Reasons for You To Use a Warm Air Humidifier

Posted on January 14th, 2008 in Information by Humidifier Guide

If your house is located in a cold area, especially during the winter season, it is very likely that you use a heater to increase the temperature in your house during these cold months. It is also likely that in addition to using the heater, you also use a humidifier to increase the humidity in the room.

During the cold season, the humidity or moisture in the air tends to lessen. This trend can cause several problems to the residents. First, decrease in humidity can cause your nasal passages to feel dry. Also, when you are experiencing clogged nose, recovery may seems slow when the air is low in humidity. Furniture, in order to last longer, also requires a certain amount of moisture in the air. Too little moisture will cause your furniture’s surface to be dry. This is also true regarding some of your home structures. With less moisture, the walls tend to crack making them prone to structural defects.

With the importance of humidity, most homes resort to the use of a humidifier. A problem could be raised regarding this, though. It can cause a large increase in electricity bills.

In order to address this issue, it would be best if you choose a warm air humidifier. If you will be using a warm air humidifier, increasing the temperature settings of your heater may no longer necessary.

If your heater doesn’t work at high temperature settings, this will save you money on your electricity bills. In some cases, you may even turn off your heating system and still feel comfortable due to the heat released by the warm air humidifier.

The warm air humidifier works similarly to other wick type humidifier. In the warm air humidifier, the wick also transports the water to be evaporated. However, before transporting the water, the water in the reservoir was boiled or heater first to produce a steam.

The wick of the warm air humidifier then transports the hot water so that it can be evaporated. While the warm air humidifier consumes more electricity that a simple humidifier, it could also make you save on electricity by adding comfort and warmth to your home even if the heater is not turned on.

For this reason, you will notice that many homes in the US now prefers the use of warm air humidifier in their homes. This device not just protects their health and homes but also helps them save money on electricity.

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Distinctions Between Air Purifiers and Humidifiers

Posted on October 2nd, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

A common mistake is attributing an air purifier being the same as a humidifier. However, there are several distinctions on their uses. Although an air purifier and a humidifier may have some common denominators in providing health benefits to its users, their purpose and operation means are quite different.

An air purifier is designed for removing air contaminants for a cleaner air to breath. It can also effectively reduce second hand tobacco smoke. It particularly benefits allergic and asthmatic individuals. An air purifier reduces irritants from the air making it less irritating to sensitive people like those who are asthmatic and allergic. An air purifier works by reducing airborne particles such as dust mites, mold spores, pollens, pet dander and dusts that act as allergens.

The common purifying technique involved in an air purifier includes the use of a filter that traps the airborne contaminants based on size exclusion. A HEPA filter can reliably remove 99.97% of particles the size of 0.3 micrometer from the air and retain it inside the air purifier to ensure that the circulating air is free from irritant and contaminating particles. Other purifying techniques include the use of activated carbon that absorbs volatile materials, a photocatalytic oxidation that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses using an ultraviolet light and an electrostatic precipitator that also removes air particles.

A humidifier on the other hand is used as a household appliance that effectively provides moisture into the air. This is especially important during cold climates where the heating system can cause air to dry. A humidifier can sooth discomfort symptoms that arise from the drying effects of air such as chapped lips, dry and itchy skin, dryness of throat, mouth and nose as well as itchy eyes by humidifying the air to reduce its dryness and ease these discomforts.

A humidifier consists of basic parts that contribute to its effective functions. It has a reservoir that serves as a tank container filled with water, a wick that acts as a filter to absorb water and trap mineral deposits and sediments that build up from the water and a fan that is adjacent to the wick that blows air to enhance the evaporation of water.

Humidifiers come in vaporizer form that combines a warm mist and steam humidifier that can be added with medicated inhalant for soothing relief from cold and cough symptoms. The cool mist humidifier releases cool, fresh air to the environment while the ultrasonic humidifier creates water droplets from an ultrasonic frequency in the form of a cool fog.

Caution on using a humidifier should be observe to ensure that the humidity level in a room must not exceed to 50% and should not go lower than 20% of air humidity level. Implication of this is a humidity level beyond 50% can encourage breeding of microorganisms such as bacteria and molds while below the 20% humidity level can cause drier air that will harbor the occurrence of symptoms of discomforts caused by dry air.

Both an air purifier and a humidifier have its own unique and specific indications of use. They are both equally effective in providing health benefits to its users and both provide a better air quality to breathe. When choosing between the two, specific needs must be indicated in order to make a better choice which unit will work best for you.

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Compact Mist-ifier

Posted on September 30th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

Our offices sometimes can become uncomfortable for us to work. The dry air that can dehydrate our skin and hair can also make existing respiratory problems worse. The rooms and spaces where we spend our time most of the day should always be conducive for learning doing our work while making us feel comfortable at all times.

