A humidifier is a tricky machine to use in our home. If you do wrong, you will not get all the benefits, and it can also cause accidents and health hazards. So, placing is one of the main issues we face with a humidifier.
This article will explain all the essential information about humidifier placing and other vital facts that may be helpful.
Putting humidifier on floor
Putting a humidifier on the floor is usually not a good idea. But you can keep some of the humidifiers specially designed to put on the floor (tall ones). Keeping a humidifier on the floor can cause slipping, burning hazards, or even mold and mildew problems on your floor.
Have you ever experienced nose bleeding without doing anything? A scary situation isn’t it? But do not worry. That can happen when the air around you is too dry. Dry air can cause several health irritations.
A humidifier is a machine that can add humidity to the air and solve those issues.
So where should you keep it in your house? A common place to put a humidifier is the bedroom. But what is a suitable place to place a humidifier? Well, as we mentioned it’s obviously not the floors.
A rule of thumb is to keep the humidifiers at least 20 inches above the ground. But not over 3 feet from the ground. Seems confusing? Let’s discuss the background so you can understand it better.
Humidity is the amount of water droplets in the air. An air with very low humidity is called dry air. Dry air is quite irritating for us and also causes some health issues.
Dry air causes dry skin, and healthy skin needs a good amount of humidity in the air. You may notice cracked lips in the winter. It also happens for the low moisture in the environment. Dry air also causes nose bleeding, dry throat, nose irritation, dry cough, and dry vocal cord.
Dry air also reduces the quality of your sleep. As you can see, dry air has many disadvantages. To solve this, you can use a humidifier in your house.
Humidifiers are also used to keep indoor tropical plants. Tropical areas of the world have high humidity, and if you want to plant a tropical plan for your house, you will have to add humidifiers for the best health of your plants.
But the humidifier itself can also cause problems if you do not follow the proper ways to use it.
Humidifiers have a reserve of water. The water passes a filter and spreads water vapor into the air. The vapor humidifier releases are lighter than dry air, so the fog always goes up.
So to get the best result, you will have to keep it down, but not too low. Keeping a humidifier on the floor can damage the floor.
Keeping a humidifier at least 20 inches above the ground is a good practice. A humidifier releases the humidity from a hole. And make sure the spot is within 20 inches to 3 feet in height. Check out why the floor is one of the worst places to keep a humidifier.
Slipping issue:
When you keep the humidifier on the floor, the vapor comes into contact with the floor and makes the floor slippery. This can be very dangerous for older people. That’s why you should not keep the humidifiers directly on the floors.
Someone may kick it accidentally:
If you keep the humidifier on the floor, someone can drop the humidifier unwillingly. You can kick the humidifiers when going to the toilet in the dark.
Burning hazard:
Some humidifiers consist of hot reserve water, and when you keep the humidifier on the floor, there is a possibility someone may knock the machine and burn themselves.
Mold issue:
You keep a humidifier to keep your house more liveable, but what if it creates more issues? When you add a humidifier on the floor, the floor will stay slightly wet all the time, which can attract mold and mildew to your floor.
Those are very dangerous for human health and can also permanently damage your floor.
Floor damage:
If your floor has carpet, keeping the humidifier on the floor is one of the worst things you can do. The humidifier will make the carpet damp and favorable for microorganisms like bacteria and molds.
As you can see, there are some solid reasons why you should not keep the humidifier on the floor. Keep reading to know the right places to keep a humidifier.
Is it ok?
If the vapor release point is above 20 inches from the ground, you can keep the humidifier on the ground. There are some specialized humidifiers designed to keep on the floor. Those humidifiers are heavy and tall, so they do not cause the issues we discussed earlier.
But generally, it is not ok to keep humidifiers on the floor. Keeping a humidifier on the ground creates a chance of some danger for you, your family, and your floor.
Keeping a humidifier on the floor can make the floor slippery. Someone can also kick the humidifier accidentally and burn themself with the hot water. Keeping a regular humidifier near the floor can also harm your floor and carpet health due to access moisture.
When can you place humidifiers on the floor?
You usually should not keep the humidifiers on the floors for various reasons. But if you have a humidifier specially designed to keep it on the floor, you can keep the humidifiers on the floor. Those types of humidifiers are called floor-appropriate humidifiers.
How do you know if your humidifier is floor appropriate or not? Measure the vapor releasing point of the humidifier. If it is above 20 inches and releases the vapor in the upper direction, your humidifier can be floor-appropriate.
What is the best surface to put a humidifier on?
Till now, we only talked about the issues you can have if you keep a humidifier on the floor. But what are some of the safe places where you can keep your humidifiers without any problem?
When we are looking for a place where we can keep humidifiers, our goal will be to choose a place where the humidifier has the least chance of falling and is high enough to keep the floors safe.
It will be best to keep the humidifiers under 3 feet, but you can choose to keep them slightly more elevated. Check out some of the ideas to put a humidifier on.
On a safe part of a table:
A sturdy table is a good place for a humidifier. Keep the humidifier on the safe part of the table. Make sure the humidifier does not get direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will allow microbial growth in the reserve water, negatively affecting your health.
Always use distilled water for your humidifier. Tap water is not suitable for vaporing as it contains minerals.
Get a stand for the humidifier:
You can also get a stand for the humidifier. Keep the shelf in the corner of the room. Do not face the humidifier towards the wall as it can damage the wall and promote mold growth.
On a shelf:
A shelf can be another good place for a humidifier. Ensure the shelf is not too high to get the most from your humidifier.
Where should you not put a humidifier?
There are some places where you should not put a humidifier. Check out the following points.
On a floor:
The floor is not a suitable place for a humidifier. It can cause accidents and is also not good for the floor’s health.
Too close to a wall:
If you face the humidifier vapor release point towards a wall, it will dampen the wall and may cause mold or mildew growth on your wall.
Nightstand:
A nightstand is not an excellent place to keep a humidifier, but it’s common where people keep small humidifiers. You should always keep your nightstand free from unsafe materials.
The humidifier can fall when you try to pick up your phone or water bottle with sleepy eyes.
Final Thoughts
Putting humidifiers on the floor is associated with many risk factors, such as the chance of accidents or floor damage. Always keep the humidifier at least 20 inches above the ground but do not keep it too high. A table or desk can be a good place for a humidifier.