Danny as been writing about air purifiers for 10+ years. He is a major fan of home technology, which makes him the perfect person to test and evaluate products for HouseFresh
There’s nothing worse than having a persistent cough that just won’t go away. It can interrupt and impact the quality of your sleep, making you feel exhausted the next day. You might also experience headaches and dizziness.
Unfortunately, it can be a never-ending cycle as the more you cough, the more uncomfortable your throat feels. A dry atmosphere in your home is more likely to aggravate your cough, which is why increased moisture can make a big difference.
Higher humidity can not only ease your coughing but will also help relieve cold symptoms and sinus congestion. Using a humidifier is a great way to raise moisture levels in your home. Luckily, we’re here to help you find the right one to ease your coughing and help you get a more restful night’s sleep.
When picking out our top choices we looked at weight and tank size, as well as special features like:
- Auto shut off
- Night light
- Break-resistant water tank
- Aromatherapy tray for essential oils
It’s essential to consider the size of your room together with your budget before purchasing a humidifier. The Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier is less than $40 and covers 150 square feet. However, the Hupro Premium Humidifier might be more suitable if you have a larger room as it covers 500 square feet. If you have more of a sinus issue, then be sure to look at what we think is the best humidifier for dry nose.
To ensure we found the best humidifiers for coughs, we analyzed consumer reports to eliminate false and unhelpful reviews. All our recommendations came from genuine people like you who have previously used these models.
Last update on 2023-06-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1. Hupro Premium Humidifier
The Hupro humidifier is perfect for those who cough through the night. As it’s extremely quiet when running, it won’t add any extra noise to disturb your sleep.
This humidifier has it all with a triple purification system, a smart humidification system, and an essential oil diffuser. Its five-liter water tank is intended for rooms up to five hundred square feet, with thirty hours of operation before needing to be refilled. Its smart humidification system features three kinds of humidity controls, including auto mode, constant humidity, and five fan speed settings.
This top-filling humidifier comes with a detachable water tank with a built-in handle. It also has a wide opening making filling and cleaning easy. This warm mist humidifier requires only about a minute to refill, and it needs little maintenance. Its top-fill design supplies years of reliable and leakproof operation.
It has a special lamp to prevent odors and keep the water fresh which is purified by an active carbon and mineral pellet ceramic filter that never needs replacing. It also has an essential oils box that fills the air with a pleasant scent.
- Tank Size: 10 pints
- Room Size Suitability: 500 sq. ft
- Weight: 7.78 pounds
- Special Features: Ultra-quiet
What we love
- This unit can be set to maintain a constant humidity
- Features five easy to adjust fan speed settings that control the mist
- It has an aromatherapy box that helps keep the room smelling nice
- Highly energy-efficient as well as easy to use and clean
We don't like this as much
- We wish the aromatherapy box was a little easier to access
- We’d like to see the option to save settings when the unit is powered off
2. AIRCARE MA Whole-House Evaporative Humidifier
This humidifier has easy-to-use controls that not only feature three fan speeds, but also an auto fan setting that allows it to automatically adjust its speed based on the selected humidity level. It has a water tank that is convenient to fill, an adjustable humidistat, automatic shutoff, a refill indicator, and a check filter indicator.
This humidifier is large at twelve inches by eighteen inches by sixteen and a half inches. The water tank has a side cover that can be easily removed to refill the tank. The unit also has an air filter that needs to be replaced periodically, how often varies depending upon the situation. Some customers report replacing it only every few months, while others report having to replace it monthly. Overall, the replacement rate will depend upon your use.
This is a high-end humidifier, which is powerful enough to cover a whopping twenty-six hundred square feet. If you have a large home or space, this is well worth a look.
