UPDATED **SIFO**Humidity, AC, and Health

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**UPDATE**

Just to let you know how it's been temp-wise in this apartment since I got the dehumidifier. For one thing, I can actually sleep through the night without having full-on sweats. I do still run both the ceiling and floor fans but I get the full effect of their cooling. I have not had to run my AC as much. I do turn it on if I have the curtains open (so the plants can get some sun) or if I am running the stove. I would estimate that before this, I ran my AC on the timer for around 4 to 5 hours a day. Since I got the dehumidifiers (I have more than one now), I have run the AC on the timer for about 3 hours total in the past 2 weeks. Of course, there were times before that I didn't run the AC but I was a hot, sweaty mess while I saved money. I can go without the AC now and it's very comfortable.

The reason I now have 3 devices is that the seller,  (who I can HIGHLY recommend because of their customer service) responded to a concern I had with the quality of the 2nd model (the MD303). I love the first model (the MD300) and I let them know that, while the MD303 worked, I didn't feel it was better or as good. What I wanted was to return the MD303 and replace it with another MD300. The seller was so responsive that they immediately shipped out a replacement and told me to just keep the MD303.  That is service. So I have 3 devices.

I keep the MD303 in a spot between the living room and kitchen and I don't check it as often. I emptied and turned the ones in the bedroom on at about the same time in the evening. This is where the AC covers when it runs so the dehumidifier doesn't have to work as hard. This is what it looks like after about running for about 16 hours:

MD303

This is what the device next to the bed looks like at 10 hours:

MD300

This is how much the device that is nearest the bedroom window collected in about 10 hours.

MD300
Maybe I should put
2 by the window!

So, yes this is working better than I expected. If I had been smart (or able), I would have gotten a mid-to-large size device. That's not feasible for my living space arrangement though. I wouldn't be able to place it out of the way or deal with draining it as needed.

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Sorry about that title. I wasn't quite sure how to get my point over in a few words. This post is about is my experience using a dehumidifier to cool the air inside my apartment.

The summer climate here is humid and hot. We get temps up to 95 degrees (sometimes more). Add in our humidity - currently 85 degrees with 44% humidity - and you get to experience living life in a constant sauna.**

By the way, I found some useful information about the effects of humidity on this website along with this useful graphic:

WebMD has an old article about high humidity potentially slowing the spread of flu. I have to wonder what effect it has on COVID. In the end, I decided that being able to breathe at all with less humidity is worth whatever the risk. And I knew that I needed to get myself a dehumidifier.

I hate shopping for appliances. They are pricier than most other household purchases and there are usually so many brands and types to choose from. I spent a couple of days searching for something affordable and with good ratings - you know, as I do with everything. I chose this one:

My plan - as always when I spend over 20 bucks - was to try it out for a couple of days to see if it was going to be a keeper. Thankfully, I got some birthday money to use on the purchase. I was supposed to get something "fun". Oh, well.

Man, this thing is working much better than I expected. First of all, I wasn't sure that it would actually affect the temps in the apartment. I read a lot of reviews for a lot of devices and more than a few customers complained that they noticed no difference at all. Of course, this particular device got a high percentage of positive reviews - which is why I chose it. It's not a well-known brand so...

I chose a spot on the bedside table because it's near where I use my computer during the day. Also, my main reason for getting this thing is because sleeping in all this humidity reminds me of my menopausal night sweats. Not fun.

I turned on the machine at around 11:40 in the morning and within half an hour or so I noticed that my room did feel more comfortable. I checked to see if the device had accumulated any moisture at around 2:30 pm. There was slightly over 1 tablespoon of water in the reservoir. That seemed high in my opinion. When I went back and looked at the instructions, I realized I was supposed to close the windows and doors. I closed my window but left the door open as I always do. (I slept with the window and door closed and the machine only collected about twice the amount overnight. Seems legit.)

Kind of hard to see

The room became much more comfortable. As I usually do, I had the ceiling and floor fans going but that's never helped as much as I like. With the dehumidifier running, I was able to feel the cool air from the fans. My room has never felt that comfortable on a hot day even with the AC running. The AC unit is in the living room and the only time I feel really cool is when I am sitting directly in the path of the airflow. I don't think that's how it's supposed to work.

