If you’re a new guitarist or beginning guitar lessons, you may not be familiar with guitar humidifiers and their importance in maintaining your instrument’s condition. When you store your guitar in your living room, in a guitar case, or particular storage space, the humidity levels contribute to your guitar’s performance and sound quality. That’s where guitar humidifiers come in. In this article, let’s look at the best guitar humidifier you can find on the market.
Humidity levels vary drastically depending on where you store your guitar, whether in a space with normal or relative humidity, dry, arid space in an attic, or a damp environment, such as a basement.
When your guitar becomes too dry, this can lead to significant damage. A room humidifier can provide much-needed moisture and water vapor for your instrument. However, it’s essential to ensure that the moisture level and humidity control are adjusted to provide the best moisture level for the best results.
It’s essential to keep your guitar body maintained with proper humidity. This step will prevent damage caused by dry conditions, such as bad guitar strings, lifting around the bridge, sinking on the top, wood cracking, string buzzing, and other problems impacting the instrument’s physical parts and sound quality.
When you invest in a reliable guitar humidifier, you’ll prevent the effects of changing weather and environments from damaging your instrument. Humidity control is essential, especially in regions or homes with severe dryness from heating systems or frequent shifts in outdoor temperature and humidity levels.
We chose the best guitar humidifiers based on the brand’s reputation for good results, durability, and effectiveness in providing excellent guitar maintenance. Investing in one of the best guitar humidifiers will keep your guitar performing well for many years, even if you live in a dry climate or where there are frequent weather changes.
Best Budget-Friendly Guitar Humidifier
The Martin Guitar Humidifier is a well-made, portable humidifier that fits well in a guitar case and gradually emits moisture to keep your instrument in excellent condition.
Pros
- This guitar case humidifier can absorb up to ten times its weight in water
- Martin is a high-quality brand that offers well-made instrument accessories and devices
- It’s easy to use, takes just a few minutes to submerge in water, and is set up in the guitar case
- Inexpensive and doesn’t cost much to replace when needed
Cons
- This humidifier may be too small or not long enough for certain guitars
Best Acoustic Guitar Humidifier
MusicNomad Humitar Acoustic Guitar Humidifier is a durable, low-maintenance device that releases moisture slowly. This humidifier sits inside the guitar’s soundhole and keeps your instrument safe from cracking, warping, or shrinking.
Pros
- The Humid-I-Bar sponge conveniently holds up to ten times its weight in water without dripping or leaking into the instrument
- You can quickly check if the humidifier is moist enough and add water as needed
- The sponge hangs conveniently from the strings to release moisture into the soundhole
- Reasonably priced
- Ranked a best seller in the top 50 Guitar Cleaning and Care Products category
Cons
- This guitar humidifier may not fit inside smaller instruments
Most Affordable Guitar Humidifier
The Herco Guitar Humidifier offers an inexpensive, effective method to maintain your guitar’s condition. This humidifier sits inside the soundhole and works well in guitars and other wooden instruments to prevent the cracking of wood in cellos, violins, and clarinets
Pros
- This humidifier contains clay, which prevents drying out and cracking
- Ideal for most wooden instruments
- Inexpensive and easy to use
- Ranked as a best seller in the top 100 Guitar Cleaning and Care Products
- The sponge only needs to be soaked and prepared once every two weeks to be effective
- It’s small and easy to fit in most sizes
Cons
- This humidifier may not fit inside some instruments
Best 3-in-1 Guitar Humidifier
The Btuty 3-in-1 Acoustic Guitar Sound Hole cover humidifier offers several functions to keep our instrument in ideal condition. This soundhole humidifier works to moisturize your guitar while soaking up any excess water or moisture around the guitar as a dehumidifier. It also keeps your guitar protected as a soundhole cover to reduce unwanted feedback.
Pros
- This soundhole cover and humidifier work to keep your guitar well moisturized while preventing excess water from damage
- It works well as a regular soundhole cover, with soft rubber inserts around the edge so that it fits safely into your guitar without damage
- This guitar humidifier works well when your guitar is in or out of the case
- It’s a great acoustic guitar humidifier
- It’s a refillable humidifier
Cons
- This humidifier is not suitable for instruments, especially guitars where the fretboard reaches the soundhole
Best Humidifier for Acoustic Guitars
The Guitto Guitar Humidifier offers a two-in-one system that provides moisture to your instrument while monitoring your guitar’s humidity with a temperature sensor. It’s ideal for a guitar owner that travels, as it’s compact and fits easily in the soundhole with a spring clip with silicone fixing.
Pros
- Monitors the humidity level in real-time, so you’ll always know if the instrument is well moisturized
- Ranked as a best seller in the top 100 Guitar Cleaning and Care Products category
- Maintains an accurate measurement of your instrument’s humidity, which should always be kept below 70% in the interior
- No battery or additional accessories are needed
- The manufacturer offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you can return the device without reason if it does not work well with your instrument
- It works best with low humidity and is ideal for electric guitars
Cons
- This product doesn’t have many customer reviews about the quality of this device, though it is ranked highly as a quality product
Best Humidifier for Classical Guitars
The Kyser Lifeguard Humidifier is ideal for classical guitars and fits well in most guitar soundholes between 3 3/8 and 3 ¾ inches. This is one of the best guitar humidifiers that work well with acoustic guitars and electric instruments.
