I have a cool mist humidifier and a friend has a warm mist humidifier, and it seems we both use them for the same thing - keeping it running when baby is congested. Is there a difference between the two, or is it just a preference thing? I know some people have both, so I'm thinking they must serve different purposes.
Our pediatrician recommended cool mist and that's what we've always used. If someone has a fever as well as congestion, you do not want to be heating up the room with a warm mist humidifier. I like the way the cool mist makes the room feel, but when I've been in rooms with warm mist, it just feels sticky and humid, like being outside on a humid day.
Warm mist humidifiers do the same thing as a cool mist humidifier with the added yuck of mold problems. Seriously warm mist humidifield are a breeding ground for mold. Both need to be upkept but the cold mist ones will definitely cause less problems in the mold department
Good Luck
Yes they are for different purposes. I only use a warm mist for when my kids are sick and are very congested and/or coughing. I use a cool mist every day during the winter and whenever needed during the summer. Keeping the cool mist on just generally keeps the skin moist, nose clear, etc. and although a warm mist basically does the same thing, running warm mist can create other problems like mildew, so only use it when necessary!
They both do the same thing. I think the cool mist is advertised as safer than the warm steam. But, I have both (just because), and I like the warm vs the cool, simply because the cool makes a horrible mess! Plus, I never run the warm when baby/child is awake and can touch it, so it's safe to me :) But, other than that, I believe it's a preference thing.
I used cool mist when my son was young, but now we use warm mist.
Mostly I didn''t want to risk my baby playing with anything that might get hot, so we used cool till he was old enough to understand not to play with it.
Which ever you use, you have to clean out the tank regularly - standing water for more than a day or so will cause mold/slime buildup.
Also if you use tap water (and it's hard) you will get a mineral build up, so rinse it out with vinegar every so often.
My warm mist makes mist by boiling the water.
It seems to me this kills anything that might otherwise get circulated in the steam.
And we find the sound of boiling water to be a very effective white noise generator.
Too much moisture in the air (no matter how it got there) will cause mold/mildew to grow.
