--- title: "What Is a Vocal Steamer? How It Works, Who Uses One and What Research Says" description: "A vocal steamer is a steam inhaler used for the voice. See the forms it takes, what two small studies measured, how long clinics say to steam, and safety." author: "VocalSteamer Editorial Team" publisher: "VocalSteamer (published by Danver LLC)" section: "Start Here" published: "2026-10-13" updated: "2026-10-13" language: "en-US" canonical: "https://vocalsteamer.com/what-is-a-vocal-steamer/" image: "https://vocalsteamer.com/images/posts/what-is-a-vocal-steamer.jpg" faq: [{"q":"What does a vocal steamer do?","a":"It brings warm, moist air close to your face. You breathe it in through your mouth and nose."},{"q":"What is a vocal steamer called?","a":"The makers we checked call it a steam inhaler or personal steam inhaler. Hospital leaflets mostly call the practice steam inhalation."},{"q":"What are the benefits of a vocal steamer?","a":"The measured ones are narrow. In a 2016 lab study of 45 vocally healthy women, three acoustic voice measures moved back toward baseline after 3 minutes of steam that followed about 10 minutes of mouth breathing. In a 2022 warm-up study, steam was the worst of three options for 3 of the 7 analyzed participants. No study in our sources shows that steam treats a voice problem or makes anyone sing better."}] --- # What Is a Vocal Steamer? How It Works, Who Uses One and What Research Says A vocal steamer is a personal steam inhaler used for the voice: something that lets you breathe warm water vapor through your mouth and nose. It can be a plug-in or cordless electric device, a mug you fill with hot water, or a bowl of hot water and a towel. The device is easier to pin down than its effect. In one small lab study, voice measures that had shifted after mouth breathing moved back toward baseline after 3 minutes of steam; in a small warm-up study, results varied and some participants disliked steam. Hospital leaflets that suggest steaming disagree on how long and how often. We have not tested any steamer; this page draws on studies, hospital leaflets and manufacturers' own documents. ## What "vocal steamer" means, and what else it is called "Vocal steamer" describes a use, not a type of machine. The makers whose pages and manuals we read on October 11, 2026 (Vicks from archived copies, explained below) give their products other names: * **Vicks** lists a "Personal Steam Inhaler"; its manual also calls it a "Personal Electric Inhaler". * **MyPurMist** calls its three devices steam inhalers. * **Crane** lists a "Personal Cordless Steam Inhaler". Hospital leaflets mostly call the practice steam inhalation, and the main lab study on steam and the voice used a facial steamer. If you are shopping, "steam inhaler" and "personal steam inhaler" are the names to search. MyPurMist does address voice users. Its site (checked October 11, 2026) sells a "Vocal Wand" accessory for two of its models, which it says aims the warm mist at the throat, and it names singers, speakers and teachers among the audience. The Vicks V1200 manual and product page we read do not mention singers or voice use. ## How a vocal steamer works The job is the same in every form: warm, moist air is brought close to your face and you breathe it in. The forms differ in how the steam is made: * **Boiling water inside the unit.** The Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler (model V1200) boils tap water in its reservoir, and its manual says steam takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes to begin. * **The maker's own vaporizer.** MyPurMist says its devices use a "Capillary Force Vaporizer", and its Free and Mypurmist 2 pages say steam is instant. * **Water you heat yourself.** A mug or a bowl holds hot water you add, and the steam fades as the water cools. What happens after you inhale is harder to source. We found no measurement of where inhaled steam ends up in the study abstracts we worked from, so we do not describe a mechanism inside the body. ![A steaming ceramic bowl with a folded towel and a steaming mug on a wooden table](https://vocalsteamer.com/images/posts/what-is-a-vocal-steamer-inline-1.jpg) ## The forms a vocal steamer takes | Form | Example in our sources | Power | | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | Plug-in electric steam inhaler | Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler V1200; MyPurMist's Mypurmist 2 and Classic | Wall outlet | | Cordless electric steam inhaler | MyPurMist Free; Crane EE-5948 | Rechargeable battery | | Hot-water mug | The steam-inhaling mug in West Suffolk's leaflet | None; you add hot water | | Ceramic inhaler pot | Nelson's Earthenware Inhaler in an 1866 catalogue | None; no official filling instructions found | | Bowl and towel | Guy's and St Thomas' and St George's leaflets | None; you add hot water | | Steamy bathroom | St George's leaflet: a hot shower or bath | None | ### Electric personal steam inhalers **Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler (V1200).