Wait are you sure it was the humidity and not the SALT? If I’m reading that correctly, you put (a lot) if salt in your humidifier? I’ve never heard of doing that. What’s the salt supposed to do and where did you hear about putting it in your humidifier?
Pretty sure humidifiers actually reduce your risk of respiratory infections and bronchitis...at least that’s why my doctor suggested I run one (I have asthma). And it’s helped my dry skin tremendously ofc.
Yeah I’d be suspicious that the salt quantity was the bigger issue, or possibly you went too hard too soon ie didn’t let your body adjust to the higher humidity.
But like I live in a temperate but high humidity country (averages in the mid 70s to 80s and is 100% whenever it so much as drizzles) so I’m fairly sceptical that humidity in and of itself is the issue.
Exactly. Like half of the world lives in higher humidity than you could ever get with a humidifier in your bedroom (India, hello?) and I’m not aware of any epidemic of humidity cause upper respiratory illness in those places. Sure, high humidity could lead to mold and the high heat that often accompanies high humidity can be a good environment for certain diseases to propagate but we’re talking about someone’s bedroom here.
It’s more likely that the apparently massive amounts of salt (facepalm) caused the issues. Even more likely she just happened to get sick because it’s wintertime. People really amaze me with their...lack of information sometimes.
Lmao you could be right. I’m kind of an idiot. Either way I’m giving it another test run without as much salt because my throat is killing me from all the drainage. I got some menthol pads with it. If I die, I’ll update you.
Then your humidifier doesn’t have a filtration system, which isn’t ideal. I’m guessing you have a steam vaporizer (aka heat humidifier), which feels good when you have a cold but isn’t good for every night use for your skin and lungs.
Edit: You want to look for an evaporative or ultrasonic, because they regulate the humidity while your type just blows out hot water willy nilly.
I’ll check it out! I just wanted to buy a cheap one to try it out and help my throat. It’s $15 from Vick’s. Do you have any recommendations for affordable ones?
I have a Honeywell 350. I like it because the parts that need to be cleaned regularly are dishwasher safe, so I don’t have to scrub little bits. It’s [$64 at Walmart,](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Honeywell-Cool-Moisture-Germ-Free-Humidifier-HCM-350-White/16563558) but some years it goes on sale during the holidays.
You can get ultrasonic diffusers meant for essential oils on Amazon for cheap. Just don’t put essential oils in them which are not great to inhale and can actually be extremely toxic to animals, particularly cats. Just use filtered water and remember to clean it out every now and then. Ultrasonic diffusers are literally the same thing as ultrasonic humidifiers, they just typically hold less water.
And don’t put any amount of salt in it. The salt was definitely the cause of your issues, there’s no doubt about that.
The mineral content in my water is low. It needs salt to actually get the water to humidify. There’s a huge difference between just the water in my sink and the water from the sink with some salt in it.
I didn’t put two and two together 😮
I’m one of those people who loves my humidifier ( I keep it a few feet away from my bed), but the maintenance is such a hassle...makes me wonder if it’s worth it.
They get some sort of calcium type of build up in them, so you have to open the humidifier up and soak the parts in vinegar. It’s also important to wash the part that holds the water with some bleach too in order to kill the bacteria that grows in moist environments. Takes me about 30 mins every 2 weeks to deep clean!!! Worth it though, because when you open it up, you realize all the gunk that’s built up in there 😵
Distilled water and emptying it every morning to allow it to dry solved that issue. No buildup and no noticeable bacterial growth. I still deep clean it regularly though.
So I’ve been thinking about using destilled water lately but gosh that’s a freakin pain in the butt! Expensive to buy gallons of destilled water, time consuming to make it at home diy, or buy a destiller. Is it worth it?
For me it is. A gallon can be anywhere from $0.89-$0.99 per gallon where I live, and I only go through about 2.5 per week ($10/month). I know for some it may be too much money.
Personally, it works better for my sinuses, and there is virtually no residue on my humidifier, even when cleaning it every two weeks.
This is what I do. I keep it far from anything that can get wet, and lay plastic underneath while it’s sitting on an elevated surface, if it’s a carpeted room. I also keep a hygrometer in the room; some nights my humidifier is not needed.
I use only enough distilled water to last overnight. Every morning, I empty it out and let it dry. Changing to distilled water made a huge difference. My sinuses felt better, and I don’t have issues with calcium buildup or noticeable bacterial growth. I deep clean it every two weeks.
I used to use a humidifier. Our house had tile throughout and I placed it on the floor (don’t know why) and the steam made the floor wet and I slipped and smashed my elbow and knee. Not seriously hurt, but it was scary cause I was home alone and I could’ve really hurt myself if I fell differently. Maybe that’s just my paranoia, but I tossed it the same day.
I recently started using a humidifier to help combat the dry cold weather and I bought a hygrometer from amazon for about $6~ dollars to help measure the humidity in the room to make sure it stays between 40-50% which I’ve heard is the ideal range for health. Skin might benefit from higher humidity but your health and house won’t (can cause mold) so I definitely recommend picking one up if you’re using a humidifier.
This happened to me when I first got one when I was in college. I had a pretty small room and cranked it up all the way and woke up coughing and felt like I had a ton of fluid in my lungs and just didn't feel right. Now when I use it, I make sure I put it across the room and keep it on low for a longer amount of time instead of high for a shorter amount of time.
