Unless you live in the tropics, plant humidifiers can be a life-saver for your houseplants. Regardless of how big your home is, an indoor living space is not the same as the lush tropical jungle. Which can spell trouble for your treasured greenery!
You need a humidifier for indoor plants to replicate those rainforest or jungle conditions. In short, investing in the best humidifier for houseplants you can find will replicate those moisture levels, keeping your foliage strong, colorful and healthy.
If you love houseplants as much as me, then you need to know all about the best humidifiers for plants! Whether you want to find the best cheap humidifiers or don’t mind paying a little more to keep your plants in tip top condition, stay right here for our recommendations on the best plant humidifiers 2022.
Table of Contents
Best Humidifier for Plants
When to Use a Plant Humidifier
So when do we really NEED a humidifier for plants? I bought mine last winter, when I noticed the low indoor humidity levels were slowly killing my plants. The humidifier not only brought some of my plants back to life, but also made all of plants chirpier.
How will you know when your plants could do with some more moisture in the air? It’s pretty simple, as your greenery will no longer look or feel its best when humidity levels are too low. Think curling, falling, or brown leaves, for starters.
Touch the soil and the leaves. If the soil is often dry or the leaves feel kinda crispy, then your plants definitely need the sort of TLC that only a humidifier for plants can provide!
Some plants are extra sensitive and need higher humidity. But even for plants that are not as sensitive, having a humidifier is the easiest way to provide tropical plants with extra humidity — which will definitely help your houseplants thrive.
Can You Use Any Humidifier for Your Plants?
This was my first question when I was toying with the idea of getting a humidifier for my plants.
Based on my research, any humidifier is suitable for plants, as the purpose of all humidifiers is to increase humidity. You can use them with mainly plants that need more moisture than others. I use mine primarily in my bedroom where my Stromanthe Triostar, Ficus Tineke, Pilea Peperomioides, Calathea Orbifolia, and Maranta Red Vein are. You wouldn’t use humidifiers for plants that don’t need a lot of water, such as cacti, succulents, and snake plants.
However, there are a few specific things you’ll want to consider when choosing the best humidifier for plants, as described in the next section.
What to Look for in the Best Plant Humidifiers
I spent a whole month researching, comparing the specs of each humidifier, before finally deciding on one. I also spoke to friends who had plant humidifiers and compared notes. If you’re in the market for a plant humidifier, here are some factors to consider when shopping for the best humidifiers for plants.
Room size
This is probably the number one factor: it’s no good buying a humidifier that cannot cope with the space it’s in! If you have a large room or open plan living area, look for a larger water tank and check the description to see if the maximum room size it can cope with is specified.
Position
Where will you put your new humidifier once you’ve bought it? Do you have space to keep it about six feet from the plants, which is the ideal distance to aim for? Is there room to place them right beneath your hanging plants?
Type
There are two main types of humidifiers. Ultrasonic humidifiers use ultrasonic vibrations to form fine mist droplets. They tend to be more expensive, but you won’t have to worry about filters and they are quieter.
Evaporative humidifiers use the concept of evaporation. A fan inside sucks in air and blows it into a wick filter. The resulting mist is then put back out into the room. These make more noise because of the fan, and you will have to replace the filter eventually, but they are usually cheaper.
Sound
Humidifiers do make a noise, although most are designed to keep this to a minimum. If stored in a busy area this may not matter, as we find the noise is drowned out by other everyday sounds.
5 of the Best Humidifiers for Plants
The Quick List
Here is a quick look at the five best humidifiers for plants I’ve carefully handpicked for this post. Clicking on the links will bring you to their Amazon page. Keep reading to find out my opinions on each of the humidifier.
- Geniani Portable Mini Humidifier
- Pure Enrichment MistAire Humidifier
- Geniani Top Fill Humidifier with Diffuser
- CTOMOA Whisper Quiet Humidifier
- Honeywell Space Saving Topfill Humidifier
1. Geniani Portable Mini Humidifier
- Price: US$41.97
- Volume: 250ml water tank
- Setting: 2 speed settings
- Run Time: Up to 8 hours
This is the one I’ve had for a year now and I swear by it! If you only have a small space, then why buy a larger humidifier than you need? For those who have plants on one desk, shelf or other surface only, pop this alongside them to provide more moisture in just that part of your home or office.
