The 8 Best Whole-House Humidifiers That Are Worth Every Penny

If you tend to experience dry sore throats, watery eyes, and even a dry nasal passage from time to time in your home, chances are the air in your house is dry. This basically means the humidity level is very low and is a sign you need a humidifier in your home. While it's generally impossible for you to control the weather outside, you can certainly manipulate the relative humidity levels inside your home with a humidifier — and you can do so throughout your home by investing in a whole-house humidifier.

Whole-house humidifiers do exactly as their name suggests. They're responsible for altering your home's humidity level and are able to work hand-in-hand with your HVAC. When used properly, whole-house humidifiers have the potential to save you some money by not using too much energy on heat or even wasting energy on air conditioning. If you're thinking of purchasing a whole-house humidifier, you're in for a real treat, but the kink is knowing which one to buy. Fortunately for you, we've carefully made your search simpler by arranging a list of the best humidifiers out there for you to choose from.

With so many amazing brands producing quality whole-house humidifiers, it can get confusing knowing which product to take home with you. When buying a humidifier, you have to make sure the specs tally up with what you have going on at home. For this list, we considered the sizes of the humidifiers themselves. Some people value portability, for example, while others want a built-in option.

Another factor that went into consideration is the lengths to which the humidifiers can cover. Some are capable of reaching farther distances than others so there's no point for you to purchase a wide-range whole-house humidifier if you live in cramped quarters. Also crucial to note is the amount of water used by the humidifier. Some of the devices tend to be wasteful while others are more efficient, turning over optimal humidity with limited water resources.

We also looked at the ease of installation for those who prefer to do it themselves rather than call a professional. Finally, we considered the cost of the humidifiers and the reviews from verified buyers. There are also different types of humidifiers, such as ultrasonic, steam, and evaporative, and the one you choose depends on your living situation. Take a gander at the products listed below and make a careful choice based on which product you know will serve you best.

We chose the Aprilaire 600 as the overall best whole-house humidifier for its efficiency. The humidifier has an impressive coverage of up to 4,000 square feet and has an evaporation capacity of 17 gallons of water every day, so you know it's reaching every nook and cranny. The humidifier is automatic with dual sensors, which means it regulates the relative humidity of your home based on the temperature outside and the moisture level inside. In other words, you don't have to keep manually resetting it. What's more, the Aprilaire 600 is very easy to install if you're construction-savvy.

Purchase the Aprilaire 600 Bypass Whole-House Humidifier at Walmart for $302.86.

Affordability should never be a dealbreaker when it comes to owning a whole-house humidifier, which is why we're including the Honeywell HE280A model, which you can purchase from Amazon for around $200. It installs pretty easily, although you have to be careful while handling it because it's made of plastic. Otherwise, the humidifier works great and efficiently, using 33% less water than most other humidifiers. It also has a wide reach of 4,000 square feet, which is good news if you have a large house. Unfortunately, this product has been discontinued by Honeywell so nab it while it's still available on Amazon.

Find the Honeywell HE280A Whole-House Humidifier at Amazon for $200.41.

If you have a big house that needs every room's humidity regulated, then you'll have to shell out the big bucks for a unit like the Aprilaire 800 Steam Humidifier from Sylvane. This high-end steam operates independently from your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and has the capacity to process a whopping 23.6 gallons of water a day. You can also customize its output to suit your energy availability. The Aprilaire 800 can cover over 6,000 square feet at its highest output. It's perfect for wintertime when you can even save energy by upping the humidity level. Note, you'll need an experienced hand to install this unit for you.

Get the Aprilaire 800 Whole-House Steam Humidifier at Sylvane starting at $880.

If you have a smaller home and don't need the power that the Aprilaire 800 Whole-House Steam Humidifier brings, we recommend you check out the Vornado Evap40 Evaporative Humidifier. This portable humidifier may be smaller, but it's quite mighty. Per Vornado Air, LLC, it can humidify a space up to 1,000 sq. ft., and its 4-gallon capacity can last up to 24 hours. Reviewers compliment its reliability, functions, and ease of use. 

You can buy the Vornado Evap40 Evaporative Humidifier at Kohl's for $129.99.

If you have a smaller house or an apartment, then you can get away with a cheaper, less intensive humidifier that can will cover your whole house. We give you the Aircare MA0800 Mini-Console. This smaller humidifier uses evaporative means to adjust your humidity level, and it also gives you the option of three fan speeds. It has a removable tank where you can simply fill it up and let it do the rest. Make sure you keep an eye out for the refill and check filter indicators to know when the water is running low and your filter needs to be changed.

You can get the Aircare MA0800 Mini-Console Evaporative Humidifier from Walmart for $125.99.

The Turbro Commercial Ultrasonic Humidifier (with Wi-Fi option) uses ultrasonic vibrations to mist up your living space. According to reviews, this humidifier has an impressive range and can cover up to 2,000 square feet (about the size of a medium-sized house in the United States) on a capacity of 5.2 gallons. The humidifier comes with a four-way nozzle that ensures each corner of your home gets an equal amount of humidity. One thing you have to keep in mind is that if you're traveling or just not going to use the device for a while, you should empty the tank and not leave the water sitting in there.

Purchase the Turbro Commercial Ultrasonic Humidifier at Turbro for $209.99.

If you're not in the market for a whole-house humidifier connected to your HVAC system and just want something small and easy to manage, then our pick for the most portable humidifier is the Aircare 836000HB Space-Saver. At a high capacity of 7.2 gallons daily, this humidifier covers an area of 2,300 square feet and possesses a three-speed motor. You have to fill up the water tank and change the filter regularly, but it has casters which make it conveniently mobile. All you need is to find the perfect place for your humidifier and let it run to cover the whole house. The Space-Saver comes with an auto-shutoff feature and has a big enough reservoir.

Buy the Aircare 836000HB Space-Saver Evaporative Humidifier at Walmart for $124.99.

If you are in the market for a whole-house humidifier that is fan-powered, we recommend the AprilAire 700 Whole-House Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier. Unlike other models, this fan-powered manual humidistat gives greater control to the user. Per AprilAire's website, this whole-house humidifier covers 4,200 sq. ft. and gives off up to 18 gallons a day. Reviewers compliment it for being fairly easy to install.

Purchase the AprilAire 700 Whole-House Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier on Amazon for $309.99.