Dry Clothes on Racks
Use a rack to dry clothes at room temperature instead of tossing them in the dryer. It takes a little longer, but the moisture released into the house by drying clothes is an effective way to give the humidity in your home a much needed boost.
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.
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.
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.
Here's a cool humidity hack: Fill a bowl with water, bend a wire coat hanger in the middle so that it can “sit” over the bowl, and then drape a damp washcloth or hand towel over the hanger so that the towel partially hangs into the water. Water will wick from the bowl up into the towel and then evaporate into the air.
High moisture levels in the air can trigger allergies and asthma, as well as promote the growth of mold, bacteria, mildew and dust mites.
While it may seem counterintuitive, it is actually helpful to open the windows and remove the stale, dry air from your house. Open windows during the daytime to let the fresh air in. It will help you breathe easy, and your skin won't feel that dry and itchy. Plus, it will also improve your home air quality.
Air-conditioned air can dry out your sinuses, nasal passages, and throat when you sleep, leading to inflammation and swelling in these sensitive tissues. Using a humidifier while you sleep in the summer helps alleviate these symptoms of dry air, as well as seasonal allergies.
Put the Kettle On
Boiling water on the stove will instantly release moisture in the air. This is a low-cost way to add warmth and humidity to your home. Instead of heating water in a microwave for tea or hot cocoa, use a kettle on the stove instead.
Breathing dry air can cause respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis and nosebleeds. Breathing dry air also can cause dehydration since body fluids are depleted during respiration. “Your sinuses will dry out,” says family medicine physician Daniel Allan, MD.
First try a hygrometer, which is like a thermometer, except it measures moisture levels rather than temperature. Your home should sit somewhere between 30 and 50 percent humidity. If it's measuring below 30 percent, you may need to invest in a humidifier to remedy the dry air symptoms.
Some people start coughing when they breathe very dry, heated air. This can be caused by environmental irritation or allergies. This type of cough may be more noticeable when you first turn on your furnace in the fall, because dust and other irritants that have collected over the summer are blown into the air.
During the winter, if you open the window when the outside air is colder than the air indoors, the cold air will come into contact with the warmer air and the level of humidity will fall automatically.
Using a hygrometer is the easiest way to measure the humidity in your home. The device measures humidity and temperature and is easy to use as a simple thermometer.
When humidity levels are extremely low, you lose more water vapor through respiration and the pores in your skin. This can cause chronic dry skin, chapped lips, a scratchy throat, and an itchy nose.
Try the shower solution
One of the best DIY humidification resources is your shower. By showering with an open door or opening the door right after a shower, the moist air from the bathroom can permeate the house for an instant humidity boost.
It comes down to the dew point. This is the critical temperature where moisture in the air becomes condensation on surface areas. This includes walls, furniture, electronics and every single crack or opening in a hotel room.
Step 1: Set the chair near an electric outlet, so it's facing the wall. Step 2: Position the tub by the back of the chair. Step 3: Add water to the tub until it's a few inches full. Step 4: Wet the towel (not so much that it's dripping) and drape it over the back of the chair so that one end is dipped in the water.