I have always wanted to treat my parents to samgyup but we could never find a weekend that's not too crowded and ma-traffic. My parents are always wary of going out and as much as possible would rather dine in at home than expose themselves to the horrible Metro Manila traffic, and also people lol. And then I got a portable stove and an outdoor table and the first thing I thought was finally, we can eat samgyup at home!
It was a fine Sunday afternoon when we gathered at my parent's roofdeck. Jeckie and I brought meat for grilling. And to complete the samgyup kit we also came with some kimchi, minced garlic, and of course a bunch of lettuce!
Setting up the portable stove was very easy. It comes in a cute carrying case and also includes an English manual so you won't get lost. You may get this Gem portable stove from True Value. Don't forget to also purchase a butane gas!
Just place the butane gas in place, aligning the notch collar on the index arm. Our butane can is too big so we can't close the cover but that's fine! Press down the black lever to lock the cartridge in place. When it's firmly set turn the ignition knob all the way down to Max, then turn it a bit more till you hear a click. The burner should ignite automatically.
Didn't think it was so easy to set up your own samgyup at home if you have a portable stove with you!
Get the stove along with this Lifetime table that's adjustable and extremely portable and you've got yourself an easy to setup dining set that you can take with you anywhere you want. It fits just right at the trunk of our car and even the backseat. This portable Lifetime table is also available at True Value. I couldn't be happier about this table cos it's so multipurpose and compact, I can use it to work and just stow it away when not needed.
Needless to say we had loads of fun eating together this way. It was a welcome change dining in an indoor-outdoor space under the bright sun in a cool afternoon. It was worth hauling a bunch of things up two flights of stairs haha!
I think we just had one of our best hotel staycations ever.
Booked two nights at The Peninsula Manila hotel (or Manila Pen) to celebrate my husband's 30th birthday. Originally we just wanted to try out their Beef Wellington, then we decided to indulge with two nights because... I don't really know hehe guess we just wanted to enjoy the place more.
It's not my first time to stay at Manila Pen, I remember having a girls night out here with my cousins three years ago. The hotel didn't have much impact to me then, despite their gorgeous lobby, cos for the most part we were nine girls nervously waiting for our rooms. We only booked two rooms and we can't get caught "overbooking" lol. Is there actually a rule about this? XD
Now that we got to really check the place out, I must say, it's really one of the best hotels in the metro. And what set them apart for me is not the grand lobby, nor the impeccably clean and spacious rooms, not even the delicious food at The Lobby. You know what placed them a notch higher than other 5-star hotels we've tried? It's the level of hospitality.
They don't just listen to you, they relate. I asked if they allow pets at the lobby, and besides the answer no haha, I also learned the person I'm talking to has a pet. The F&B coordinator who came to check on us while having dinner seemed very pleased that we're enjoying our food, actively engaging with us about the menu. And the security who led me to front desk when we got locked out on our second night, even accompanied us back to our room to make sure that the locks are fine and not just low in battery. Even checking out was a delightful experience cos nakakahawa yung energy nung nasa front desk? hahaha
It's the small things that really make a difference. You get tired of the niceties after a while but knowing that they'll go the extra mile to cater to you is something you don't get to see that often within their range of hotels.
Deluxe King Room
We got a Deluxe King room which has a nice view of Ayala Triangle Gardens. I could even see our new office building from the window, which isn't a very good sight hahaha. I didn't expect to like this room that much. The walls are all white, something I'm not used to in hotels. Usually they're beige and warm and textured so this was different. It's got a modern Filipino touch to it, mostly white, with dark wooden furniture, and streaks of blue. Interesting!
We loved the bathroom. The bathtub is bigger that it seems, the water pressure is perfect and the hot water is scalding... which is a good thing haha of course you have to temper it but I love how we're able to easily setup a relaxing hot bath.
The highlight of our stay is really the Beef Wellington at The Lobby. We ordered this at least two days in advance, and it was very well worth our penny. It came with Red Wine Jus for the sauce and Potato Gratin on the side. It's our first time to experience steak and potatoes this way and my goodness we're definitely ordering this again. Looks at bit meager on the plate but the weight on the tummy is gravid. Took a while to realize that it's indeed a very dense meal, with steak that thick and a pastry shell covering its entirely, it's one you definitely can't take lightly.
