Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year – Meri Kirihimete from the Healthify team.
Steam inhalation
Breathing in steam when you have a blocked nose
Key points about steam inhalation
- Inhaling steam has been used as a home remedy for colds and nasal congestion (blocked nose).
- Steam inhalation is no longer recommended. Scientific studies have found that it has few proven benefits and can cause serious harm such as burn injuries.
- There's no evidence that inhaling steam is effective for treating or preventing COVID-19 – in fact it may do more harm than good.
- Find out about some other approaches to clearing a blocked nose in adults and older children, and babies.
Steam inhalation involves breathing in steam from heated water. Many people do this to soothe and open their nasal passages when they have a cold or sinus infection to clear congestion and make it easier to breathe.
Why inhaling steam isn't recommended
To inhale steam, people mostly use bowls with hot or boiling water and some use commercially available steam inhalers. This use of hot, or boiling water is a huge risk, particularly to children. Children are at significant risk of burn injuries if they're around boiling or very hot water. This is because they're likely to move quickly and unpredictably, they're curious and don't understand what might be dangerous.
Breathing in very hot water can damage the lining of your lungs. It can be particularly bad if you have asthma as it can make your symptoms worse.
Some people add eucalyptus oil to the water, thinking that the scented steam will clear their blocked nose. This is dangerous as there have been reports of eucalyptus inhalation causing epileptic seizures (fits). The same can happen if other essential oils are inhaled. Read more about essential oils.
There is no evidence that steam inhalation treats or prevents COVID-19
Steam inhalation has long been considered a beneficial home remedy to treat nose and chest congestion, but there is no research evidence to suggest it actually works. Social media and home-made tutorials have played a role in misleading people into thinking that breathing in steam will unblock airways and kill a virus. There is no evidence that steam inhalation is effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. In fact it may do more harm than good.
A warm shower or bath before bed may help. This way you can use steam to help clear your congestion without the same risks as breathing in the steam from boiling water. Having a humidifier in your bedroom may also help.
If you have a blocked nose from a cold or flu virus you can use saline nose drops or spray. You can also try a medicated decongestant, but these should only be used for a few days as prolonged use can make the symptoms worse.
If you have hay fever, steroid nose sprays can help relieve symptoms including a blocked or runny nose. Read more about how to treat a blocked nose in adults and older children.
It's common for babies under 6 months of age to have a blocked nose (commonly called 'snuffles'). It's usually due to normal mucus that collects in the nose, which is difficult for the baby to clear. No treatment is needed if your pēpi is generally healthy, happy and feeding well.
Here are some safe things to try if feeding becomes difficult:
- Give your baby a warm bath. If they can sit up they will enjoy some play time and distraction, and warm water can help loosen mucus and clear congestion.
Image credit: Depositphotos
- Try placing a bowl of warm water in the room where your baby sleeps. This raises the humidity which may help to loosen thick mucus. If you have one you could run a humidifier in your baby's room while they sleep.
- Try sitting in a steamy atmosphere with your baby before a feed. For example, run the hot shower in the bathroom and shut the door. Sit in the room, but not in the shower, with your baby for 5 minutes before feeding.
- Try giving smaller but more frequent feeds.
- Salt water (saline) drops or sprays may be useful if the ideas above don't help. Saline drops thin the mucus and make it easier for your baby to clear the mucus from their nose. (Saline seems to work better than just plain water.) You can buy saline drops from a pharmacist who can also advise you on how to use them. Only use the drops just before feeds, and only if their nose is blocked. If saline is used too often, the skin around their nose may become a little sore.
- Note: Vapour rubs are no longer recommended. Read more about vapour rubs.
Apps
References
- Heated, humidified air for the common cold(external link) Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017; 2017CD001728
- Steam inhalation and paediatric burns during the COVID-19 pandemic(external link) The Lancet, May 2020
- Matthew T, Kamath V, Kumar RS, et al. Eucalyptus oil inhalation–induced seizure – a novel, underrecognized, preventable cause of acute symptomatic seizure(external link) Epilepsia Open 2017;2(3):350-354.
- Blocked nose in babies(external link) PatientInfo UK, 2017
- Steam inhalation(external link) Healthline, US, 2025
- Natural ways to relieve asthma symptoms(external link) WebMD, US, 2025
Is steam inhalation good for asthma?
Some people find that breathing in warm air (eg, in the shower or bath) can help clear out mucus that’s making it hard to breathe. However, some people find heat makes their symptoms worse and inhaling steam from very hot or boiling water may damage the lining of your airways. That definitely won’t be good for your asthma.
Does steam inhalation help with cough?
There’s not enough evidence to suggest that inhaling steam can help with a cough or other cold symptoms. Some people find it does, others don’t and some people find it makes the inside of their nose sore. If you have a cough from asthma, breathing in steam isn’t recommended. See the FAQ above.
How is a steam inhaler different from a nebuliser?
A steam inhaler or vaporiser is a device you can buy to heat water to make steam that cools before leaving the machine. Some come with a mask. Nebulisers are machines used for people with wheezy lung diseases, cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis. They convert medicine into a fine spray that can be breathed in easily. Read more about nebulisers.
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Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
Reviewed by: Stephanie Yee, Pharmacist, Auckland
Last reviewed:
