Humidifiers tested: models from Venta, Philips, Levoit, Carlo Milano, Conopu and Elechomes

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Humidifiers should be used with care: If the humidity rises too high, there is a risk of mold

Photo: Denis Mamin/EyeEm/Getty Images

Winter is a tough time for our mucous membranes.

When it's cold outside and the heating in the house provides cozy, cozy warmth, they can easily dry out.

If you want to counteract this, you can use a humidifier.

One goal, three ways

There are basically three different technologies for air humidifiers: There are ultrasonic atomizers, vaporizers and evaporation devices - all have advantages and disadvantages in terms of volume, humidification performance, power consumption and hygiene.

Ultrasonic atomizers

vibrate water, forming tiny droplets and expelling them as a cold mist of water.

Air humidifiers that work according to this principle can increase the humidity in the room very quickly, are cheap to buy and require little electricity.

However, the technology has two disadvantages: If you use very hard, calcareous tap water, a layer of limescale can form on the furniture in the apartment over time.

Worse still, any germs are also cheerfully blown into the air.

Regular and thorough cleaning is therefore particularly important for such humidifiers.

However, the structure of the tanks on many models does not allow really thorough cleaning, which is why the testers rate these devices very critically.

With high-performance devices, it can also quickly be too much of a good thing: If the humidity rises too high, this encourages mold growth and wooden objects such as furniture and parquet floors can swell.

Humidifiers with

technology simply boil water.

This is the most hygienic approach, but uses a lot of electricity and can also lead to high humidity.

For this reason, vaporizers are well suited for short, selective use, less for continuous operation.

Air humidifiers that work according to the

principle consume even less electricity than ultrasonic atomizers and release no limescale and only a few or no germs into the air.

Nevertheless, you have to pay attention to hygiene here too, because an unappetizing biofilm quickly forms in the water tank.

The biggest shortcoming of evaporators: they work with fans and are therefore not exactly quiet.

They also take a long time to increase the humidity in the room.

Nevertheless, the testers rated three evaporation devices as recommendable: the

for 319 euros and the

for around 200 euros.

Although they are among the most expensive devices in the test, according to the experts they are easy to clean, economical in terms of power consumption and do not require any follow-up costs for filters.

Both air humidifiers are based on Venta's own functionality: A plastic cylinder rotates continuously in a water basin, providing a large evaporation surface.

The two models differ mainly in their size and humidification performance: the Comfort Plus LW45 is intended for large rooms, while the AH510 Original Connect is a model for smaller rooms.

What they have in common is the relatively loud operating noise caused by the built-in fans.

They are therefore rather unsuitable for night-time use in the bedroom.

The test winner of "AllesBeste" is also an evaporator: The

for 135 euros offers similar advantages with an even better price-performance ratio and is also easy to transport.

Unlike the Venta models, it uses a honeycomb filter that can be easily washed or replaced if necessary.

With the help of a timer or the built-in hygrostat, it can be operated with little action on your part.

However, it is clearly audible that the HU4814 also uses a fan to distribute the humidified air.

When it comes to ultrasonic devices, the

model has the edge for the testers.

The device is powerful, relatively inexpensive at a price of 85 euros, programmable and can be operated via a smartphone app.

However, the experts only recommend the model to a limited extent, since the typical disadvantages and risks of ultrasonic atomizers also apply here.

Very cheap humidifiers in particular attracted negative attention.

The testers particularly criticized the poor workmanship and the cumbersome operation of some models.

They even explicitly advise against one device: With the

ultrasonic atomizer , a lot of liquid quickly settles around the device.

A pool of water develops, which can damage wooden floors in particular.

Caution should also be exercised with the

and

models : Due to their high center of gravity and low base, the filled tanks can easily tip over.