** This is a corded unit. Per its manual, you fill the reservoir with tap water, wait for steam, hold your face over the soft hood and breathe normally through your nose and mouth for 5 to 15 minutes. We read this on October 11, 2026 from Internet Archive captures of Vicks' own manual and product page (captured May 2024 and November 2025), because the live site could not be opened that day. **MyPurMist** (checked October 11, 2026). The maker lists three devices: the plug-in Mypurmist 2 and Classic, and the cordless Free. For the Free, the user guide says a full charge provides 30 minutes of use and that the device does not operate while plugged in. **Crane EE-5948** (checked October 11, 2026). This is a rechargeable cordless inhaler with one button for warm steam and one for cool mist. Its manual lists a 20 mL water reservoir and a 15-minute session, after which the unit turns itself off. It does not say how the warm steam is produced. [Portable vocal steamers](https://vocalsteamer.com/portable-vocal-steamer/) covers the cordless question. For steps and cleaning, see [how to use a vocal steamer](https://vocalsteamer.com/how-to-use-a-vocal-steamer/) and [how to clean a vocal steamer](https://vocalsteamer.com/how-to-clean-a-vocal-steamer/). ### Hot-water mugs and ceramic inhaler pots The simplest device is a mug you fill with hot water yourself. West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust's "Practical voice care" leaflet describes a steam-inhaling mug that it says costs less than £10 at most large chemists. The mug is filled with ordinary water just boiled from the kettle and refilled two or three times as it cools. The leaflet prefers it to the head-over-a-basin method, which it says can be "hot, claustrophobic and boring". The ceramic inhaler pot goes back at least to the 1860s. An 1866 catalogue from the London firm S. Maw & Son lists "Nelson's Earthenware Inhaler", and the pot in its illustration is labeled Dr Nelson's Improved Inhaler. The catalogue gives no filling instructions and no safety wording, and we found no current maker's page for the pot. Without an official source for how to fill or use one, we do not describe it. ### A bowl and a towel Two of the hospital leaflets spell this method out. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, on a page written for people having vocal cord surgery, gives the fullest version: fill a bowl with boiled water that has cooled a little, put a towel over your head and the bowl, close your eyes, lower your head slowly until it is about 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inches) from the water, and breathe the steam for 5 to 10 minutes. St George's University Hospitals, in a leaflet for people with voice difficulties related to head and neck cancer treatment, describes the same bowl and towel, with your head at a safe distance, for 2 to 3 minutes. Our [bowl method guide](https://vocalsteamer.com/diy-vocal-steamer/) covers this form on its own. ### A steamy bathroom The informal version needs no equipment. The St George's leaflet says you could also try inhaling over a hot cup of tea or in a hot shower or bath. That sentence gives no time or temperature for either. We found no study in our sources on bathroom steam and the voice, and nothing on steam rooms or saunas, so we leave those out. ## What the research says, and what it does not People search for "vocal steamer benefits". The honest answer is a short list of what was measured. | Study | Who | What was done | What was reported | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Mahalingam & Boominathan, 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26972609/) | 45 vocally healthy women aged 18–30 | About 10 minutes of mouth breathing, then 3 minutes of steam inhaled through the mouth from a facial steamer | Jitter and shimmer had risen and HNR had fallen; after steam they moved back toward baseline. Level of evidence 4. | | [Keltz & McHenry, 2022](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32988703/) | 12 women, 7 analyzed | Morning warm-up with 3 minutes of steam, 3 minutes of straw-in-water phonation, or both | Highly variable. Steam was best for 1 and worst for 3, and those 3 strongly disliked it. | | [Alves et al., 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29122414/) | Systematic review | Reviewed earlier studies | In the studies reviewed, steam inhalation improved noise-to-harmonics ratio, shimmer and jitter; only nebulized isotonic solution lowered phonation threshold pressure; systemic hydration was the easiest and most cost-effective approach. | Jitter, shimmer and HNR (harmonics-to-noise ratio) are acoustic measures of the voice. The research stops there: * **It does not show that steam treats a voice problem or makes anyone sing better.