This is our buying guide on the best humidifiers for hard water in 2023. Below is a quick summary of our top recommendations. Scroll further down to read our in depth, hands on reviews, for each humidifier.
Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier
- Quiet operation
- Refilling the water tank is effortless
- Stylish design
- Break-resistant water tank
- Settings to adjust both moisture output and sound levels
- Consistently keeps moisture levels between 40% and 60%
- Wicking filter traps hard water minerals and prevents white dust
- Ideal for children’s bedrooms – especially in allergy season
- Filters are easy to find and cost-effective
- Super affordable, and great features at the price
- Comfortably humidifies areas up to 200 square feet
HoMedics Total Comfort Ultrasonic Humidifier
- Option of warm or cool mist
- Features two tanks
- Capacity of 1.7 Gallons
- Water capacity means it has an extra long runtime
- Works tremendously well in large rooms
- Easy and quick to refill
- Features a nightlight
- Low maintenance cost
- Works perfect with hard water
- Ultrasonic technology prevents mildew, mold, limescale, and white dust
- Quiet operation
- Small and easy to move around the house
- Plug & Play operation
- Great for hard water with high mineral content
Levoit
LV600HH
- Ultrasonic unit
- Most accurate humidistat for any set-and-forget operation
- Heated mist option
- Excellent choice for hard water
- It has an essential oil evaporator
- Generous water tank that is super easy to refill
- Upper range mist output of 500 milliliters per hour
- Can easily handle areas as large as 750 square feet (that’s 70 square meters)
- Comes with a handy remote control
- Auto function allows you to preset your ideal humidity percentage
- Auto-off switch for when the water tank is empty
- Display automatically dims – perfect for the bedroom
This is a review of the best three humidifiers for hard water.
I’ve struggled with hay fever and sinus issues my entire life, so living without a proper humidifier is pretty much unthinkable.
I know this is a widespread issue, so the team and I scoured the market to research and review the best humidifiers for hard water available.
We tested 3 humidifiers and found the HoMedics TotalComfort Warm & Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier to be the best humidifier for hard water.
This ultrasonic unit from HoMedics offers practicality, along with really simple cleaning features.
But let us share our research on all three units with you – the good and the bad – and you’ll see what we mean.
Keep reading!
HoMedics Total Comfort Ultrasonic Humidifier
OVERALL BEST
One of the coolest features of the HoMedics is the clean tank technology it uses. This technology is antimicrobial and prevents the buildup of mildew and mold, minimizes residue, and keeps your home smelling sanitized and fresh.
But it doesn’t only humidify – it also sports an essential oil tray. So, you can add your favorite essential oils to fill your living space with relaxing, invigorating aromas.
Dual water tanks, each with a capacity of around 1,7 gallons, mean you can use the HoMedics humidifier for up to 80 hours without refilling. Each tank has a high-durability plastic housing and a mister that shuts off automatically so the hard water humidifier doesn’t overheat.
The unit employs ultrasonic technology that keeps the tank clean and smelling fresh.
The growth of mold and mildew, and the buildup of “white dust”, are prevented by specialized antimicrobial technology, unique to HoMedics. This feature is a must-have, because the white dust, limescale, mildew, and mold are specifically caused by hard water.
The ultrasonic technology uses high-frequency vibrations that bounce off a small metal plate and turn water drops into a mist. It creates hardly any sound, so the HoMedics is ideal for kids’ rooms, nurseries, and bedrooms.
And if you want to use it in your living areas – this unit covers around 200 square feet!
In the winter months, when the dry heat can be brutal, this little HoMedics unit truly comes into its own. It effortlessly heats and humidifies areas throughout the home to aid in peaceful sleep, and regulates perfect humidity all night long.
These units don’t use filters or wicks, so the maintenance cost is close to zero. And they’re small enough to be portable. You can move them around the house with minimum effort to humidify any area you’re spending time in.
If you have kids who need a dim light or soft glow to help them sleep at night, the HoMedics also sports a built-in nightlight.
It’s all well and fine to have all this technology in a humidifier, but the big question is: how easy is it to clean?
Turns out it’s a breeze. You use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and tepid water for the inside of the tank. And you don’t have to do that more than once a fortnight.
HoMedics also includes two demineralization cartridges with your purchase to make sure your unit stays healthy and optimally operational, and this makes it one of the best humidifiers for hard water.
Using the HoMedics humidifier is easy too. Unplug, fill with water, add essential oil, if you want, and power up. That’s it!
And something you’re bound to appreciate as I do is the whisper quiet operation. You switch it on, and there are no noises or hums to remind you the unit is running in the background. This is great for a home office!
Let’s look at the pros and cons of this HoMedics Humidifier:
Pros
- Option of warm or cool mist
- Features two tanks
- Capacity of 1.7 Gallons
- Water capacity means it has an extra long runtime
- Works tremendously well in large rooms
- Easy and quick to refill
- Features a nightlight
- Low maintenance cost
- Works perfect with hard water
- Ultrasonic technology prevents mildew, mold, limescale, and white dust
- Quiet operation
- Small and easy to move around the house
- Plug & Play operation
- Great for hard water with high mineral content
Cons
- Demineralization capsules are sometimes less effective
Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier
BEST BUDGET
The Honeywell has a cool-moisture option only. It’s easy to clean and includes a special filter to trap the minerals in hard water. That means no more white residue.
