5 Reasons Not to Add Essential Oils in Your Humidifier

In winters, when the humidity drops to around 10-20%, severe health problems, like drying out the nose and throat lining, respiratory distress, and many others, can be caused.

It can also adversely affect wooden furniture, cracking its pieces, causing its shrinkage, or loosening the joints.

Also, at times when there is very low humidity, papers, books, and artworks may shrink to become brittle.

Apart from this, it can cause problems with static electricity and destroy semiconductor devices, causing textiles to cling and dust to stick to electrically charged surfaces.

Using a humidifier can help you deal with all these issues without fail!

A humidifier is a device used to increase humidity in a room, entire house, or building.

In addition to enhancing the moisture levels, some of these devices can also be used to make the environment pleasing by allowing you to add essential oils to them.

Why Use Essential Oil In Humidifiers?

Most people who wish to get a pleasing smell and an aromatic environment in their room plan to add essential oil to the water tank of a room humidifier or a humidifying device.

However, the question is whether can you diffuse essential oils in a cool-mist humidifier or not.

• Is this a good practice?
• Is it healthy for you and your baby?
• And is it suitable for your humidifying device?

Let us try to address all these questions in detail below…

Using Essential Oils In Humidifier For Baby

Moms at home are often tempted to use essential oils in their humidifiers to make their babies feel comfortable.

However, you need to know that essential oils can be used best in aroma oil diffusers (and not humidifiers) that are made specifically for diffusing essential oils.

Avoid adding these essential oils to your room’s humidifier is usually advised.

But if you want to add essential oils to a humidifier for a baby suffering from cold or congestion, you can add just a few drops of it after getting them diluted.

✓ It is important to note that a high quantity or a higher essential oil density can be powerful enough to ruin your humidifier device on regular usage.

Therefore, we advise you to occasionally put only a drop or two in a humidifier to help clear your baby’s cold and breathing issues.

Also, it is advised to check whether your specific humidifier model allows you to use essential oils in it.

For instance, when it comes to using essential oils in Crane humidifiers, they strictly recommend NOT TO USE in their most popular cool mist ultrasonic devices.

They, however, have their other oil diffuser for a baby that can allow you to use these essential oils.

The best is to put a drop of eucalyptus or peppermint on a cloth next to your baby so that while inhaling it slowly, it can clear his/her stuffiness.

5 Reasons Not to Add Essential Oil to Humidifier

Although you can occasionally put essential oil in your humidifier device, we strongly recommend not using them daily.

Some of the disadvantages of using healing aroma oils in your humidifying machine are:

1- Does not break into finer particles

Your best bedroom humidifier that works on ultrasonic technology – actually does not work to break up the essential oils into finer particles to be emitted along with a mist of water vapors.

Essential oils are therefore not good to use with an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier. Warm mist humidifiers that work by boiling the water may sometimes allow you to add a few drops.

2- Can clog the motor of the device

Furthermore, when adding essential oils into a humidifier’s water tank, it is good to know that the oil can clog the motor of the device, making it nonoperational.

At times when you need your device most, you may find them to be in a non-working condition which can be very awkward as well as embarrassing.

3- Can damage plastic parts of the device

Essential oils in a humidifier can also erode the water tank with fine cracks and leakages.

More vital oils such as citrus oil can even damage plastic components over time, leaving your unit unhygienic to use.

4- Can harm your household furnishings

Essential oils, when used in humidifiers regularly, can also develop a dingy layer of sticky oil slowly on your home furniture and furnishings.

This may be sometimes hard to clear and can result in complete damage to your household furnishings.

5- May become less effective due to heat

Lastly, if you plan to add aromatherapy essential oil into your vaporizer or warm mist humidifier, the heating of the water can cause the oil to get heated.

This may result in the loss of its therapeutic properties, which will surely be a total loss for you!

Cool air humidifiers are therefore considered the best; even some of these can be used just like a diffuser.

Overall, It is advised not to pour oil into the humidifier daily.