** The lab study describes recovery toward baseline from dryness the experiment produced. * **It does not show that everyone responds the same way.** The warm-up study's authors concluded that these strategies are not universally successful. * **It says nothing about a long-term habit or about devices.** Both experiments (2016 and 2022) used 3 minutes of steam and enrolled only women. We found no study in our sources of regular steaming over weeks or months, and none comparing a purpose-built vocal steamer with a bowl of hot water. [Does steam help your vocal cords?](https://vocalsteamer.com/does-steam-help-vocal-cords/) reads these studies closely, and the [research page](https://vocalsteamer.com/research/) lists the studies we cite. ## Who uses steam, and what for MacDonald, You and Fung (_Journal of Voice_, 2024) surveyed 288 professional voice users in Canada, drawn from ACTRA, NATS, Canadian Actors' Equity and vocal performance at Western University. Of those, 86% had used at least one complementary or alternative remedy for voice loss or a negative voice change. The most common were hot drinks with honey and/or lemon, lozenges, and inhaling steam. Voice teachers and doctors most often influenced the choice. The abstract does not state a separate percentage for steam, and a survey records what people do, not whether it works. Clinics hand out steam advice too. Royal Berkshire's leaflet for general voice difficulties and Sherwood Forest's vocal hygiene leaflet both list steam inhalation for a dry throat. A leaflet is advice, not a trial result. ## How long and how often The leaflets disagree, so we name the hospital beside each figure and do not average them. | NHS trust | Leaflet | How long | How often | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------------- | | St George's | Voice Care (head and neck cancer treatment) | 2–3 minutes | 3–4 times a day | | Guy's and St Thomas' | Recovering from vocal cord surgery | 5–10 minutes | Every day | | Royal Berkshire | Voice care tips for a healthy voice | 10 minutes | Twice a day | | West Suffolk | Practical voice care | 10–15 minutes | Once or twice a day | | Sherwood Forest | Vocal hygiene: Caring for your voice | Not given | Not given | None of the five cites a study comparing durations or frequencies, and none says how long to wait after steaming before singing, talking or eating. The Vicks V1200 manual gives 5 to 15 minutes per treatment and leaves how often to the user's judgment. The MyPurMist Free guide recommends two sessions a day of 5 to 15 minutes each. Both steam studies used 3 minutes. [How long to steam your voice](https://vocalsteamer.com/how-long-to-steam-your-voice/) sets these side by side. ## Safety ### Hot water and steam can scald Heat is the risk our sources document, and they handle it differently. * **Guy's and St Thomas'** says not to use water that has just boiled, not to touch the water, and to keep your head a safe distance from the bowl. * **West Suffolk**, describing the mug, uses just-boiled water and tells you to be extremely careful and never tip the container. * **The Vicks V1200 manual** says the water and reservoir become extremely hot, and that the unit should never be moved or lifted while in use and should be kept out of reach of children. * **MyPurMist** states that its steam is 100 to 115°F with no scalding risk. That is the manufacturer's own statement, and it does not say where the temperature is measured. * **The US EPA**, in guidance on home humidifiers (not steam inhalers), says to keep steam vaporizer humidifiers out of the reach of children because steam and boiling water may cause burns. Nothing on this page is a recommendation for children. ### Plain water, and the kind your manual names For a bowl or mug, the leaflets differ again. Royal Berkshire says you do not need to add anything to the water. St George's says plain water only, no oils. West Suffolk allows 2 to 3 drops of Olbas or tea tree oil only if you have a cold or throat infection. Device manuals are stricter, and they differ from each other. The Vicks V1200 manual says tap water and nothing added to the reservoir. MyPurMist's Free and Mypurmist 2 run only on the maker's sealed sterile-water refills. Crane's