Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Humidifier help

For all my cold-climate readers out there, can anyone help me find a humidifier that actually works?  My nose has been in pain for the last several weeks, and I've already bought two bombs....
First up was the expensive Sharper Image 'Ultrasonic' Cool Mist humidifier:
It was rather attractive, I liked the dual water chambers because I hate filling these things, and the 'ultra fine mist' sounded good.  I picked it up at BB&B with a 20% off coupon for $67 total.  It was expensive for me, but I was willing to bet it worked well.  I was wrong.  Shaun liked it, but I found it did nothing for me.  The cold mist would shoot up in the air and then plummet down to the ground just as fast, so the only thing hydrated was our bedroom rug.  And maybe my hand.  Possibly a cat tail or two.  This one also made me freezing cold at night, so it went back to the store. 

Then I picked up the classic Vicks Warm Mist humidifier at Babies 'R' Us for $40.  Because if paranoid moms will use it for their babies, it must be good enough for me, right?
It is also not ugly, the water tank lasts for at least an entire night, and the warm mist didn't make me shiver at night.  However, it really isn't helping my nose much at all, it seems like the mist doesn't travel anywhere except right above the unit.  Shaun is complaining that the last one was better.  And I refuse to sleep on the floor hugging this thing in order for it to work.   

So now I'm not sure if I should take this one back and try again, or if this is as good as it gets?  I've read some decent reviews on Amazon, but I'm afraid to order one from them and then have to ship it back if I hate it. 

Are my crusty boogers just too indestructible to be helped by a small unit?  Do we need to invest in an AprilAire system?  Should I just cram damp tissues up my nose every night and call it done?  Please share any insight!

14 comments:

  1. I'm of no help. Our steam radiators naturally keep things moisturized. Maybe you should install steam heat. ;)

    Just wanted to say I'm sorry your nose is chapped. I know what that's like and it SUCKS. Hard. Hope you find something awesome!

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  2. I'm no help either, since I'm in Florida. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with crusty boogers, slimy ones are bad enough! Hope you figure it out!!!

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  3. Have you thought of installing a humidifier on your furnace? We had a Honeywell Whole House Power Humidifier installed last winter to our furnance. It has worked wonders for my sinuses. It cost about $180, and maybe an extra $100ish to have it installed. You can set it for just the right level of humidity. Sometimes it pumps so much out there that I have to turn the percentage down a bit because we have too much water on our windows. I highly recommend it. Good luck!

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  4. De-blurking to give my 2 cents worth. I broke down & had an AprilAire installed many years ago since both my dd & I have major sinus problems. I did luck out & found someone who does HVAC for a living, but he installed it "on the side" so I didn't pay full HVAC company prices. My opinion - WORTH EVERY PENNY!

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  5. We found ours at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $50 and used a coupon...score! Granted, we don't have it on all the time and it is a little noisy, but it works well! We have had it for over a year. I don't have the brand name handy with me right now, but if you would like it, let me know!

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  6. I have had issues like this since the day I moved out of my childhood home. We had the heat discussed in the first comment. Water ran through the baseboard heat and clanked and heated our house using water. It was the coolest thing ever (steam). I never had nasal issues other than allergies in the spring/summer. I miss that.

    I have been searching for the perfect humidifier but as far as I got was "OHHH THAT FROG ONE IS SO CUTE!" (yeah I was drawn to the frog and elephant machines in the kids section). I will check back I would really love to have a good option for next winter!

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  7. We broke down and had one installed on the furnace as well. OMG, the difference is amazing. If you can swing it, it is money well spent. I think we paid around $250 installed, but that was about 5 years ago.

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  8. I have the same problem and haven't found a humidifier that works.
    You'll have to take a q-tip and put vaseline on the inside of your nose when you sleep. Sounds gross, but I'm not kidding, it's the only thing that works for me.

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  9. Wish I could help....but our solution was to install and entire house humidifier on our HVAC. It cost about $200, but the husband was able to install it himself and it made so much difference in our sinuses and we don't shock the dogs every time we touch them now:).

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  10. Couple home remedies we use: #1: When my son gets really stuffy, we just put a humidifier in his room with some drops of lavender essential oil in it. Bonus is the room smells lovely afterward! #2: (grossness warning!) My grandma swears by vicks vaporub UP the nose. Use a q-tip! I have to admit I have done it a couple of times and it got me breathing pretty quickly. #3: I like to sit in a super steamy shower - so hot that I can't touch the water or it'll burn!! That gets things moving too (if you catch my drift lol)! Hope something works for you!!

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  11. We have used this cheapy one for the last few years and really like it.
    http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Cool-Mist-Humidifier/10261753

    I hope you get some relief.

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  12. We have the Vicks one you posted, and we buy the Vicks brand Vapo-Steam additive to put in the water. It's by the humidifiers at Target, Wal-Mart, wherever. The bottle is the same size and shape as a NyQuil bottle. This stuff works great!!!

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  13. We have tried many over the years. Our wood stove is our main source of heat so we needed something that was powerful. We use an Air O Swiss. We bought it online, but believe they sell it at Bed Bath and Beyond. I does not have the standard filter so no mold. I do notice that there is a white film on my furniture that is nearby (sorta like heavy dust). It comes right up during my normal weekly cleaning.

    We plug in the unit center of the house since the downstairs is all open and the humidity is perfect. Somehow it even makes the air upstairs fine. No need for second one in bedroom. I think, don't quote me, we spend around 100 or so bucks on it. Not cheap, but it's lasted a good 4-5 years so far.

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  14. I'm a Georgia girl and can't be much help. Sorry! However, I have left you a little blog love: http://megsewell.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-love-is-like-wheel-let-me-roll-it-to.html

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara