In the winter, when we start to get dry and chapped skin, many of us go out and get a Humidifier for our homes.

But unfortunately, there’s a lot of variety out there. And you will probably end up just choosing what the dealer suggests.

Well, that’s not always the best way to buy something. More often than not, a humidifier that does not suit your needs will end up causing more trouble than being helpful.

One of the most common problems is excess humidification – in simple terms, your device starts oozing water, maybe even creating puddles on the floor.

If you are facing this problem, I will tell you why it is happening and what you can do about it.

Why Does My Humidifier Get The Floor Wet?

1. It’s Not the Right Size

The no. 1 reason why your humidifier is creating puddles on your floor right now is simply that you bought the wrong-sized humidifier.

Hey, don’t take it so hard. It happens to the best of us.

What you need to do now is to pack up the device, go back to the dealer, and ask for a replacement.

But how can I make sure I get the right size the next time, you ask? Well, here’s what you need to do. 

First, measure both sides of your room (length and breadth) in feet with a measuring tape.

Multiply the two numbers that you get – that’s your room size.

For example, if your length was 12 feet and width was 10 feet, then your room size = 12 x 10 = 120 sq. ft.

Next, understand humidifier sizes. That’s an easy one; there are only three:

• Large (45-50 pints)
• Medium (30 pints)
• Small (20-22 pints)

Now, let’s see which one is best suited for what.

• If your room is smaller than 500 sq. ft, go for the Small size.
• Add 4 pints for every 500 sq. ft. on top of the first five hundred. For example, if your room is above 1,500 sq. ft., you need a Medium.
• If you live in an especially damp area, use one size larger than what the above process would suggest.

2. Your Humidifier is Broken

Humidifiers break all the time. In fact, the longer you have had one, the more the chance that yours is ready to break down.

But what do we mean when we say it is broken? Well, it could be one of the following things.

• Leaking water reservoir
• Lose seals
• Filters clogged 

This is especially common if you were… ahem… “too” careful with your money when buying the device.

Well, what can you do now? 

If your product is still under warranty, I would suggest you to get a refund and buy a different one.

If not, here are some things that might work:

• You can fix leaking reservoirs by putting some epoxy putty on the crack.
• Silicone sealant can help tighten a loose seal.
• Most humidifier filters can easily be replaced. You can probably check the company’s website and buy a new set. 

3. Your Humidifier Isn’t Placed Correctly

So this is another common issue. We don’t really know where to put these devices, so we put them wherever there is an empty spot.

To understand how to correctly place your humidifier, you need to know how it works.

A humidifier basically emits very minute water droplets in the form of mist.

These misty particles need some space to circulate in the room, raising the humidity.

But if you keep your device too close to the floor, they are simply going to fall down and get absorbed.

Yup, gravity can be pretty cruel sometimes.

On top of that, some of us make the cardinal mistake of keeping our devices really close to our bedding and furniture.

Bedding is designed to be super absorbent (it soaks up our sweat so that we can sleep comfortably).

So what would happen to mist if it gets in contact with such things?

Yeah, it’s simply going to get absorbed.

Here’s what you have to do.

Keep your humidifier at least two feet above the ground and three feet away from anything else.

It’s not that hard – a nightstand or even a coffee table will do the job.

4. Your Humidifier Does Not Have a Humidistat

There are two types of humidifiers – ones that automatically control against over-humidification and others that leave it up to you.

The device that does this control is called a humidistat. 

If your humidifier is of the appropriate size, placed in the right area of the room, and doesn’t have any leaks but is still dripping water, it probably doesn’t have a humidistat.

Worse still, its humidistat might be broken!

Either way, once humidity crosses the 60% barrier, you can expect the mist to condense and create water.

This is more common in the winter when the relative humidity is also high.

If you are sure that this is the reason behind all the water in your home, get a hygrometer.

What’s that, you ask?

Well, it is a fairly cheap external device that helps you monitor your humidity levels.

Since the humidifier does not have a humidistat, you need to step into the role yourself.

Monitor the hygrometer, and whenever you find it showing higher than 50-55% humidity, it’s best just to switch off your humidifier.

5. Your Room Does Not Have Ventilation

Sometimes we tend to leave our humidifiers on perpetually.

After all, it’s just a small device humming along in the corner – what harm could it possibly do?

In the winter, all our windows are shut. There’s no ventilation in the room.

When there’s no air to move the mist particles around, they just sit around.

And when enough of them collect in a spot, they condense and form water droplets.

So, if you need to use a humidifier, it would be best to open the windows (at least for some time).

You can also get a table fan or a small portable AC that can move the air around the room a little bit.

6. You Put The Humidifier on The Wrong Settings

Almost every humidifier on the market today offers a variety of settings.

But who has the time to keep changing it? Sometimes, we just set everything at the max level and let the device be.

Well, that can end up causing a lot of trouble in your home, especially if your humidifier does not have an automatic cutoff monitor.

Excess humidity is not good, even if it is not causing puddles of water everywhere.

It creates an environment where molds and spores can flourish.

The EPA tells us that we should keep the relative humidity in our homes between 30-50% if we want to avoid all of that.

So, make sure that you get that hygrometer I talked about earlier, and keep a strict watch on the humidity levels.

And use those knobs on your device, people – they are there for a reason!

Related article: What Should I Set My Humidifier To?

7. Too Many Unnecessary Features

There’s a lot of competition in the market, especially at the lower end of the price spectrum.

You would be surprised to see some of the features on these models – they have stuff like manual water spraying and pressure settings. 

It is tempting to get a device with so much customizability, but sometimes too much choice can also be bad.

Often, the features are defaulted to deliver the maximum power that your humidifier can deliver.

And while it might be tempting to see your device spray water manually, that’s not the way humidification is supposed to work.

If you have one of these machines, you need to get out the device manual and check the settings for everything.

Make sure the hygrometer is not set too high, and the pressure is not too much.

Check each setting individually, make modifications, and see what works.

Tip! Check out my personal selection of Best Humidifiers for Hard Water

Conclusion

I think I covered everything that could possibly be going wrong with your device, which is creating pools of water in your house.

Remember, the number one reason for most of these problems is simply because we go overboard with what we need from a humidifier.

Most average-sized rooms do not need anything more than a “Small” device.

If you are looking for a whole-house humidifier, make sure you use the method I shared to check what size you need to get.

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