- Tank Size: 24 pints
- Room Size Suitability: 2600 sq. ft
- Weight: 8.5 Pounds
- Special Features: 3-speed motor with a quiet nighttime setting
What we love
- This unit has digital controls along with an automatic humidistat
- It automatically shuts off once your set humidity is reached
- Features an indicator to tell you when to refill the water
- When the water tank is empty the unit powers down
We don't like this as much
- The air filters on this unit need to be replaced periodically
- High fan speed does produce a noticeable amount of noise
3. Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier
This evaporative cool moisture humidifier from Honeywell puts out invisible filtered moisture, which in turn helps to relieve coughing and dry air discomfort. It has a removable eight-tenths of a gallon water tank that is designed to be break-resistant, and its wide opening makes the tank easy to clean and fill.
The unit has two fan speed settings. It can run for up to eighteen hours when it is set on low, making use of the wicking filter to remove minerals from the water. The filter reduces the white dust from hard water resulting in a cleaner moisture output.
Intended for use in small to medium-size rooms, the Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier has a stylish design that makes it an attractive part of your room’s décor and it runs so quietly that it is perfect for bedrooms. This added comfort will help your sleeping, nasal congestion, and dry skin.
This humidifier is highly economical, designed for an area of one hundred and fifty square feet. If you are looking for a humidifier for a smaller room, this may just be the humidifier you are looking for.
- Tank Size: 7.5 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 150 sq. ft
- Weight: 6 Pounds
- Special Features: Break-resistant water tank
What we love
- The moisture output of this humidifier is non-intrusive
- This humidifier has a break-resistant water tank to help prevent damage
- It has a stylish design with the water tank in the back
- The water tank has a large opening for ease of filling and cleaning
We don't like this as much
- We’d like to see an extra fan-speed mode for greater versatility
- This unit requires weekly cleaning for purposes of descaling and disinfecting it
4. Pure Enrichment® MistAire™ Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
This humidifier will safely moisturize the air in your room for as long as twenty-five hours of continuous low-fan-speed operation. When set on high, the maximum operation time is up to twelve hours. In both cases, this is sufficient time to allow you to breathe easy enough to get a restful night’s sleep. It is intended for use in offices, bedrooms, and other medium-sized rooms.
Along with its high and low fan speeds, a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree mist nozzle aids in keeping a balanced and regulated humidity level throughout the year. This helps to relieve cold-like symptoms and sinus issues such as coughing.
Its one-and-a-half-liter tank and two hundred and fifty square feet of coverage make it an excellent choice for safely moisturizing the air in bedrooms, offices, living rooms, and nurseries. The night light supplies a soothing glow that usually does not disturb sleep. This humidifier automatically turns off if the water level gets low or the tank is removed.
The Pure Enrichment Cool Mist Humidifier is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled for refills and cleaning. It is only necessary to lift the tank from the base and remove the water tank cap. Once the tank has been refilled, simply reattach the cap and put it back on the base.
This humidifier may be small, but it can supply humidity for an average-sized room. if you are not looking to supply humidity for a large room this may just be the humidifier you are looking for.
- Tank Size: 14 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 250 sq. ft
- Weight: 1.3 Pounds
- Special Features: Night light & auto shut-off
What we love
- This humidifier has ultrasonic cool mist technology that keeps the unit from warming the room
- It has a sleek and easy to refill water tank
- The unit can be assembled and disassembled easily for refills and cleaning
- Cleaning and maintenance are designed to be quick and easy
We don't like this as much
- We wish the mist spray was a little more powerful for greater coverage
- We’d like to see an easier way of turning off the night light when it is not needed
5. Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier
This ultrasonic humidifier is designed for those who want long-lasting humidification. Its six-liter water tank will cover an area of up to five hundred square feet for up to fifty hours without being refilled. This makes it perfect for an office, nursery, dorm room, or a small house. It includes an essential oil tray to circulate fragrant oils into the mist.
Using a cool-mist humidifier converts dry air into air that is comfortable for your throat and lungs. This can improve many conditions that have symptoms including coughing. It is safe to use and quiet, producing a sound level of only thirty decibels, and automatically shuts off when it runs out of water. This makes it perfectly safe for baby rooms if the little one develops a cough.