Let me back up and mention that this whole thing started when I was Googling information about my air conditioner. I was trying to find out if I should be contacting maintenance. The AC has always been iffy. It's moody and works better on some days than others. Ever since the temps heated up this summer, all the tenants have been complaining. I figured it might be because we are seeing higher temps and because everyone is locked down and using theirs.

Every troubleshooting checklist looked much the same. They suggested checking the filter (mine is new and clean) and making sure the ducts are clean (I'm not sure what 'ducts' they mean but I just had my AC unit serviced).  The last remedy was to check the level of humidity in the space. Apparently, high humidity basically cancels out the cooling effect of air conditioning.

Who knew? Not me. Never thought about it after all my years of living in Alaska. We never had a home there with air conditioning.

So that's how this all started.

The one problem I had was trying to figure out what type of machine I needed for the space in my apartment. You have to factor in things like your square footage (yeah, me doing math) and placement. You can see the size of my room for yourself. It's a mess but at least you can see what size place this particular machine works so well for.

I have not had to use my AC since I got this machine. I can really appreciate the effects at night. I can shut the window and turn on the fans and... Listen, I had zero night sweats and I've only slept so good here in the winter.

Because this worked out so well and is saving my using the AC, I have chosen a second one for the front of the apartment. My kitchen and living room can get sweltering without the AC. I have more and bigger windows in the living room and get almost direct sunlight. I have to keep my bread and other such things in the fridge so they don't mold.

So, yep. If you ever wondered whether a dehumidifier would help with cooling your living space, I can tell you how well this one is working for me. The cost of the first one was just slightly less than my summer utility bill and the one I just ordered is only a few dollars more than the first (I got a housewares protection plan for a few dollars more, just in case.)

I won't link here to the brand I got. I think that everyone really needs to read the reviews and find one on their own. If you really want to know, you can reverse search or zoom on the photo.

To summarize:

Health and wellness are important. Balancing air humidity is essential. Dehumidifiers and humidifiers are important tools for the air in a home. Do your research. Talk with your medical care team. 

Peace
--Free

P.S.: I checked the temp again just now before bedtime and before scheduling this post. It's midnight and the temp is 68 degrees with 88% humidity. No joke:

**REVIEW** Skoy Eco-friendly Cleaning Cloth

A while back, I blogged about the re-usable "paper" (bamboo) towels I was using to cut back on waste and be more efficient with my household cleaning. I really like those and I use them now for cleaning messes instead of dishes and counters. That's because, after the first couple of launderings, they began to collect lint and threads. I'm sure they are clean because I bleach the heck out of them in the wash. Still, looking clean is as important and being clean, in my opinion. I don't want clean-but-dirty-looking cloths on display, especially in the kitchen. Yech!

I say all that to tell you about these:

4 cloths to a pack

Those are the Skoy brand Eco-friendly Cleaning Cloths. I've noticed that some Amazon reviewers refer to them as "Swedish cloths". Hm. However they came about, I am beginning to love them.

A pack of 4 cloths measuring 7 x 8 x 0.1 inches costs $5 on Amazon. Once I realized how much I like them, I checked Walmart, thinking that they would be even cheaper. Nope. This is the one time I can remember something costing so much more on Walmart than Amazon.

The price for the scrub pads are even more expensive via Walmart. Yikes.

A 2-pack of the scrubs is only $5.99 on Amazon

The next time I am in a Walmart store, I plan to check the prices on both items. In the meantime, I do plan to get more of the cloths and also a pack of the scrubs.

I have been using the Skoy cloths for just about 2 full weeks and they still look new. There is none of the fuzzing or lint-gathering that I have with the bamboo towels. Let me run down a list of how I have used the cloths and what I like so much about them:

• They are very soft but also have a strength that allows me to clean gunk off dishes and counters. 
• I use these on my "good" pots and the Instant Pot because, while there is a bit of scrub to them, they don't scratch the pans.
• You can also use these to dry dishes. By squeezing out as much of the water as possible, I'm able to dry my pans to a nice shine.
• I don't have to use a lot of chemicals to clean the counters. The cloths wipe away a lot of grime with just a bit of elbow grease. The same goes for cleaning windows and mirrors.You do have to add liquid so I used only water to clean the mirrors. I have another type of cloth for the dusting that I prefer (and will be posting a review soon!) because I don't want to use water/liquid on certain things that I clean.
• I've been using these multiples times every day and I wash them out with Dawn and vinegar a couple times a day. To really clean them, about once every 3 or 4 days, I soak them overnight in a solution of water and peroxide. They are wearing very well.

