Medical Use

• Use a vaporizer to add additional humidity to the air you breath when you have a cold or cough. Your doctor may want you to use a vaporizer after you have sinus surgery to keep your airways hydrated if you can't breathe through your nose. If you have chest congestion, breathing humidified air can help thin your secretions so you can cough them out. Adding a medication like Vicks Salve or Mentholatum to the medication reservoir can help open a stuffy nose.
  
  

Home Use

• During the winter when the humidity is low you can use a vaporizer at night while you are sleeping to add more humidity to your room. This will help keep your skin hydrated and may prevent a scratchy throat or nosebleed from breathing dry air.
  
  

Procedure

• Set your vaporizer far enough from the bedside so you are not burned by the hot steam. Make sure it is out of reach of children and pets. Use distilled water in your vaporizer so the minerals found in tap water do not corrode metal parts. Empty and refill the vaporizer every 24 hours to prevent mold growth. Fill your vaporizer up to the fill line, insert the heating element and turn the unit on. Ensure the unit is flat, stable and the cord is out of the way of foot traffic. As soon as the water has heated, steam will rise from the vaporizer. Some vaporizers have a small compartment where you can add Vicks Salve or eucalyptus oil. Do not add medications directly into the water reservoir.
  
  

Cleaning

• Clean your vaporizer regularly to prevent the growth of mold or bacteria which would then be dispersed into the air along with the steam. Follow the manufacturer's directions for cleaning or use a 3-percent hydrogen peroxide solution to wipe down the heating element and inside of the reservoir. These parts should be cleaned every three days of continuous use and before storing. Rinse completely with tap water and make sure all parts are dry before storing.