Pros
- It’s easy to use in most guitars and specially designed to preserve the wood in classical guitars
- Prevents cracking and drying that occurs with low humidity
- Ranked as a best seller in the top 200 Guitar Cleaning and Care Products category
Cons
- This humidifier may not work with smaller instruments
Best Humidifier for Acoustic Guitars in Dry Environments
The Oasis Humidifier is an excellent option for acoustic guitars, especially in dry environments, while providing the required humidity level inside the guitar body. It’s designed to fit into most guitar case sizes, so you can easily travel with this convenient device to keep your guitar safe during dry seasons. The design and quality of this humidifier are durable and include a syringe to refill with water as needed.
Pros
- Reasonably priced
- The size is compatible with most guitar and wooden instruments
- Ideal for various instruments, including violas, cellos, violins, acoustic guitars, jazz guitars, oboes, and clarinets.
Cons
- This humidifier may not work well with regular tap water (distilled water is recommended)
Best Room Humidifier for Guitars
The Blue White Cool Mist Humidifier is ideal for an entire room of instruments by providing a continuous mist of moisture to prevent excessive dryness. It’s ideal for home and office use or in any room or storage space where you store your guitars and wooden instruments.
Pros
- This device offers a built-in humidistat so that you can adjust the humidity level between 40% and 90%
- Commercial grade device with preset levels for mist dispensing, low, medium, and high
- Easy to use and refill
- The wide opening in the humidifier is easy to clean and maintain
- It contains a separate aromatherapy box to add scent to the room
- It’s quiet and dispenses mist without sound or leakage
- It operates with remote control, and there’s a timer with a time-sensitive control panel
Cons
- May not fit into small storage spaces
Best Guitar Humidifiers for Large Rooms and Storage Spaces
The JanMash Room Humidifier is ideal for large rooms and spaces that store multiple instruments, including guitars, wind, and other wooden instruments. It’s an easy device to clean and maintain and works well in storage or retail spaces for musical instruments and equipment.
Pros
- This device includes a seven-color light
- Three mist levels and sleep mode to keep the room well moisturized during various seasons and not too humid during wet weather
- The mist nozzle can be adjusted with a 360-degree rotation
- It includes an essential oil tray
- You fill water from the top, which makes it easy to refill, unlike most humidifiers that require water at the bottom, which can lead to leakage
Cons
- Not as portable as smaller humidifiers for a guitar case or soundhole
Selecting The Best Guitar Humidifier: Buyer’s Guide
When you choose a quality guitar humidifier, buying a device that fits your instrument and the guitar case well is essential. This small humidification system gives your guitar a balanced moisture level, only as needed.
Different guitar humidifiers are available, depending on the style, size, and type of guitar—the three main types of humidifiers are room humidifiers, guitar case humidifiers, and soundhole humidifiers.
The product you buy depends on how you store your guitar and whether you keep more than one instrument in a specific room or frequently travel with your instrument.
Guitar Case Humidifier
This dehumidifier fits inside the guitar case, which is ideal if your guitar shape and style don’t accommodate other types of dehumidifiers. Guitar case dehumidifiers are great for travel and don’t require much maintenance to keep them hydrated and work seamlessly. It’s also preferable if you would instead not fit this device on the guitar directly and have it control the humidity inside the case.
Soundhole Humidifier
The soundhole humidifier sits directly on the instrument and in the guitar’s soundhole. This device resembles a rubber tube that trails from the top of the soundhole, along the guitar strings, and into the guitar body. Soundhole humidifiers are excellent for hollow-body guitars and acoustic guitars.
Room Humidifier
If you have a collection of guitars and a specific space or guitar room, a room humidifier is excellent. Ideally, you’ll want to keep this room well maintained and free of contaminants or other items that can contribute to dryness or changes in moisture or temperature.
The room humidifier should be set to roughly 40 to 50 percent humidity, and the temperature in the room set to around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frequently Asked Questions: Choosing The Best Guitar Humidifier
Can I use more than one humidifier for my guitar?
It’s not necessary. You’ll find that a portable soundhole humidifier or guitar case humidifier is ideal if you travel often and don’t have a dedicated room or space for storage at home. A room humidifier is best if you primarily keep your instruments in one location most of the time.
How can I take other precautions to prevent dry conditions that damage my guitar?
It’s essential to keep your guitar in good working condition and use a humidifier. You’ll want to regularly clean and maintain your instrument with a quality microfibre cloth. Always keep your guitar in a case, as much as possible, to keep its condition stable and protected.
If you often travel with your guitar, it’s essential to never leave it in a basement or vehicle for long periods, as this can impact your instrument’s performance.
How long does a guitar humidifier last?
Guitar humidifiers last between two and six months. When you initially buy and begin using this device, you’ll find the packet moves easily between your fingers so that it can provide moisture to your instrument. Once this becomes hardened and solid, it’s no longer effective and can be discarded.
When I add water to my instrument’s humidifier, should I use a specific type of water?
Tap water is sufficient and works well. There is no need to use filtered or specially treated water.
Can a humidifier damage a guitar?
Your guitar is more likely to become damaged from excessive dryness. However, if you add too much water or mist to your guitar, it’s possible to over-humidify the material, which can cause your bridge and top of the guitar body to swell. Once this happens, your guitar cannot be repaired, making it essential to keep the moisture level balanced in the humidifier.
Isn’t my guitar case enough to protect my instrument from damage?
Guitar cases offer protection against damage, including temperature changes, sunlight, and physical damage. While there is some protection from dryness, a soundhole or guitar case humidifier provides ideal conditions for your instrument.
