Natural Ways to Boost Your Home's Humidity
The combination of dropping temperatures and forced indoor heat is a recipe for dry skin, frizzy hair, and a hampered immune system. Now more than ever, it's important to boost your home's humidity. When in doubt, you can always call in a technician to check your home's humidity levels and suggest solutions. But in the meantime, here are some tips to increase the humidity yourself.
Tips to Eliminate Dry Air and Boost Humidity Naturally
If you've ever touched another person or object inside your home and have been statically shocked by the connection, your indoor air is probably dry. Unfortunately, dryness can cause harm to more than your wood floors and drywall. It can also affect your skin, hair, sinus passages and respiratory system. Fight dryness with these clever tricks to add humidity naturally to your household.
Lower the Heat
As a mom, you want to do everything you can to ensure your family's health. While too much moisture in a home can be a breeding ground for mildew, mold and bacteria, some indoor humidity can prevent cracked skin, painful sinuses and static shocks. With the cold weather quickly moving in, your home's humidity levels should be regulated between 35 and 65 percent. You may reach for your thermostat and raise the temperature as the air cools outdoors, but a healthier and greener strategy is to put on a sweatshirt or sweater when at home. Dry household air can give you the chills similar to what you may feel if you are ill. Besides saving money by keeping your thermostat setting on the lower end, you can also enjoy a reduction in utility bill costs.
Vent Your Dryer Indoors
If your home is dry, the lack of humidity could be irritating your nasal passages. The membranes of the nose can even dry out and develop a crusty layer of skin on top. If you scratch or pick the problematic areas, bleeding could occur. You can prevent nose bleeds by venting your electric dryer indoors. Purchased from your local hardware store, the indoor venting kits are easy to install and allow the hot mist of your electric dryer to blow inside your home to moisten the air.
Purchase Some Household Plants
No matter if you have a green thumb or not, there are certain household plants to clean your air and add natural moisture to your home. The Boston fern is an ancient favorite. Known to be both easy to care for and reliable, it does best in a pot placed in mostly indirect lighting. To ensure its health, you want to water and mist the plant regularly. The spider plant is another tried-and-true houseplant that can add the right amount of moisture to your home.
Shower with an Open Door
Taking a hot shower when the air is cold outdoors can warm your body quickly. It can also be a great way to start your day before heading out into the cold air. If you're looking to add humidity to your home leave the shower door or curtain partially open as you take a steaming shower. As the billowing clouds of steam leave the shower, they'll add moisture to the rooms of your home.
Cool Water When Bathing
You may enjoy a nice hot bath as a way to relax after a long day. You can also leave the shower curtain open as you're soaking. When done, let the water cool thoroughly before draining. This allows the hot liquid vapors to release into your home's air. Caution, if you have pets or small children, don't leave the bath water unattended as it cools.
Air-Dry Your Dishes and Utensils
For decrease home's humidity you may have opened your dishwasher accidentally during the heat cycle. But that burst of hot and humid air is another great way to humidify your home and save energy. Once your dishes and silverware have passed the rinse cycle, you can open the door to the dishwasher and let them air dry. If it's cold outdoors, and your indoor air is dry, the heat and moisture your appliance gives off will help moisten the air in your home.
Switch From Coffee to Tea
A cup of java when the weather is cool hits the spot. But if you're looking to humidify your home, you may want to switch to tea. Whether you put a kettle on the stove top or heat a pot with water, the moisture that's released into the air during the warming process can release water particles into your home's air.
Line Dry Your Clothes
If you're an energy-conscious individual, you may be looking for ways you can lower your utility costs and save the planet. Line drying your clothes indoors is energy-efficient and moisturizes your home. If you don't have the space for a lot of clothes, set up a small drying rack or clothes line and use clothes pins or hangers.
Although too much moisture can be bad for your home, your indoor space does need some humid air for continued good health. Low humidity levels can also harm your home if the air becomes too dry. If you aren't ready to purchase a humidifier, these tips can help you boost the moisture level in your home naturally.
Written by Guest Author for The Healthy Moms Magazine and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.