Best Bedroom Fans
Looking for a new bedroom fan? Our research and guide can help you to see what factors matter and how to pick the best model for your room.
Looking for a new bedroom fan? Our research and guide can help you to see what factors matter and how to pick the best model for your room.
Many might consider a bedroom fan an unnecessary addition to their electric bill. Often, the recommendation is just to open a window when the idea of purchasing a fan is discussed. However, some know well that a quality bedroom fan can significantly impact how fast one falls asleep and the quality of continuous, restful sleep they get.
Buying new tech is never an easy process for the inexperienced, though. Most people aren’t tech-savvy, and they can fall into the trap of only looking at brand names or listening to inaccurate hearsay. In this article, we will simplify your decision-making process and show you what goes into a good fan, as well as why and when you would want to invest in one (or more).
This Holmes model just screams convenience. You can control it remotely (from roughly 15 feet away) and manage sleep timers to conserve power and precisely control the air circulation in your bedroom. There are three speed options and two breeze options, as well as a feature for controlling direction. It’s not cumbersome, but its rotating grill lets it cover a whopping 500 square feet of space.
The Holmes Blizzard Power Fan comes with a topside handle that helps carry it around the house when necessary, especially since it only weighs around 5 pounds total. You can store the cord inside the housing to prevent wear N tear or protect it from curious pets. Visually, this bedroom fan sports an elegant, modern design – letting you get some decoration value out of it. You should expect this model to last at least three years, which is how long the warranty lasts, although most users can rely on it way past that period.
Selling Points:
The strong but silent type. Not everyone who buys a bedroom fan appreciates loud whirring, and models like this Lasko come to the rescue. It’s slim and unimposing, being much less noisy than most of its competitors. Two health & safety benefits set this fan apart. For one, it has an air-ionizing functionality that reduces the spread of allergens, dust, etc. Also, if any problems are detected with your power outlet, the fan will turn off to avoid possibly catastrophic events.
The fan is easy to assemble and set up, and only takes a tiny amount of space in your room. It’s taller than a large portion of its competitors, which helps improve coverage. You can program the fan to run at three speed options for up to 7.5 hours, after which it will automatically shut down.
At max speed, this Lasko Wind Curve Tower Fan can keep even multiple smaller connected rooms cooled off, and the buttons are at a height that prevents small children from accessing them. Expect it to live past its 1-year warranty.
Selling Points:
If you’ve got a small bedroom (80 square feet or less), the Westinghouse Origami Ceiling Fan is a good option. It’s less expensive than almost every fan of this quality but doesn’t cut those costs in production. The output is good for its size, reliably hitting up to 67 cubic feet per second. Obviously, as it’s a ceiling fan, it’s very easy to make room for it, since you never have to move furniture.
It can also provide light, although it may not be enough by itself depending on the size of your room. For how small and light it is, the Westinghouse Origami Ceiling Fan is very durable, with its motor coming with a very cool lifetime warranty. The other parts are expected to last a shorter amount of time, although we’ve never had problems so far. The unique design of this model can also tempt people who enjoy a far-eastern twist to their home decoration.
Note: Be aware of how high your ceilings are when considering a ceiling fan, as it can be a health risk when the ceilings are low.
Selling Points:
With a cylindrical air duct surrounding the blades, this Vornado model is capable of creating air pillars that go up to 70 feet in distance. It’s powerful, as is the sound it puts out (on higher speed settings). If you’re a fan of louder fans (certain people focus on the noise aspect more so than the cooling), this particular bedroom fan is for you. Vornado 630 Air Circulator Fan also offers several alternatives for different size and room requirements, and all of the models are quite durable, boasting a staggering 5-year warranty. They’re also easy to maintain, with easily removable grills that let you get to the important parts while cleaning. This model comes with three speeds, and the spiral grill design boosts the overall coverage since it spreads the air flow out more.
Another subtle bonus is that Vornado are known for great customer service. This means that if somehow the 630 Air Circulator Fan doesn’t perform up to standards due to an error in manufacturing, packaging or something similar, you can quickly get it sorted out.
Selling Points:
With a name that includes “Turbo Silence Extreme,” you know what you’re getting into. This standing fan can operate at very low sound levels. It comes with five speeds, including Turbo Boost (for more raw horsepower) and Silent Night Mode (for even lower noise production). If you’re someone who just wants air circulation, this is a very safe pick. It creates airflow at around 2436 cubic feet per minute, which is more than enough to cover most medium-sized rooms, if not more.
The Rowenta VU5670 comes with a remote control that is safely stored behind the fan’s actual blades. The height of the fan is adjustable (going up to 52 inches), helping you keep it away from your children. This model comes with a 2-year warranty and demands only minimal maintenance (mostly rust prevention for the grating). Given all these benefits, the price point is very fair too.
Selling Points:
The Emerson CF205BS is a powerhouse ceiling fan that can cover even the most luxurious bedrooms. Its sheer airflow capacity dwarfs other fans on this list, at 5678 cubic feet per minute. At around $340, this model is clearly meant for people with higher standards and bigger budgets. If you do make the investment, you’re rewarded with a gorgeous modern design and incredible durability. The parts come with a 2-year warranty, except the motor. The motor is almost guaranteed to last you a lifetime, which eases the price burden in the long run.
