One of the most common questions we get here at AIRCARE HQ is, “What is the difference between a humidifier and a diffuser?” Luckily, it’s a pretty easy question to answer. And it’s also easy to have both in one unit!
A humidifier is a small home appliance that uses water and a fan to put needed moisture into your home’s air. Dry air causes many unwanted issues like static, dry skin and hair (for you and your pets), and irritated sinuses. It can also contribute to dry wood floors and furnishings. Yuck.
By keeping the air in your home at a healthy relative humidity - experts recommend 40-60% - you can avoid these common issues associated with air that is too dry. That’s where a humidifier comes to the rescue. Humidifiers put out a fine water mist or vapor that adds moisture to your air. The two most common types of humidifiers are evaporative and ultrasonic. Evaporative humidifiers use a wick that absorbs water. When this water evaporates, a fan blows this water vapor into your air. Evaporative humidifiers typically cannot be used to diffuse essential oils.
Ultrasonic humidifiers, on the other hand, CAN be used for diffusing essential oils as long as the humidifier includes a diffuser. Ultrasonic humidifiers do not use a wick. Instead, they have a nebulizer that vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency which turns the water into a very fine mist. This mist is then propelled into your air, which raises your humidity.
Electronic diffusers work much the same way as humidifiers, but the main difference is they don’t use water. Just as an evaporative humidifier blows evaporated water into the air, evaporative diffusers use a fan to propel evaporated oil particles into the air after the oil is placed on an absorbent pad in the diffuser. Nebulizing diffusers work like ultrasonic humidifiers, using a vibrating nebulizer to break the oil down before releasing it into the air.
By using an ultrasonic humidifier, like our AURORA, AURORAmini, DUET, MESA, and PILLAR models, you can enjoy both a humidifier and an essential oil diffuser in one unit! These models all include an essential oil tray which lets you add any oil you like that’s then dispersed with the humidifier’s moisture. For even easier diffusing, our NOVA model doesn’t use an oil tray – just add your favorite essential oil directly to the water tank.
As always, we are here to help if you have any questions about diffusing essential oils with your ultrasonic humidifier. Just give us a call, shoot us an email, or hit the chat button. We love hearing from our customers.