Having said that, if you still want to use essential oils in your humidifier, choosing the essential oil that is best suited for humidifiers is always recommended.

Also, learn the correct techniques before adding essential oils to a humidifier for the best benefits.

As a better alternative, you can keep a cotton cloth slightly pattered with essential oil in the direction of the steam from the humidifier.

You can also check the humidifier units available these days, which allows you to enjoy the combo benefits of oil diffusers with a humidifier.

These are best to opt for your family if needed.

5 Best Essential Oils and Blends For Your Humidifier

Although essential oil for a humidifier is not highly recommended, you can use 2 to 3 drops of diluted oil OCCASIONALLY when you feel it’s most needed.

Remember that not all essential oils are suitable for your ultrasonic humidifier machine-like Taotronics due to their consistency and natural properties.

You, therefore, need to check carefully what essential oils you are buying for your device.

Some of the best recommended essential oils you can use for your humidifier include:

1- Lavender

Lavender essential oil is one of the most versatile among all. This is mostly used for healing skin conditions like cuts, bruises, irritation, itchiness, eczema, and others.

A few drops of Lavender essential oil in your humidifier can also provide you most calming and soothing effects, especially when you are suffering from conditions such as headache, body pain, depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue, etc.

2- Peppermint

Peppermint essential oil is mentholated and crisp, which is essentially helpful in relieving problems such as indigestion, nausea, headache, respiratory issues, and many others.

It is also much beneficial in case you suffer from a sinus infection.

3- Ylang Ylang

Extracted from the flowers of the Cananga odorata, genuine herb ylang-ylang oil can be mainly used in the humidifier to relieve various skin issues.

You can also use this essential oil in your aromatherapy humidifier to kill bacteria in your room and promote better relaxation.

4- Lemongrass

Lemongrass essential oil acts as a natural insect repellent and can be used in the humidifier to relieve stress and pain and as an air freshener too.

Additionally, its antiseptic and astringent properties make it a good source for healing various skin problems.

5- Cedarwood

Cedarwood essential oil (or simply Cedar oil) acts as a natural antiseborrheic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, expectorant, insecticidal, astringent, and diuretic.

Besides improving skin conditions, it also helps encourage hair growth and to relieve tension.

All of the above mentioned essential oils and recipes are best to use in your humidifier. These are the top ones you may consider using in your humidifier.

The best part of using these oils is using either of them or a combination of two (as a blend) to get the best healing benefits.

With just a few minutes of inhaling while you are resting on your couch, it can help relieve all your stress.

In addition to using the above essential oils individually, you can also consider using an essential oil blend for a humidifier that can give you a pleasant feeling all around.

Just in case you want to try the blend of two, right below are my two favorite options that I love using in my bedroom.

Rose Oil and Sandalwood Oil:

The sweet aroma of rose and sandalwood oils is not helpful for health issues.

It can instantly turn your room more romantic and delightful.

In case you are planning for a great evening with your partner, you will surely love to use a few drops of it in your humidifier.

Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Essential Oil:

These oils are known for their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Together these help in healing various types of health issues, including cold, flu, allergies, respiratory problems, mental stress, depression, fatigue, etc.

Precautions To Take When Adding Essential Oil to Humidifiers

Drop The Right Quantity

Experts say it is wonderful to add oil to the stored water in the humidifier’s chamber, as long as the quantity of the oil is not more than 2-3 drops.

In simple words, people using an ultrasonic humidifier must be extremely careful about the quantity of oil they are using in their humidifier.

It should also be remembered that the oil you use should always be diluted. Any wrong step or excess quantity of the oil can be harmful.

Clean and Maintain the Unit More Often

Essential oils are natural oils but do have contents of alcohol in them. These oils can, over time, ruin the plastic chamber of your humidifier.

So care has to be taken to clean the tank chamber in your humidifier after every use to clean the deposits and to avoid any damage caused.

The best is to check with the manufacturer whether the aroma oil you are planning to use is allowed to be used in your particular humidifier model or not before you use them for your device.