Livesies

Livesies t1_j7haplq wrote

To add:

The quarantine measures taken to combat covid were so effective that the incidence, and particularly mortality, of the various common cold viruses tanked dramatically, I saw figures saying <1% compared to typical. Some variants were reportedly wiped out due to these same measures.

That being said, many of the viruses labeled as the common cold also have the ability to infect animals which makes it highly unlikely that those would be eradicated.

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Livesies t1_iu5tdg8 wrote

I don't have a specific brand, instead I recommend a type: evaporative humidifiers.

tldr: cheap and easy to run with minimal maintenance

I've been through multiple ultrasonic humidifiers that work fine but maintenance is a nightmare. Even with distilled water it turns into a petri dish within a week for me. I ended up using bleach to clean it and it would usually last two weeks. It was disgusting. Everything that is in the water gets atomized and sent into the air.

The evaporative unit I got last winter didn't require any cleaning all winter long. I used the recommended anti-microbial with each tank of water refill and never had an issue. I used two wicks throughout the winter but it was unnecessary to seal when I did.

Any humidifier with a tank is going to require refilling as needed. The convenience of tap water + anti-microbial easily beats buying or making distilled water in both effort and cost.

The ultrasonic humidifiers need a fair amount of power to run non-stop. Evaporative humidifiers just run a fan and maybe a humidity meter, making them cheaper.

I recommend an evaporative unit that's designed for the size of your home/apartment (rate of water evaporation) and meets your refilling schedule (water tank size). Beyond that there is no extra technology that goes into them, get one that looks nice or can fit somewhere out of the way.

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