The air in your house in the winter, no matter how temperate the climate, can get very dry. It happens right about when the heater starts clicking on. That’s when the humidifier comes out.  Experts say that you should keep the indoor relative humidity (water vapor in the air) at between 35% and 55%. Get a hygrometer to easily test your humidity levels.  It works like a thermometer.

Why Do You Need a Humidifier?

* Your Health:   Low humidity dries your skin, causes nasal situations and makes your eyes itchy.  Humidifiers keep your skin moisturized, help relieve cold and flu symptoms and can relieve asthma symptoms (check with your doc first).  The American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as other medical organizations, recommend the use of humidifiers and vaporizers for treating upper respiratory infections.   Proper humidity levels year round will help you avoid colds, bloody noses and sinus problems.

* Lower Utility Costs: You will feel warmer at a lower temperature so you can turn your thermostat down a couple degrees in the winter. 

* Your Furniture, Art and Instruments: Dry air can ruin your wood floors, wood furniture, piano, guitar and artwork.

*  Your Electronics:  Dry air causes static electricity.  Sometimes funny, sometimes just a pain, but these ”zaps” can wipe out computers and electronics.

What kind of humidifer do you need?  Read Humidifier Types & Tips.

If you have a portable humidifer, are you keeping it clean or Is Your Humidifier Making You Sick?

Humidifier Types:

Central humidifiers are built into home heating and air conditioning systems and are designed to humidify the whole house.

 
Ultrasonic humidifiers produce a cool mist with ultrasonic vibration.

Surround Air MiniAire Humidifier - A palm-sized humidifier that’s perfect for your office or car.  Weighs less than 1 lb.

SonicAire Humidifier – Ultrasonic cool mist with built-in air purifying ionizer.  2 gallon tank for up to 30 hours of operation without refills.

 
Impeller humidifiers produce a cool mist with a rotating disk.

Sunbeam Cool Mist Impeller Humidifier – Perfect for small to medium-sized rooms.  Produces a refreshing cool mist.  Contemporary design. 

Evaporative humidifiers use a  fan to blow air through a wet wick, filter or belt.

Care-Free Humidifier Plus - 2.5 gallon.  PermaWick, mechanical humidistat, NiteGlo night light and 2-speed whisper quiet Hunter fan.  Needs no regular maintenance.  Clean once a year.  Triple antibacterial SafeSystem protects 100% agains bacteria, molds & spores.

Steam vaporizers use electricity to create steam that cools before leaving the machine. Avoid this type of humidifier if you have children; hot water inside this type of humidifier may cause burns if it’s spilled.

Sunbeam Warm Mist Vaporizer Humidifier - Produces a soothing warm mist to combat coughs and colds.  Great for small rooms.  Up to 14 hours on 1 filling.  Sleek and compact.  Easy to clean.

Humidifier Tips:

• Keep your humidifier clean and maintained or you could get sick. Dirty reservoirs and  filters quickly grow bacteria and mold.  Read Is Your Humidifier Making You Sick?
• Talk to your doctor about using a humidifier if you have asthma or allergies.
• Test the humidity in your home with a hygrometer or “Mold Alert”. A healthy range is between 35% and 55%.
• Rule of thumb: 40°F outside 45% humidity inside; 20°F out, 35% in; 0°F out, 25% in, -10°F out, 20% in.
• Move to another State if it’s 10 below in the winter.  Okay, anyway…
• High humidity can be remedied by an air conditioner or dehumidifier.
• Some rooms will be higher in humidity than others.  Even if you have a central humidifier unit, you may need to regulate some rooms with separate units.
• You can remove excess  humidity in kitchen and baths by running the vent/fan during cooking and bathing, and afterwards for about 20 minutes.
• You may consider a cool mist humidifier for children, so they don’t risk accidental steam burns.

Here are Mayo Clinic’s Tips for portable humidifiers:

• Use distilled or demineralized water. Tap water contains minerals that can create deposits inside your humidifier that promote bacterial growth. And, when released into the air, these minerals often appear as white dust on your furniture. You may also breathe in some minerals that are dispersed into the air. In addition, use demineralization cartridges or filters if recommended by the manufacturer.

• Change humidifier water often. Don’t allow film or deposits to develop inside your humidifiers. Empty the tanks, dry the inside surfaces and refill with clean water every day if possible.

• Clean humidifiers every three days. Unplug the humidifier before you clean it. Remove any mineral deposits or film from the tank or other parts of the humidifier with a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, which is available at pharmacies. Some manufacturers recommend using chlorine bleach or other disinfectants.

• Always rinse the tank after cleaning to keep harmful chemicals from becoming airborne — and then inhaled.

• Change humidifier filters regularly. If the humidifier has a filter, change it at least as often as the manufacturer recommends — and more often if it’s dirty.

• Keep the area around humidifiers dry. If the area around a humidifier becomes damp or wet — including windows, carpeting, drapes or tablecloths — turn the humidifier down or reduce how frequently you use it.

