Let’s Vaporize

Does your face feel like it is about to fall off? Along with your lips? It’s so dry in the winter, and with no rain, how do you make up for lost moisture? One thing that I swear by is having a humidifier on while you are sleeping. We have one on every night, and if we forget to put it on, we feel the difference in the morning. Parched mouth, dry skin, and stuffy nose. This post expounds on the benefits of having a humidifier, besides adding humidity to dry air, the differences between hot and cold, and how to clean them.

Benefits:

Sinus, lungs, allergies

With dry weather, there are higher chances of sinus and lung infections from lack of moisture. Trust me on this one, it comes from personal experience and humidifiers have intercepted future infections. I always keep a nasacort in my back pocket as well for close calls. This steroid based over the counter is more helpful than the drying attempts of others. In Chinese medicine, the lungs and sinuses need moisture. If you have ever tried inhaling steam under a towel when you are sick, you can see how helpful moisture is to feeling better. So imagine having some moisture in the air from a humidifier while you sleep for 7-9 hours a night! It also helps with parched mouths and throats, as well as coughing and congestion.

Skin and Hair

Yes, a big benefit for skin, and who doesn’t want to wake up looking dewy fresh? Your skin will glow without expensive products on it. It is the largest organ in our body, and can absorb moisture. Hair suffers as well. It gets flat and listless. If you are a curly head like me, hair curls more from excitement with moisture.

Warm vs Cold

There are now humidifiers that have the capability in one unit to emit hot or cool steam, which is so cool, you can choose what type you want for the reasons below. I have a warm one, pictured so artfully above, so let’s start there. The heating element kills bacteria and mold before it steams the water into the room. They are quieter than a fan based cold humidifier. They can also warm a room in the colder weather. True gross story: Over a decade ago, I was dating a man who used a humidifier every night. Ironically humidifiers help with coughs, but I was waking up every morning with one. Don’t mean to hold you in a lurch with this fascinating story, but more on that in a sec.

Cold humidifiers are better for bigger rooms as they project better. They come in a fan version, which tend to be loud, and an ultrasonic version, which is quiet. They use less electricity than warm ones. Since they don’t have a warming element, there is no burn risk if you have little kids around. Without the warming element, you have to change the filter often so they don’t emit bacteria and mold, but you are not off the hook for cleaning on the warm humidifier either. Now for the rest of my story.

Cleaning

So do you know why I was having a cough every morning? The guy I was dating never cleaned his humidifier!!! Gross indeed! Yes a humidifier takes maintenance or the benefits can backfire. I clean my warm one once a week this way: I put vinegar into the heating element area and let it sit. Then I put a spot of bleach in the water container, and let that sit. It’s best to use distilled or purified water, but even with purified water, I still have some mineral build up. The vinegar helps with that, and once it has been sitting in it for a bit, I use the rough part of the sponge to scrape off any minerals. It will just perform better this way. Once I have drained the vinegar and bleach solution, I rinse and let it dry completely before use. You also shouldn’t let it sit in water for too long either. Think of a puddle of water that sits for days and gets stagnant. If you use it on a Monday and don’t use it again until Friday, replace the water, and perhaps even clean it to be safe. I don’t have experience cleaning cold ones so refer to the manual for instructions on cleaning. I suggest airing out the room with fresh air for a bit after use of any humidifier. Too much moisture can lead to mold issues in your home. What can I say, it is a delicate balance!

So do yourself and your body a favor. Dust off your humidifier and use it, or go out and buy one as an investment to your health. That ultrasonic dual hot and cold one from Leviot looks amazing. You can wake up dewy and fresh too!