It doesn’t require an air filter, eliminating recurring replacement costs. It works best with a humidity level between forty and sixty percent. Keeping it in this humidity range prevents water accumulation. The moisture it adds to the air helps you to sleep better by preventing a dry mouth and coughing. Its long-lasting water tank, quiet operation, and LED night light turn this into a truly efficient humidifier.
- Tank Size: 12.5 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 500 sq. ft
- Weight: 3.1 Pounds
- Special Features: Whisper quiet
What we love
- This humidifier will run up to fifty hours without requiring a refill
- It has an LED night light that helps keep it visible
- This unit comes with a two-year replacement policy for any problems
- It comes with a diffuser with an essential oil tray
We don't like this as much
- We’d like to see a digital display of the set humidity level
- We think it would be a bonus if it came with its own cleaning brush
6. Vicks Mini Cool Mist Humidifier
This cool-mist humidifier from Vicks features a half-gallon tank that will last as long as twenty hours, supplying you with a long lasting-soothing mist. This humidifier is quiet and small, making it excellent for a bedroom or baby’s nursery.
The Vicks Mini Mist adds cool moisture into the air which many people find helps to ease coughing. It can help supply a good night’s sleep in dry air, during allergy season, or when you are sick. It doesn’t require replacement filters, helping to save you money in the long term.
This humidifier is compact, measuring just 9.57 x 9.63 x 10.63 inches. It can fit about anywhere and is particularly useful when it comes to travel and it’s the perfect choice for slipping in your car for those long journeys. It will easily fit on any desk, on a table, on an empty bookshelf without looking out of place.
- Tank Size: 4.5 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 100 sq. ft
- Weight: 3.8 Pounds
- Special Features: Filter-free
What we love
- This filter-free design eliminates the need to buy replacement filters
- It is easy to adjust the output for your comfort level
- It works with Vicks VapoPads to easily get soothing, aromatic vapors
- Its small water tank can be easily refilled in a bathroom sink
We don't like this as much
- It can be hard to clean sediment from the corner of the tank
- Its front light can be a little too bright in a dark room
7. Pure Guardian H4810AR Ultrasonic Mist Humidifier
This is a humidifier that allows you to choose between warm and cool mist. Its ultrasonic cool mist helps guard against a home with dry air. It is great for those suffering from colds, allergies, dry skin, and coughing. It has an easy-to-fill two-gallon tank, which helps it to humidify areas up to six hundred square feet.
The water tank has silver clean protection which is designed to prevent the growth of mold and mildew on the water tank surface. The ultrasonic technology allows it to run extremely quietly making it perfect to have in your bedroom while you sleep. The aromatherapy tray is designed to produce a relaxing environment with the help of your favorite essential oil. This creates a more comfortable home environment along with its quiet, soothing cool mist.
This humidifier has three fan speed settings, a low water level indicator light, a soft glow night light, and a timer. The low water level indicator light lets you know when it is time to refill the tank. It has no evaporating pads or wicks that will need to be cleaned or replaced. Its two-directional nozzle sends the soothing mist throughout the room.
- Tank Size: 19.2 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 600 sq. ft
- Weight: 5.55 Pounds
- Special Features: Low water indicator light
What we love
- You can choose between a cool or a hot mist
- This humidifier has ultrasonic technology to keep this unit quiet
- This unit can keep your home at the best possible humidity range
- It has an easy to access aromatherapy tray for essential oil
We don't like this as much
- We wish there was a feature to help prevent over-tightening the water flow cap
- We’d like to see a way to manually set a humidity level
8. LEVOIT Humidifier Classic 200
This handy humidifier from Levoit will cover an area of three hundred and seventy-six square feet or thirty-five square meters. It supplies fast and comfortable relief from the negative effects of dry air. This in turn helps take care of allergies, congestion, sinus headaches, snoring, dry skin, and, of course, coughing.
