As someone who suffers from Eczema, I am looking at ways to moisturise my skin. Especially since its winter, by skin has noticeably gotten a lot more itchy, dry and red. I've been looking at these 2 air humidifiers in particular:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-8L-Air-Humidifier-Ultrasonic-Co…
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151826507618?_trksid=p2055119.m14…
Any suggestions or your experiences with these appliances will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
This is absolutely a viable method if you are happy with ~%50 or less but after that it slows down.
You can achieve the same thing a lot more conveniently by using an evaporative cooler although obviously in winter this has it's downsides.
Avoid cheap ultrasonic unless you're buying from a place you can easily return it to (like no one on eBay) - they last about a week.
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely be avoiding that brand now :)
I prefer the warm mist style. I've never had an ultrasonic one but I've found that cool mist can be noisy and makes the room feel wet. I currently have a Hippo Deluxe that I bought a few months ago from a big pharmacy (not Chemist Warehouse but one like it) for ~$40 on sale. http://www.pharmacydirect.com.au/Product/allersearch-hippo-r…
Warm mist vaporisers come in two basic styles:
The old Kaz/Vicks one with the round electric part that dangles down through a hole into salty water. I think it works off carbon electrodes, because there's always a few black grains at the bottom.
The newer type with a reservoir. You fill the clear plastic reservoir and turn it upside down onto the base (easier than the old style). Water flows out as needed onto a heating element. If you use them every night, they do get through a lot of water and eventually accumulate mineral sludge, so you should clean around that element every week or so.
It's worth paying $10-15 more for the newer style. I've never had a very expensive one (>$60), so I couldn't say if they're worth it.
When searching online, look for "vaporiser/vaporizer" too. ("Vaporiser" is the more common term in Oz; "humidifier" more common in the USA.)
Thanks for the help! It is much appreciated. :) Just a quick question, since for warm vaporisers they have to boil the water, is this process loud and very electricity consuming? Thanks
You can hear a quiet gurgle but it's white noise so it won't keep you up. I can put it right on my bedside table and sleep fine but, if it bothers you, you can put it on the other side of the room and it should still humidify enough.
I don't know how much electricity it consumes or how it compares to other styles.
have been using Rainbow Mist by Medescan
for my daughter who suffers from eczema.
It helps greatly with her skin all year round.
Its the cool mist type, so balances out the dryness
from leaving the heater on in winter and aircon in summer.
Operation is very quite, also has a built-in mood LED.
I also like to put eucalyptus oil in it every now and then
to deodorise the rooms.
I think i paid around $60 for it at Priceline.
Hey, thanks for sharing your experiences with the appliance.
I just had some quick questions you can hopefully answer in your spare time:
1. Are you using tap water?
2. How often do you clean it and is the process difficult and time consuming?
3. How long are you using it on a daily basis and would the steam be ruining any electronic devices?
Thanks again!
Youre welcome!
1. Instruction manual says use room temp tap water, its
perfectly safe as the unit itself has a built-in filter.
2. With daily use id recommend cleaning once a week.
Just a quick rinse with hot water for the tank, and a careful flush of the base (make sure you dont get water into the electronics!) Takes about 5 mins all up.
3. Ours is on pretty much whenever my daughter is in the room (maybe 15 hours a day)
For a small room you only need to keep it on the lowest setting.
Leaving it on the highest setting (in one spot) can leave you with some dampness in the area, but no where near enough to damage electricals.
Youre welcome again! :)
I really really appreciate your help. I will most likely be purchasing this one as it's only like an extra $15 from the generic version. Thanks again! :)
no probs
Hi Hiroko, am also interested in purchasing the Rainbow Mist too. How is it going so far, i'm reading some reviews and some people have reported it breaking down? Was wondering if i could get a opinion?
@MysticalWok:
Hi Wok
Been almost a year now and havnt had any problems with frequent use.
Just keep up regular maintenance and keep water away from the electrical components should be fine.
you could also just put up a clothing horse or a drying rack in your bedroom, seal the room, and then place a bunch of wet towels onto the rack. or just your wet laundry. To increase the rate of evaporation you could put a fan or a little heater underneath it to dry the towels off.
As the water evaporates it should increase the relative humidity of the local area. You can use a $5 dollar hygrometer from ebay to monitor the RH as well.
Of course this doesn't work as well as an actual humidifier, which uses electricity+ heat to boil a tank of water and turns it into steam.