Asthma is serious business.  According to the CDC there are approximately 16 million Americans who currently have asthma, 7 million of whom are children.  In fact, asthma is the most prevalent chronic illness in children affecting nearly 10% of the population.   Asthma attacks can last for minutes or even days and are generally characterized by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest [...]

I remember my mom and dad dumping buckets of water into the big humidifier in our living room each winter in Nebraska. I loved the warm moist mist that steamed from it, making the hot dry air pumped out by the furnace a little easier to breathe. I never really thought about it until I moved out [...]

First of all, Do You Need a Humidifier? 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 [...]

Apparently you can get really, really sick if you don’t keep your portable humidifier clean.  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 [...]