The Honeywell unit features an easy-to-clean, easy-to-fill, one-gallon water tank, and it can comfortably run for 18 hours on a single water refill.
The outside casing of the water tank simply wipes down. It detaches, so cleaning the bottom and inside of the unit is a breeze. The tank has a wide opening, which makes cleaning by hand easy.
Both the tank and the tray are also dishwasher-safe for the hard-to-clean corners. Simply fit it onto the top rack. But beware of using too much detergent.
The Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier has a stylish design (you can choose between white and black, each with a blue tank) that will fit right in with your home.
It has a wide footprint, so it’s probably better suited for the floor rather than a shelf, table, or bookcase. When you aren’t using the humidifier, storage can be an issue, especially if you are into small-space living. We managed to tuck it under a tallish bedside table when not using it.
Important, though, is to make sure the humidifier is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and dried before packing it away for the season. And also remember to remove the spent filter. If you do all of this, you’ll have one of the best humidifiers for hard water in your home.
Although it is specifically designed for small to medium rooms, there is no danger of over-humidifying the air if you use the unit in smaller spaces or in unison with hard water. The evaporative technology this unit employs will only add as much moisture as the air can absorb.
Most humidifiers release visible steam through a nozzle. The Honeywell unit circulates the air with a fan. This results in a moisture reinfusion improvement of between 40% and 50%.
It also comfortably keeps the humidity at 40-60% in areas up to 200 square feet. In dry conditions, this improves breathing comfort, nasal congestion, dry skin, and sleep. It also drastically reduces static electricity in the atmosphere.
Once placed, the settings are intuitive. There’s no guesswork in making mist stronger or weaker – the dial toggles between high, medium, or low settings. Which makes it perfect for hard water.
Honeywell claims this humidifier is up to 30% quieter than comparable brands and models. It has a two-speed setting that allows you to adjust both the moisture output and sound level.
Upkeep is both simple and budget-friendly. The filter has to be replaced at least once a year – if you use it too long the air quality will deteriorate. However, replacing the filter will only set you back around $10.
Pros
- Quiet operation
- Refilling the water tank is effortless
- Stylish design
- Break-resistant water tank
- Settings to adjust both moisture output and sound levels
- Consistently keeps moisture levels between 40% and 60%
- Wicking filter traps hard water minerals and prevents white dust
- Ideal for children’s bedrooms – especially in allergy season
- Filters are easy to find and cost-effective
- Super affordable, and great features at the price
- Comfortably humidifies areas up to 200 square feet
Cons
- Holds less than half the water of our Homedics top pick
- To refill, you have to unscrew a cap
Levoit – LV600HH
PREMIUM CHOICE
If you’re after a humidifier with the capacity to moisturize a large room, and deals fantastically with hard water, the Levoit – LV600HH is our pick.
It is certainly one of the more expensive models in the price bracket, but it is well worth the money if you need to humidify a larger space.
The unit has a water tank with a 1.5 gallon (6 liters) capacity and operates with three mist levels. That means it can run up to 36 hours without the need to refill it with hard water.
The Levoit doesn’t use filters and has no trouble humidifying spaces up to 400 square feet, although it doesn’t pump out moisture as fast as the HoMedics in a head-to-head performance test.
The Levoit covers all the essentials. It features an easy-to-clean tank, and the humidistat was one of the best we’ve ever tested. And, as you know by now, water with lots of minerals requires a unit clean to ensure you’re running a top humidifier for hard water.
The auto button on the control panel will get your room up to around 68% humidity. That said, most people are more comfortable with humidity levels of around 45-55%. The electronic controls with which you lower the humidity are unfortunately a little complex, so hang onto the manual!
Once you’ve got the hang of it, though, the control panel allows you to easily set your desired humidity, adjust the mist settings, and set the timer.
Although the buttons on the remote are well labeled, the ones on the unit itself are not. That said, the settings are intuitive, and the LED screen communicates which settings you have selected.
Although the humidistat is excellent, be aware that our instruments showed that the unit’s display panel under-reads by around 8%.
Like the Homics, the Levoit does double duty by also featuring an essential oil diffuser. In this unit, it works just like a fan-drawn diffuser, so there’s no heating up of the oil – an infinitely healthier choice.
You can choose between cool and warm mist and set your preferred humidity level with ease. The unit also has a dual-nozzle, which makes it infinitely more effective.
The Levoit LV600HH also scores high when it comes to ease of cleaning. The opening of the water tank is around 3 inches, so it allows for comfortable scrubbing. There are also no uncomfortable nooks and crannies on the agitator – so, no place for mold to hide and grow, which is a great plus and perfect for hard water.
The instruction manual suggests an occasional deep clean along with a white vinegar soak. Cleaning the unit took our team members around 15 minutes. That’s excluding a half-hour vinegar soak in between.
Let’s scan through a few pros and cons based on our team’s test results.
Pros
- Ultrasonic unit
- Most accurate humidistat for any set-and-forget operation
- Heated mist option
- Excellent choice for hard water
- It has an essential oil evaporator
- Generous water tank that is super easy to refill
- Upper range mist output of 500 milliliters per hour
- Can easily handle areas as large as 750 square feet (that’s 70 square meters)
- Comes with a handy remote control
- Auto function allows you to preset your ideal humidity percentage
- Auto-off switch for when the water tank is empty
- Display automatically dims – perfect for the bedroom
Cons
- Humidity display readings are often inaccurate