Another use I came up with was to clean my face with these. As you know, I don't like using a lot of cleansers on my face; I prefer using a cotton baby wipe or just a soft cloth with either oil or plain water. When I was thinking about how soft the Skoy cloths are, I decided to test using it on the back of my hand. Using just water, I was able to wipe away some liquid foundation. The cloth didn't irritate my skin at all so... I test using it on my face. Same result: my skin was cleaned and not irritated in the least. So my new thing is to get some more of these to use on my face and in the shower. There is just the very slightest of exfoliation when using the cloths so I am gentle on my face and a little more aggressive on my torso.

The one thing I have learned to do is to lay them flat to dry. They dry back to a hard sponge texture so wadding them up looks tacky. Honestly, that right there is the ONLY less-than-positive thing I can say about these.

Best of all is that these are priced so well. I wish Amazon had subscription prices for them, but I will just have to remember to re-order every 3 months or so. Hopefully, the price doesn't shoot up all of a sudden!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Now that Google Plus is no more, I would really appreciate readers sharing my posts wherever they can. My blog was based around Google and without it, I am losing a lot of readership. I will be setting up a better auto-notification for future posts. Thanks!

NOTE: I want to mention that I was NOT paid or compensated for this post. As with most of my personal reviews, I purchased the product or received it as a gift from a friend or family member. In the case that I am compensated in any way, I include a disclaimer with the post.

**REVIEW** Eco Friendly Machine Washable Reusable Bamboo Towels

As with the milk powder I tried, this is another item that I am counting on to save waste and money.

That is a roll of Bamboo Towels - Heavy Duty Eco Friendly Machine Washable Reusable Bamboo Towels (my emphasis)

I was a little skeptical about these washable and reusable bamboo paper towels. Basically, I wondered if they would work without falling apart. I also wondered if they would really work as claimed.

My first test was to wet a towel and clean one of the kitchen counters. I used soap for the first wipe-down, then I used a spritz mix of alcohol and water. The towel held up really well. It didn't shred or leave any fuzz/residue on the surfaces.

The next test was to rinse the towel out with some soap and let it dry. I wanted to see if it retained its original strength and cleaning properties. It did.

At this point, I was feeling pretty impressed. I don't know how long these will last but I'm going to treat them exactly as the packaging suggests and update this review down the road. If they last longer than a month, that would be saving my use of at least 3 rolls of these Viva paper towels I have preferred - and which cost about $9.50 for 8 rolls (with 88 1-ply sheets per roll).

Here's a little more info about the reusable towel:

• There are 20 sheets of 11x12 perforated sheets to a roll.
• They are made of a sustainable "bamboo source" (made into a type of rayon material, apparently)
• For concerned folks, these aren't made of wood from "normal" trees.

What about the "rayon" in "bamboo rayon"?

Some Amazon reviewers noted that there is actual rayon in the product and when I checked my package, sure enough, there was a note about rayon.

 Did you see it? Me either. Until I squinted.

Now, I myself am not troubled by using rayon to clean items in my home. Also, for those who are concerned, I found an article that somewhat clarifies the issue of bamboo rayon fibers. What does bother me is that the rayon part seemed to be hidden. This is a copy/paste of the product description on the product page:

Our heavy-duty bamboo towels are stronger, more absorbent and durable than regular paper towels. They are made from sustainable certified organic bamboo source with each roll can save up to 60 conventional paper towel rolls and fits in your regular paper towel dispenser. These 11" x 12" perforated tear off sheets are machine washable and reusable up to 120 times before discarding. Use these bamboo towels just like how you normally use conventional paper towels. Hand or machine wash and air dry for best results and longer life. They are soft enough to be used on skin and tough enough to be used as shop towels, our bamboo towels can be used almost anywhere. Perfect for household cleaning, travel, car, bathroom, pets, camping, personal care, daycare and more. Unlike normal trees, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, growing up to 3 feet or more day and is grown without pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation, making it an eco-friendly and sustainable choice over cotton and other plant materials. (emphasis mine)

The positives of bamboo and lack of certain items are played up but the rayon is not mentioned. That just seems sneaky. Notice the emphasis I made in showing the listed product name at the head of this post.

