There are several humidifiers out there people use for a variety of reasons. Humidifiers are an essential part of those who live in low humidity areas and are a great seasonal and occasional help to many. By taking a few simple steps to ensure that you’re doing it right; you can keep the device’s performance up to speed.
How to Use your humidifier for Cold spells –
Cold season always brings cough and cold symptoms, that affects a lot of people. A humidifier can help a lot in dealing with the cold symptoms. Here’s what you can do –
- In case of adults either cool-mist or warm mist humidifier is fine. When it comes to kids however, you should use cool mist humidifier. Why? The reason is simple. If the child gets too close to the vaporizer or the humidifier, he/she might get a burn from the hot steam. Also, if the hot water s spilled, it can also harm the little one. It is much safer to use a cool mist humidifier. Both humidifiers produce essentially the same result. By the time vapors reach the lower airway , they’re the same temperature either way. But, if you’re going to use a vaporizer or warm-mist humidifier, keep it out of children’s reach.
- Never let minerals build up inside the humidifier. Yes! Minerals are bad for the insides of a humidifier. They form a layer inside, making the resulting vapors, not so fresh for your breathing It generally happens if you’re using hard water, which contains a lot of these minerals. However, the solution to this problem is quite simple. Use demineralized cartridges or distilled water instead of the hard tap water. It’ll do wonders.
- Make cleaning your humidifier on regular intervals a priority because if you like to breath fresh air, you have to keep the fresh air maker clean. Regular cleanups not only ensure a better performance, but also a long life for your humidifier, which is good news for your health, and your pocket.
- Only use the humidifier when there’s a need. Make sure that the settings on the humidifier are just right. You do not want to over humidify the room. That can work inversely as more moisture can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.
How to use humidifier for your baby’s room –
In winter when the heating dries up the home, humidifiers become essential. When using a humidifier in your baby’s crib, keep these simple things in mind –
- Properly research before buying a humidifier for your baby’s room. Avoid using vaporizers or warm mist humidifiers.
- Always use fresh, distilled water for the humidifier.
- Place the unit some place from where the moisture can reach every corner of the room.
- The settings should be so that the air is good for breathing, but don’t over humidify the room.
- Do not keep it too close or directly pointing at the crib.
- Clean it regularly.
How to diffuse oils using a humidifier –
Different essential oils like lavender oil, Eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil etc. retain the nice aroma and therapeutic qualities of the plants. To use these oils to cleanse the air in the room , and to get the therapeutic value from it, people generally use oil diffuser that breaks down the oil drops into fine vapors. Using a cool air diffuser is recommended as cool air diffusers protect the integrity of the oil.
Using a humidifier’s tank to diffuse oil can be a bad idea as over time the oils can collect and coat the humidifier, ultimately causing damage to it. Some of the humidifiers have added fragrance diffusers to overcome these problems. This separates the oil from the main tank and mists them into the air. Here’s what you need to know –
- Only use water soluble essential oils.
- Mind how much oil should go in there. You don’t want to pour a lot, or very little. It will depend on how long the diffuser can function.
- Use fresh water. It’ll make sure that the air you’re breathing is pure, fresh, and aromatic.
- Cleaning is the key. Do not use water over max.
How to use your Vicks Humidifier –
Vicks humidifiers are a good option for cold spells and cough. There is a lot you can do with this humidifier, and here’s how you should use it –
- Always keep the cord unplugged from the electrical outlet when not using. Do not try to handle the humidifier while still plugged.
- To get started, remove the steam unit and fill the container with tap water. Do not overfill.
- Adding four or five pinches of salt is ideal in cases where the mineral content is low in tap water. Mix the salt thoroughly. (salt will not affect the purity of either the steam or medication)
- Hold the steam unit down for eight to ten seconds so the water can enter and then seat it properly in water containers. (If overfilled, the steam unit will float.)
- Fill the medication cup (in front, or below the steam outlet) with one cup of Kaz inhalant or Vicks vapo steam.
- Make sure that the humidifier is placed in a safe position where it is out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep cleaning the humidifier regularly for better performance. For clean up, use cool water, vinegar, and bleach.
Dip the parts in vinegar for a good half hour. Afterwards clean the parts and rinse thoroughly with water This loosens up all the mineral buildup inside the humidifier. Rinse thoroughly, until all traces of scale have been removed. Dry each part well.
To disinfect the unit, submerge the parts in a solution of solution of 1 tsp. bleach to one gallon of water. Keep shaking and stirring every few minutes. Afterwards, rinse thoroughly with water to remove all traces of bleach odor.
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