Airconditioning can help but too much exposure is not good for our health. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to dry air can cause dry skin, hair and further aggravate respiratory problems. That is why humidifiers are being offered to the market to provide control over the temperature and comfort level that they need.

Humidifiers are all over the place catering to most markets. Compact and sleek humidifiers are best for dorm use for college students, for travel and office. Among the available humidifiers in the market, the personal Sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier tops the list for its wonderful performance and compact design.

The Sunbeam Ultrasonic humidifier comes in two sizes; one is sleek and compact in design yet powerful in its performance. The other is for medium and large rooms. Both sizes of sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier use ultrasonic pressure in releasing water droplets in the air with hardly a sound at all. The personal Sunbeam Ultrasonic humidifier is so compact that it sits right on top of the table or your desk without occupying much space. It also has a night light that gives off a soft glow to the room, making it cozy and conducive for sleeping and can be used overnight in one filling without fogging the windows, unlike other humidifiers that give off too much steaming on walls and windows.

The advantages of using the personal sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier are greater than its cons like daily refilling of the water receptacle which can be removed, yet it doesn’t undermines the performance it gives while operated. The sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier gives off a visible, lighted mist just right enough for the space or room needing the humidification. Like any other humidifiers, the sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier needs to be cleaned and replaced on a regular basis to prevent the accumulation of minerals from the water and microorganism growth. The filters are available in Sunbeam retail stores.

The personal sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier is right on the budget for students starting out for college, for professionals who would want to control the temperature of their offices with the right humidity and for travelers who want to bring the comfort of their homes with them on the go. For daily use in the house, the bigger sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier is recommended.

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Why Install a Humidifier for your Home

Posted on September 28th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

Your home is where you spend most of the time for relaxation, time for the family to get together, and also to provide shelter from the outside elements. Seasons change and the levels of humidity could get unstable, too, depending on what climate your house is built in. Most of the time, people get sick or things get destroyed because of low levels of humidity. A home humidifier will help solve your problems because it raises or lets you adjust the humidity to levels which are ideal.

A humidifier is a necessity for those who have allergies or are in need of higher levels of humidity. For example, some home humidifiers available in the market today even have ionizers that provide a better quality of air for your home, thereby contributing to your health. Some would even have medicine cups which you can attach to the machine for you to be able to put your medicines and be able to inhale them together with the humid air. It also prevents you from catching a cold or flu.

A humidifier also preserves your furniture, walls, floorings, and other household equipment that could peel away or get cracked during low levels of humidity. This is because low levels of humidity also affects the moisture content of these household objects and can easily wear them off. For example, you have just replaced your wallpaper with a new design and you really love it. Suddenly, the time for low levels of humidity came and this would surely cause your wallpapers to get destroyed. It will peel off from the wall. Also, it could help prevent other household objects that are vulnerable to cracks when they are subjected to low levels of humidity.

Would you not feel a lot better in a place where the humidity is stable? A steady level of humidity could make you feel much better than in a changing one. What is more, your body may not have the capacity to easily adapt to an unstable level of humidity. This might lead to constant changes within the body and it may respond through an illness. See, the home humidifier you install inside your home will even help you feel calm.

Also, the home humidifier, depending on the brand you choose, will last for quite some time and can be used for a length of years with proper care. This way, you can have more value for your money because it keeps you warm, your family, and other people who visit your house, too.

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The Differences Between Humidifiers & Vaporizers

Posted on September 18th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

Every loving parent in the world only wants the best for their children. This instinctive nature to provide the best is especially true particularly when the children are suffering from illnesses which will really drive the parents to do anything that will help in alleviating or eliminating any discomfort suffered by their child.

One such thing that parents resort to do to take care of their child when sick is by installing a humidifier in the child’s room which can help especially when the child has cold. Cold causes congestion which will cause nasal passages to be dry especially if the environment is dry as well. Humidifiers help alleviate this congestion by adding humidity to the air, thereby loosening the nasal congestion and making breathing easier.

There is a very big question however with the issue of the choice of the humidifier. As parents will always want the best for their child, they are caught within the dilemma between the use of a standard humidifier and a vaporizer.

The main difference between this two is the type of humidity they are propagating in the air. Standard humidifiers generally spew out cool moisture into the air while vaporizers churn warm moisture into the air. This difference results from the two devices’ differing on the way they use their water reservoir.

Most humidifiers just release the water they have in their reserve resulting in cool moisture in the air. Some humidifiers cool the water before releasing it, resulting in cooler moisture released. Vaporizers on the other hand, do just the opposite. Since they are made to discharge warm moisture, they first boil the water in their reservoir before spewing it out resulting in warm moisture.