Care and Upkeep

Because these are reusable, I wasn't expecting them to be totally easy to care for, but I am glad I paid attention to the packaging. My instincts would be to toss them in a washer/dryer, then iron them. That would be wrong.

These are to be machine or hand washed but with no fabric softener. They must be air dried and not ironed. 

Bottom Line

PROS - 

• Softer and more pliable than I expected, making them great for cleaning and drying items
• The size is large enough that one is adequate for most cleaning
• They are quite absorbent and thick
• They are tough and don't tear or shred easily (at least not after my first use)
• Will replace a lot of traditional paper towels
• They rinse out well - even after wiping stain-like messes
• There isn't a lot of shrinkage after wetting or drying

Top - dry towel
Bottom - wet towel

CONS -

• They have to be air dried so need a place to hang
• The sort of hidden rayon issue bothers me

Honestly, I really like these a lot. I am going to mention to the seller that the note about the rayon shouldn't seem so hidden. At any rate, I will most likely purchase these in the future - maybe from another seller.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Greenwald's Glass & Hard Surface Cleaner

The product I got to review a couple of weeks ago is interesting. There seems to be a new trend of certain cleaning products coming with refillable pods. The same morning I got this product, I was at a local store where I saw a common brand of household cleaner that was made to be used with refillables.

Greenwald's Glass and Hard Surface Cleaner is the product that I'm getting to try out for this review. I opened the outer delivery box, thinking how light it felt and saw this:

When I opened the product box, I saw why it was such a light package:

No water weight

You get the professional spray bottle (more on that later) and 6 packs of cleaner concentrate.

 Kind of cool, right? Not to have the heavy, liquid-filled spray bottle is nice. It's a lot easier to store until you are ready to use it. That's probably the main feature most people will like.

As for how this cleans, I was able to test it out right away. On the awning of the travel trailer. That's the dirtiest surface I could find to clean.

Yeah. That's only one side. I wanted to get a close up so I just got the one side here, but there are older photos of the whole awning so that you can at least see that both sides looked the same before cleaning:

                                           left side                                               right side

So... I cleaned the left side with Greenwald's, and the right side with a common brand from the store.

Results:

Can you tell the big difference? I certainly could.

I could have gotten the right side cleaner by scrubbing more, but that would have tilted the testing. As far as the "test", I just sprayed each side (one at a time) with its respective cleaner, let it sit for a few seconds, then I used a sponge to rub down the awning. I finished by spraying on clear water to rinse. (By the way, I used a sponge that is soft on one side and a scrubber on the other. The scrubber is safe for non-stick cookware.)

For a less tedious job, I cleaned the little mini-fridge that we keep in the garage. It's plenty dirty for an appliance because we use it to hold juice boxes for kids.

The top half with Greenwald's only

This is the test of cleaning the bottom part of fridge with the Greenwald's on the left, Brand X on the right. (Middle part left untouched.)

See? Hard to tell. The Greenwald's is a bit cleaner. (Middle part, I left untouched.)

It was harder to get photos that really show the difference. In addition to those pics of the appliance, I am going to include photos of the paper towels I used with each cleaner.

These are the dampened (but unused) paper towels:

I used 3 sprays each. Brand X just looks wetter.

Greenwald's on the left, Brand X on the right. You can tell that the Greenwald's seems to have picked up more dirt, but that could be because the fridge was dirtier on that side. I only judged by the finished results I could see on the appliance.





 As you can tell, the Greenwald's cleans a bit better than the usual glass cleaner we keep around the house, but there were a couple of things I liked most about the Greenwald's:

• The smell is not as unpleasant as unscented glass cleaner (though it's about the same as other scented cleaners).
• I didn't notice the residue our usual (scented or unscented) brand left behind.
• The mixing was easy because I could make the formula as strong or weak as I want it. (On the other hand, I do have to use the entire pod, regardless.)
• The non-smudge factor is nice. 
• The storing of Greenwald's is easier because of the concentrated packets. You only add the water when you are ready to use the product.
• The spray bottle was superb. It was great to be able to more finely adjust the nozzle and intensity of the spray.

By the way, these are the ingredients:

Greenwald's works out, (at the Amazon Prime price) to be about $3.30 each for 6 32-ounce bottles. At our local retailer, a popular brand (at Alaska prices) is around $3.50 for a 32-ounce bottle. 

Since the price is comparable, this comes down to other factors. The Greenwald's is made for multi-surface cleaning, where my usual brand is for Glass - though that brand does have a multi-surface product also. I don't have any in my home, but I checked online.) For one thing, if I have to use more of one product to get the same cleaning effect, I'm not saving money. From my tests, I could tell that I got better cleaning (although just slightly) from the same amount of Greenwald's as for the Brand X. And I have to add that, with a toddler in the house, I like being able to hide away the concentrate until I need to use it. For the usual brands (that come pre-mixed), we have to keep them up high and out of reach.

The Greenwald's is backed by their 100% Money Back Guarantee. They also have a few other cleaning products worth checking out, including a citrus cleaner. In addition to their products on Amazon, you can check their site (and sign up for coupons there).

Peace
--Free


Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

**REVIEW** 100% PureTea Tree Oil by Apothecary Extracts

This is the first time I have actually used a tea tree oil. Me. The person who has tried oils with names that I can't even pronounce correctly. This one was nothing like what I expected. It's a 100% pure therapeutic grade Tea Tree Oil by Apothecary Extracts.

Nice-looking bottle too.

 First, it doesn't stink. Matter of fact, I really like the smell of it. My regular blog readers know how I am about that.

 

 Also, I'm crazy about the packaging of this product. Not only is it pretty, but the label includes specific information about the oil itself and about the uses (and warnings). That's nice. I've seen lots of products that include a lot of hype and no real information. Check it out on Amazon.

Like I said, I've never tried tea tree oil before. I was a little nervous about trying it because most of what I've heard is how strong it is. When I gave this one the sniff test, I was really pleased with the scent. It's strong but not overwhelming.

Since I am cautious about what I use on my skin, I decided to start easy with this. After I checked out the package label and a few websites indicating all the ways it can be used, I tried it on my chapped lips. I combined a drop of it with a drop of some argan oil (which is heavier and richer than some of my other oils) and used the mixture as a balm. Results: very nice. There was a sensation much milder than when applying mentholated balms, but I got immediate softness. The best thing is that after my lips sucked up all that oil, they didn't dry out. The relief is lasting and I think I am going to have to make a mixture to keep in a tin for my purse.

I don't have problems with acne, so I don't want to test this on my already dry and moody skin. What I do have is a stubborn corn on my left foot. I read somewhere that I can use the tea tree oil to get rid of that problem. So... I tested it out tonight by wetting a Q-tip with some tea tree and some of the argan oil. I dabbed that on and, since my toe didn't fall off or burst into flames, I'm going to repeat the process every night and soak my foot in warm water every morning until I get rid of the corn. Where was this stuff when I needed to get rid of old boyfriends and ex-husbands?

To be honest, I'm still finding ways to use the oil, but here are some uses I've heard about:

• As an antiseptic and an alternative to chemical-based cleaners
• Treat Athlete's Foot, fungus, etc.
• Used in homemade toothpaste recipes (though not safe to ingest!)
• Various household uses as listed here
• To get rid of mold
• For making a natural household disinfectant
• Using in laundry care

A couple of warnings that stood out for me as I searched around were not to use on young children and not to ingest.

I think that there can be lots of ways to include this in your beauty routine. This is a list of a variety of ways to take care of your nails, hair and skin with it. This site is a bit more specific to beauty care using tea tree oil. The main thing I noticed when checking out ways to use tea tree oil is that diluting with a carrier oil is best until you know what your skin and hair can tolerate. 

This is one of the more expensive oils that I have tried, but I need to mention that the price works out to be cheaper than it looks. Because the oil is often meant to be diluted and used in combination with carrier oils and other ingredients (for instance, when making cleaning solutions), I think of the 4 ounces as being equal to 16 ounces of other oils. For instance, I use a lot of coconut oil but that's because I don't dilute it.

Since the brand offers a 100% "No questions asked, money-back" guarantee, you can feel secure in giving this tea tree oil a try.

For me, I have found a new staple to add to my oil collection for natural body and beauty care. By the way, I'd love to hear from anyone that knows of other uses for it.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in exchange for a fair and honest review using BrandBacker Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.