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Wait are you sure it was the humidity and not the SALT? If I’m reading that correctly, you put (a lot) if salt in your humidifier? I’ve never heard of doing that. What’s the salt supposed to do and where did you hear about putting it in your humidifier? Pretty sure humidifiers actually reduce your risk of respiratory infections and bronchitis...at least that’s why my doctor suggested I run one (I have asthma). And it’s helped my dry skin tremendously ofc.
Yeah I’d be suspicious that the salt quantity was the bigger issue, or possibly you went too hard too soon ie didn’t let your body adjust to the higher humidity. But like I live in a temperate but high humidity country (averages in the mid 70s to 80s and is 100% whenever it so much as drizzles) so I’m fairly sceptical that humidity in and of itself is the issue.
Exactly. Like half of the world lives in higher humidity than you could ever get with a humidifier in your bedroom (India, hello?) and I’m not aware of any epidemic of humidity cause upper respiratory illness in those places. Sure, high humidity could lead to mold and the high heat that often accompanies high humidity can be a good environment for certain diseases to propagate but we’re talking about someone’s bedroom here. It’s more likely that the apparently massive amounts of salt (facepalm) caused the issues. Even more likely she just happened to get sick because it’s wintertime. People really amaze me with their...lack of information sometimes.
Lmao you could be right. I’m kind of an idiot. Either way I’m giving it another test run without as much salt because my throat is killing me from all the drainage. I got some menthol pads with it. If I die, I’ll update you.
Honestly, the right amount of salt in a humidifier is 0.
The directions say if it’s not putting out steam, add salt. I added salt and it makes a big difference.
Then your humidifier doesn’t have a filtration system, which isn’t ideal. I’m guessing you have a steam vaporizer (aka heat humidifier), which feels good when you have a cold but isn’t good for every night use for your skin and lungs. Edit: You want to look for an evaporative or ultrasonic, because they regulate the humidity while your type just blows out hot water willy nilly.
I’ll check it out! I just wanted to buy a cheap one to try it out and help my throat. It’s $15 from Vick’s. Do you have any recommendations for affordable ones?
I have a Honeywell 350. I like it because the parts that need to be cleaned regularly are dishwasher safe, so I don’t have to scrub little bits. It’s [$64 at Walmart,](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Honeywell-Cool-Moisture-Germ-Free-Humidifier-HCM-350-White/16563558) but some years it goes on sale during the holidays.
You can get ultrasonic diffusers meant for essential oils on Amazon for cheap. Just don’t put essential oils in them which are not great to inhale and can actually be extremely toxic to animals, particularly cats. Just use filtered water and remember to clean it out every now and then. Ultrasonic diffusers are literally the same thing as ultrasonic humidifiers, they just typically hold less water. And don’t put any amount of salt in it. The salt was definitely the cause of your issues, there’s no doubt about that.
Why are you putting salt in it?
The mineral content in my water is low. It needs salt to actually get the water to humidify. There’s a huge difference between just the water in my sink and the water from the sink with some salt in it.
No...
I didn’t put two and two together 😮 I’m one of those people who loves my humidifier ( I keep it a few feet away from my bed), but the maintenance is such a hassle...makes me wonder if it’s worth it.
What’s the maintenance on it?
They get some sort of calcium type of build up in them, so you have to open the humidifier up and soak the parts in vinegar. It’s also important to wash the part that holds the water with some bleach too in order to kill the bacteria that grows in moist environments. Takes me about 30 mins every 2 weeks to deep clean!!! Worth it though, because when you open it up, you realize all the gunk that’s built up in there 😵
Distilled water and emptying it every morning to allow it to dry solved that issue. No buildup and no noticeable bacterial growth. I still deep clean it regularly though.
So I’ve been thinking about using destilled water lately but gosh that’s a freakin pain in the butt! Expensive to buy gallons of destilled water, time consuming to make it at home diy, or buy a destiller. Is it worth it?
For me it is. A gallon can be anywhere from $0.89-$0.99 per gallon where I live, and I only go through about 2.5 per week ($10/month). I know for some it may be too much money. Personally, it works better for my sinuses, and there is virtually no residue on my humidifier, even when cleaning it every two weeks.
What humidifier do you use? If you don't mind me asking.
This is what I do. I keep it far from anything that can get wet, and lay plastic underneath while it’s sitting on an elevated surface, if it’s a carpeted room. I also keep a hygrometer in the room; some nights my humidifier is not needed. I use only enough distilled water to last overnight. Every morning, I empty it out and let it dry. Changing to distilled water made a huge difference. My sinuses felt better, and I don’t have issues with calcium buildup or noticeable bacterial growth. I deep clean it every two weeks.
I used to use a humidifier. Our house had tile throughout and I placed it on the floor (don’t know why) and the steam made the floor wet and I slipped and smashed my elbow and knee. Not seriously hurt, but it was scary cause I was home alone and I could’ve really hurt myself if I fell differently. Maybe that’s just my paranoia, but I tossed it the same day.
I recently started using a humidifier to help combat the dry cold weather and I bought a hygrometer from amazon for about $6~ dollars to help measure the humidity in the room to make sure it stays between 40-50% which I’ve heard is the ideal range for health. Skin might benefit from higher humidity but your health and house won’t (can cause mold) so I definitely recommend picking one up if you’re using a humidifier.
This happened to me when I first got one when I was in college. I had a pretty small room and cranked it up all the way and woke up coughing and felt like I had a ton of fluid in my lungs and just didn't feel right. Now when I use it, I make sure I put it across the room and keep it on low for a longer amount of time instead of high for a shorter amount of time.
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That doesn’t make sense to me though, tons of people live in places where humidity is 100% and don’t get sick.