And that's pretty much it! I have no complaints. We didn't get breakfast cos it's too early for us. Booked through Agoda for around ₱9k/night. The Beef Wellington costs around ₱4.8k which serves 2-3 people. Check out my Youtube video for a hotel tour.
I found this book getting recommended a lot at Kindle Philippines fb group so I thought I'd give it a try after finishing Hopeless by Coleen Hoover (which I rated 4/5). Didn't think it would take me 3 months to finish it. I'm a slow and uninspired reader, and even by my standards 3 months is too long for a single book hahaha. It was so dragging.
SPOILER ALERT
Here's the summary from GoodReads...
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
---
Interesting right? My favorite part about the book is really the writing style, beautiful prose poetry that vividly takes you wherever Addie is. I loved the time jumps between past and present, her relationship with her father, her child-like wonder whenever they head out of town, her frustration about getting stuck at their village forever, and her friendship with Estelle, who's probably my favorite character in this book.
But whenever it jumps to the present, I always lose interest.
There are three main characters in this story; Addie our 300 year old heroine, Luc the god he struck a deal with, and Henry... Addie's special sadboi lol.
None of them had any character development throughout the story. To think Addie has lived 300 years, she didn't seem to have wisened up. The only thing special about her is her unorthodox distaste for being a homemaker and staying in Villon forever. But beyond that? We see nothing more, she's just loitering around, I wouldn't say the world but, Europe and America, looking for affluent artists who could draw her like one their French girls, char.
Perhaps it's a consequence of having lived three centuries. At a hundred she's learned enough to survive the world despite her curse. Another hundred and the weight of losing loved ones has taken a toll on her psyche. Another hundred and she's desensitized to loss and being forgotten, as it becomes a recurring theme in her god-knows-how-long life. Maybe that's why it seemed like she's not grown enough. Maybe this book should've ended when she's around 200.
Given Addie, it's hard for me to imagine how she found some kind of favor in Luc's eyes. As a god who answers in the dark, I had high expectations of his might. But he's just all flair. Their snide banters aren't even that clever. For a god who's in the business of souls, he probably a low ranked grim reaper who's more concerned about looking cool.
And don't get me started on Henry. He's an empty shell. Before and during the deal. There's nothing special about him. He exists solely to write about Addie, which consequently gave him the recognition he's yearned for so long, so yeah, good for him. Not for the readers though.
I don't know. I feel like the premise was wasted in trying to establish a love-hate relationship between Addie and Luc. I probably had wrong expectations. I wanted to revel in the sinister nature of Faustian bargains, much like in the TV series Once Upon a Time, because the writing style could very much pull off such vividry, but I guess it's too much to ask of someone who just goes with the flow, an undaunting villain, and a weak male character (Addie, Luc, and Henry respectively).
Finally! I got the Kindle Basic 10th Generation 2019 or the All-new Kindle 10th Gen (2019), I'm not really sure what's it called officially aside from "Kindle" so to be more specific I call it the Kindle Basic.
In this blog post I'm gonna share a review of the product, its specs and features, why I chose it (over the Paperwhite), where and how I download ebooks, how I removed ads (special offers), and finally its price and availability.
You may also watch my Youtube review here:
Unboxing
The box contains a paper sleeve containing the Kindle, some paperworks, and a USB charging cable (micro USB end). That's it! There's not much to the package.
If you notice, the Kindle shows a static screen where it tells you where the Power On button is. I thought it was just some product pamphlet but that's actually the screen already. And for some reason it came active?
Interesting. I got curious about why it came with an active screen, even more curious when I powered it on and found the factory charge at 42%. I was expecting it to be drained.
Then I learned that the Kindle doesn't actually eat battery life when the page is still because e-ink display only consumes power when you're turning pages. Amaaaazing!
