If you live in New York City, chances are high that your living space has dry, dry air. This is especially problematic in the winter time, when you will likely have your heater on constantly, only exacerbating the dryness in your apartment. When I started living with Chris, my nose was so dry in the morning that he suggested I whip out the humidifier he had. Humidifiers in general are beasts because the average one will require constant cleaning of the base and the tank — usually once a week. And it’s not like it’s easy: there are usually tiny crevices all over the damn thing that you can’t get with a regular sponge or cleaning brush; you will actually need to take out Q-Tips — that’s right — Q-TIPS! That’s how small these spaces and nooks are. Plus, the filter cartridge will need to be replaced every 3-6 months depending on the manufacturer.

In a life pre-baby, Chris never, even once, cleaned our humidifier. I had to clean the frickin’ thing myself, adding vinegar to the base, cleaning it with a toothbrush, and cleaning the crevices of the tank with a Q-tip, once a week every week during the winter time. I always soaked the base with white vinegar for a few hours each weekend. It was always something I dreaded. However, now with a baby, her nostrils are very tiny and given she is a winter baby, a humidifier was definitely a must in our dry apartment. And so we whipped out the humidifier for her specifically. And what ended up happening? For the first time in over ten years together, my husband is actually cleaning the humidifier and being extremely meticulous. He can’t properly clean greasy dishes to this day, yet HE took out Q-Tips on his OWN to clean this tank! I was completely shocked when I saw him do it for the first time and all subsequent times, as I just assumed this was something I’d have to do.

Well, I guess it’s true what they say: men really do change once a baby is in the picture, some for the worse, and some, like my Chris, for the better. 🙂