Are you interested in how to humidify a room on your own?
Low humidity can be annoying and can even be difficult for some. Dry air often causes static shocks whenever you come in contact with something. Have you ever wondered what causes low levels of humidity at home?
Air leakage mainly reduces humidity levels in your home. When the air has low moisture levels, your skin becomes itchy and dry. It may also lead to symptoms of nasal congestion (dry throat, itchy eyes, and stuffy nose).
Your plants also become affected by low humidity. The air around them draws out the water from their leaves. Their roots cannot replace the lost moisture quick enough.
The only instant solution to low moisture in the air is a humidifier, which can usually set you back 30 USD to 200 USD. If you get one for every room in your home, it can truly become a large expense. Another consideration is their power source. If you run your humidifiers at the same time, you will have a large utility bill.
Humidifying less expensively is what every homeowner wants. Thankfully, this is possible with the use of a DIY humidifier, which you can build with less costly materials.
How do you know that your indoor air is dry?
Checking if your indoor air is dry is the first thing you should do before you start humidifying. It is not always easy to detect dry air if this would be the first time you’re going to do it.
You may even think that the symptoms you detect may seem unimportant, but here are some of them:
- Dry throat
- Runny nose
- Dry, itchy skin
- Sinus congestions
- Snoring
- Sinus headaches
- Cracked skin
- Upper respiratory infections
- Difficulty of breathing
- Sneezing
- Nosebleeds
- Non-allergic or allergic rhinitis
Once you or any of your household members experience these symptoms, it is time to humidify your home.
16 Simple Ways To Naturally Fix Too Dry Air In The House
Below are some quick, ingenious, and basic ways to humidify the air inside your space:
01
Set a bowl of water near a source of heat.
Some people suggest that placing a bowl of water at the center of a room can provide the humidity you need. Yet, doing so doesn’t increase the moisture in the air that much. Place that bowl of water near a heat source such as a window through which the sun shines. This will make the air in the air-conditioned room a lot more humid and cooler.
02
Air dry your clothes in the room.
Hang your clothes to dry in your room. The moisture from them will evaporate slowly. Letting them dry overnight will provide your room with enough moisture while you sleep. What’s more, you have dry clothes ready in the morning as well.
03
Create your own humidifier.
The basic mechanism of a humidifier involves a container of water, an absorbent wick, and an effective fan to blow or disperse the water particles into the air.
This makes creating your very own DIY humidifier much easier. For just below 15 USD, you can construct a homemade humidifier.
Just purchase a computer fan and a sponge and get an empty water bottle. Remember to be careful while working with electricity and water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?85=&v=Ihu05R_0fMkCredit: DIYElectronics
04
Fake a Humidifier with a Wire Hanger
This hack would help you save money while humidifying your indoor air:
- Place a bowl of water on the table.
- Get a coat hanger and bend it in the middle, so it can rest over the bowl.
- Cover the hanger with a damp hand towel or washcloth.
- Make sure that the tips of the cloth touch the water.
Water from the bowl will be drawn up to the washcloth or towel. The moisture will then evaporate. Place this set up beside your bed to prevent nasal congestion or any discomfort in breathing as you sleep.
05
Let Evaporation to work
Evaporation is part of the known water cycle. It involves the transformation of liquid water to water vapor when temperature or pressure increases. The following are some ways you can encourage more evaporation inside your home:
- Purchase fresh flowers or collect clippings of thin branches and place them in a vase of water.
- Place metal or ceramic bowls of water near heater vents or windows or on top of your radiator. (***Do not use glass bowls because they might break because of the heat.)
- Use your houseplants. Roots absorb water from the soil and then deliver it through the roots, up to the stems, and into the leaves. Through the process of transpiration, the plants return the moisture to the atmosphere as water vapor from the leaves. Place your houseplants in groups, so that you can have a significant surface area that gives off water vapor inside the room. Make sure you water your plants just enough to help your plants keep their levels of moisture at optimal levels.
Tips: To help your plants maintain ideal moisture levels, place your potted indoor plants on shallow trays of pebbles with about an inch of water. Take note that there are some plant species require high levels of humidity to flourish. Gather plants that can thrive even in dry environments.
06
Let your tub’s water cool instead of immediately draining
When you shower or use the tub, use that moisture to humidify your home by keeping the hot water in the bath for a few hours instead of draining it.
Make sure you keep the door open while you enjoy the water. You can just open the door of the bathroom when you’re done so that all that moisture can waft into the nearest room.
After your hot tub bath, let the water sit until the water cools. This will give it time to give off water vapor into your indoor air.
Precaution: Not recommended if you have small children. Also, make sure to ventilate well to avoid harmful mildew and mold .
07
Get Moisture from your Appliances
Yes, you can get moisture from your appliances to humidify your home.
- Dishwasher. After using the dishwasher, don’t let it start the hot-dry cycle. Instead, open the door after the washing process. Let the steam humidify the air inside your home.
- Clothes Dryer. Instead of using your dryer for the newly washed clothes, hang them on a rack or a line in the kitchen or the laundry room. The dampness of the clothes adds moisture in your home through evaporation.
