The best humidifiers

Vicks' Warm Mist Humidifier has a gallon-sized water tank and automatic shut-off feature, and it's ideal for anyone who is sick.

While most people prefer cool-mist humidifiers, in some situations, warm-mist humidifiers are simply better – like, when you're sick and trying to clear a stuffed-up nose. In that case, there's one humidifier that stands above the rest: the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier.

The device has a big water tank (1 gallon), which allows it to operate for up to 12 hours on a single filling. It runs quietly and there is a night light, which is helpful if you're running it at night.

The high setting works great for larger rooms, while the lower setting will be a little calmer for small spaces. The way it works is that the tank feeds the water into a boiling chamber, where it's then heated. The vapor produced is up to 95-percent bacteria-free, according to Vicks. The humidifier has an automatic shut-off, so it will turn off when the water runs out.

Pros: Warm mist is great for sinus issues, large water tank, two settings, relatively inexpensive

Cons: Device gets hot

The Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 Humidifier doesn't just have a large tank, it also offers both warm and cool mist settings, and the ability to control the mist output.

If you're looking for a humidifier to humidify a larger room, you'll probably want something with a larger water tank that's capable of outputting more mist. The best is the Sunpentown SPT SU-4010 Humidifier.

The humidifier has a gallon-sized water tank, but it's powerful enough to humidify rooms as large as 500 square feet. Unlike our other recommendations, this device offers the option of cool-mist or warm-mist settings. It can run for up to 10 hours on the warm-mist setting or 12 hours if you opt for cool mist. You can also adjust the mist output.

Pros: Warm and cool mist settings, higher mist output for larger rooms, ability to adjust mist output

Cons: A little noisy, on the pricey side

The Honeywell HCM350W Humidifier boasts the ability to kill 99.9% of all germs and bacteria and it's quiet.

If you're concerned about the bacteria that could be circulating in your room, then the Honeywell HCM350W Humidifier is the best option for you. Honeywell markets the device as "germ free," and that's thanks to the company's patented germ-killing process, which Honeywell claims to kill 99.9% of all water-bred germs and bacteria.

The germ-killing technology isn't the only great feature on the humidifier. It also offers three speed settings, which allow the user to adjust the moisture and sound level.

The humidifier comes in white or black, so you can choose the color to best suit your room. On top of that, it can run up to 24 hours per filling — as long as it's set to a lower setting.

There are two maintenance requirements to consider. You'll need to learn how to maintain the humidifier's wick filter and you will need to remember to switch out the filters, which adds to the cost of the device.

Pros: Technology to kill 99.9% of germs, quieter than other humidifiers, can run up to 24 hours, different colors available

Cons: Requires some maintenance, pricey