Its four-liter tank allows it to keep running day and night for nearly two days without needing a refill. Once the unit is without water, it will automatically shut off before running dry. Cleaning this humidifier is easy because of the water tank’s large opening.
Its dual 360-degree rotating nozzle can be turned to direct the mist wherever you want. It has a simple one-touch control to select a mist level. Its ultrasonic mist technology produces an ultra-fine cool mist that helps the moisture stay in the air. This allows it to humidify a room in just a few minutes.
The Levoit Classic 200 also features an aroma tray that spreads relaxing aromas throughout your room using essential oils along with healthy humidity. When you are ready for bed, all you need to do is turn off the display light. After which you can enjoy soothing aromatherapy for a good night’s sleep.
- Tank Size: 8.4 Pints
- Room Size Suitability: 376 sq. ft
- Weight: 3.5 Pounds
- Special Features: Whisper-quiet operation
What we love
- This humidifier has a forty-hour runtime on the lowest setting
- The display light can be completely turned off to avoid disturbance
- It comes with a cleaning brush that is preinstalled on the base
- Produces humidity by way of an ultrasonic cool mist
We don't like this as much
- We’d like to see a hole on top of the unit that would allow for quick and easy refilling
- We think it would be a bonus if the unit featured handles for greater portability
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a humidifier help with coughs?
When you have a cough, it can dry out your throat and nasal passageways. This is particularly likely to occur when the air in your house has low humidity. A humidifier can correct this problem by raising the humidity. When the humidity is higher, the symptoms of coughs, colds, sinus congestion, and sore throats are significantly reduced. Most people with these conditions find that having a humidifier results in a more restful night of sleep.
What are the benefits of a humidifier during flu season?
Dry air can be a problem during flu season because flu germs and other viruses spread and survive better in dry air. Increasing indoor humidity levels makes it less likely that these germs will survive and be transmitted to people. It is a good idea to keep the humidity in your home between forty-five percent and fifty percent relative humidity to keep germs from spreading.
Because flu and virus symptoms are typically things like a runny nose, sinus congestion, coughing, and a sore throat a humidifier can help reduce the symptoms. So even if you do get sick with the flu or a virus, you will not feel as bad, helping you to get over it quicker.
What humidifiers are better for coughs, cool or warm-mist?
For use around children who have a cough, it is generally safer to use cool-mist humidifiers. This is because if a child gets too close to the steam or hot water from a warm-mist humidifier or steam vaporizer, they could get burned. However, if the humidifier is intended for adult-only use, then both cool or warm mist humidifiers do an equally excellent job at helping those who suffer from coughing. Which you choose rests entirely on personal preference.
A cool-mist humidifier may be more relaxing for some, while the warmer air produced by a warm-mist humidifier may be more preferable for others. Consider which of the two you would prefer when looking at which humidifier to purchase.
Which Humidifier is best for you?
Humidifiers are an excellent way to increase the humidity of dry air in your home. In doing so they can help several health problems that are directly connected to dry air. They can also help relieve the same symptoms when caused by a cold. The moisture levels produced by humidifiers can also hinder the spread of the viruses that cause colds. As a result, there are several ways that humidifiers can help improve health problems.
They are of course by no means a cure-all, but they can help with the symptoms of coughs and colds and prevent their spread as well. So, while a humidifier does not cure any disease, it can help relieve the symptoms of colds and dry air-related problems.
If you get a humidifier for your home, you need to find one that will fit your needs. Do you value portability over a unit that has filters, or vice versa? All of the units mentioned above offer something unique that will likely stand out to you if you consider your needs. For a quick recommendation, check out the list of our top humidifiers for smaller, mid-range, and larger rooms below:
- Budget/Smaller Rooms – Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier
- Mid-range Rooms – Everlasting Comfort Cool Mist Humidifier
- Larger Rooms – Hupro Premium Humidifier