You can choose between intermittent and continuous misting, and the machine will turn off automatically when there’s no water left. Thanks to its small size, the Geniani mini is is the best plant humidifier for those with small spaces.
The small and quiet Geniani humidifier also doubles as a nightlight, and is small enough to fit into the cup holder of your car!
Wild points:
- Great value
- Low noise level
- 1 year warranty
- Doubles as nightlight
Not so wild:
- Very limited capacity
- Light duty use only
2. Pure Enrichment MistAire Humidifier
- Price: US$35.99
- Volume: 1.5 liter water tank
- Setting: 2 speed settings
- Run Time: Up to 16 hours
We love the fact that this humidifier is whisper quiet – and it also comes with a five year warranty as back-up, making it hard to find reasons not to go for it. Unless you have a larger living space than it can cope with.
There are two speed settings, and it will run for 12 hours on high or up to 25 on low. Thanks to a 360 degree nozzle, your plants will thrive in increased humidity levels all-around.
This one also has an integral, optional night light feature so you can see what’s going on in the dark.
Wild points:
- 5 year warranty
- Quiet operation
- 360 degree misting
- Built-in nightlight
Not so wild:
- Limited size water tank
- Not suited to large rooms
3. Geniani Top Fill Humidifier with Diffuser
- Price: US$64.97
- Volume: 4 liter water tank
- Setting: 3 speed settings
- Run Time: Up to 18 hours
All in all, this is the best plant humidifier for those with a big space. This compact humidifier features a no-spill design, so you can use it without leaving pools of water around the house. It can also be used to diffuse essential oils into the air while it’s misting, making your home smell like a luxury spa.
You can pour water straight into the top of this one and there are three speeds to pick from. If you’re not sure, we love the fact that the smart mode makes it simple by detecting moisture levels and adjusting automatically.
There is also a nightlight and the back-up of a two year warranty with this clever little dream machine.
Wild points:
- 2 in 1 diffuser & humidifier
- Intelligent smart mode
- Includes nightlight
- 2 year warranty
Not so wild:
- Limited 20m2 capacity
- Not best for biggest spaces
4. TaoTronics Whisper Quiet Humidifier
- Price: US$45.99
- Volume: 4 liter water tank
- Setting: 3 speed settings
- Run Time: Up to 50 hours
If you want something with a slightly larger capacity, this highly rated humidifier is a sleek machine that can cope with a room of up to 30 square meters with its 360 degree mister. With three modes, it can keep going for up to 30 hours.
An ultra clear LED screen keeps you up with what’s going on at a glance and you can pop it into sleep mode whenever you like. It also has a built-in nightlight and will shut off automatically when it runs out of water.
The integral carry handle makes this one really easy to carry from one spot to another, while the filter helps purify the air both you and your plants are breathing in, providing lovely fresh air.
Wild points:
- 12 month warranty
- Whisper quiet
- Integral nightlight
- Carry handle
Not so wild:
- Not the most slimline model
- Lesser known brand
5. Honeywell Space Saving Top Fill Humidifier
- Price: $79.61
- Volume: 7.7 liter water tank
- Setting: 3 speed settings
- Run Time: Up to 24 hours
Honeywell is one of the biggest names – on a global scale – in all things heating and humidity related, so it’s a brand you can rely on. We love the small size of this compact humidifier for indoor plants, yet its tank can hold over 7 liters of water!
This one works best when your greenery is all in one room or an open plan space, and it has lots of features that both you and your houseplants will adore. There’s a timer, three speed settings and a digital display so you can keep an eye on the level of humidity.
It’s super easy to top up the water levels at the sink as the tank is removable and the cool moisture emitted is invisible. Lights will even tell you when to change the filter and add more water, and it can run for up to 24 hours. Easy peasy to use.