Specs and features
Model no.: J9G29R
6" glare-free screen
167 ppi resolution
Dimensions (LxWxH) - 16 x 11.3 x 0.87 cm (6.3 x 4.5 x 0.3 in)
Weighs 174g
8GB storage
Adjustable front light
Audible support
Wi-fi connectivity
Bluetooth connectivity
Comes in black and white
How to remove special offers (ads)
The Kindle I got is an ad supported version so there are special offers and sponsored screensavers like these...
The ads aren't really annoying, they're not that instrusive. At least they don't pop-up while you're reading. Though you can still have it removed if you want, just simply chat with an Amazon Customer Service agent online. How?
Mention that you would like to have special offers removed because you're from this and that country and the ads are irrelevant to you (which is weird cos the ads are actually tailored to your behavior on Kindle).
You could also lie and say it's inapproriate for the (non-existent) minors in your household to see book suggestions with topless men with v-cut abs on the cover lol. I'm not really sure what the right reason would be but it's just a matter of trying and trying until you get an agent who will agree to remove the ads for you for FREE as an exception. I tried a total of 3 times before I was able to have them removed, here's my experience:
Attempt #1: I chatted with an agent, told him I'm from the Philippines and would like to have ads removed because blah blah blah. He took my serial # and said that upon checking, my Kindle is registered at Amazon Japan so I should take my business there instead. I didn't bother taking it to Amazon JP beause it would mean I had to create an account there and it's too troublesome navigating a Japanese website. So I let it go.
Attempt #2: This time the agent referred my concern to Amazon JP by creating a ticket for it. So I just waited through email for the result of my appeal. It was denied. They explained that they couldn't remove the ads because the device was bought that way. Bummer.
Attempt #3: The agent said that there's a $20 fee for the ads to be removed. I asked how come some people were able to have it removed for free? Blah blah blah. Eventually he agreed to remove it for me for free, as an exception. I wasn't angry okay hehe, just trying my luck, if there's any, and there's some! So yeah, during the session he removed the ads on my Kindle and asked me to restart the device. Et voila!
Don't forget to be nice and thank them for their effort hehe. They're not really obligated to remove it and you're just asking for a favor so yeah, be nice and grateful that no unsolicited torrid cover shall ever grace your Kindle screensaver ever again.
Why Kindle Basic (over Paperwhite)?
Here's a comparison table among the three popular Kindles.
On paper, the Paperwhite (pun intended) is the clear winner with most of its features being an upgrade from the Kindle Basic. It has an option for bigger storage, has higher screen resolution, more light options, has an IPX8 rating (waterproof), and option for wifi + cellular connectivity.
The thing is, for $40 more I didn't need that much features, so I stuck with the basic.
On storage: I wouldn't need 32GB of storage since I only read books in text. I also don't listen to audible, and if I want to, I would rather use the Kindle app on my phone for that. I don't read image heavy files like comic books or magazines. So yeah, I wouldn't need that much storage. In fact, 8GB can very well store over a thousand books already and that's more than enough to last me my lifetime.
Resolution: Depends on the type of media you consume, Kindle Basic's 167ppi resolution is actually good enough. I mean they wouldn't come up with an e-reader you can barely read from. You're welcome to read comic books too. But if that's your main cup of tea I suggest you go for the PPW instead cos that's where the 300ppi would matter more.
Battery life: Amazon was never specific about how much battery its Kinde devices can hold, all we know is that it lasts for weeks, thanks mostly to e-ink technology which only consumes power when you're flipping the pages.
What I like about the Kindle Basic
Product design! The Kindle basic has a sunken screen compared to Paperwhite's flush surface, they both look good to me but I just prefer how the Kindle Basic is built. The body has a matte plastic finish and the Kindle logo at the front is etched unobtrusively in a spot gloss. I also love how the logo at the back doesn't contain the wordmark "Amazon" haha.
Reading progress! You can set the footer to show your reading progress. You can see time left in book, time left in chapter, location in book, page in book, and your overall % progress. This feature actually encourages me to read more!
Page layout! You can customize your reading experience according to your preference. You can choose the font family, font size, orientation (portrait or landscape), margins, spacing, etc.
Display cover! There's an option in the settings that allows you to turn the cover of the book you're reading as a screensaver. I disabled this feature cos it doesn't always work in sideloaded books but it's a nice feature still hehe.