There are advantages and disadvantages of using either of the two. A vaporizer is less expensive. Vaporizers also features functions like letting you add inhalants easily which will be beneficial especially if you are not the DIY type which can fix everything. Vaporizers have less chances of spewing out moisture that is laden with bacteria as the water spewed out will always be boiled.

Using vaporizers however, pose safety risks especially to infants. Since warm moisture is the one churned out by vaporizers, then infants are in the danger of being scald by accidental spills of the warm moist and boiled water. This makes the humidifier somewhat safer as it only provides cool mists which generally pose no danger to any individual.

The choice will always be up to you as each of us will always have differing preferences. Knowing the key differences of each however, will be of great help in realizing our actual needs and making a solid decision regarding what to purchase quicker and easier.

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Breathe Safe Air: Use a Clean Humidifier

Posted on September 15th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

In principle, humidifiers were built to provide you the utmost air comfort during winter seasons. In principle, these devices are designed to regulate interior air condition to keep you in health and your houses from cracking up from too dry air.

Putting humidifiers into function requires the use of water. Here’s where health issues in relation to use of humidifiers come from, of which there is one comely solution: a clean humidifier.

When water from the humidifier evaporates, minerals usually found in tap water are separated. These minerals are either carried into the air, or settles inside the humidifier’s reservoir. These mineral deposits may encourage the growth of scale— that white deposit normally found inside your boiler or kettle, and this scale encourages the homing of bacteria inside your water tank. These bacteria, when carried into the air, may pose danger to your health.

A clean humidifier is tantamount to germ-free air conditions inside your home. Make sure that to ensure that no minerals stay and collect inside your device’s water tank. Remove your humidifier from the plug twice a week or so. Remove remaining water from the tank, and with a scraper, a scrubber, or brush, remove all mineral impurities and flakes in your reservoir.

Use of demineralization chemicals is another way of to ensure a clean humidifier. Use of demineralization equipment like cartridges and filters are such other ways of keeping your humidifier free of bacteria-growing water minerals.

Another option is to use distilled water, which has little mineral content.

A clean modifier also forestalls the growth of harmful microorganisms in your humidifier. See to it that you replace tank water constantly Before replacing the tank with water, make sure that you have cleaned the insides of the tank and wiped it dry. Disinfecting your water tank before refilling it with water is also a recommended action.

Read and follow your manufacturer’s humidifier cleaning and disinfecting instruction manual. If there’s none, 3% percent hydrogen solution works just fine as disinfectant. After disinfecting it, wash the tank down thoroughly with running water.

Do not let water stand in the water tank. Throw the water and wipe the tank dry when the humidifier’s in disuse. This also means that when the winter season’s over, humidifier cleaning before storage is a good practice. Clean it well, dry it well, and store.

A clean humidifier ensures no bacteria or harmful microorganism do not grow in your moisture-regulating device. A clean humidifier is free of mineral deposits. By continually seeing to it that you are using a clean humidifier, you do not only ensure that the air moisture inside your home keeps you physically comfortable during winter season, but also safe and bacteria-free.

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A Germ Free Humidifier Relieves Nasal Congestion

Posted on September 14th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air which affects how comfortable we feel. If the humidity inside our home is very low, we could experience dry itchy skin, sore throat and chapped lips. Moreover, dry air could ruin the lovely wooden floor, paneling and plaster in our homes. By releasing water vapor in the air inside our homes, devices such as humidifiers increase the humidity to our comfort level. Water is the basic element used by humidifiers to produce moisture. Since we know that microbes abound in everything around us—including the water that is used by humidifiers to produce moisture, you may be wondering: “Is there such as thing as a germ free humidifier?”
 
To pick out the germ free humidifier from the list, let us first take a look at the types of devices that generate and release moisture. The first type is the steam vaporizer, which heats the water then releases the steam. The second are three types of humidifiers that produce cool mist. The first is the impeller humidifier which makes use of a high speed rotating disk to release tiny water droplets into the air. The second is the ultrasound humidifier which creates mist through ultrasonic vibration, and the last is the evaporative type which releases moisture using a fan that flows through an absorbent material.

The steam and evaporative processes release moisture that is basically germ free. Humidifier generated water vapor from impeller and ultrasonic types, on the other hand, could be loaded with bacteria and minerals, especially if tap water is used and had been sitting stagnant in the humidifier’s reservoir for a while. Despite their anti-bacterial features such as ultraviolet light, the moisture they produce may still contain minerals that could pose serious health risks. To be truly germ free, humidifier produced moisture from impeller and ultrasonic types should preferably come from distilled water and changed regularly.

