To Humidify or Not To Humidify: Do Humidifiers Help With Colds

Are humidifiers good for colds - This is a good question. There are two sides to this issue. Some people, including pediatricians, claim that humidifiers do nothing to help a cold. But their arguments rely on the old "there is no evidence..." schtick.

These people also make unsubstantiated claims about how healthy or not humidifiers are. Their arguments are not based in fact but attack parent’s cleaning abilities, and other humidifier issues.

We disagree with these people. Purifying the air certainly will not hurt a person suffering from colds or other sinus problems. Keeping the air moist is not a detriment, as dry air does affect cold sufferers.

Humidifiers will not cure or prevent colds. They just help relieve some congestion and moisten the sore throat, so you can breathe easier. Since there is no cure for the common cold, it is wise to get a little more help.

What humidifiers also do is provide natural relief. For those people who do not trust man-made medicines, the humidifier, no matter what type, provides an inexpensive alternative to a long cold.

Since we disagree with those who say humidifiers do not help, we are writing this article to show you how much they actually do contribute when one is suffering from a cold.

Before you get excited and run out and buy a humidifier, you should read the pros and cons of humidifiers. You need to know what to look for and what to watch against. We have put together this pro and con to help you get started.

The pros certainly outweigh the cons in this debate. Again no one is hurt when you purify the air with a humidifier.

It is a well-known fact that babies are more susceptible to colds and congestion than older children. A good humidifier will help protect your baby from the problems that dry winter air causes.

There are experts who say only use a cool mist humidifier in your baby’s room. They do this because they are afraid that a baby may become curious and hurt themselves. If they touch a warm mist humidifier they may get burned.

But these concerns are easily overcome if a little common sense is used. It doesn’t matter which humidifier you use - cool or warm mist. They all do the same job. Just in different temperatures.

Some people say that the cool mist humidifiers are better than the warm mist variety. The truth is both versions do the exact same job. They also do the job equally well. Here are some benefits of both so you get a better idea:

As you can see the debate is not over performance but peripheral issues. By the time the humidified air reaches your children’s lungs, both cool and warm mist reach the same temperature.

The answer to that question is up to you. It all depends on your preferences, budget and age of children. You won’t go wrong if you choose a warm mist humidifier over a cool mist type. The same goes if you choose a cool mist humidifier over a warm mist version.

The one that we prefer of all the types out there is the whole house humidifier. Why? While the portable cool and warm mist humidifiers are great, the whole house covers the whole house.

Your cold suffer is not restricted to one room. They will receive the same purified healthy air no matter which room they enter. Also, whole house humidifiers are easy to control. They hook up to your central heating and thermostat.

But no matter which one you buy a humidifier will help a cold sufferer. Don’t worry about the naysayers. They have no argument here.

Your cold sufferer will receive relief from a sore throat, congestion, their nasal passages will be moistened, and they may get help with the mucus problem. No matter what is said about humidifiers, purifying the air in a room or your whole house will not make your cold sufferer worse.

The answer to the question then – is to humidify. The humidifier may not stop colds but it will make cold season a lot easier.