08
Use a fishbowl or a fish tank.
These water vessels can hold water that gives plenty of water vapor into your space. Keeping a glass container with fish inside serves as a hobby that helps you relax as well.
09
Use a Bathroom Fan
When you shower or use the tub, turn on your bathroom fan, which can very well be just a room fan. This appliance can push the damp, water vapor-filled air out of the bathroom and into the rest of the house.
10
Use Sponge to Humidify
Usually, a sponge is just useful in cleaning your car or any surface. It doesn’t come to mind immediately as a tool to humidify the air. Since sponges can absorb and hold water for extended periods. It can help humidify any space in your home. Just place a large sponge in an open plastic bag and place it at the center of your room.
11
Set vases of water on sunny window sills
Gradually, the water inside the vases increases the humidity in your space.
12
Spray the curtains
With water and a spray bottle, mist your curtains. This is the fastest way to make any room more humid. Be careful because not all curtains are made of the same material. Some curtains are just more sensitive to water than others.
13
Use a Spray Bottle
Fill an ordinary spray bottle (the one you use for disciplining the cat, for your plants, or for cleaning products) and fill it with warm water. Spray the water into the indoor air as needed. This method is more effective if the mist is finer.
14
Boil Some Water
When you do this, clouds of water vapor are released into your indoor air. You can put a kettle of water on the stove and heat it, brew some tea, and even make a pasta dish. Boil the water for at least 10 minutes. Then, pour the water into your sink. Doing so also eliminated any greasy accumulation in your drain.
15
Cook on your Stovestop
Doing so is much like cooking something outdoors over a campfire. Using your stovetop for cooking releases moisture throughout the entire indoor space. Do this as often as you can to have more moisture in your kitchen.
16
install an Indoor Fountain
This may be a costly means to humidify your home, but you don’t have to construct a concrete fountain in your home. There are inexpensive indoor fountains to humidify your home, especially during winter. Some fountains recycle their water repeatedly. The constant motion of water cools the room for long periods.
When natural ways don’t work
Sometimes, ingenuity doesn’t work in humidifying your indoor air. Perhaps the moisture they provide is just not enough. If they do happen to be ineffective, it is time to get a humidifier that could release moisture into your entire home.
It isn’t practical or wise to settle for a device that just fits a side table. This can only contain about a quart of water. Only a humongous humidifier can accomplish such a feat. A chest or cabinet humidifier can hold a colossal ten to twenty gallons of water.
These big humidifiers like this Honeywell Air Humidifier can be a bit expensive but you can be sure that they will last for many years. Even if you move into a larger home, it will be able to humidify bigger spaces.
Warm-Mist Vs Cool-Mist Humidifiers
Here are the pros and cons of both warm-mist and cool-mist humidifiers:
Warm-Mist Humidifier:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| More quite than cool-mist humidifiers | Uses more electricity because of the heat |
| Available in portable sizes but no built-in fan | Can be hazardous to use around children because of the heat |
| Can warm up a room slightly | Needs regular maintenance |
Cool-Mist Humidifier:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Doesn’t need as much electricity as warm-mist humidifiers | Susceptible to fungal and bacterial growth |
| Not dangerous to use around kids | The filter should be changed regularly if it has an evaporative fan |
| Costs less than warm-mist humidifiers & portable sizes are available | Needs constant cleaning and maintenance |
Notes to remember:
1. In using a warm-mist humidifier, be sure it is situated in a place that cannot be reached by children or pets.
2. The warm steam of a warm-mist humidifier can make the room feel a bit warmer.
3. Cool-mist humidifiers can make the room a little cooler when the fan is on.
4. Choose a humidifier based on your climate.
How to Measure Humidity
A hygrometer or a humidity gauge is an inexpensive tool you can purchase from any home store or hardware. It will give you accurate readings of humidity levels inside your space.
If you are well aware of the humidity levels of your home, you’ll be able to fix the dry air problem immediately. Experts suggest that homeowners place hygrometers in the living room, in the bedrooms, and in other places where you hang out most at home.
Correcting the humidity levels in your bedroom help you get a better night’s sleep.
Why dry indoor air is your invisible enemy
Are you experiencing discomfort inside your home? It may be because of the dry air indoors. Aside from the earlier mentioned symptoms that indicate dry indoor air, here are others that you may be experiencing already:
- Waking up thirsty
- Dry hair
- Scratchy throat
- Scratchy nose
- Aggravated asthma or allergy symptoms
- Catching colds more frequently
- Fatigue
- Heat exhaustion
- Severe muscle cramps
Computers can also be damaged if the air is too dry indoors.
Humidifying your home is vital. Moisture in the air is always beneficial. It keeps breathing easy, hydration optimal, and everything stable. Humidifying the natural way is economical. It’s amazing how daily tasks can actually help moisten the air inside your home.
But if these creative ways aren’t enough to humidify your space, there are always humidifiers available on the market. Try the innovative ways to humidify your home.
When you deem it necessary to purchase a humidifier, there are many options available on the market. Until then, it is always wallet-friendly to learn how to humidify a room the DIY way.