Dictionary and vocabulary builder! One of my favorite features. You can press and hold an unfamiliar word and the dictionary will pull up with its definition. Also, that word will be added to your Vocabulary Builder, which is a list of all the words you looked up. You can check it out and see flashcards of its usage, and you can also mark it as mastered if you're good with the word. Awesome!
Highlights and notes! Very handy for quotable quotes!
So! If there's one thing I want improved with the user experience, that would be the accesibility of the brightness settings. Right now it takes 2 clicks to get there. I would appreciate it if there's a shortcut to it just like how you can pinch the screen and the font will automatically zoom in or out. Other than that I'm good! :)
Sideloading ebooks
There are so many ways to load books on your Kindle but I can only share one way cos this is the only way I know haha. I get my books from Z-Library at https://z-lib.org and I only use my iPhone or iPad to transfer. To Android users, this might not work for you. I tried but I couldn't find the option to open ebooks directly on the Kindle app. For PC/Mac users check out https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle.
How? First make sure you have the Kindle app on your phone, it's free to download and everything you got in your library will sync to your Kindle device, so this is a key step.
Go the the z-lib website, look for a book you want, and download a MOBI version of it.
Once it's downloaded, open the file, choose the app where you want to launch it, and look for Kindle, it should be there. You'll be prompted with the Send to Kindle dialog where you enter the author's name and hit send. Make sure to toggle "Save in Kindle Library" on.
The book will appear in your Kindle library shortly, and on to your Kindle device as well. That's it, no need for cables!
Reading on the Kindle is a whole new experience for me. It's super light and easy to hold. It's even lighter than my phone. The e-ink display is remarkable, it's easy on the eyes, you don't even need to turn on the front light if you're reading in a bright environment. It's as if you're reading straight from the book. Navigation is very different from a smart phone, mind you, specially when it comes to flipping the pages. But that's expected with e-ink display. I'm happy with my purchase and can't wait to read more books! :D
Heya! Here's a review of yet another Xiaomi product (yeah, big fan), this time an ENDOSCOPIC EAR CLEANING STICK! Might be disgusting to some of you but we all know how satisfying it is to watch big lumps of hardened dust and earwax being taken out of our unsuspecting ears. Well, here's just the product for that:
If you don't like reading, I hope you appreciate this video version I uploaded on Youtube. Don't forget to like and subscribe!
Alright, on to the blabber:
Product is packaged nicely and simply, which is classic Xiaomi. Box contains English user manual, and a couple of ear cleaning accessories. The metallic black unit sits right below the packet of paperwork, and it looks so pretty.
So there are two parts to the main product: the round base with the USB charging cable attached, and the ear cleaning stick which is with a metal cap.
The body looks and feels great, thanks to the color and the metallic build. It looks like an expensive pen.
The charging base, which also works as a dock and a storage compartment for accessories looks really good too. Only thing is the USB charger is attached to it, so in case it snaps off I wouldn't know how to fix it.
You can unscrew the top part of the base to reveal this compartment containing 10 other cleaning attachments that you can use in rotation, or assign to family members if a lot of you will be using. Smart design right?
Personally I only use the standard spoon that's attached to the stick. I don't even know if I'll ever get the chance to use all of these hehe.
To start using the tool you have to download the BeBird app and connect the M9 pro to it via wifi. Step by step is included in my video here: https://youtu.be/7bdcWCnzmSM?t=140 (it's a link to a specific part of the video)
Once you're good you'll be able to finally see inside your ears! Of course with the M9 pro poked inside. I'd say the camera quality of this product is good. It's not super HD, but it's enough to see the parts you're supposed to clean. You can take photos and record videos using this one too.
I also found it useful in capturing my pimple popping sessions with my husband hahaha. I use it as a micro camera to focus on those little mounds of whiteheads.
It's so freaking fun!
I'd like it to be more HD though but I really couldn't complain. I'm satisfied with how it works and it has truly made ear cleaning more enjoyable!
Heya! Here's an unboxing and first impressions review of our new ref, Condura CNF 201i No Frost Inverter Refrigerator.
