to the humidifier market. First, it's made with recycled materials and FSC-certified bamboo, meaning that the bamboo was harvested from responsibly managed forests. And second, the Natura has a pot for a plant (for aesthetics). Beyond that, the Natura has several features that also make it a versatile humidifier for large rooms, like a living room. And while the Natura isn’t app compatible, it has a built-in humidistat, an easy-to-see digital display, auto mode, five mist levels, warm or cool mist, a timer, and a light.

The Natura also has two options for filling the water tank. You can use a pitcher to fill the Natura from the top or pull out the water tank from the side and fill it directly from the faucet. The tank method is actually the quickest, and avoids the chance that soil from the plant could fall into the water tank through the top-fill water drain. Still, I liked the different look of the Natura; it’s a pleasant shade of beige. Though unlike some of the humidifiers I’ve tested, there is a very clear front and back to the Natura, which can cause problems if you're looking ot avoid misting your couch without staring at the backside of the device. And like all the Homedics appliances I’ve tested, it also includes the essential oil aroma tray. If you don’t want a plant growing out of your humidifier, you can put the bamboo cover over the planter and have a side table for your cup of coffee. —Lisa Wood Shapiro