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It's looking like we'll be heading back to Canada in the next year or two, for a variety of reasons (a big one being expat health insurance and their pre-existing condition exclusions). But I learned something extremely valuable from living in the tropics for the past few years: my eyes feel almost normal if I'm in an ultra humid environment (preferably 70-80%).
Obviously if I run a humidifier to make my home in Canada reach that level of humidity, I'll have mold problems since the average painted wall and drywall isn't made for that.
So I got to thinking ... I like to work on my laptop, read, watch TV in my bedroom .. and what if I made my entire BEDROOM into a steam room of sorts. Except not for the purposes of sitting in clouds of steam, but so that I could run a steam humidifier such that the room's humidity stays at a comfortable 70-80% (I use the steam ones so the humidity being pumped into the air is sterile) withOUT causing mold damage to this space.
The idea would be to strip the walls, ceiling and floors down to the bare studs/wood - then cover and seal them the same way one would for a steam room. This should prevent excess moisture from getting into the wall cavity and causing mold. And it would allow me to bask in humidity that's as high as I want ... ALL. DAY. LONG.
Pure bliss for my eyes and total freedom since it allows me to do almost anything I want without adverse consequences for the comfort of my eyes.
I've decided that this is my longterm goal. The next home we purchase in Canada will undergo this renovation for one bedroom. Eccentric from the perspective of outsiders? Yes. But bliss for a severe dry eye sufferer? Definitely.
To those of you suffering at home - yes, at first such high humidity levels feel stifling... but after a few months, your body adjusts and you feel much more comfortable in such environments. And after a few years of time to adjust, you could end up like me and feel perfectly normal in it. So I think this idea is worth considering. It's not for everyone - and is probably best for those who spend most of their time at home. But for the right person, it could drastically change your quality of life for the better. I had to move to the tropics to see just how good this can be for me - and obviously that climate is still ideal for me since I can bask in humidity inside and outside my home. But since I will need to return to Canada eventually, this is how I plan to maintain the comfort of my eyes when I return. The remaining rooms of my home (i.e. other than the bedroom that's renovated for ultra-high 80% humidity) could be kept at 55-60% humidity (via humidifiers) - high enough to be comfortable for non-eye-intensive activities, but not so high that it'll cause mold issues.
Anyways, just putting this out there as an idea. It's eccentric and weird by normal standards.. but you know what they say... desperate times call for desperate measures.
Obviously if I run a humidifier to make my home in Canada reach that level of humidity, I'll have mold problems since the average painted wall and drywall isn't made for that.
So I got to thinking ... I like to work on my laptop, read, watch TV in my bedroom .. and what if I made my entire BEDROOM into a steam room of sorts. Except not for the purposes of sitting in clouds of steam, but so that I could run a steam humidifier such that the room's humidity stays at a comfortable 70-80% (I use the steam ones so the humidity being pumped into the air is sterile) withOUT causing mold damage to this space.
The idea would be to strip the walls, ceiling and floors down to the bare studs/wood - then cover and seal them the same way one would for a steam room. This should prevent excess moisture from getting into the wall cavity and causing mold. And it would allow me to bask in humidity that's as high as I want ... ALL. DAY. LONG.
Pure bliss for my eyes and total freedom since it allows me to do almost anything I want without adverse consequences for the comfort of my eyes.I've decided that this is my longterm goal. The next home we purchase in Canada will undergo this renovation for one bedroom. Eccentric from the perspective of outsiders? Yes. But bliss for a severe dry eye sufferer? Definitely.
To those of you suffering at home - yes, at first such high humidity levels feel stifling... but after a few months, your body adjusts and you feel much more comfortable in such environments. And after a few years of time to adjust, you could end up like me and feel perfectly normal in it. So I think this idea is worth considering. It's not for everyone - and is probably best for those who spend most of their time at home. But for the right person, it could drastically change your quality of life for the better. I had to move to the tropics to see just how good this can be for me - and obviously that climate is still ideal for me since I can bask in humidity inside and outside my home. But since I will need to return to Canada eventually, this is how I plan to maintain the comfort of my eyes when I return. The remaining rooms of my home (i.e. other than the bedroom that's renovated for ultra-high 80% humidity) could be kept at 55-60% humidity (via humidifiers) - high enough to be comfortable for non-eye-intensive activities, but not so high that it'll cause mold issues.
Anyways, just putting this out there as an idea. It's eccentric and weird by normal standards.. but you know what they say... desperate times call for desperate measures.