We were very excited about this purchase because it's our first inverter ref and finally, we can say goodbye to the dreadful chore that's called defrosting!
This was not actually our first choice for an inverter ref, I was eyeing the LG GR-B202SQBB because it's the only one I could find online with dimensions that fit our kitchen perfectly. Unfortunately it was out of stock when we looked at Anson's so we sought help from the guys there to find me a 2 door inverter ref that's less than 58cm in depth. Et voila, we found a perfect match with Condura.
It didn't take long for us to decide on getting this particular model. Usually I'd look for online reviews first before jumping on a big purchase, but for one, the size is perfect, and most importantly - we were desperate to get rid of our old ref. So yeah, it took a week for it to get delivered but holey moley was it worth the wait.
Luckily we were able to sell our ref to a neighbor who agreed to take it on the day our new ref arrives. Had a bit of a problem securing a gate pass for them, I didn't know we even needed a gate pass just to move an appliance from one unit to another?! Urgh, condo rules.
Anyway...
What I like about it...
No frost inverter, yeah that's a given
Twist ice maker
Spacious freezer
12 slot egg tray
It looks sleek and pretty
Size is just right for our home
Height is just right to allow a microwave on top
I don't have to worry about emptying the drain pan, if my assumption is right (also, I asked around), the drain pan automatically empties itself when it reaches a certain level. There's a metal sticking to it that heats up when the water reaches a certain point.
What I don't like, so far...
Ice maker's kinda hard to navigate because you have to tip it over a bit in order for it to snap in place on top of the ice box. And that angle causes water to drip on the bucket. Basta yon haha. Hassle. Anyway, what I do now is just place the ice tray on a different surface, not on top of the bucket so it doesn't spill. Okay naman haha.
UPDATE AFTER 1 YEAR! IT'S SEPTEMBER 2021 NOW
Energy consumption...
I actually made this blog post to collect updates on our energy consumption. To be honest I'm not really expecting our bill to lower significantly. After all, we got a bigger ref, inverter lang naman naiba. I also don't know what to compare exactly because we're replacing an old ref not adding a new one so it's hard to gauge the difference. So yeah. We'll see in a few months since kaka-deliver lang samin last August 22! :)
Okay! It's been a year with our Condura ref! Here's an update...
Our 1 year average with our old ref is 332.5kw/h per month.
On the other hand, our 1 year average with our new ref is 394.5kw/h per month.
That's quite a difference right? An average of 62 kw/hr is added to our monthly consumption, which is an additional 372 pesos/mo (for a rate of 6/kwh). Note that this only applies to us, the computation will be different case to case. Imagine if this is your first ref, obviously tataas talaga kuryente nyo hehe.
I've also highlighted the min and max consumption of the two years, which shows how they're not in the same range. Expected naman kasi nag-upgrade talaga kami.
Yes, tumaas talaga kuryente namin. Ngayon ko lang talaga narealize, I was wrong to compare our electricity bill before because the rate/kwh in our condo changes everytime, so I think the table above is a fairer comparison.
But of course, there are other factors to this. Mostly having to do with our wfh setup which gets upgraded all the time. One time I only have a laptop, now I have multiple monitors, ocassional test machines, add to that the many times we have to stock up food for 2 weeks because our gov't couldn't get their heads straight. As you know, packing the ref too much works up the compressor harder, eating more electricity.
But anyway...
Finally
Do I recommend it? YES
Am I happy with it? YES
Could I have bought something else? NO, I'm very happy with this purchase.In fact, it even landed me a digital ad with Condura itself akalain nyo yun hahaha
Could I have bought something bigger? NO, because this is the perfect-sized ref for our small condo. YES I would love to get something bigger in the future when space isn't a problem anymore, I know there's a taller version of this, but right now we're using the top surface for our microwave and it's perfect
What else do you need to know? YES. Char haha overall my experience with the ref is positive still and it's been a year without any problems. I can't speak for everyone of course but as usual, do your own diligence parin when it comes to buying big appliances like this. Check out my Youtube review for the comments section because sari-sari din yung issues dun that I never encountered so I guess that's worth looking at. :)
Ang tyaga mo naman mag-record ng consumption? YES haha it's part of my kaartehan. I input our utility bills to a Google sheet and graph our consumption kasi wala lang isn't it nice to look at organized data haha
Ayun lang po! Hope this helps, thanks for reading! :)
I waited over a month before writing this post so I could review it completely. In three words, the Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier is such an ACE! Affordable, convenient, and effective! Ohaaaa hahahaha! This is model MJJSQ02LX.
