Humidifiers are great. Nothing helps you get to sleep better than a running humidifier when the air is bone dry.
However, the added moisture in the air that humidifiers create is not the only benefit of sleeping with a humidifier. For many, the gentle white noise that humidifiers emit is what helps people fall asleep so easily.
In turn, for people that are looking for humidifiers that do their job, AND create a noticeable white noise as well, these types of humidifiers are certainly available.
If you happen to be looking for a humidifier on the “loud” side, or one that emits noticeable but soothing white noise, look no further. This post lists a handful of the best white noise humidifiers available on Amazon based on the feedback from dozens of customer reviews that describe these devices.
But first, you might be wondering what I did to find these humidifiers and why I did such a thing in the first place.
How and why I determined which humidifiers were “noisy”
I like listening to white noise as I fall asleep. In fact, if I am not listening to a background noise-producing device such as a humidifier, fan or a white noise machine, its a lot harder for me to fall asleep.
Naturally, when I started looking for a new humidifier, I decided I wanted one that could create some white noise while running at night.
More specifically I started looking for single room humidifiers. I only needed the humidifier to bring humidity into my bedroom and not one designed for 2000 square feet of living space. When looking at these humidifiers, I thought I might as well document what I came across.
I started by searching around Amazon for specifically single room humidifiers that were particularly “noisy” by sifting through hundreds of customer reviews for dozens of humidifiers. As I went along, I took note of the reviews that mentioned that certain humidifiers made noticeable noise. More specifically, I took note of which reviews mentioned that certain humidifiers were either “noisy”, “loud” or created “white noise” of some sort.
From there, out of the dozens of humidifiers I looked over, I picked the ones that had a large percentage of users that claimed their humidifier created noticeable white noise. These are the humidifiers that I have dubbed to be the “best white noise humidifiers” in this post.
Of course, keep in mind that determining the “best” humidifiers for white noise is really a matter of opinion. After all, some people may prefer one type of background noise from one humidifier over another. Regardless, these single room humidifiers selected are ones that clearly do create background noise according to users, that can potentially help with sleep.
Five excellent humidifiers that create white noise
There are dozens and dozens of humidifiers that create white noise. However, the devices listed below are of humidifiers that a considerable number of customers have gone out of their way to comment on the loudness and the quality white noise they create.
Easy to Care Cool Mist Humidifier by Honeywell
This humidifier is an evaporative humidifier which means it might be a bit louder than other models.
Evaporative humidifiers work through the use of an internal fan and wick. The wick is typically made from a paper sheet or cloth that draws up water sitting in the bottom of your humidifier. When the fan is on, it sucks air toward the wick causing the water to evaporate as the fan blows the water vapor into the air as mist1.
As you can imagine, humidifiers like this that have running fans usually create soft droning noise from the fan. This noise can be barely noticeable or quite audible depending on what setting the humidifier is on.
Customers claim that this humidifier has a soft whirring sound that comes from the fan of course. This kind of background noise can be quite soothing when trying to fall asleep, and some would say they can’t sleep without it!
However, many users did claim that when the device is on its highest setting, the noise that the device makes is too loud, even for sleep! To be fair though, a device that is “too loud” for some might be the perfect volume for others.
Nonetheless, with multiple settings on the device, you can essentially choose the noise volume that’s preferable for you.
Purified Cool Mist Humidifier with Shatterproof Tank by Holmes
Conveniently, although this is a single room humidifier, it has a 1-gallon tank making it capable of running for 24 hours nonstop. This humidifier also has a baking soda layer in the filtration to help remove bad smells from the air. Equipped with a built-in water filtration system, this device also purifies the tap water that you would fill up your tank with.
Users describe the noise that this humidifier creates as soft and easy to fall asleep to. It seems as though in comparison to other models, this one isn’t quite as loud, which of course is a good thing if you have an easier time falling asleep to softer background noise. Keep in mind that given that this is an evaporative humidifier, the generated noise comes from the sound of the fan running on the inside. According to some users, you might also hear a small gurgle of water from time to time.
Cool Mist Impeller Humidifier by Sunbeam
This humidifier is an impeller humidifier. Impeller humidifiers have a rotating disc inside that it throws water at a diffuser which breaks down the water into fine vapor. This vapor then gets released into the air as mist. When the humidifier and the diffuser are on, it creates a gentle fan-like hum as it releases a cool fog.
When this humidifier is set up properly, according to user reviews, it will create a gentle drone, which can be great for sleep.
However, when looking through the reviews, you may notice that some people claim the device is too loud for them. Some of these responses claimed that the device makes a disruptive vibrating noise.
Not to worry though. According to the manufacturer, this vibrating noise can happen when the motor assembly top is in place correctly. If the top isn’t positioned correctly, the device can create this noise.
Really, this might not even be a bad thing for some. If you are looking for some particularly noticeable white noise as you fall asleep then placing the top slightly off-center might be preferable even though this isn’t how the device isn’t intended to be used.
Regardless, even when using the device properly, it does create a gentle hum that can really help you drift off to sleep.
Cool Mist 4L Ultrasonic Humidifier by TaoTronics
Given that this model is an ultrasonic humidifier, it tends to be a bit quieter than most but still gives off some white noise all the same. Ultrasonic humidifiers produce moisture in the air essentially through vibrations. These models usually have metal diaphragms that vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency which propels moisture into the air as fog.
The manufacturer claims that it produces less than 38 dB of noise. To put things in perspective, 40 dB is about the volume of a babbling brook and 30 dB is the sound of a whisper2.
According to users, this model creates a pleasant fan-like white noise that is great for sleep. However, if you are looking for a humidifier that creates more noticeable background noise, this one might not be for you. Ultrasonic humidifiers are designed to be relatively quiet and are more ideal for people that prefer softer background noise for sleep.
831000 Space-Saver Whole House Evaporative Humidifier by AIRCARE
This model is a bit different from the others. It is made to humidify an entire house (2700 square feet) instead of just a single room like the other humidifiers.
As I said before, I focused mostly on researching single room humidifiers given that I was trying to find one just for my bedroom. I wasn’t as concerned about keeping other rooms humid outside of my sleeping space. However, if you are really keen on listening to some really noticeable white noise as you sleep, this evaporative humidifier might be the way to go.
Given that this evaporative humidifier has the capacity to humidify such a large amount of square feet, the evaporator fan on this device is quite powerful. In turn, this device can be quite loud especially on its highest setting.
Some users report that on the lowest setting the humidifier is bearable to use while sleeping. Sleeping with the humidifier on the loudest setting might be a bit more difficult. However, one user claimed that he still would rather sleep with it on the highest setting if it means “avoiding nose bleeds from dry air”. Sometimes I guess you just got to do what you got to do.
Regardless, the fact that there are three different intensity settings on the device means that you can essentially set the volume to whatever volume works best for you.
Final words
When you read through these humidifier reviews yourself, keep in mind that the descriptions of the loudness of these humidifiers are opinionated. A humidifier that is unbearably loud to one person might be the perfect volume of background noise for sleep for someone else. When reading through the reviews yourself, take each opinion on the volume with a grain of salt so to speak.
For a thorough guide on how to completely soundproof your bedroom, click here!
References
- “See how an evaporative humidifier works.” lunacomfort.com, http://www.lumacomfort.com/article/how-evaporative-humidifier-works.htm
- “Noise Level Chart.” noisehelp.com, https://www.noisehelp.com/noise-level-chart.html
