One thing I’ve noticed while shopping at the local Walmart is that they have a huge selection of diffusers and fragrance plug in devices and whatnot,
But when it comes to the humidifiers, they basically have the cheapest plastic thing you can buy.
A lot of that stuff is crammed together with the incense and candles without much explanation of what goes with what.
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Diffusers vs humidifiers for instance. What is what?
The diffuser primarily is used to disperse essential oils into the air.
The humidifier’s primary job is to add moisture to the air.
Yes they both use water.
But the volume of water they use is vastly different.
Can you use a diffuser as a humidifier?
One thing that a lot of people ask is that if they can use their diffuser as a humidifier since it has water in it?
The answer is yes, technically you will get a small amount of humidity coming off of your diffuser.
Is it enough to humidify an entire room?
No, it’s probably not enough to make a noticeable difference in the relative humidity.
The reason is, it takes about a half a glass of water to fill up a diffuser.
And most humidifiers go through a gallon of water or so every 24 hours.
But that’s not to say it won’t do anything at all to add moisture to the air.
After all, placing glasses of water around the house is an old trick for humidifying.
Have you ever left a glass of water on a nightstand or table, etc, and come back to it, only to find that it had evaporated away?
It’s the same concept.
The difference is, it is the job of a humidifier to evaporate and disperse large amounts of moisture into the air.
It’s a machine that will accelerate what happens naturally by leaving glasses of water out.
So even though a diffuser and a humidifier may operate basically the same,
And a diffuser may add a small amount of moisture into the air,
A humidifier will do much more to remedy the effects of dry air.
And a diffuser is best at diffusing essential oils.
Are there any devices that combine a diffuser and humidifier?
The answer is definitely.
There are many brands of humidifiers that have a tray to put essential oils in, to get a diffuser effect out of them.
The difference is that you’re starting from the point of view of a humidifier that can be used as a diffuser.
Rather than a diffuser that can be used as a humidifier.
And the price point is going to be quite a bit sharper for a humidifier that does it all, compared to the standard diffuser.
Is it worth it to spend the money on a humidifier that diffuses essential oils?
I think it is. Here’s why.
Essential oils and aromatherapy are something that most people just dabble in.
I’m not saying there’s not some excellent benefits to using essential oils, or that they are not important.
But I am saying that I view a humidifier as being a more essential device then an essential oil diffuser is.
And if you can get a fully functional diffuser in a humidifier, what’s not the love?
( Believe me, there’s a couple of things about a humidifier / diffuser combination that are not to love, I’m about to spout those off, so stick around a second)
But maintaining a proper relative humidity between 40 and 60% has numerous benefits to your health.
Humidity aids in the reduction of sick days because it keeps viruses and germs from being able to travel as well.
By the same token, asthma triggers as well as airborne allergens are far less invasive into your life when the humidity level is kept between 40 and 60% in your home.
Skin health also relies heavily on an optimal relative humidity.
Not only does Humidity moisturize the skin, it helps keep conditions like acne and psoriasis from being able to burrow deeper into the skin because of cracks caused by dry air.
And one of the most painful and noticeable results of low humidity and dry air is the drying of the nasal cavities which can lead to bloody noses and painful nostril clearing.
And this is just a few of the benefits you get from the humidifier.
Like I said, there is definitely some therapeutic and medicinal benefits to using different essential oils,
But at the end of the day, the humidifier is a much more needed device.
Humidifier with aromatherapy tray downsides ( back to the not so lovely)
There is nothing dangerous about combining a humidifier and a diffuser but there are a couple of things that make it a little bit inconvenient.
One is, a humidifier is not anywhere nearly as mobile as a diffuser.
You can pick up a diffuser with one hand and carry a baby around with the other. Not a problem.
A Humidifier on the other hand, is much bulkier and weighs a good 10 lb with a gallon of water in it. And that is a small humidifier.
So combining your diffuser with your humidifier means your diffuser is going to weigh as much as the humidifier.
But that’s a pretty small trade off I think.
The other thing is that some humidifiers require you to buy their special essential oils that are made to work with their machine to ensure that the equipment doesn’t get gummed up.
That’s pretty limiting, being stuck with purchasing one brand of essential oils and not even a full essential oil product.
Some humidifiers combine not only a diffuser function, but air purification also.
The top brand is called a Revitalizer. And any essential oils that you put in it have to be their brand because they go directly into the water.
But let me see that that is not the way most humidifier makers do it and definitely not one that I would recommend.
Usually they will have an aromatherapy tray as a separate compartment to put the essential oils.
OliveTech Smart WiFi Essential Oil Diffuser
Takeaway
Even though diffusers and humidifiers both use water as part of the way they work,
Diffusers are made to disperse essential oils and even though they may add a small amount of humidity to the air in the process, it’s not nearly enough to qualify as a humidifier.
Humidifiers are made to add large deposits of moisture into your Air.
Can you use a diffuser as a humidifier?
Technically a diffuser will humidify but not enough to make a real difference.
If you want to combine a diffuser and a humidifier, there are humidifiers that have aromatherapy trays so that you can use your humidifier as a diffuser.
And you can argue, like I did in the article above, that maintaining the proper relative humidity in your home is more important than dispersing essential oils.
My opinion is that buying a humidifier that has the capability of functioning as a diffuser also is a much better idea than trying to get a diffuser to humidify effectively.
