How Long Does a Humidifier Take to Work?

Have you ever wondered how long does it take for a humidifier to work?

Like, how long do you have to wait before the air feels different? And, does your humidifier work better in some rooms than others?

The answer to these questions is: It depends.

But usually, you can expect to see some changes within 24 hours after your humidifier is turned on.

For a humidifier to be effective at treating symptoms of dry air, it must reach and maintain the recommended relative humidity (RH) level in the room.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it takes as quickly as you’d like for the humidity level to rise in your room.

And, getting there might take a little longer than you expect in some locations and not at all in others.

We will talk about this in more detail below.

How Long Does It Take for a Humidifier to Start Working?

We can’t answer this question with a number, as a couple of factors can influence how well your humidifier works in your room.

But, based on our experience working with humidifiers for many years, a humidifier typically takes 24 hours to start working.

You can expect to see some significant changes in your humidity levels within 24 hours after your humidifier is turned on.

This is the case for most people, provided they know how to properly set up their humidifiers and where to place them.

But that’s not all.

Let’s talk about other factors that may influence how long it takes for your humidifier to reach the desired RH levels.

Factors Influencing the Performance of a Humidifier.

Basically, three variables can influence how well a humidifier works in a room.

The size of the room, its initial temperature and humidity level, and the amount of furniture in that room.

Let’s talk about them separately…

The size of the room

The bigger the room, the longer it will take for a humidifier to get and maintain your desired RH level in that room because it has more space to fill up.

Yet, perhaps unexpectedly, this is not the only factor affecting humidifier performance.

The temperature in the room

The cold air that you bring into a room by opening a window or door, for example, will drastically cool it down, lowering the humidity in that room.

When this happens, your humidifier will work harder to raise the humidity level in the room until it reaches the required RH level.

This is because warm air is more humid than cold air.

The amount of furniture in the room.

If you live with kids, pets, or have too much stuff in your bedroom, it will take longer for a humidifier to work effectively because there are simply more surfaces (clothes, bedding, furniture, etc.) for the warm moist air to come into contact with. 

Some furniture like wood and carpets absorb and hold more moisture in them. 

So, you will also need your humidifier to work harder to get the RH level to where it needs to be and maintain that humidity level.

How do I Know My Humidifier is Working?

The easiest way to know whether your humidifier is working effectively is to keep an eye on the humidity level in your room.

Measuring the humidity level in your room is easy. All you need to do is buy a hygrometer (humidity meter).

You can get one for less than $10.00 these days! 

Once you have it, place it at the table or desk in your room and look at its readings.

Or if your humidifier comes with a humidistat (humidity sensor) – simply follow the instructions provided by your humidifier manufacturer for calibrating the humidistat, and then let it run.

If you see the humidity level in your room is increasing after a few hours or so – your humidifier is working just fine.

However, if you don’t see the humidity level in your room rising after several hours have passed, there might be something wrong with the humidifier or its installation.

So to know whether your humidifier is working or not, just check the humidity level using a hygrometer or a humidistat.

How Long Does a Humidifier Need to Run?

Ideally, you want to see the humidity level in your room between 30 to 50%.

This is to ensure you don’t have mold or bacteria in the air, which can cause headaches, dry coughs, and asthma attacks. 

The time required to get to this level may vary depending on how dry the room was when you started or how big your room is.

Yet, most people find that they can get to this humidity level within 12 hours of turning on their humidifier.

So how long you need your humidifier to run will depend on how dry the room was and its size.

But, if you want to be on the safe side, get your hygrometer or humidistat and keep an eye on it for a few days to get a feel of what’s happening in your room.

It will also help you decide how long do you want your humidifier to run.

Also read: Can a Humidifier Cause Mold on Walls?

Is it Good to Sleep with a Humidifier?

Yes, it is good to sleep with a humidifier.

Humidifiers will make you feel more comfortable when you are sleeping or resting in your room, especially if the RH level is low (below 30%). 

When the air is dry, you will feel like your throat is scratchy, and there may be a dry cough that keeps waking you up at night.

In addition to that, you may also find that your skin is drier, feel itchy and flaky.

Sleeping with a humidifier can bring many benefits to your sleep, including helping you snore less!

We talk in-depth about the reasons why you should use a humidifier at night in our guide. 

Read it here: Should Humidifier Run All Night? Is It OK to Sleep with Humidifier?

How can I Make My Humidifier Work Better?

Here are some tips for making your humidifier work better in your room.

But again, you will need to check the manufacturer’s instructions as each one of these recommendations may be different depending on the model you have.

Make sure that your humidifier has been appropriately installed – a few inches away from walls and furniture.

That way, the warm moist air it produces will not get blocked from reaching the rest of your room.

Next, you want to use distilled or filtered water to fill up the water tank.

This is because tap water contains minerals that can clog up your humidifier.

These minerals can also leave white dust on the surface of your furniture and walls.

If you use distilled water, there will be zero mineral deposits left in your humidifier or its water tank.

Another tip is to always clean your humidifier every day.

This will keep the mineral deposits and other impurities from building up inside it, affecting its lifespan.

Keeping your humidifier clean also helps prevent any bacteria or mold from growing in there –another reason you should do this daily!

Lastly, to help your humidifier work better, make sure you have the correct type of humidifier for your room.

For example, if you have a big room, you don’t want to use a warm mist humidifier, as it may take too long for the moisture to spread across the room.

You will want to use a cool-mist humidifier instead!

By getting the correct type of humidifier, you can ensure that your room will have more humidity in less time.

These are just some of the many ways on how to make your humidifier work better.

You can also check out our guide here for other helpful tips. 

Conclusion

So how much time does a humidifier take to work?

There are no specific time frames to this question, as it will depend on many factors – such as how big your room is, the humidity level in the room before you turned on your humidifier.

However, most people find that it takes about 24 hours for their humidifier to start working.

You will need to get a hygrometer or humidistat and check the humidity level in your room for a couple of days, so you can decide for yourself how long do you want your humidifier to run.

Now you know more about how long it takes for a humidifier to work, I hope this can help you.

What do you think?

If you have any other questions about this topic, please feel free to post in the comments section below, and we will be more than happy to help!