Wild points:
- Great brand
- Ultra compact
- Suits one large room
- Very simple to operate
Not so wild:
- Replacement filters can be costly
Now that you’ve looked at the best humidifiers for plants, let me go through the things that you’ll need to consider when using a plant humidifier. Using it too infrequently might not have any affect on your plants, while leaving it on 24/7 can be dangerous for your home.
How Often Should a Humidifier on Your Plants?
In order for the humidity to be effective, you should let the humidifier run at least a few times a week. In winter, I would run it during the day and turn it off at night. For the rest of the year, I would run it 4 times a week during the day.
You really don’t want to leave your humidifier on 24/7 as extremely high humidity can cause problems. In the long run, it can lead to mold and bacteria in your home or on your plants. Make sure the walls, floor, and plants are not getting wet with condensation, that’s an indicator of excess humidity.
As mentioned in the section above, you should also be regularly cleaning the humidifier. Bacteria can form in a dirty humidifier and subsequently be pushed out into the rest of the room.
What Humidity Levels Should You Use?
Many houseplants will generally be OK in 40-60% humidity. However, some plants need as high as 80-90% humidity. You will need to research whether or not your plant likes high humidity, moderate humidity, or no humidity.
I leave my humidifier in my bedroom, as that is where I have the most plants. The humidifier also helps me sleep better on dry winter nights. Based on the type of plants I have, I set it to 50% humidity.
Humidifier maintenance
You do need to keep your humidifier clean. Make sure to read the manual as the humidifier will come with specific instructions on maintenance.
In general, you should clean out your humidifier once a week, especially if you’re using it every day. Make sure you thoroughly rinse it of any chemicals after you’re done cleaning it.
If your humidifier has a filter, change the filter as instructed for that humidifier. Use clean water every day when refilling the tank — don’t let the water sit forever in the tank to be used over and over again
Do Plants Like Warm or Cool Air?
Humidifiers usually give the option of emitting warm or cool air. Using warm or cool air does not matter that much for plants. You are not going to be putting your plant inches from the humidifier, so the temperature won’t have much of an effect.
But the heat from the warm mist humidifier helps to kill bacteria, and you’ll probably have to clean a cool mist humidifier more often. However, a cool mist humidifier is a little more energy efficient.
Other Ways to Humidify Houseplants
A humidifier is the easiest way to keep your plants humid, but it isn’t the only possible answer, there are other methods of hydrating your plants to try too!
Keep them in the bathroom
The most humid room in your home is the bathroom, so why not allow your plants to revel in the high humidity levels that occur after every steamy shower? While this is without doubt an easy fix, I found it does somewhat limit where you can show off your plants.
Send them for a shower
Showering down your houseplants can be a great way to give them a drink and clean any dusty leaves at the same time. My pink plants especially like showers. I find this messy and time-consuming, though, and make sure you use a gentle pressure to avoid damage to delicate leaves.
Use plant watering globes
Plant watering globes are fantastic tools to provide potted plants with humidity at all times. Watering globes are small globes with long thin necks or spikes that are inserted into the soil. They’re also known as self watering bulbs, aqua globes and watering spikes. I use them on most of my plants when I’m traveling.
Make a moisture tray
If you don’t mind keeping all your plants in one place – or making more than one tray – a humidity tray can provide foliage with extra moisture as the water evaporates into the air. Suspend the plans over a layer of pebbles before adding water, so the roots don’t rot and cause a stink! We found this out the hard way…
Use a diffuser
A diffuser can help to increase moisture levels in a room, so it can be a simple fix when you have just a few smaller plants to keep hydrated. Water evaporation will be a lot slower than with a humidifier, though, so do look out for those withering, brown or crispy leaves than show your plant needs something more.
Final thoughts
If you love tropical style houseplants with lots of large green leaves, then why not show them a little TLC by treating them to a plant humidifier?
We hope this post has helped you decide whether a plant humidifier is right for your greenery and choose the best humidifier for plants right now!
Check out more of our plant articles below:
- Best Moisture Meter for Plants
- Best Gifts for Plant Lovers 2022
- Best Houseplant Books 2022
- 15 Pretty Pink Houseplants I Love
- 10 Best Houseplants for Beginners
- How to Hang Plants without Drilling
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