With the onset of winter, chilling nights follow, and what could be better than a humidifier at home. A humidifier, is an appliance that increases moisture or humidity of the surrounding air in the room. Increased humidity in the room helps eliminate dry air that inflame, and irritate the respiratory passages in the throat, and nose.

Dry air is a favored breeding ground to various germs, and bacteria. These germs are responsible for various health problems such as, dry nose, nose bleeds, scaly skin and itchy throat. A humidifier helps relieve discomfort from flu, and colds, as well as help people who suffer from asthma. When humidified air is consumed, moisture is added by water vapors to secretions in the upper airway, making the secretions more fluid, thereby making it easier to cough them up. Droplets of water vapor made by the humidifier, usually do not reach lower airways, which include windpipe or trachea, and the lungs. A typical humidifier consists of a few basic parts; a reservoir, a wick and a fan. All humidifiers have reservoirs which are available in various shapes and sizes. It is a tank that holds water which is filled prior to the operation, providing water for the moisture output. A wick is a filter that absorbs water from the reservoir. Evaporation of water from the wick depends on relative humidity. A room with low humidity will have a higher level of evaporation than a room with high humidity. Therefore, with the increase in humidity the water vapor decreases naturally. A fan is placed adjacent to the wick, and blows on the water which the filter evaporates.

There are a variety of humidifiers available in the market, these include: Steam humidifier, Impeller humidifiers and Ultrasonic humidifiers. There is also a special kind of humidifier available known as, nebulizer which is helpful in treating asthma patients by delivering medication through the airway.