Humidifiers and diffusers are often confused, as the products can look similar on the outside or have similar functions. But there are several important differences between these technologies. Check out the comparison below to see whether a humidifier, diffuser or both may best fit your needs.
| Humidifer | Diffuser | |
| Purpose | Adds moisture to the air | Adds fragrance to the room |
| Benefit | Relieves dry air discomforts, like dry skin, scratchy throat and stuffy nose | Provides aromatherapy, without increasing room humidity |
| Method | Uses water to raise humidity level in room | Uses water to disperse essential oil into air |
| Size | Tank usually holds at least a half-gallon of water | Reservoir usually holds less than a cup of water |
What type of solution do you need?
If you need more moisture in the air in your home, then you need a humidifier. If you only want to add fragrance to the air, and not moisture, then a diffuser is the proper product. Diffusers simply do not hold enough water to impact the humidity level of a room.
What is the benefit of more moisture?
Having the right humidity level in your home can help you breathe easier, temporarily relieving coughs and congestion. Moisture in the air can also help temporarily relieve dry skin, dry eyes and chapped lips. Proper humidity has important benefits for your whole house as well, including helping to prevent gaps in hardwood floors, cracks in wooden furniture and static electricity that can harm electronics.
What if you want moisture and fragrance?
If you want it all, you’re in luck. Today’s humidifier technologies can often include aromatherapy capabilities. Honeywell offers warm mist and ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers that let you add essential oils to a compartment of the humidifier, delivering therapeutic fragrance as well as soothing moisture.
- Designer Series Cool Mist Humidifier: A sleek, cool mist humidifier with an essential oil tray to disperse fragrance.
- Soothing Comfort Warm Mist Humidifier: A comforting warm mist humidifier with a cup for essential oils or medicinal liquid inhalants.
Keep in mind, a standard humidifier cannot be “turned into” a diffuser by adding essential oils to the water in the tank. Doing this can damage your humidifier. Instead, use a separate diffuser for your aromatherapy needs, or choose a humidifier designed with an aromatherapy function.
Explore all your options for humidifiers, and start living more comfortably!