When used correctly, humidifiers can be a great addition to your home because they add humidity to the air in your home and help you fight the effects of dry air.
Most of the humidifiers in the market today can be operated for long hours as long as there is water in the humidifier’s reservoir.
Yes, you can leave your Vicks humidifier on all night, as long as the humidity level in your home is below the recommended levels. If you leave your Vicks humidifier on throughout the night while the humidity level in your home is high, the humidifier will over-humidify the air in your home.
While humidifiers are great additions to our homes, it is important that we learn how to use the humidifiers the right way to improve the air quality in our homes.
In this post, we will discuss:
- Can I leave my Vicks humidifier on all night? (Plus Considerations to Keep in Mind)
- Can I sleep with my Vicks humidifier on?
- How long can you keep a Vicks humidifier on?
- Does Vicks humidifier turn off automatically?
Can I Leave My Vicks Humidifier on All Night? (Plus Considerations to Keep in Mind)
Vicks humidifiers work like most of the other humidifiers in the market, as their main purpose is increasing the humidity level in the air by releasing either a warm or cool mist depending on the type of Vicks humidifier.
An additional feature in some of the Vicks humidifiers is the Vapopads slot designed to allow you to use the Vicks camphor and menthol-infused paddings to help you manage symptoms of a cold such as throat irritation.
The Vapopads used in Vicks humidifiers eliminate the need for you to keep rubbing or spraying menthol products on your skin or nose when you want to relieve cold symptoms. Additionally, these Vapopads do not contain petrolatum or petroleum jelly, making them safe for use in your humidifier.
All you will need to do is simply add one Vapopad to its allocated space in the humidifier and enjoy the benefits of the menthol-infused mist. As long as there is water in the humidifier throughout the night, you can enjoy the benefit of your Vicks humidifier.
Regardless of the type of Vicks humidifier you are using, whether it is a warm or cool-mist humidifier or whether you are using the Vicks Vapopads or not, you can leave your Vicks humidifier running all night as long as you keep the following considerations in mind.
Considerations for Leaving your Humidifier on All Night
Water Level
Always check the water level in your humidifier to ensure that it can last throughout the night if you plan to leave your Vicks humidifier running all night. You could fill the water tank if it was already running for a few hours before your bedtime.
Alternatively, you can check on the humidifier at some point during the night to ensure that the humidifier still has enough water to keep working effectively.
Auto Shut-off Feature
An auto shut-off feature in a humidifier will turn your humidifier off when it detects that the water reservoir is empty. This is a useful feature in most modern humidifiers and ensures that your humidifier will not continue running after the water has been depleted in the reservoir.
If your humidifier does not have an auto shut-off feature, you will need to monitor the water level in the humidifier constantly. A humidifier that keeps running even after the water reservoir is likely to overheat or get damaged.
Check your humidifier or its manual to determine whether your humidifier has this feature. Note that, if your humidifier has the auto shut-off feature, you will not need to monitor the humidifier throughout the night, because the humidifier will turn off when the reservoir is empty.
It is also important to note that, if you want the humidifier to keep on working after it has been shut off by the auto shut-off feature, you will need to refill the humidifier first before turning it on.
Humidifier Capacity
The capacity of your humidifier will determine whether or not you should leave your Vicks humidifier on throughout the night.
Large-sized humidifiers usually have a large water reservoir, which ensures that your humidifier will run for longer hours when compared to small-sized humidifiers.
If you plan to use a small-sized humidifier throughout the night, you might need to refill the water in the water reservoir at some point during the night, which can be an inconvenience to you.
If you have a small-sized humidifier and would wish to buy a humidifier that is more suitable for long hours, you can get a larger-capacity humidifier. This will eliminate the need to constantly wake up to refill the humidifier at night.
An example of a medium to large-capacity Vicks Humidifier is the: Vicks V3900 Germ-free Cool Mist Humidifier
This humidifier is a great option for day and night usage. It has been designed with an ultraviolet light chamber that treats and cleans the water before releasing moisture into your home.
