What’s more, some essential oils are extremely flammable, so make sure you keep your diffuser away from open flames. It is also recommended by many to use distilled or purified water in humidifiers, rather than water straight out of the tap. There is some debate on this, however, but it's certainly true that over time tap water will help promote pink mould and mineral dust forming in the machine. Pros: Using cold fusion technology rather than water, your drops of the essential oil blend are converted into micro fine vapour without using heat or water and released into the atmosphere to stimulate your senses and boost your well-being. It's fully portable with 50 hours of battery life (lasting today, tomorrow and even a bit of the next day after that!) and has a USB charging port for your laptop. Plus, there is no need to clean in between.

As you can see, they have a lot in common. The big difference is in the purpose. Humidifiers are designed to moisturize the air. As a result, their mist output is generally greater than a diffuser.

The ultrasonic diffuser is designed to break up a mixture of essential oils and water into a fine mist. Diffusers almost always emit a cool mist. Can you interchange a humidifier with a diffuser? They may look similar, maybe even thrown into the same category for comparisons; however, they are very different.

A vacuum pulls the oil to the surface of a distribution tube, which creates a cloud of aroma. You don’t need water or heat to operate them. On one day, I ran the humidifier for 30 minutes in a bedroom. I used my son’s weather station to measure the indoor humidity. It started at 22% and at the end of 30 minutes, measured 26%.

Is it OK to use a diffuser every day?

Eucalyptus, thyme and tea tree oils are recognised as being particularly good bacteria fighters due to their natural antibacterial properties. Oil diffusers can help people breathe more easily, especially if they’ve got a cold and want to clear their airways. Humidifier diffusers are a combination of a humidifier with the ability to diffuse essential oils in one unit. As the most powerful, fast-acting mode of defusing, a nebulizing essential oil diffuser uses pressurized air to emit a fine mist—which translates into releasing the oils in their purest form. Unfiltered tap water can contain higher levels of minerals and other particles than purified or distilled water.