EE-5948 manual says clean drinking or spring water, and no distilled water, essential oils or medication. The right water is the one your own manual names. None of these device manuals names saline; see [vocal steamer with saline](https://vocalsteamer.com/vocal-steamer-with-saline/). ### When to see a doctor If steam makes you cough, stop and see a doctor before you try again. Steam is also not a way to manage a voice problem that is not going away. The NIDCD says to see a doctor if you have been hoarse for more than three weeks (especially without a cold or flu), are coughing up blood, have trouble swallowing or breathing, feel a lump in your neck, have pain when speaking or swallowing, or lose your voice completely for more than a few days. ## How a nebulizer differs A nebulizer is not a steamer. It makes a cool mist from a small amount of liquid instead of steam from hot water, and in the voice studies the liquid tested was mostly isotonic (0.9%) saline. That research has mixed results of its own. Two of the studies, each starting with 15 minutes of breathing dry air, show it: in Tanner et al. 2010, perceived phonatory effort in 34 classically trained sopranos returned to baseline only after nebulized isotonic saline, not after sterile water or no treatment, and phonation threshold pressure (PTP) did not change significantly; in Tanner et al. 2007, with 60 vocally healthy women, no nebulized treatment significantly enhanced recovery of PTP. Neither study compared saline with steam. [Vocal steamer vs. nebulizer](https://vocalsteamer.com/vocal-steamer-vs-nebulizer/) compares the two by situation, and the Mayluck store has an [article on portable nebulizers for singers](https://mayluck.store/blogs/care/portable-nebulizer-for-singers?utm_source=vocalsteamer.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=what-is-a-vocal-steamer&utm_content=inline); Mayluck is sold by the company that owns this site. ## Steam or saline mist? Steam is warm water vapor and suits home use, where a kettle or an outlet is close by. A nebulizer makes a cool mist from saline, which is what the saline voice studies used, with mixed results of their own, and a battery model needs no outlet. Mayluck's MY139 is a rechargeable mesh nebulizer with a built-in battery; the kit includes no saline, which should be sterile and labeled for inhalation. [Portable saline option](https://mayluck.store/products/mayluck-portable-mesh-nebulizer?utm_source=vocalsteamer.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=what-is-a-vocal-steamer&utm_content=bridge-box) [How nebulizers are used and cleaned](https://mayluck.care/articles/first-use?utm_source=vocalsteamer.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=what-is-a-vocal-steamer&utm_content=bridge-box) Disclosure: both buttons lead to sites run by the company that owns VocalSteamer. ## Questions ### What does a vocal steamer do? It brings warm, moist air close to your face. You breathe it in through your mouth and nose. ### What is a vocal steamer called? The makers we checked call it a steam inhaler or personal steam inhaler. Hospital leaflets mostly call the practice steam inhalation. ### What are the benefits of a vocal steamer? The measured ones are narrow. In a 2016 lab study of 45 vocally healthy women, three acoustic voice measures moved back toward baseline after 3 minutes of steam that followed about 10 minutes of mouth breathing. In a 2022 warm-up study, steam was the worst of three options for 3 of the 7 analyzed participants. No study in our sources shows that steam treats a voice problem or makes anyone sing better. ## Sources * [Mahalingam & Boominathan, 2016, Laryngoscope (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26972609/): lab study of steam inhalation and acoustic voice measures * [Keltz & McHenry, 2022, Journal of Voice (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32988703/): steam and straw-in-water phonation as a morning warm-up * [Alves et al., 2019, Journal of Voice (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29122414/): systematic review of hydration and the voice * [MacDonald, You & Fung, 2024, Journal of Voice (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34465479/): survey of 288 professional voice users in Canada * [Tanner et al., 2007, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17538106/): nebulized saline, hypertonic saline and water after dry air * [Tanner et al., 2010, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20699338/): nebulized isotonic saline versus water in sopranos * [NIDCD, "Hoarseness"](https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hoarseness): when to see a doctor * [EPA, "Use