Features
- Ultraviolet light chamber
- Cool mist
- Suitable for medium and large rooms
- Run time: Up to 24 hours
- Water tank capacity: 3.8 liters (1 gallon)
- Quiet operation
- Weight: 5.72 pounds
Pros
- A great option for medium to large-sized rooms
- Releases germ-free mist
- The water tank is easy to refill and carry
- Comes with a 3-year warranty
Cons
- It has a bright light that might draw attention to it at night (especially if you sleep with the light off)
Can I Sleep with My Vicks Humidifier On?
Whether you are sleeping during the day or at night, you can sleep with your Vicks humidifier on as long as the humidity level in your home is not above the recommended level.
If you are simply taking a short nap during the day or at night, you can sleep with your humidifier on comfortably without worry, because running the humidifier for a few minutes or an hour will not significantly affect the humidity level in your home.
On the other night, if you plan to sleep for longer hours, you will need to check the humidity levels in your home first before running your humidifier. If the humidity level is within the recommended level or slightly below the recommended levels, you should not run your humidifier.
Running the humidifier for long hours while the humidity level is within the recommended level or slightly below the recommended level can increase the humidity level in your home to extremely high levels.
On the other hand, if the humidity level in your home is low or very low, you should run the humidifier for longer hours or while you sleep. This will improve the quality of your sleep, decrease the risks of respiratory illnesses, and get rid of the heavy morning voice that is often associated with inhaling dry air.
In general, the expected duration of your sleep and the humidity level in your home should help you decide whether or not you should run your humidifier while you sleep.
How Long Can You Keep a Vicks Humidifier On?
Ideal
There is no ideal time for running your humidifier as the number of hours you should run your humidifier depend largely on the current humidity levels in your home, the season, or the general humidity level in the area where you live.
If your home has high humidity levels, you should not use your humidifier until the humidity level goes below the recommended levels. On the other hand, if your home has low humidity levels or if you live in an area with low humidity levels, using a humidifier will improve your air quality.
If you are unsure about how long you should run your humidifier, simply use a hygrometer to check the humidity levels in your home and if the humidity levels are below 40% RH, run the humidifier for approximately 4 to 5 hours before re-assessing the humidity levels in the room/home.
You can continue running your humidifier until you attain a relative humidity level of approximately 50 to 55% RH.
Maximum
Most of the Vicks humidifiers in the market have a specified run time that will guide you on the maximum number of hours that you can run your humidifier continuously. Your humidifier’s run time is dependent on its water tank capacity.
If your humidifier has a large water tank, it will be able to run for longer hours compared to a humidifier that has a smaller water tank.
Most medium-sized humidifiers have a 24-hour run time, meaning you can run them continuously for 24 hours without worrying about the water tank drying out.
Note that the speed that the mist is released from the humidifier will also affect your humidifier’s run time. If you run your humidifier on low or medium speed, the water in the water reservoir will last longer compared to when you run the humidifier on high speed.
Does Vicks Humidifier Turn Off Automatically?
Some of the humidifiers manufactured by Vicks have an auto shut-off feature that will ensure that the humidifier turns off immediately after the water tank runs dry.
If you are looking for a humidifier with an auto shut-off feature, ensure that you check the product description for this feature. Some recommendations that could also be suitable for medium to large rooms include, which also offer a wide range of beneficial features include:
Click on the name of the humidifier to check their reviews and specifications on Amazon for more information.
Related Post: Can you leave your humidifier on when you are not at home?
Conclusion
Humidifiers can help you improve the quality of your sleep at night, especially if the air in your home is dry.
To get the most out of your humidifier, ensure that you check the relative humidity in your home first to ensure that you are not running your humidifier in a room that already has high humidity levels.
You should also ensure that you are using the right type of water in the humidifier. Distilled, filtered, or purified water is usually recommended for humidifiers.
