How to Stay Comfortable During Winter’s Dry Air Blasts

Nature’s changing seasons, while wonderful to witness, come with less than ideal changes inside the home. Heating the house not only means adding dry air indoors, but also pulling moisture from the air.

Relative humidity

To increase humidity levels in the house, you need to bump up the moisture in the air. Fortunately, this can be accomplished easily in a variety of ways. The most obvious is to run a humidifier with a filter or use only distilled water to maintain good air quality. Humidifers come in warm air and cool mist versions, depending on your preference. You can also use steam vaporizers as an option.

Humidifier types

To increase humidity levels in the house, you need to bump up the moisture in the air. Fortunately, this can be accomplished easily in a variety of ways. The most obvious is to run a humidifier with a filter or use only distilled water to maintain good air quality. Humidifers come in warm air and cool mist versions, depending on your preference. You can also use steam vaporizers as an option.

How to humidify a room naturally

Beyond running humidifiers, you can take advantage of evaporation that’s likely already happening in your home.

Try these seven tips:
 

• Open your dishwasher just after it runs to let steam escape into the kitchen.
• Put a pot or tea kettle full of water on the stove and allow it to simmer, checking to make sure you don’t let the water level run too low and risk burning a pan.
• Add houseplants as part of your home’s decor. Through the process of transpiration, moisture from a watered plant runs from its roots to its leaves and then evaporates.
• Set bowls of water on floors or counters, especially near forced air vents or radiators, where the water will warm and evaporate.
• Leave your bathwater in the tub and allow it to cool instead of draining it right away.
• Leave your shower door open after you step out to allow steam into the bathroom, or set up a fan that directs the steam out of the bathroom.
• Hang laundry in the home to dry naturally.

Monitor humidity levels

You can measure humidity levels with a hygrometer, found easily online or at home improvement stores.

If your home starts to feel stuffy, you may have added too much moisture. And if you feel a bit dry, try adding more. Small, portable humidifiers allow you to move the moisture source to rooms where you want it most, making the woes of winter air a thing of the past.