• Prep humidifiers for storage. Drain and clean humidifiers before storing them. And then clean them again when you take them out of storage for use. Throw away all used cartridges, cassettes or filters.

• Follow instructions for central humidifiers. If you have a humidifier built into your central heating and cooling system, read the instruction manual or ask your heating and cooling specialist about proper maintenance.

• Consider replacing your humidifier each season. Over time, your humidifier can build up deposits that are difficult or impossible to remove and encourage growth of bacteria. Even if you plan to toss out your humidifier at the end of the season, it still needs frequent cleaning in the meantime.

 To keep humidifiers free of harmful mold, fungi and bacteria, follow the guidelines recommended by the manufacturer.

Buy one from Allegro Medical that needs very little maintenance, like the 3.5 Gallon Care Free Humidifier Plus with 100% protection against bateria, molds and spores. 

For more info, see  Humidifier Types & Tips.

Although asthma is not always linked to allergies, one in four people with allergies suffer from asthma symptoms and many asthma attacks are found to be induced by allergens in the air. So, that makes this time of year especially hard on asthma sufferers.

If you’re like me and you suffer from asthma, you know what it’s like to feel as if you’re drowning on dry land. I have lived with asthma for over ten years and at one point had to use my rescue inhaler more than four times a day. My days were filled with anxiety and fear over the fact that I would spend the rest of my life gasping for air. An automatic reflex such as breathing is something most people take for granted, but it ruled my thoughts. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to learn how to keep my asthma under control by learning what triggers my attacks, how to avoid the triggers and how to strengthen my lungs to reduce future attacks.

Did you know the average asthmatics lung capacity is less then half that of a non-asthmatic? That’s a scary statistic. Letting asthma go unmanaged and untreated is a dangerous gamble that could result in emergency room visits. Everyone with asthma has different triggers and will require custom treatments prepared and discussed with their personal physician. But, everyone with Asthma can always benefit from a few simple steps at home to reduce their risk of an attack and build lung strength.

Allegro Medical can provide some solutions and products for you and your family to help reduce the risk of asthma-induced injury and hopefully decrease your anxiety as well.

Asthma allergic triggers include pollens, pet dander, dust mites, mold, trees, grasses and flowers. A few steps you can take to reduce your chance of an allergy-induced asthma attack are as follows:

1. Vacuum and dust frequently making sure to concentrate on the areas you inhabit most such as bedrooms and living rooms. Dust everything from electronics to ceiling fans and baseboards. It all eventually gets kicked into the air and into your lungs.

2. Whenever possible keep windows closed and use your air conditioner to cool and circulate air. Open windows invite your allergen foes right into your home.

3. Cover your mattress and pillows with our Allergen-Proof Pillow Cases and Zip and Block Anti-Allergen Mattress Encasing. Natural down filled pillows attract and store dust mites so invest in our Allergy Free Pillows.

4. Consider an air purifier such as Allegro’s XJ-3800 Intelligent Air Purifier and Surround Air Car Ionizer. An air purifier can help reduce the triggers you can’t see.

5. If you must exercise or work outside wear a respirator mask such as Allegro’s All-Purpose Respirator Mask whenever possible. Consider it an investment in your lungs’ future.

For asthma induced by non-allergen irritants such as tobacco smoke, wood smoke, room fresheners, chemicals, perfumes, air pollution and stress, take the following steps:

1. Avoid exercise and time outdoors completely on high pollution/allergy advisory days. You can check that at weather.com.

2. Discontinue all use of candle, spray or plug-in air fresheners. You can eliminate the need for these items by cleaning your home regularly and discarding of odorous trash promptly.

3. If you can’t avoid social situations that involve cigarette smoke or strong perfumes make sure you use your asthma inhaler before coming into contact with them. This can help reduce the likelihood of breathing difficulty while exposed to these items. But avoid exposure to tobacco smoke as a general “duh” rule of thumb.

4. Build up lung strength with our Power Lung Exerciser. There are several levels of resistance with the Power Lung so you can find the one best for your needs.

5. Take time every day to reduce stress and tension. Relax and unwind with a little daily Yoga courtesy of Flow Yoga

Children with asthma can’t always vocalize when they are having difficulty breathing or know what their triggers are. It’s not always possible to keep your child indoors and you don’t want to reduce their activities when they need the exercise. Here are some things you can do to help you child manage their asthma:

1. Monitor lung function with Allegro’s Peak Flow Meter or Spirometer. Keeping a daily record of your peak flow is a great tool to help your doctor monitor your asthma.

2. Children often need help taking their asthma medication correctly so purchase the OptiHaler Drug Delivery Spacer from Allegro to keep handy and maximize the medications effectiveness.

3. Encourage regular exercise on clean air days to help build and maintain existing lung function. And never smoke around your child.

4. Make sure you child’s school is aware of their condition and allows them to carry a rescue inhaler with them at all times.

The bottom line is to stay in control of your environment. Work with your doctor to find out more about your triggers and how to better manage them. And remember Allegro is here every season of the year to help with your home healthcare needs. Shop by Condition to see all of our Allergy Relief Products and Asthma Relief Products.