All-natural water sources contain minerals but in some areas, it can be a lot worse than others. This leads to the water being hard which can use problems for humidifiers as deposits will build up. It can also lead to these minerals being dispersed into the air, which is why you need the best humidifier for hard water to guard against it.
There are plenty of great humidifiers out there and we narrowed it down to the top 10. To help you out, we’ve written a buying guide along with some FAQs to give you all the info you need. Let’s get started!
Best Humidifier For Hard Water
The best option for hard water is either a cool-mist humidifier with a filter or a warm mist humidifier, and we go into the reasons why in the buying guide. For our product reviews, we decided to look at five of each type, starting with cool mist filtered humidifiers.Â
Best Filtered Humidifiers
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Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier
This is a highly-rated humidifier and it’s easy to see why. Importantly, it has a brilliant filter that not only captures minerals and pollutants but it’s also going to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria.Â
It’s ideal for small to medium sized rooms and will have a run time of up to 18 hours on the lower settings. It’s very easy to use with the dial on the front and will keep your room at the right humidity. The unit also looks good and is available in black or white.
It has the added benefit of being an evaporative humidifier but manages to be much quieter than many of its rivals. It’s a versatile humidifier and is brilliant at being able to cope with hard water and you won’t have any of those problems with white dust.Â
Honeywell Easy to Care Cool Mist Humidifier
Here we see another Honeywell model that has the double benefit of not only having a brilliant filter but also being exceptionally easy to clean. You can simply wipe down the surface and collect anything the filter hasn’t picked up.
There are many other great features here such as the illuminated water window that allows you to see the water level and easily fill it up when low. You won’t have to fill it up too often as it runs for 36 hours on the lower setting.Â
It looks great and will evaporate that water into the air and kill any germs while trapping any minerals. It’s very easy to use and has a high enough capacity to be used in almost all rooms.Â
TBI Pro Ultrasonic Humidifier
We thought this was one of the most stylish humidifiers out there today. It looks brilliant but more importantly, the performance is very good too. It has a large capacity of up to 6 liters which gives it an impressive run time of up to 60 hours.
That also means it works in large rooms that have an area of up to 750 square feet. That mist is going to be evenly spread throughout the room with the 360-degree nozzle that it features.Â
What we also loved here is the digital display that is going to show you the humidity and power levels along with water, temperature and sleep mode indicators. This is all aided by a medical stone filter that will trap any impurities.Â
OPOLAR EV01 Digital Evaporative Humidifier
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This is another humidifier that looks great and has plenty of functionality. It has been designed with a honeycomb filter that will be able to trap any minerals along with other impurities that may be in the hard water.
The best part of that filter is that it’s permanent and simply needs cleaning. The filter, along with the rest of the unit is simple to clean and only requires the minimum of maintenance.Â
It has digital control which makes it easy to use the features such as energy saving and the timer. It’s able to hold 3 liters of water and has a running time of 24 hours on the lower setting. It’s a brilliant humidifier that copes very well with hard water.Â
TaoTronics Warm and Cool Mist Humidifier
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This is a brilliant humidifier for anyone looking for a high capacity with its 6-liter tank. As with the TBI Pro model, that gives it a lengthy runtime of up to 60 hours. It’s also suitable for rooms up to 753 square feet.
It comes with a mineral absorption pad pre-installed which will comfortably be able to deal with hard water. You also get aroma pads included with the unit and dustproof sponges.Â
The best feature of this device could well be the automatic humidity monitoring which will keep it at a comfortable level throughout the day. The usability is very high here with an LED display, remote control, 3 mist output levels and the top fill design.Â
Best Evaporative Humidifiers for Hard Water
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Crane Warm Mist Humidifier
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This humidifier is able to heat the water up to 131F that will evaporate the water and kill any bacteria that will be within it. It’s able to do that from a one-gallon tank that is has a runtime of up to 24 hours.Â
It’s important that these types of humidifiers are easy to clean and that’s exactly what you get here. It has a detachable bottom fill tank, and the mist chamber and cap are removable which makes cleaning any deposits very simple.
An added benefit of this humidifier is that it’s extremely quiet and works well if you plan on having it in your bedroom. There are two-speed settings and it’s suitable for rooms up to 500 square feet in size.
OPOLAR Evaporative Humidifier with Filters
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This is another attractive evaporative humidifier from OPOLAR and one that has a range of impressive features. One of those is the humidity light indicator at the top of the unit that changes color based on the humidity in the room.