The inside of humidifiers can provide an environment that is very conducive to the growth of microbes, especially when water contained in their tanks had been stagnant for a long time. Water vapor released from these humidifiers could pose serious health risks to the elderly, infants and those who are hypersensitive to airborne pollutants. This can be avoided by regular maintenance and cleaning of the humidifier to make it germ free. Humidifier generated mist could be great in relieving respiratory problems provided that we use a germ free humidifier that would assure our continued comfort and well-being.

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A Choice Between Humidifier vs Vaporizer

Posted on September 14th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

There is a wide range of brands and models of humidifiers and vaporizers in the market today. But then there are some questions that begin to crop up. How do you distinguish one from the other? Which one is the better product? Here, we will try to answer some of these questions.

If you are suffering from colds or allergies, humidity can help relieve your colds. If your house is dry, congested colds will lead to your nasal passages becoming dry. In order to make your breathing easier and your cough more productive, you need to add moisture to the air to loosen your congested nose. A dry nasal passage is more prone to acquiring more bacteria than if it is moist. Likewise, if you have a dry house, you are prone to nosebleeds, dry and itchy skin, and enhanced static.

In order to add humidity, you can choose between a humidifier or a vaporizer. With a humidifier, cool moisture is emitted into the air while with a vaporizer, water is boiled and then releases warm moisture. Medical practitioners seem to have a consensus that the two methods are effective in relieving the symptoms of colds as long as the instructions are followed and the cleanliness of the machines is maintained. Clearly, it is up to you to whether you want a humidifier or a vaporizer.

In addition, you need not boil water in order to use a humidifier. In contrast, it is a requirement to boil water in order to use a vaporizer. The disadvantage of a humidifier is that bacteria or molds can likely spread in the room because the water is not boiled. You can prove this through a fine layer of white dust accumulating in the room. However, you can remedy this by using distilled water. If you live in a place where the climate is warm, then getting a humidifier will be cooler and refreshing than a vaporizer.

The important thing about humidifiers and vaporizers is that you need to keep it as clean as possible. See to it that the water is changed daily and that you should follow the cleaning instructions. However, you need to be careful about putting too much humidity to the air since too much humidity makes your home a haven for bacteria, molds, and dust mites.

Moreover, if you are allergic to dust, avoid increasing the humidity in your room since these organisms thrive in these conditions. In order to ensure the right humidity, you should keep condensation coming from the humidifier or vaporizer away from cold windows or window sills.

Whether it’s a humidifier or vaporizer is entirely up to you, but understanding the difference between the two can help you decide on which to purchase. With additional humidity coming from either machine, you and your family can guarantee a comfortable sleep knowing that any cold symptoms will be relieved.

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The Advantages of the Cool Mist Humidifier

Posted on February 19th, 2007 in Information by Humidifier Guide

Humidifiers are used when weather conditions are likely to cause difficulty in breathing. Humidifiers moisturize the nasal passages to make you breathe easier. They also help in keeping a reasonable amount of moisture in the air, which is the recommended storage condition for some furniture. Humidity also prevents structural problems in some of your home’s components.

A cool mist humidifier has a lot of advantages. Let us look at these advantages in detail and study how a simple cool mist humidifier can have these admirable effects.

A cool mist humidifier helps you fight colds and flu symptoms. When you have colds or flu, your nasal and oral passages feel a bit dry and get clogged by mucus. With increased moisture in the air, it will be easier for you to breathe and be relieved of these symptoms.

Even if you don’t experience colds and flu symptoms, a cool mist humidifier can also be beneficial to your respiratory system. When your respiratory system is sufficiently moisturized, it is easier for it to fight pollutants, allergens, bacteria and viruses.

Our respiratory systems fight these disease-causing organisms primarily by secreting mucus. Mucus secretion does not function well if the respiratory system is very dry. That is why a cool mist humidifier can help a lot in boosting your bodies’ natural defense systems.

Some cool mist humidifiers also have filters that remove the minerals from the water before it is sprayed as a cool mist. Most of the cool mist humidifiers use a wick for transporting the water. The wick also filters the water to remove the mineral salts from the water. These mineral salts do not have health benefits. They also leave a white dust on furniture. This white dust, however, is not that difficult to clean.

There are also cool mist humidifiers that have bacterial filters. Bacterial filters are beneficial especially if you are in an area likely to have airborne organisms. The bacterial filters of the cool mist humidifiers screens out the bacterial particles before releasing the mist.

Bacterial filters in cool mist humidifiers are also good since moisture can provide a good medium for bacterial growth. If the amount of bacteria in the air is lessened, then it will be less likely to be infected with airborne bacterial diseases.

Many homes in the US are now using cool mist humidifiers. Apart from its health benefits, cool mist humidifiers also enhance the atmosphere for more relaxing and sleeping comfort.

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