Choosing the Right Humidifier for Your Home

Most home heating systems can cause the air in your home to become too dry, and that can lead to a host of problems for your home. With winter weather here , now is a good time to think about the right humidifier or humidification system for your home.

Finding the right level of humidity in your home is tricky business. Too much and you run the risk of accumulated indoor condensation, which can lead to mold and mildew build-up; drywall, insulation and wood rot; or blistering, peeling paint and wallpaper. Too little humidity and you may find yourself contending with cracking hardwood floors, moldings and trim; aggravated allergies and asthma symptoms; dry sinuses; and itchy skin.

A home humidification system can provide the perfect amount of moisture to the air inside your home, improving your family’s overall health and comfort. There are three main options to choose from: portable units, console units and whole house systems.

Portable Humidification Units:

Portable humidifiers, commonly referred to as tabletop units, are an inexpensive, effective option to control moisture in a single room or a small space. These devices generally retail for $20 to $70, and can be moved freely around your house. If you live in a small apartment or only want to humidify a single room in your home, a tabletop unit is a sensible solution.

Tabletop humidifiers can be relatively high maintenance, though. They must be filled manually, usually every 24 hours, and only control air quality in a small area—maybe a couple hundred square feet or so. Output settings are limited, if they can be adjusted at all. Perhaps the biggest drawback with portable humidifiers is that they pull water from a holding tank, which means that standing water is always part of the deal when you use one. Mold and bacteria can collect in the tank and are then forced into the air as the humidifier releases water vapor. These appliances require vigilant cleaning and sanitization to prevent harmful build-up.

Console Humidifiers:

For larger areas, console humidifiers are a good choice. Console units cost about $75 to $150 and, like tabletop humidifiers, are fully portable and easy to use. Small consoles can cover about 2000 square feet, while larger units can easily handle an entire 3300 square foot home.

You’ll still have to fill a console unit manually, about every two days. As with tabletop units, standing water is a concern and console parts should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to prevent air contamination.

Whole Home Humidifiers:

If you have central heat installed in your house, you may want to consider adding a whole home humidifier to your heating system. Equipment generally runs about $150 to $200, and installation charges will probably cost around $100.

The system is directly linked to the heat in your house, so there’s no need to fill water tanks, clean parts or move units from room to room as you need them. The water vapor is pumped into every room, creating a consistent moisture level that is both optimal and efficient. Because the humidifier is connected to the heating system, the moist air circulates only when the heat is turned on. This also increases efficiency, as the heating process is the main cause of overly dry air.

If your budget can afford it, the whole home humidification system is usually your best bet. The advantages of a whole home humidfier include:

• Effective humidity control and enhanced indoor air quality in every room of your home.
• Automatic Controls to keep humidity precisely where you need it.
• Maintains optimal comfort during heating seasons.
• A generally healthier home w/ lower likelihood of skin irritations, sore throats and respiratory problems.
• Protection of home, furnishings and furniture by reducing the risk of wood warping and cracking.
• Easier-to-operate and less intrusive than portable units —- no need to constantly fill and clean units.
• Built-in fan provides better circulation of humidified air through rooms and home.

More About Humidifiers...

• Interested in augmenting your heating system with a home humidifier? Contact the HVAC Installation team at Horizon Services TODAY!

Minty Peas Rice

 Life is too hectic on a Working Day, that too if you need to pack 3 lunchboxes(including Breakfast!!!!!!!!!!) :)))). I need to pack for my Hubby, Brother and My Little Boss. Preparing Lunchbox Menu is a tough task. Quick Recipes comes handy in these times.

Minty Peas Rice is a Quick Recipe. It takes hardly 15-20 minutes to make it.  

Ingredients

Cooked Rice : 3 cups
Mint leaves : 1 bunch
Fresh/Frozed peas - 1 cup
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 or 3 nos
Salt to taste
oil - 2 tsp

Method

Wash the Mint Leaves, Grind Mint leaves and Green Chillies to a fine paste. Heat oil in a Kadai, Splutter Mustard/Cumin seeds, Add Ginger-Garlic Paste, Add Mint Paste and saute for 3 minutes or until the rawness of mint disappears. Add Peas and salt and cook in a low flame for 5 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, add lil water. Take it off the flame.

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Let it cool for a nminute or two. Mix with cooked rice and serve/Pack. Vanishes just like that when combined with Potato Chips/Fry

Serving This Rice to MLLA-20 hosted by Rachel of THE CRISPY COOK, Event Started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook

Pachai Milagai Tokku - Green Chilly Pickle

PACHAI MILAGAI TOKKU
GREEN CHILLY PICKLE
Urugais and Tokkus (Pickles) are an integral part of a South Indian kitchen. Most of the pickles are prepared in large scale during the season with the seasonal ingredients and stored for the whole year. Pachai milagai or green chilly is a widely used every day ingredient in almost all homes and a tokku using the same can be prepared whenever desired.

We recently got to taste this delicious tokku at a dinner party at our cousin's home at Sydney. My daughter fell head over heels in love with this spicy tokku and we not only brought back some tokku, but also jotted down the recipe from our cousin's mother who had prepared the same.

My daughter has prepared this tokku giving it a few of her own touches and we are happily relishing it with ever meal.


INGREDIENTS
Green chillies - 250 gms (We have used a long green chilli variety that we found in Sydney. It is not as hot as the typical Indian chillies, but nevertheless packs in quite a punch !)
Corriander leaves - 2 or 3 stalks
Tamarind - one small ball the size of a lime
Salt - 2 tbsps
Til (Sesame) oil - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Powdered jaggery - 1 level tsp
METHOD
1. Clean the coriander and green chillies.
2. Soak tamarind till soft in little water.
3. Grind green chillies, coriander leaves, tamarind, salt and jaggery into a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.
5. When mustard splutters, add asafoetida and turmeric powder. (Reduce the flame if required, so that the turmeric does not burn.)
6. Now add the ground chilly paste and stir.
7. Keep stirring until all the moisture evaporates, and the oil separates out of the tokku. It took us about 25 minutes for all the moisture to evaporate and the oil to come out.
8. Cool and store in a clean dry jar.

If well prepared and stored without any traces of moisture, this tokku can last for a long time like any other pickle. Remember to use a dry spoon.

The tokku prepared with only green chillies can turn out to be very hot. You can add as much corriander leaves as you want to subdue the sting of the chilly.
Relish the pachai milagai tokku with plain steamed rice, curd rice, idlis, dosas, chapatis etc. It also makes a tasty bread spread. Mix a little with curd or sour cream for a very tasty dip. We even spooned in some into pastas, soups and other western dishes.