It’s a powerful humidifier as it can have a coverage area of up to 600 square feet and that comes from a tank capacity of 3 liters. The full tank will last between 10 – 17 hours depending on the settings you use.Â
It has the added bonus of including filters which will trap all the mineral deposits and make it very easy to maintain. The result is clean and fresh air at the humidity you want.Â
Pure Enrichment MistAire Eva
Pure Enrichment has also been able to make a stylish humidifier. This one is going to be perfect for the whole room as it can work in rooms up to 500 square feet. It also works very well in smaller rooms.
There is plenty of adjustability here with four different fan speeds available and you can control it with the three timer settings. On the humidifier is an optional nightlight which looks beautiful in the dark.
This is another where you get an antimicrobial filter which will make the air even cleaner. All of this is backed up by a 5-year warranty should anything go wrong. It’s an impressive humidifier and one that had great build quality.Â
Vornado Evap2 Whole Room Evaporative Humidifier
This Vornado humidifier takes on a slightly different look with its dark design. Along with being stylish it also works incredibly well for hard water with its evaporative technology which will prevent minerals from getting in the air.
It also has intuitive LED lights which will show you what setting the humidifier is on and also the humidity level. You have three control settings of either high, low or automatic. The push-button controls couldn’t be easier.Â
Here we see another machine backed by a 5-year warranty which should give you plenty of confidence. It has a gallon tank capacity which can humidify a room of up to 600 square feet.
Honeywell Top Fill Tower Humidifier
If you wanted to have a high capacity home filter then this is going to be a great solution. It’s able to have a run time of up to 36 hours and is ideal for medium to large sized rooms.
It’s simple to fill as you can either take a water jug to the humidifier or you can take the water tank to the fridge.
There are three different speed settings available and the unit is able to offer you plenty of adjustabilities.
There are other great features too such as the digital humidistat, 12 hour time, easy-grip handle, and refill tank. It’s a versatile humidifier and one that will prevent minerals from entering into the air.
Best Humidifier For Hard Water – Buying Guide
Cool mist vs warm mist
There are two ways to prevent minerals from getting into the air and that is either with a filter or by evaporating the water. Both methods work well but evaporative models do tend to be noisier and you will have to clean them more often. With filters, you have the downside of the ongoing cost.
Both have their pros and cons and it, therefore, comes down to personal preference. There are models such as the Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier which do both.
Cleaning
Hard water is going to require regular maintenance, whether that is cleaning the humidifier or replacing the filter. It’s important that it’s easy to clean and you can reach all areas with no issues. Some will even come with their own cleaning brush to make things even easier.
Capacity and coverage
Whatever type of humidifier that you get, it needs to be suitable for the room you’re in. It’s fairly easy to work out the square footage of a room as you simple need to times with width by the length. If your humidifier is too small then it’s going to be ineffective.
Additional features
There are a few great additional features to look out for and here we look at the most important.
- Humidity control – Some models are able to automatically control the humidity so you don’t have to worry about the air getting too dry or too saturated.
- Quiet operation – If you’re going to be using it in a bedroom, you want the humidifier to be as quiet as possible. Some are able to be near-silent and you can sleep right next to them.
- Oil tray – If you like the idea of adding essential oils then look for a humidifier that can do this. It can help for those interested in aromatherapy.
- LED display and remote – An LED display can make it very easy to control the settings. Furthermore, some humidifiers even come with a remote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use hard water in a humidifier?
It’s generally advised that you don’t but distilled water can be a pain to get and is expensive. That’s why it can be easier to get a humidifier that is able to cope with hard water without vaporizing it into the air.
What water is best for a humidifier?
The best water is distilled, as this is the purest water. Even bottled water contains minerals and the same can be said for boiled water. If you don’t want to put hard water in your humidifier then you can decide to use a water filter beforehand.
Is boiled water the same as distilled water?
No, it’s very different. When boiling water, it doesn’t get rid of any minerals; it just kills anything in the water. Distilled water has been evaporated and then captured.
What happens if you don’t use distilled water in the humidifier?
With ultrasonic humidifiers without a filter, it will throw minerals into the air and this can create white dust all-around your home. With evaporative filters, it means you’ll get a buildup of minerals inside which should be fairly easy to clean.
How can I make distilled water at home?
You can boil a pan of water with an empty bowl in the middle. If you put a lid upside down then the water will condense on the lid and then drip into the bowl. You can also get a home distiller kit but these are usually as expensive as a new humidifier.
