During the winter season, a lot of people complain that the air in their home becomes dry. It happens when the humidity inside the house becomes lower than it should be. If you are having the same problem, you might be interested to know how to increase humidity in homes.
Low humidity causes skin itchiness and respiratory problems. To add more moisture inside the house, buy a humidifier. You can try some easy ways like bringing houseplants, placing water bowls in spaces, hanging damp clothes, and leaving the bathroom door open.
In this article, you will find different ways to increase the humidity of your home. So without further ado, let’s get right to it.
Why Proper Humidity Is Important?
If you’ve ever experienced chapped lips and flakey skin during the winter seasons, then I’m sure you understand the importance of humidity. Low humidity in the air dries out your skin and makes it uncomfortable. For some people, the air becomes harder to breathe.
And, it is not just winter. Having the AC on can also create similar problems. Not only are these super uncomfortable but they can also cause your skin to crack and become bruised and bleeding.
Now, you could solve this with proper moisturizing but many people such as myself don’t like the feeling of cream or moisturizer on our skin 24/7. And that is why it is so important to learn the proper ways of maintaining humidity in your home.
12 Ways to Increase Humidity with Ease
You should be concerned about the humidity level of your home because you spend a lot of time there. Since humidity level affects your health, you should find ways to adjust it. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to increase the humidity of your home.
1. Buying a humidifier
The easiest way to raise the humidity in your room or house is by using a humidifier. You can find humidifiers of various sizes. The price of the machine is affordable. You can buy small ones for a single room, or buy a large one to cover an entire floor of your house.
Humidifiers are simple machines with a water tank. You have to fill up the tank with water and place it in a suitable space. The machine emits small particles of water into the atmosphere and keeps the room moistened. You have to clean the machines regularly because they can have mold and other pollutants over time.
2. Get houseplants
Getting houseplants is a natural way to increase the humidity level. Houseplants are also great for purifying the air by removing pollutants. There are various kinds of indoor plants. You should choose the ones which are more effective as natural humidifiers.
According to research, plants with big leaves are very useful to maintain moisture. Moreover, Aloe Vera and spider plants are good for both moistening and purifying homes. These plants absorb water and emit moisture through their leaves.
3. Hang the laundry inside
Detach drying clothes in the dryer sometimes when you can. Instead, hang your clothes in a dryer rack near the window. As your clothes get dry, they will also release the moisture inside the house.
This technique might not make a huge difference, but it is easy. Besides, you also do not need to pay extra for it.
4. Leave the bathroom door open
When you take a shower, you have probably noticed steam in the air. You can use this steam for your own benefit.
After you have taken a shower, leave the bathroom door open to let the steam come out. It will certainly add some moisture to the adjacent room. People also use fans to blow the steam in different directions.
5. Keep the bath water for a while
Similar to the steam of the shower, the bathtub water can also remain warm for a while. It means it adds moisture into the air. So, do not drain the bathwater if it is still warm.
As said before, leave the door of your bathroom open with the warm water in the tub. Drain the water when it is no longer warm.
6. Placing water bowls
During winter, you have to keep the heater on to keep the room warm. But sometimes, the humidity in the room gets low too. To get rid of this problem, you can place a water bowl beside the heater. Make sure the bowl is made of glass or ceramic.
You can also place water bowls in front of the windows of your house during the day to increase the humidity. The heat of the sun will warm the water, and it will release moisture.
7. Damp the curtains or towels
Instead of a water bowl beside the window, you can damp your curtains with water. The wind and heat coming through the window will dry out the curtains. The released moisture from the curtains will keep the humidity of the room for a long time.
The same goes for damp towels. Hang a damp towel near a window. It takes a while to get dry, which means it can supply more humidity.
8. Air-dry dishes
If you want to raise the humidity level of your kitchen, you can use the steam of the dishwasher. Dishwashers use a lot of water to clean the dishes. Then it also thoroughly dries the dishes. As a result, a good amount of warm steam comes from the dishwasher.
To use that hot steam, you have to open the dishwasher before it starts the last drying process of dishes. As you open the door, steam will come out and increase the humidity level of your kitchen.
9. Buy an essential oil diffuser
Essential oil diffusers emit oil particles in the air that also moistens the air. They can be expensive depending on the brands, but they add a nice touch to the environment of your house.
So, if you want to increase humidity and get a sweet smell around your home, you can buy an essential oil diffuser. Like humidifiers, they can also get molds, so clean them from time to time.
10. Boil water and cook food on the stove
Another simple yet effective way to increase humidity is using the stove for cooking and boiling water. When you use an oven, it may dry out the moisture in the kitchen air. Hence, you may feel congested in the kitchen.
On the other hand, cooking on the stove will release moisture and raise the humidity level in the kitchen. Hence, you should use the stove more often during the winter to get more moisture. If you need hot water, boil it on the stove removing the lid of the pot. The steam will be useful.
11. Use spray bottle
Keep a spray bottle ready to use. When you feel the air dried out of any room, you can sprinkle water to retain some moisture.
But be careful not to spray water in electric lines. Also, make sure to avoid wooden floors and walls because they can get mold from extra water.
12. Decorate with indoor fountains
You can be both creative and smart while you try to increase moisture in your home. Indoor fountains will be a beautiful addition to your home décor and also help you to maintain humidity.
Indoor fountains have various designs and styles. You can buy a fountain of your choice and set it in a room that needs more moisture. You should place the fountains close to sunlight so that the heat can warm the water. Eventually, the water will vapor slightly into the air.
Conclusion
Dry air can be a real issue and may even cause painful sores. But by now, you’ve learned how to increase humidity in homes. As you can see there are plenty of ways you can achieve adequately humid air. Thanks for reading and I hope my tips help you lead a healthier and more comfortable life. Until next time, farewell.
