Backfill · 2022
#86 of 357Ceramic Desk Humidifier
Personal photo: a small matte white ceramic dome sitting on a shallow terracotta tray next to a laptop on a wooden desk.
The humidifier on my desk is a small ceramic dome that absorbs water from a tray underneath and releases it into the air without any electricity or fan noise. It looks like a piece of pottery, not an appliance. Distinction is the entire reason I bought it instead of the plastic ultrasonic ones everyone else has. Ceramic gets darker when full of water and lighter as it dries out. You can actually see the humidity cycle happening in real time. I keep it next to my monitor where the dry air from the heating vent hits my face. The difference is noticeable within about 20 minutes. Refilling every day takes more effort than a larger unit. But the trade-off is that it takes up almost no space and never makes that white mineral dust that ruins everything around it. It also doubles as a nice object to look at, which matters more than I expected when I first ordered it. Matte glaze with a slightly rough texture that feels deliberate and handmade, even though it's clearly mass-produced. I didn't think I'd care this much about a humidifier.