Vaporizers/Humidifiers: What's the difference? Do you need one?

Vaporizer vs humidifier A lot of folks who live in San Francisco keep their homes fairly cool. My husband actually prefers the cold and our own house is usually pretty chilly. Our out of town guests and my daughters are likely rolling their eyes at that blatant understatement. Having visitors is a fairly regular occurrence and I confess that they tend to keep their coats on as they shiver on our couch while wrapped in a blanket. East Coast folks aren't used to cool houses in the winter time; they keep the furnaces are on steadily for the colder months making making the indoors actually warmer and dryer than I like. Recently the weather got chilly enough that even the most stubborn of us cranked up the heat. When the heat goes on, I know that I will be getting more calls about nosebleeds, snoring, night coughing and even worsening eczema. If you have sparks and static electricity in your house or apartment, I am talking to you. Getting out the Humidifier/ Vaporizer will make sleeping much more comfortable. Humidifying the air is also one of the first things I recommend for patients who have colds/cough and congestion. Added moisture will usually ease irritated airways. I find it essential for kids with croup and RSV (both of which are going around). As a bonus, some researchers have found that humidity levels above 40 percent might help deactivate virus particles, making them less infectious It’s important to match the humidifier to the room size. A small room is roughly considered 26-299 square feet and a medium room is 300-499. Do a quick measure of the rooms that you are shopping for. The ideal indoor humidity should be 30 to 50 percent. If you want to be a real science nerd, invest in a hygrometer. They are available for less that $15 on Amazon and they can help you fine tune the humidity level in your house. Even without the hygrometer, if the air in your house or apartment feels dry, it is time to invest in a machine. Using a humidifier that’s too small won’t be as effective, and using one that’s too big can cause indoor allergies. Dust mites are the number one indoor allergen and they thrive on moisture from any source. It is a fine balance. We really don't want to keep the rooms overly damp. In San Francisco you can grow mold very quickly, which is another allergy trigger for many people. My suggestion would be that you don't run the machines 24/7. Make sure you turn them off during the day and dry up any dampness on walls or around windows. Many of the machines will recommend using distilled water instead of tap. Unfiltered tap water usually contains higher levels of minerals and other particles. The humidifier can push these particles into the air. They will either get inhaled or settle around the room as dust. Neither is ideal. The harder the water, the bigger the issue but using distilled or purified water is always the better option. Aside from the health issues, the minerals from hard tap water will build up in the machine and cause it to wear down much faster. Vaporizers and Humidifiers essentially do the same job, but they have a few differences that you should be aware of. The world has changed a bit since I last updated this article in 2013. Now when you look for vaporizer ratings, it is more likely that they are cannabis related. (calm down, it is legal here!)You may have to scroll down a bit in the google search to find the type that I am referring to. Vaporizers heat the water to make steam. The downside for them is the potential for getting burned (and it does happen, trust me, I get the calls.) On the plus side, Vaporizers have LESS chance for growing bacteria (still change the water please.) On a cold night, I find the warm mist more comforting but if you opt to use a vaporizer it is essential that you have it placed so that kids and pets can’t get close enough to knock it over or even get burned by getting too close to the steam. Make sure you place the machine on a level surface that can’t get knocked over. It should be at least 4 feet away for a crib or bed. Humidifiers use a cold mist. A humidifier has a greater chance of growing bacteria if not cleaned properly. The technology is always improving and you can get machines that claim to kill the bacteria. There are a lot of great machines out there with huge price ranges. I have seen some for under $30. If you are just going to bring out the machine for the occasional cold symptoms, you should be fine with an inexpensive machine. In a recent Consumer Reports ratings, one of their favorites, and best buys, is a $30 unit from CVS. You don’t have to spend a lot. There are tons of sites out there that rate different machines. I do not have a favorite and you should have no trouble finding a list of the most highly recommended units. A few features that I would pay attention to would be the ease of cleaning and an auto shut off. Some machines also give you the choice of hot or cold mist. Many of my patients travel with theirs, especially if driving up to the mountains where the air is even dryer, so you might also consider how portable it is when choosing a machine. Some machines give you the option of pairing with Vicks or other inhalants. When you are doing your shopping, you might want to pay attention to that. You should not add anything to a vaporizer or humidifier unless it specifies that you can. I find that Vicks smell quite soothing, but I wouldn’t use if for babies under 3 months. Don't be lazy! When you use a humidifier, you need to at least change the water every day no matter what type it is. Not all manufacturers make that recommendation, but Consumer Reports does. They have done quite a bit of testing to lead them to that conclusion. Here’s a good routine to follow: Every day: Empty, rinse, and dry the base tray or reservoir before refilling. Every week: Remove water scaling with vinegar, and disinfect the unit with a bleach solution following the manufacturer's instructions. Before storing: Clean to remove scaling, disinfect with a bleach solution, and dry thoroughly. After storing: Before using again, clean to remove scaling, disinfect with a bleach solution, and dry thoroughly. Don’t fill it before you need to. Every year we get calls from people taking the old machine out from the bottom of the closet, finding it covered in mold and freaking out. Alas, we don’t have a magic wand to remedy that. It is easily avoided if you follow the directions above.