NaturalWellHome remedies, checked against the evidence

Home / Colds & Immunity

Steam Inhalation for Colds: Does It Help, and Is It Safe?

Breathing steam is a classic cold remedy, but trials show little clear benefit and bowls of hot water cause real burns. Learn what the evidence says and safer options.

Edited by Anmar ArabPublished 21 October 2026, 7 min read
On this page
  1. Quick answer
  2. What the research says
  3. How people use it, and safer options
  4. Possible side effects and interactions
  5. Who should avoid it
  6. When to see a doctor
  7. Frequently asked questions

Quick answer

Leaning over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head is a classic home remedy for a blocked nose. Many people find the warm, moist air comforting, and NHS advice says breathing in steam can ease a stuffy nose.

The research, however, is disappointing. A Cochrane review found no clear evidence that heated, humidified air helps a cold get better, and a large UK trial found that daily steam inhalation did not improve long-term sinus symptoms. At the same time, burns specialists in the UK and the Netherlands have reported children and adults admitted to hospital after a bowl of hot water tipped into their lap.

So the honest summary is this: steam may feel soothing, but it does not treat a cold, and the bowl method carries a real risk of scalds. A warm shower or a steamy bathroom gives much of the same comfort with far less danger, and is the option health services now tend to suggest.

What the research says

Cochrane review of heated, humidified air (2017). Cochrane reviewers (Singh and colleagues) pooled six small randomised, double-blind trials with 387 people, published between 1987 and 1995. All of them used a device that delivered warm, moist air into the nose, rather than a home bowl of water. The results were mixed: one way of analysing two trials suggested a benefit and another did not, and in two trials the number of people whose symptoms cleared was not significantly higher than with placebo. One study looked at the amount of virus in nasal washings and found no difference. The reviewers rated the overall quality of evidence as low and concluded that there was neither clear benefit nor clear harm. Some people reported minor nasal discomfort or irritation.

UK trial of steam for sinus symptoms (2016). Researchers led by Paul Little ran a large randomised trial in 72 UK general practices, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Adults with chronic or recurring sinus problems were advised to inhale steam daily for five minutes, using a towel over a bowl of recently boiled water. Compared with people not given this advice, the steam group showed no meaningful improvement in their main sinus symptom score at three or six months, and no reduction in use of over-the-counter medicines. The one positive finding was fewer headaches. The authors concluded that advising steam inhalation for these symptoms was not effective. This trial was in people with long-term sinus trouble rather than a simple cold, but it is a large, real-world test of the home bowl method.

Burn injuries from steam inhalation. The main risk is not the steam itself but the hot water. A Dutch study in the British Journal of General Practice (Baartmans and colleagues, 2012) found 31 people admitted to Dutch burn centres over ten years after steam inhalation, 61% of them under 16. In almost every case the burn came from hot water, not steam, usually when the bowl tipped into the person's lap and scalded the thighs, lower belly and genitals. Six needed skin grafts, and the average burn-centre stay was almost ten days. A Welsh study of children treated at a burns centre (Al Himdani and colleagues, 2016) found 16 children burned during steam inhalation, most often for a cold. Ten were admitted to hospital and one needed skin grafting. Both teams concluded that the practice should no longer be recommended.

How people use it, and safer options

Most people who try steam do so for comfort while a cold runs its course, which usually takes one to two weeks. If you want the feeling of warm, moist air, these approaches carry less risk than a bowl:

  • Steamy bathroom. NHS Wales suggests sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running. A warm shower or bath before bed is also suggested by New Zealand's Healthify service.
  • Humidifier. Healthify notes that a humidifier in the bedroom may help with congestion.
  • Saline drops or sprays. Salt water nose drops or sprays can help loosen mucus, including in babies when used just before feeds.
  • Other comfort measures. Rest, plenty of fluids and, if needed, simple painkillers from a pharmacist are the core of cold care.

If an adult still chooses to use a bowl, the burn studies show where the danger lies. In the Dutch study, the usual accident was a bowl tipping into the lap, so a bowl should never be held on the lap or balanced on a bed or sofa. Put it on a stable table and keep children well away while hot water is in the room.

Never let children breathe steam from a bowl of hot water. Children move suddenly and can tip the bowl, and in the Dutch burn study most of the people admitted were children. A steamy bathroom is a safer choice.

Possible side effects and interactions

  • Scalds. The most serious risk. Burns from tipped bowls have needed hospital stays, bladder catheters and skin grafts.
  • Nasal irritation. Some trial participants reported discomfort or irritation in the nose.
  • Breathing problems. Healthify warns that breathing in very hot steam can damage the lining of the airways and can make asthma worse.
  • Essential oils. Adding eucalyptus or other oils is not a safer upgrade. Healthify notes reports of seizures linked to eucalyptus inhalation and advises against adding oils.

Steam is not a substitute for asking a pharmacist which cold remedies are suitable for you, especially if you take other medicines or have a long-term condition.

Who should avoid it

  • Children. The bowl method is not suitable for children of any age. Use a steamy bathroom with an adult present instead.
  • People with asthma. Healthify warns that hot steam can make asthma worse.
  • Older adults who are frail or unsteady. The Dutch burn study included an 82-year-old woman who needed a skin graft, a reminder that spills are not only a risk for children.

When to see a doctor

A cold usually improves within one to two weeks. Contact a doctor if:

  • your symptoms do not start to improve after about 10 days, or keep getting worse
  • you have a high temperature that lasts more than three days, or you feel hot and shivery
  • you feel short of breath or have chest pain (seek urgent help if this is severe)
  • a cough lasts more than three weeks
  • you have a long-term condition such as diabetes, or a heart, lung or kidney condition, or a weakened immune system
  • you are worried about a child's symptoms

If anyone is scalded by hot water, get medical advice promptly, especially for a child or for burns to the groin or a large area of skin.

Frequently asked questions

Does steam kill the cold virus?

There is no good evidence that it does. The idea comes from laboratory work suggesting cold viruses are sensitive to heat, but in the trials reviewed by Cochrane, warm humidified air did not clearly shorten colds, and one study found no change in the amount of virus in the nose.

Is a hot shower as good as a bowl of steam?

For comfort, many people find it similar, and it is much safer because there is no bowl of hot water to tip over. NHS Wales suggests sitting in a bathroom with a hot shower running as a way to ease a blocked nose.

Should I add eucalyptus or menthol oil to the water?

Health services advise against it. Healthify warns that essential oils such as eucalyptus can be dangerous to inhale, with reports of seizures, and they are especially risky for children.

Can steam help sinusitis?

A large UK trial found that daily steam inhalation did not improve symptoms in adults with long-term or recurring sinus problems, apart from fewer headaches. Saline nose drops or sprays are a gentler home option for loosening mucus. See a doctor if symptoms are severe, keep getting worse or do not improve after about 10 days.

References

More on colds & immunity