Video review
Apart from this lengthy blahber you may also watch my Youtube review here:
Backstory
I got this product for health reasons. The air in our room becomes super dry with the AC on every night when we sleep. It has resulted in me waking up with sniffles and dry throat almost everyday. There were nights I had to sleep with a face mask on just so my throat wouldn't get super dehydrated in the morning. That's when I decided to invest in a humidifier. To relieve the dryness in the room, in my throat, in my life. Charot. I thought a small diffuser would help, but our current EO diffuser only works for 3hours max so it still doesn't do the job completely. Plus, it can only hold 150ml of water HAHAHA so wa-epek. It just makes the room smell nice.
Research
I have no idea about humidifiers but generally I just want something with a bigger water tank that could run for more than 8 hours, and can diffuse aromatics too. I looked around online and found that Xiaomi has the biggest variety of humidifiers out there.
There's a gazillion brands under Xiaomi I have no idea what to pick, there's SmartMi, Deerma, Mijia, all of them looking great and priced affordably too. So I used the The Three Great Shopee Filters in narrowing down my choices:
✔️ Price ✔️ Location ✔️ Ratings
The Deerma FXXX line turned out on top of the list. High star ratings, priced below ₱2k, big water tank, ultrasonic feature, smart capability, and loooks reaaaally pretty.
But one thing turned me off. The water inlet is AT THE BOTTOM of the tank. Which means you have to turn the fuselage upside down to put water in, then breathe in and muster some strength to set the 5kg water tank upright. For a weakling like me, that process sounds too troublesome and accident prone. In fact, the moment I saw where the water inlet is, so many unfortunate things ran in my head. My face flowing with frustrated tears, a broken humidifier, and my husband trying to calm me down. Oh yeah, a flooded kitchen too.
So I had to let it go and look for alternatives. And that's how I found this baby...
Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier MJJSQ02LX
It's super basic, can carry 4 liters of water, runs up to 36 hours, and the best part? Water is added directly from the top making it so convenient, and with a spacious mouth like this I don't have to worry about dying spilling or having to carry it somewhere safe to refill water.
Note that it's not suitable for essential oils, it's not a smart humidifier, you can't link and control it using the Mi Home app. Below you'll see what happened when I tried using essential oils with it.
Unboxing
You may refer to my Youtube video for the unboxing but basically the package comes with the unit and a Chinese manual. That's it.
What I liked (aka all of its features haha)
Like mentioned, some of its key features include:
✔ 4L capacity ✔ Upper head injection
✔ Up to 36 hours of continuous humidification and it's not loud at all. You'll barely hear it and if you do, it sounds like raindrops.
But apart from those, it also boasts of the following:
✔ Adjustable fog settings (low, mid, high)
Low, mid, high respectively
It humidifies at a rate of 280ml/hour and has up to 99% bacteriostatic effect. Even at the low setting, the strength of the mist is strong enough for a small room.
✔ Low level indicator
Which automatically powers off when water level is low and when the water tank gets detached from the dock.
✔ Size is just right
A bit bigger than a kitchen towel, just the right size for a bedside table or even the floor.
✔ Comes with a 220V type A power plug (2 flat plugs)
Which is normal here in the Philippines so no need to use an adapter.
✔ Easy to clean ✔ Simple knob switch control ✔ Looks sleek and is made of hard and durable matte finished plastic ✔ Super affordable
What I don't like
✖ No English manual
✖ Not suitable for pure essential oils
See troubleshooting items. The seller mentioned I can use water-based aromas, but I have yet to find official literature confirming that it's indeed okay to use with EO's, specially that, unlike the Deerma line, it doesn't have that yellow tray at the base specifically for EOs. Maybe I can find this info from the manual, then again it's Chinese, so if you can help me translate or just give me a clue if it says anything about using essential oils... that would be awesome!
