The dry air in your home could be harmful to your health. One way to correct the situation is with a good humidifier.

Several models aced Good Housekeeping's lab test.

Some of these machines might help you stay healthier this fall and winter.

""If the air in your house is too dry and the humidity is under 30 percent, it can cause, or even worsen conditions like allergies, itchy eyes, bronchitis, even nose bleeds," said Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping's home care director.

"So, in the wintertime, it's really a good idea to have a humidifier," she said.

The institute tested 21 different humidifiers in its climatology chamber.

The Honeywell Cool-Mist HCM-300T ($80) was the institute's top performer.

""This model raised the humidity in our test chamber room to 50 percent in under a half an hour, and it also has a UV light to disinfect the water," said Forte.

At $200, the Ultrasonic Air-O-Swiss AOS 7144 is a splurge.

"What we like about this model is that it uses either warm or cool mist, there are no filters to change, and it contains silver ions, which have been shown to control and prevent microbial growth," said Forte.

Cool-mist humidifiers are the safest type to use around children. But because they use a fan to evaporate water, cool-mist humidifiers can cause a chilling effect in a room.

Ultrasonic humidifiers tend to be the quietest type of humidifier because their fans are smaller and there's no gurgling water.

More information:

Good Housekeeping's full report