3 Best Swamp Coolers for Bedrooms

There are very few swamp coolers that are actually good. In this article, we’re looking at the 3 best swamp coolers to use in a bedroom.

Quick answer: The best bedroom swamp coolers are the Hessaire MC37M and MC18M models. Their water tanks last for a full night if you run them on half-power. Alternatively, you can connect them to a tap for continuous refills.

After checking my 3 different recommendations, we will also have a look at whether it makes sense to run a swamp cooler in your bedroom and see if there are better alternatives for you.

A simple fan or a portable air conditioner could be the better choice.

Let’s have a look first.

3 Best swamp coolers for bedrooms

1. Hessaire MC37M (for regular and large bedrooms)

My all-time favorite is this Hessaire MC37M Swamp Cooler (click here to view it on amazon).

It is a bit bulky and doesn’t look great. But it is one of the few swamp coolers that actually cool rooms down significantly.

It is easy to maintain. There are many replacement parts. And it will last you for a very long time if you care for it.

The Hessaire MC37M has more than enough power to cool down even the largest bedrooms.

Personally, this is my all-time favorite swamp cooler. And you can use it everywhere. I recommended this specific model for garages before. You can also easily move it to the living room, or even use it outdoors.

For example, you can cool down guests sitting at a table during a summer BBQ.

So, that’s why it is my #1 choice. It is versatile, you can use it anywhere you need it, and it is robust.

Drawback: It does not look nice in most bedrooms.

But honestly, there are no swamp coolers that look good AND work. At least I don’t know of any. If you get a swamp cooler purely based on looks, you might just as well get none.

2. Hessaire MC18M (for small bedrooms)

For smaller bedrooms, I recommend this Hessaire MC18M swamp cooler (click here to view it on amazon).

This swamp cooler is smaller in size and blows less air. Also, it is quieter.

The main drawback of the Hessaire MC18M is, I would say, that you are restricted to usage in small rooms due to the decreased power.

Hessaire claims this swamp cooler can cool up to 500 sq. ft, but I highly doubt that. Let’s not trust the manufacturer too much here.

I’d estimate you can use this swamp cooler for rooms up to 250 sq. ft.

That’s enough for most bedrooms, but definitely not enough for garages, living rooms or outdoors.

If you know you need a swamp cooler for bedroom usage only, then you can comfortably get this model.

But in general, I’d pick the bigger brother model (from the previous section), just to be safe.

3. Air Choice swamp cooler (for small bedrooms)

Most people probably prefer the clean white look of this Air Choice swamp cooler (click here to view it on amazon).

But even though this swamp cooler looks like it’s strong, it can barely keep up with the (small) Hessaire MC18M.

There’s not much bad to say about this Air Choice swamp cooler. It is just much larger than it needs to be.

Actually, it has only about 41% of the airflow power when we compare it with the #1 recommendation from this article.
I recommend getting this swamp cooler only if you care a lot about appearance and this model just happens to fit your bedroom colors very well.

But don’t expect too much.

( I’d pick any of the two other swamp coolers over this one )

Do swamp coolers make sense in a bedroom?

Technically, you can use a swamp cooler wherever you like.

There are, however, a few drawbacks to using a swamp cooler in your bedroom.

Here’s a quick list:

Swamp coolers don’t work well in bedrooms

Bedrooms have increased moisture levels. I have a hygrometer, which measures humidity, in my bedroom.

When I go to bed, the humidity is usually around 45%. When I wake up in the morning the humidity is 70%.

Over the course of a night, the air in a bedroom accumulates a lot of water from sweat, breath, and evaporation.

So, you are already acting like a human swamp cooler… (sounds weird). You increase the room’s humidity levels, which, temporarily, decreases its temperature.

Swamp coolers only work well in dry environments, because the drier the air, the more water can evaporate and absorb heat energy from the air.

If your bedroom already has high humidity, a swamp cooler won’t really cool any further.

In dry climates, swamp coolers, will, of course, still work.

Let me conclude it like this:

• If you live in very dry environments, a swamp cooler will work perfectly fine in your bedroom.
• In regular humidity, your night breathing and sweating will reduce the efficiency of your swamp cooler.
• And in humid environments, a swamp cooler won’t work anyways.

Swamp cooler noise

Swamp coolers are noisy. They are at least as noisy as a fan.

If you have problems falling asleep, a swamp cooler will definitely not help. You can, of course, use earplugs to block out the noise.

Or simply run the swamp cooler at lower air speeds.

Water refills during the night

Swamp coolers need water to work. There are two ways to refill a swamp cooler. Either you attach a garden hose to the swamp cooler to continuously refill the swamp cooler, or you refill the built-in water tank yourself.

Most bedrooms don’t have access to a water source, so you are restricted to manual refills.

On full power, a swamp cooler tank will last 3-4 hours. But if you run your swamp cooler on half power, it should last the full night.

Moisture accumulation in fabrics

A swamp cooler will increase humidity and thus also the humidity of the fabrics in your bedroom. This can be bedsheets, but also clothes and rugs.

If you run your swamp cooler for too long without venting your room, this increases bacteria and mite growth.

You can counter that by venting your room every few hours. A quick 5 to 10 minutes long vent will (ideally with a fan, while your swamp cooler is running) remove most of the moisture from your room.

Also, regularly dust and vacuum your room. Dust is a breeding ground for bacteria, especially when combined with the humid air from your swamp cooler.

Bacteria growth in your swamp cooler

If your bedroom is dusty, your swamp cooler will accumulate a lot of that dust on the built-in sponges.

Wet sponges and dust are not a healthy combination.

So, make sure, your bedroom is tidy and clean and you regularly vent it.

The air coming out of your swamp cooler reflects the cleanliness of your room.

You can, of course, rinse the swamp cooler sponges once a week, or whenever your swamp cooler starts stinking.

Food in your bedroom

A humid room might reduce the expiration duration of your food. Food might go bad quicker.

How long food lasts depends mainly on temperature and humidity.

So, while swamp coolers reduce the temperature of your room, they increase humidity. Especially dry foods can grow mold quicker.

So, don’t keep any food in your bedroom while using a swamp cooler.

Actually, you should keep food out of your bedroom anyways. Especially in the summer heat!

Should you get a swamp cooler for your bedroom?

Swamp coolers only make sense in dry climates. Before you buy a swamp cooler for your bedroom, I recommend you measure your bedroom humidity before you go to bed and after you wake up.

You can use these digital hygrometers (click here to view them on amazon) to measure humidity around your home.

If you care for your room, clean it regularly, and don’t store any food there, there is no reason not to get a swamp cooler.