✖ Ok, not advisable for aromatics at all
Since you can only use water-based essential oils, you have to keep adding and adding because the smell doesn't last long and eventually it starts smelling funny when it's only the residual aroma left to atomize. Also, it's a hassle to lift the water tank just to add the oil so I'd rather not bother with it. Aromas clog the system easily too so you have to clean more frequently. I like to diffuse scents pa naman when I'm sleeping but I find that the product works better with just pure water.
Troubleshooting
In the one and a half months I've been using it, I've ran into two problems, all because I tried to use essential oils with them.
1. Very little mist coming out And I mean less than what you'd expect from the Low setting. This happened when I tried adding waterbased essential oil in the tank. It worked for a night, then eventually residue formed and it clogged the system. Solution? Just clean it!
2. No mist coming out Now, this happened when I tried to put PURE essential oils on the base. I put a few drops of what I thought was waterbased EO (it's too cheap to be pure so I thought it's actually water-based even though it says PURE EO on the label haha!). It worked fine for a few minutes then suddenly the mist was gone. I could still feel some air coming out but there's totally no fogging going on.
I thought I broke the unit. Thank God I was able to save it by cleaning it. Now I can prove this model isn't meant for any type for EO at all. Just look at how dirty it turned:
Yikes right? That's oil residue that I scraped off using cotton buds. Fortunately, it's easy to clean. And after unclogging it from all that gunk, it starts to work fine again.
Cleaning
So how do you properly clean this thing? The water tank is fairly easy to clean, you can just reach inside with a damp cloth and wipe it clean.
I was also able to clean it with soap and water, it's pretty safe since there are no electronic things at the top part. Just make sure to dry it completely to remove the odor. And avoid getting water inside the mist outlet, just because it looks like it's not supposed to get wet hehe.
Now for the base...
I just use cotton buds to scrape off any residue. Just clean the sink area of the base, avoid wetting anything that's not touched by the water coming from the tank.
Our humidifier sits on a plank of laminated MDF and I noticed some kind of moisture settling at the bottom like this:
Just wipe it off, it's not a stain anyway hehe. It's probably due to the air coming in from the bottom of the humidifier because the air intake is positioned there (notice the round grills)
Maintenance tips
1. Avoid EOs, just use water. Pure or distilled water, preferrably.
It acquires residue faster when you use essential oils so I advise you to just use water and nothing else, if you don't want to clean more frequently! Also, I use water straight from the tap so maybe
2. Don't let the water run low
I refill the tank with a pitcher of water every night before going to sleep just to keep it running uninterrupted. In my experience a full tank lasts me 3 days on low setting so that's around 24 hours of sleep time.
3. Don't fill it to the max
Just for safety. I'm praning it might get knocked over or something so I only fill it with around 3 liters of water max.
4. Clean once a week
I thought now that I only use water and nothing else, it'll be easier to clean. But somehow, after around 3 weeks of use, I notice some dirt forming at the bottom of the water tank. Similar to the brown dirt I scrubbed off when I used EOs. The base is also showing some yellow stains that I can't remove so it's also nice to clean at least once a week to avoid these dirt from accumulating. I'm not sure if it's because I use tap water directly but maybe it's better to use filtered water?
So is it effective?
ABSOLUTELY. It's prevented my throat from drying and it's something that I noticed instantly like the moment I woke up after turning it on for the night. Amazeballs!
Our bedroom is only around 11sqm small and the low setting is strong enough to relieve dryness in the room the whole time. It's even positioned at the far end of the room (which isn't really that far maybe just 2 steps away from the bed lol) so I know it truly works.
Price and Availability
You can get this for less than ₱2,000 at Shopee or Lazada. I have no idea of its SRP. Usually it ships from China, but if you filter it by location (which is what I always do), you can save yourself at least a week of shipping time by purchasing from local Xiaomi retailers. Also, for a product like this you'd want to get it locally (the nearer the better) in case you had to return it.
I got it for ₱1,784.00 at Shopee PH from this store.
Congrats on reaching this part! That's it! Let me know if you have any questions on the comments area below. :)
