Doesn’t sound like something that you would really need, right? Wrong!

Well, to be fair, you might be right in thinking that it’s humid enough in tropical weather to keep you going without the dryness problem faced in some other parts of the world.

In some countries, it’s just too humid most of the time … the combination of the heat and moist air makes you sweat like a pig even by doing the most relaxing of chores such as ransacking the fridge for a midnight snack.

Prop up an air conditioner, and just feel how cool your office and rooms are. It’s a bliss compared to the sticky heat you feel outside. What you may not have noticed is that, in all probability, the humidity levels have plunged. It may not have changed enough to be life threatening, but it may cause you discomfort in the long run.

Just think about those few times that you woke up in the middle of the night with a burning sensation far down your throat. Of course it had nothing to do with all the drinking and smoking the night before.

Or it could be excessive dryness in your mouth when you wake up in the morning (yet you absolutely have to make the trip to the loo, how curious), or even flaky skin or chapped lips. Kind of the same symptoms you would have living in a temperate climate during winter.

I’m no doctor and you shouldn’t simply discount any unusual symptoms you may have, but it might just be that the low humidity levels are getting to you.

Unfortunately, humidifiers in the tropics don’t exactly come cheap. It has more to do with demand and supply, I think … in this case being no demand and no supply, therefore high prices. A no brainer, I know … but somebody has to point it out for all those … ermm … people who don’t have a clue about economic. Yup, all those policy makers out there, that’s you.

In temperate climates where the air is naturally dry, and the demand for air humidifiers is high, prices should be more reasonable. But if you were living in that kind of climate, you would already have one. Wouldn’t you?

 

Some useful tips for a first time air humidifier buyer (wish somebody would have given me a heads up on this):

  • Higher wattage means higher running cost – compare with the wattage of a light bulb to have an idea what it would cost to run
  • How long can it be used before refilling with water – you really don’t want to buy something that has to be refilled every day
  • Does it have lights? – if you intend to use the air humidifier in your bedroom, bright lights may not be the best, or at least an option to switch them off
  • Noise levels – in all probability, it would make a humming noise. Question is, how loud?
  • Misting / humidifying capacity – this would involve a bunch of tech talk about the dimensions of your room. Simple formula is bigger room = bigger machine
  • Timer – would be great if you could set the timer to switch it on for certain hours of the night to save on electricity and also the number of times you top it up with water


So far, my brand new humidifier is working great ... haven't told my friends yet, they'd think I'm crazy to buy one of those when all you have to do is place a saucer on the table and it will be saturated by morning!