and Care of Home Humidifiers"](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/use-and-care-home-humidifiers): burn warning for steam vaporizer humidifiers * [Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, "Recovering from vocal cord surgery" (last reviewed March 2024)](https://guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/recovering-vocal-cord-surgery): patient web page, checked October 11, 2026 * [St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, "Voice Care" (published October 2023)](https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SLT_VCR_LP.pdf): head and neck cancer patient leaflet, checked October 11, 2026 * [Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, "Voice care tips for a healthy voice" (August 2025)](https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/media/bkpj0oel/voice-care-tips-for-a-healthy-voice_aug25.pdf): patient leaflet, checked October 11, 2026 * [West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, "Practical voice care"](https://www.wsh.nhs.uk/CMS-Documents/Patient-leaflets/SpeechandLanguageTherapyServices/6534-1-Practical-voice-care.pdf): patient leaflet, checked October 11, 2026 * [Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, "Vocal hygiene: Caring for your voice" (revised December 2025)](https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/media/klolhauh/pil202512-04-vhcv-vocal-hygiene-caring-for-your-voice.pdf): patient leaflet, checked October 11, 2026 * [Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler V1200, use and care manual (PDF)](https://www.vickshumidifiers.com/wp-content/uploads/v1200-6-vv1_velvet_om_31im1200206r2_r1_23nov21_manual.pdf): manufacturer manual, read October 11, 2026 from an Internet Archive capture of May 19, 2024 * [Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler product page](https://www.vickshumidifiers.com/products/sinus-inhalers/personal-steam-inhaler/): manufacturer page, read October 11, 2026 from an Internet Archive capture of November 13, 2025 * [MyPurMist steam inhalers collection page](https://www.mypurmist.com/collections/mypurmist-steam-inhalers-and-value-packs): manufacturer's device lineup, checked October 11, 2026 * [MyPurMist Free product page](https://www.mypurmist.com/products/mypurmist-free-cordless-ultrapure-steam-inhaler): manufacturer statements, checked October 11, 2026 * [Mypurmist 2 product page](https://www.mypurmist.com/products/mypurmist%C2%AE-2-ultrapure-handheld-steam-inhaler%C2%AE-plus-handsfree-strap): manufacturer statements, checked October 11, 2026 * [MyPurMist Free user guide (PDF)](https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1loamujtuv6v32/User%20Guide%20%26%20QSC%20OSB2%20v8%20SMALL.pdf?dl=0): manufacturer guide, checked October 11, 2026 * [Mypurmist 2 user guide (PDF)](https://www.dropbox.com/s/nsbbug2htet9fwv/User%20Guide%20OSS1%20v3.%20May17-19%20copy.pdf?dl=0): manufacturer guide, checked October 11, 2026 * [MyPurMist Classic product page](https://www.mypurmist.com/products/mypurmist-handheld-personal-steam-inhaler-and-vaporizer-classic-kit): manufacturer statements, checked October 11, 2026 * [MyPurMist technology page](https://www.mypurmist.com/pages/technology): manufacturer statements, checked October 11, 2026 * [MyPurMist Vocal Wand product page](https://www.mypurmist.com/products/mypurmist-vocal-wand-for-voice-care-and-targeted-nasal-use): manufacturer statements, checked October 11, 2026 * [Crane EE-5948 cordless steam inhaler manual (PDF)](https://crane-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/EE-5948-Personal-Steam-Inhaler.pdf): manufacturer manual, checked October 11, 2026 * [Crane cordless inhaler product page](https://crane-usa.com/product/cordless-inhaler/): manufacturer page, checked October 11, 2026 * [S. Maw & Son, A Catalogue of Surgeons' Instruments (1866), p. 82](https://archive.org/details/CatalogueOfSurgeonsInstrumentsAirAndWaterBedsPillowsAndCushions): maker's catalogue listing Nelson's Earthenware Inhaler, scan on archive.org * [Mayluck MY139 product listing (mayluck.store)](https://mayluck.store/products/mayluck-portable-mesh-nebulizer?utm_source=vocalsteamer.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=what-is-a-vocal-steamer&utm_content=inline): features and kit contents, read October 8, 2026 About the author: VocalSteamer Editorial Team. Research-based, not hands-on. Our guides are built from published studies, hospital and public-health leaflets, and makers' manuals. We have not tested the devices we write about, and each article is checked against its sources a second time before it goes live. [How we research and write](https://vocalsteamer.com/editorial-policy/).