This Emerson model uses two 50-watt halogen bulbs to provide light. It’s incredibly easy to set up, thanks to intuitive and thorough instructions that are shipped with the main product. Its design is unimposing but adds a lot of old-timey charm to your room, without all the impracticalities of old models.
Selling Points:
At 5.9 x 4.9 inches, this tabletop fan is very small, but don’t let that fool you. It can produce a very strong cooling current for its size and keep even hardware safe and cool. This Opolar Battery-Powered Portable Fan comes with a rechargeable battery with a lifespan of 2-12 hours depending on speed. The battery is charged using a very convenient USB port. Only the highest speed setting (out of three) produces any meaningful noise.
The fan also comes with lights on the back and sides, which makes it double as a nightstand lamp in a pinch. Obviously, a fan this small isn’t capable of circulating air in a huge room, but if you only need a fan for personal use (such as keeping it close while sleeping), then it gets the job done adequately. The price is a steal at $16 or less, so it’s easy to commit to buying and trying it. Not only that but the customer support quality is above average so any minor complications can be quickly dealt with.
Selling Points:
It’s easy to see this model and think someone mislabeled it as a fan. Dyson AM07 creates airflow and cooling without using any fan blades, which makes it extremely safe, and also power-efficient. Because there are no blades, it’s easy to clean this fan, and it makes little to no sound. It’s programmable with ten settings for airflow and can be given a sleep timer anywhere between fifteen minutes and nine hours, letting you save even more power after you fall asleep. As any good tower fan, it comes with oscillation controls which lets you precisely control the airflow circulation when combined with the many speed settings.
Every part of the fan is backed by a 2-year warranty, but if you take even remotely good care of this model, it will last way longer. If you’re a fan of sci-fi aesthetics, this fan is a great decorative corner piece, as long as you can shell out around $400. For that price, every part of this bedroom fan is at least above average in quality.
Selling Points:
It is important to consider a number of factors before you even open an online storefront or catalog. These factors can quickly eliminate most unsuitable purchase options and save you stress and time. While we gave you our recommendations already, we think it’s important to explain the thought process.
Pro Tip: When you consult a store clerk, try to take their recommendations with a grain of salt. Most stores will attempt to sway you towards a certain brand, and noticing this helps to avoid getting “sweet-talked” into a mediocre purchase.
Here are some questions you may (and should) ask yourselves when considering buying a bedroom fan:
Smaller bedrooms don’t need massive fans to maintain healthy air circulation. It’s easy to go overboard with a more powerful fan than you need and waste money.
The types of bedroom fans you will encounter include tabletop fans (mainly for small rooms), box fans, stand fans, tower fans, window fans, and ceiling fans. Depending on their size and power, most of these can serve your needs in a medium or larger room, but that comes with a price. Think of where you would put a fan of each category. Maybe you don’t have floor space for a box fan, or you don’t want to replace a precious ceiling fixture with a new ceiling fan.
Also, take note of where your electrical outlets are. If the fan you’re considering has a short cord, then you either need a very well-positioned outlet, or you need to move some things around to make it work properly.
Aside from cooling and circulating air, and maybe making a relaxing noise, it’s hard to say if a feature is necessary. Some people claim that the smartest approach is buying a basic but well-crafted fan that lasts a long time and ignoring any extra options in order to save money. Even something like oscillation can be considered optional or a nice extra. However, if you’re sleeping in the same room as your child, getting proper circulation in every corner of the room is crucial, and oscillation makes a huge difference. If you have an excellent nightlight already, then a tabletop fan’s extra lighting may be completely irrelevant. Some fans can also help heat your room, which is useful if you have sub-par heating otherwise. Whenever you see a bonus functionality, think carefully about how much you’re really going to use it.
Common features that interest people include:
This is overlooked surprisingly often. Avoid exposing any length of cable, buttons or the actual fan grating to animals or kids. Although every fan is designed to be safe, there’s always a possibility that something horrible can go wrong. And worrying about that possibility will only stress you out in the long run, even if nothing happens.
Multiple factors influence this. If you’ve ever woken up in a bed that feels like it’s boiling, then a strong fan might be useful, if you have enough space and money for it. Here are some things that can affect how hot you get while sleeping:
This factor is pretty obvious. Thicker blankets and sheets are sometimes necessary to fall asleep, and it’s not uncommon to feel cold initially and then wake up only a couple hours later, sweaty and uncomfortable.
Some rooms have very small windows, or those windows point towards the street, so you don’t always want them open. Without a fan, the air in any room gets stale and stuffy if the window is closed for any serious amount of time.
People who have a fever or other similar condition often wake up many times in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. A common piece of advice people get when they’re ill is to stay as warm as possible, to “sweat it out.” This doesn’t mean they don’t need air circulation, however. Fresh, clean air is just as important to a person’s safe recovery as something like hot tea.
The more people you stuff in a given room, the hotter it becomes. This is further amplified if they’re very close to each other. If you’re married, or your pets like to sleep with you (cats are essentially walking radiators), then it’s easy to get really hot, and quickly.
If you plan on squeezing a lot of mileage out of your bedroom fan (including during the day), you want to look for a model with a long warranty. The good news is that most value options last at least a year, and a fan that looks and feels sturdy very rarely fails to live up to your expectations.
Co-founder of Counting Sheep and Sleepaholic
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