I started to write This humidifier review for WIRED in New York City during the second longest drought on record. In November, my radiators blew up, flooding my Brooklyn apartment with more than 100 years of heat. And according to my indoor air quality monitorsmy humidity was in the 32 percent. The inside of my nose was as dry as my skin. My houseplants needed to be watered more than usual. Brooklyn's Prospect Park had a fire that required more than 200 firefighters. This is all to say that it was dry.

And dry interiors aren't just about chapped lips or a dry nose. According to the recommendation of Harvard School of Public Healthindoor humidity can slow the spread of Covid-19. The ideal indoor humidity should be between 40 percent and 60 percent. And studies they suggest that higher ambient humidity and warmer temperatures also prevent the spread of influenza. There is a lot these little humidifiers can do.

And still, the number one abandoned appliance I see on my neighborhood stoops is the humble humidifier. Often, they are left with a Paddington Bear-style label with the words "Still works!" I also see them thrown in the trash. And I'm also guilty of throwing out more than one humidifier. He gave up when I couldn't clean the thick brown film at the bottom of his tanks. I start with good intentions, hitting with the recommended distilled water, but eventually I'll switch to tap. I improved and cleaned my last humidifier well with water and citric acid, bought in a spice. However, the minerals in the water are a problem. If you have hard water, your humidifier could produce a film of white dust; This is why many models recommend distilled water or come with filters. And I went through whole winters of dry heat because I didn't mean to deal with a humidifier.