Everything you Need to Know About Ultrasonic Humidifiers

With 5G, superfast broadband, and the ability to order pretty much anything you want from that small box in your hand, life can feel futuristic. This is especially the case with ultrasonic humidifiers. They sound amazing! But how do they work? What even is an ultrasonic humidifier?

Our blog looks at everything you need to know, including how to clean your ultrasonic humidifier. You will learn important things like the difference between an ultrasonic humidifier and other humidifiers, so you can feel comfortable with your purchase.

We also add some great recommendations for products (of course, TaoTronics humidifiers!). But this blog is about more than that. It’s about figuring out what the point of buying something with “ultrasonic” in the title is.

Ready to learn? Lets begin!

What is an Ultrasonic Humidifier?

It’s definitely important to start here. Any answers?

An ultrasonic humidifier is a device that uses a metal or ceramic “diaphragm” to produce mist. The diaphragm vibrates against the water, creating droplets that are blown out into your room as a fine mist. This mist can be warm or cool, depending on your preference and if you are using it around children or not. If you are, cool mist is safer.

What About Evaporation Humidifiers?

Well… what about them? They use a material that dips into the water, absorbing droplets. The humidifier’s fan then blows through the material. The mist is put into your room. This is fine! It works! But it isn’t ultrasonic. Find out what the main differences are below.

What is the Working Principle of an Ultrasonic Humidifier?

We’re about to get technical. Don’t worry, it isn’t a school science lesson. Not really.

To understand how an ultrasonic humidifier works, you need to know how ultrasonic devices work in general. We look at that, then more closely at ultrasonic humidification.

You can also watch this video of an ultrasonic humidifier being disassembled, if that’s your thing:

1.    The Ultrasonic Principle of Operation

Ultrasonic devices work to turn electricity into airwaves. They emit short, high frequency pulses. Usually, this is with sound. For instance, ultrasonic sensors work by sending out sound through the air. When these sounds hit something, they bounce back through the air to the sensor. This helps the sensor tell how far away something is.

2.    The Principles of Ultrasonic Humidification

To keep it simple: humidifiers work when a certain part is immersed in a waterbed. This part converts electronic signals (high frequency, like we mentioned before) into movement.

Cavitation bubble implosion

As the speed increases, the water droplets can no longer cling to the part. This creates a small vacuum and the compression of the droplets, which forms air bubbles. This is called captivation bubble implosion.

Capillary wave theory

When cavitation happens, something known as broken capillary waves are created. The water droplets ”break” and dissipate into the air. This means that they become vapor and are absorbed into the air, which is blown out of the humidifier as a fine mist.

By combining these two actions, ultrasonic humidifiers produce a steady mist for hours at a time using small amounts of energy. Interestingly, these principles make ultrasonic humidifiers incredibly environmentally friendly, especially compared to other large humidification options.

Step by Step Simply Guide to How an Ultrasonic Humidifier Works

1. Ultrasonic humidifiers have modern, high frequency technology that sends a vibration into the water.
2. The water can’t move in time with the vibration.
3. The water breaks down into small droplets, which then transform into vapor.
4. The humidifier releases this mist into the room as clean, sanitized air.
5. This mist disperses and almost instantly creates a cooler, moist environment.

What are the Differences between Ultrasonic Humidifier and Other Humidifiers?

Of course, there are other types of humidifier available. These include evaporation humidifiers, like we discussed earlier. Other common types include impeller humidifiers and steam humidifiers. These work in different ways to evaporation and ultrasonic types.

Impeller humidifiers: Have a disk that rotates to throw water over a diffuser. This creates mist.

Steam humidifiers: Boils water to create purified steam that is sent into your room. This process is known as “isothermal humidification.”

However, we think that ultrasonic humidifiers are the best to own. This is true for practically any household situation, and particularly important if you have small children or animals. We have put together a list of the pros and cons of ultrasonic humidifiers compared to other types.

Pros

1. Safer. This is a no brainer. If you are heating the water inside your humidifier to create steam, then your humidifier is full of boiling water. If it gets knocked over or breaks, then boiling water will end up on your furniture or floor. This is particularly dangerous if you have small children or animals. Let’s face it, they are more likely to knock over a humidifier! Sticking with a cool mist humidifier greatly reduces this danger.
2. Quiet operation. Ultrasonic = ultra quiet. You don’t have any whirring parts that will create a massive noise.
3. Easy to clean: We go through all the steps about how to clean your ultrasonic humidifier below. But trust us, it’s simple! And more simple than cleaning other humidifiers that have multiple moving parts.
4. No ongoing operational cost: Once you buy your humidifier, that’s it. You don’t have to constantly replace parts. You don’t have to buy add-ons or extras. Just enjoy your device and get your money’s worth!
5. Energy-saving: Ultrasonic humidifiers use a very little amount of energy through the day. They take far less energy than boiling water for hours on end, for instance. This makes them cheaper to run and more environmentally sound than other humidifiers.

