Hack a humidifier to fight the dehydration. Twitter user Aaron B suggests soaking a towel with water, wringing it tightly so that it's not dripping, then hanging it over an ironing board in front of your room's vent or heater.
Add humidity passively
That is, regular household activities like cooking, showering, and hanging clothes to dry are adding sufficient humidity to the air. In a tightly air-sealed home, that humid air isn't being replaced as often by dry, outdoor air. The occupants are more comfortable. No humidifier is needed.
Without having to spend a dime, you can increase your home's humidity by placing a metal or ceramic bowl of water on top of your floor registers or radiant heating unit. The water will evaporate into humid air. On a sunny day, place a bowl or vase filled with water on your windowsills.
Place Bowls of Water on Registers
This is probably the most effective of these humidity-boosting tips. Place metal or ceramic bowls full of water on heat registers or radiators to push humidity into the air. You may be surprised by how much water is released during cold months when the furnace is going full tilt.
Hack a humidifier to fight the dehydration. Twitter user Aaron B suggests soaking a towel with water, wringing it tightly so that it's not dripping, then hanging it over an ironing board in front of your room's vent or heater.
Low humidity can cause dry skin. It also can bother the inside of the nose and the throat. It can make the eyes feel itchy too. High humidity can make your home feel stuffy.
It won't necessarily make the air in a space dryer, but it can contribute to a room's reduced humidity levels. This would be the case if you were to run a fan with the windows open. The fan would push the humid air inside your room out the window and allow the outdoor air, which may be dryer, inside.
Chapped lips and cracked skin on your hands are some of the most common signs. But you may have noticed some of the following signs too: Irritated sinus and nose bleeds can make it hard to breathe or sleep at night. If you wake up in the middle of the night coughing, it might be from dry indoor air.
An indoor humidity level less than 30 percent is too dry. Such alevel can cause dry nose and throat, and colds. Wall paneling, woodtrim and hardwood flooring can shrink and cause joints to open;cracks in drywall and plaster can develop; joints in wood furniturecan become loose, and pianos can go out of tune.
Adding bowls of water around a room works kind of like a humidifier, but at a slower speed. Place a few bowls of water around the perimeter of the room you want to humidify and leave them there to allow the moisture to evaporate into the air.
On average, a tightly sealed home of 1,500 square feet should require a humidifier output of 3.2 gallons per day. An average home of the same size would need a humidifier output of 5.5 gallons per day, while a loose home would need 7.0 gallons per day.
Cracking a window or leaving a door propped open may sound harmless, but doing so allows dry air to enter your home. Assuming you use a humidifier, this dry air will replace the humid air. Keeping the doors and windows closed, on the other hand, will trap the warm and humid air inside your home.
During the summer, the warmer air holds moisture but during the winter months cold dry outside air infiltrates the house and couple that with the fact that we heat our homes causing hot air to rise and the dry colder air to settle into the lower areas of your house. This is what causes the house to feel so dry.
The biggest cause of overly dry air in the home is cold weather. Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, causing the air to feel dry and uncomfortable. Whenever doors or windows are opened, or if you have air leaks somewhere within the home, cold winter air enters the home and reduces the overall humidity levels.
Place Metal Bowls Over Your Air Vents
By placing a metal or ceramic bowl of your floor vent, the hot air coming out of your vent is pushing moisture into the air. This is an extremely effective way to make a DIY humidifier and add moisture to the air of your home.
Air conditioners remove humidity, which is also referred to as water vapour, from the air. It's a natural occurrence when cooling the air. When the air hits the cold evaporator coil inside the air handler, the air conditioner makes the humidity condense on the oil and drain into the pipe that exits outdoors.
Watch Your Humidity Levels
Cold air is drier, and if the humidity in your home gets too low, it can cause symptoms such as dry eyes and a dry cough. You may also notice excessive dry skin. Add a humidifier to your HVAC system, or get a portable humidifier for your bedroom. It will help with the winter dryness.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the best indoor relative humidity falls between 30% and 50%, and it should never exceed 60%. Other studies suggest 40% to 60% is a better range. Regardless, 60% seems to be the agreed-upon threshold for indoor humidity.
However, experts are advising against leaving the fan on overnight. Apparently it can increase asthma symptoms, and trigger allergens. Fans circulate air, but they also spread dust mites, spores, pollen, and other allergens around the room.