what does a humidifier do?
By Ritchelle
@Ritchelle (3790)
Philippines
April 3, 2010 8:33pm CST
it tends to get really hot here in the philippines so we bought a cooler. it acts as an ionizer, cooler and humidifier. however, i never got over the thought of what a humidifier does as this is the default setting of that cooler. i just find out that in cooler days the ionizer makes the air colder. humidifier makes the air humid, right? that means it puts moisture in the air? how come the ionizer makes the air cooler too? of course i know what the cold setting of this cooler does but the humidifier function confuses me. help...
1 person likes this
7 responses
@royal52gens (5488)
• United States
4 Apr 10
A humidifier adds moisture to the air. In the winter here, the house air becomes very dry because of the heater. There may be a lot of static in the air also. Humidity helps to do away with the static and helps to moisturize the air we breathe. In the long run, humidity makes it easier to breathe.
Also, the humidity helps to hold the temperature of the room more stable. It has something to do with the water molecules as they are either warmed by the heater or cooled by the cooler.
It is science in action.
1 person likes this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
5 Apr 10
thank you for a very nice answer. guess it is a little expensive living there. heater, humidifier... here, we just close our windows and turn off fans or cooler or air conditioners. but who am i fooling? we're a tropical country 
. happy mylotting .
. happy mylotting .
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
4 Apr 10
I used to have a humidifier in my house because I got sick so much and because I have Asthma and Allergies, but as I have gotten older, and I have learned to take care of myself, I no longer need a humidifier.
A humidifier is to keep the air in your house clean and to keep people healthy, but for me, it really didn't help much.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
4 Apr 10
Yes, Ionizers do that too, but so do humidifiers. They all keep the air clean.
1 person likes this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
5 Apr 10
ah, okay. guess we really got our money's worth on that one 
.
.1 person likes this
@ypyanyan (956)
• China
4 Apr 10
humidifiers moisturize dry air.
By running a humidifier in your baby's nursery , you can help reduce bacteria and dust particles from air
@sleepylittlerose (1648)
• United States
4 Apr 10
An air conditioner is a natural dehumidifier. In order to cool the air it must pull the moisture out of the air. Humid air weighs more and therefore is hotter. Are you certain that your unit is a humidifier? Does it drip water out of the back of the unit? Or do you have to put water in it to run the humidifier?
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
4 Apr 10
nice answer. it drips water at the back of the unit but water has to be put in but not to run the humidifier but to run its cooling function.
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
4 Apr 10
I used a humidifier in the past. As you have guessed, it makes the air humid. What it does is to create hot or cold vapour and spread it into the air to make it more humid.
For example, in Japan winters are very dry, and that is bad for the skin, so that's why humidifiers are popular here
@aragone79 (82)
• Indonesia
4 Apr 10
I never heard about Air conditioner has so many features before. ionizer+cooler, yes. But usually humidifier is separate from AC. As far as I know, humidifier kills stinky smell or unpleasant odor.
@aragone79 (82)
• Indonesia
4 Apr 10
Yes, I already re-read your first statement in this discussion. Air Cooler, you mean that this air cooler is a fan with water tank at the below part and you have to put a frozen gel to get this produce a cool air. Right?
@bird123 (10643)
• United States
4 Apr 10
If you have an air conditioner, it cools and dehumidifies( takes water out of) the air. If you have a water cooler, it cools by trying to evaporate the water you put in the cooler.As we all know, when you evaporate a liquid it gets cold or absorbs heat. The result of evaporating water is that it adds water vapor to the air( humidifies). If it is already hot and humid, adding more moisture can make things muggy. Best cooling is an air conditioner. A small window unit can cool and dry the air in one room well on those hot muggy days.The water coolers are good for hot and real dry areas like deserts.Hope this helps.