Cons (and solutions to avoid them!)

1. No filter to absorb mineral scale deposits: As the vapor is being sent straight out into your room, there is no filter to catch and absorb mineral scale deposits. This can lead to them building up in your device, meaning it will need cleaning regularly.

Solution: use distilled water. Distilled water is free from minerals, so deposits won’t build up. You can buy distilled water or create your own at home—there are instructions on how to do that at the link.

• Bacterial contamination may occur: As humidifiers can also purify the air, it is natural that bacteria can build up.

Solution: One solution to this is to clean your humidifier regularly. For further prevention, you can find a humidifier with adjustable humidify control. This prevents excess moisture and keeps your room at a reasonable level of humidity.

• More expensive: You get what you pay for. In this case, you often pay more for ultrasonic humidifiers because they are more advanced technology. They bring a wealth of benefits that other humidifiers don’t have. Plus, they look modern and fancy!

Solution: There is no real solution for this unfortunately. You can look for deals and savings and take solace in the fact there are few ongoing operational cost.

How to Clean Your Ultrasonic Humidifier?

Daily Cleaning Routine

1. Turn off and unplug your humidifier. This is important and you should always check the humidifier is off and unplugged before attempting to clean it.
2. Remove the mist nozzle from the top of the humidifier. Clean and dry it, being sure to get in all the tight spaces.
3. Empty the water from both the water tank and water basin.
4. Wipe the interior of the basin with a clean cloth or paper towel.
5. Add the distilled water.

You’re good to go!

Weekly cleaning

1. Turn off and unplug the humidifier. Again, make sure you do this every time!
2. Remove the mist nozzle from the top of the humidifier. Clean and dry it, being sure to get in all the tight spaces.
3. Empty the water from both the water tank and water basin.
4. Use vinegar or bleach to disinfect the interior of the tank for 20-30 mins. Vinegar might smell strange but it is probably the safer option, in this instance.
5. Cover and shake the tank to make sure the mixture covers the surface, and then drain the water mixture out.
6. Rinse the tank with plain water to remove the vinegar or bleach residue.
7. Wipe the interior of the basin with a clean cloth or paper towel to dry.
8. Add distilled water.

You’re now also good to go!

Our Recommendations

Of course, this wouldn’t be a TaoTronics blog without recommendations. We are releasing two amazing new ultrasonic humidifiers, TT-AH044 and TT-AH046. Not the catchiest of names, but don’t let that put you off!

These humidifiers are worth checking out—our reviews from discerning Amazon fans are incredible. Learn more about them below.

TaoTronics 6L Cool Mist Humidifier with Humidistat LED (TT-AH044)

Best Bits

1. It’s super quiet! Get a good nights sleep with this humidifier, which operates at around only 26dB.
2. Automatic balanced humidification! With an automatic humidistat, this device automatically measures the humidity of your room and adjust the mist output for optimal comfort.
3. LED display! All of this info is displayed on an easy-to-read LED display.
4. 6L capacity! A HUGE tank will keep mist in rooms up to 40m²/430ft².
5. It looks great! Sleek and modern, with a matte black finish, this humidifier fits into any room.

You even get a cleaning brush included! With the large opening, this makes TT-AH044 one of our easiest humidifiers to clean yet.

TaoTronics Warm and Cool Mist Top Fill Ultrasonic Air Humidifier (TT-AH046)

Best Bits

1. Creates warm AND cool mist! Get the best of both worlds with this humidifier, perfect for year-round humidification.
2. Automatic balanced humidification! With an automatic humidistat, this device automatically measures the humidity of your room and adjusts the mist output for optimal comfort.
3. Essential Oil Diffuser! If you want your room to smell great, or to add relaxing essential oils into the mist before you sleep, then this is the humidifier for you.
4. 6L capacity! A HUGE tank will keep mist in rooms up to 70m²/753ft².
5. Remote control! Perfect for when you don’t want to get out of bed, this humidifier has a remote control that can change the mist level and temperature, as well as a sleep timer—and more!

Comes with a cleaning brush, aroma pads, and a dustproof sponge, all of which make cleaning that much easier!

Sneak Peak! TT-AH047

We have a new humidifier arriving soon—and it’s worth the wait for the announcement! Keep checking back for more news, or follow TaoTronics on Facebook or Instagram.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ultrasonic humidifiers are a great addition to your home. Not only do they help purify and humidify the air, but they do so using very little power. They also look great!

In this article we have looked at what ultrasonic humidifiers are, how they work, and how you clean them. If you want to see more, you can explore the TaoTronics website today!