So you’re working from home and feeling that your eyes and hands are getting dry all the time.
Do you apply another layer of moisturizer and use the eye drops again?
Or do you tackle the root cause of the problem and humidify your home?
Is air humidity affecting you?
Yes. The air humidity affects you.
Too low and too high humidity can negatively affect your health and well-being.
You may not associate symptoms you experience with the air moisture, but the connection is real and can affect your life’s quality.
Now, we understand there are various reasons behind your skin and eyes getting dry. These are a few examples.
- Medical conditions
- Allergies
- Nutrient or vitamin deficiencies
- Dehydration
- Stress
- Smoking
When you exclude all the above factors, you can see that low air moisture is a very common reason for dry skin and eyes. So, you may have to humidify your home to overcome it.
Is high humidity bad for you?
High humidity levels, especially combined with high temperatures may cause the following symptoms, so don’t forget to keep your home cool.
- Dehydration
- Fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Dizziness
- Muscle cramps
- Fainting
- Heatstroke
High humidity levels in your home can show as condensation on windows or other smooth surfaces. Moist plaster, fabrics, and other porous surfaces can become a great place to multiply pathogens such as mites, putrefactive bacteria, or mould fungi. Living in a humid space for a long time may cause diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidelines for indoor air quality and temperature.
Additionally, high humidity can elevate air pollution levels, which further negatively affects our health and environment.
Is low humidity bad for you?
Air moisture is often low when the temperature is high. It also drops significantly when the temperature is below the freezing point. Low humidity levels may cause the following symptoms.
- Dry skin and eyes
- Scratchy throat, coughing
- Dry mouth
- Bleeding and dry nose
- Dry hair
- Headache
- Trigger allergic reactions
Do you need to humidify your home?
Yes, you should humidify your home when the air moisture levels are low. And especially if the low humidity accompanies the high temperature.
What is the optimal air humidity?
Air humidity is the percentage of water molecules in the air. It varies at different times of the year and depends on geographical location.
The optimal air humidity when most of us feel most comfortable is around 30-55%.
The air moisture affects our body and the general way we feel.
- Mood and wellbeing
- Quality of sleep
- Condition of our eyes
- Upper respiratory tract
- Skin condition and moisture
The level of air humidity is also important for the condition of your home furnishings, clothes, books, and the health of potted plants.
So if you wonder if the air humidity is optimal in your home – measure it.
Best ways to measure air humidity in your home
Hydrometers are instruments to measure air humidity. There are several types available on the market ranging from very simple and cheap to expensive models that contain additional functionalities. If you do not need a complicated and expensive tool, you can get a simple digital hygrometer with an LCD. Simple digital hygrometers usually also measure room temperature and display time and date.
Keep in mind that humidity levels can vary largely in different rooms depending on their setup. South-facing and larger rooms are usually drier while north-facing and smaller spaces are more humid. It makes sense to have two devices to measure the humidity spread in your home.
21 easy ways to humidify your home
How to humidify your home when you discover the air is dry? Use one or a combination of methods for maximum effect.
Fabrics and textiles will help to humidify your home
1. Use the air dryer
The tumble dryer is very convenient, but it does not help to humidify your home. It condenses and removes water from your clothes and textiles but does not release it into the air. So if you want to find an easy way to release some moisture and increase humidity in your home, use the air dryer. Hang up the washing on the air drier and let it dry.
2. Soak and hang up kitchen towels or scarves
When your washing basket is empty, but you’d like to increase humidity in your place, you can use clean kitchen tea towels or cotton scarves. Soak them in clean water and hang them up on the air drier or high up on the curtain rails. Thinner materials will dry and release moisture more quickly. And the higher you place them, the quicker they will work. Water evaporates faster when the temperature is higher, and the temperature is higher in the top parts of the rooms.
3. Dampen the curtains
Use a spray bottle to dampen your curtains. Their large surface will keep the water mist from falling to the floor, and at the same time, make it evaporate faster. You can use any clean spray bottle with clean water in it.
4. Soak and hang up bathroom towels
Soak and hang up clean bathroom towels on the air dryer. Bathroom towels are thicker than kitchen towels and cotton scarves. It will take longer for the bathroom towels to release the moisture, so you will not have to repeat the soaking process that often.
5. Use the spray bottle on textiles
As tempting as it may be, spraying water in the air is not a good idea. Water will quickly land on the floor, and instead of helping to humidify your home, it will form a slipping hazard.
Consider safe ways of using the spray bottle and clean water in your air moisturizing quest. Use it lightly.
- Spray the top layer of the bed linen on your bed. You can add a few drops of essential oils to your bottle and spray your bedding lightly to avoid stains.
- Lightly spray decorative cushions.
- Spray curtains.
- Hung up and spray rugs and blankets.
Remember to spray away from the electric plugs and electric equipment.
Use open containers to humidify your home
6. Place containers filled with water close to the heat radiator
The air in our homes gets very dry during the winter season, especially when the heating is on. To solve this problem, you can place open containers filled with clean water close to the heat radiators. Hot air will cause the water to evaporate and humidify your home quickly. You can use any open containers, like bowls, pots, and jars. Make sure that containers are heat-resistant and placed at a safe distance from the heaters. Refill containers with clean water as often as needed.
7. Use ceramic radiator humidifiers
Many of us remember seeing ceramic humidifiers hanging on our parent’s or grandparents’ radiators. Later we saw humidifiers disappear when they suddenly went out of fashion. Now, they are making a comeback. You can choose from a large array of good old-fashioned classic ceramic shapes or opt for modern designer looks. Ceramic humidifiers are a simple and effective way to humidify and decorate your home.
The ceramic humidifier can also help you reap the benefits of aromatherapy. Just put a few drops of your favourite essential oil in the water. Enjoy a relaxing and pleasant scent.
8. Fill containers with clean water
You can use a similar trick during the summer season when the air gets dry. Fill containers with clean water and place them strategically in your rooms. Sunny spaces, like window seals, are ideal to place your homemade humidifiers. You can use glass bowls, wine glasses, vases, glass candle holders, or decorative jars.
9. Decorate your home with vases
Do you like fresh flowers? Vases with or without flowers, filled with water will do well as humidifiers.
Humidify your home with plants and electric diffusers
Humidify your home and create a relaxing space at the same time with little effort.
10. Water and spray plants
Do you have any green plants at home? Water them sufficiently, and if needed, spray frequently. Some indoor plants can help humidify your home, while others can reduce air moisture.
What houseplants help increase humidity?
- Dracaena
- Bamboo Palm
- Areca Palm
- Philodendron
- Monstera
What houseplants absorb humidity?
- Peace lily
- English ivy
- Boston fern
- Palms
- Cactus
11. Get an essential oil diffuser
Electric essential oil diffusers generate mist infused with the scent of your choice. You can use them with or without adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil. Diffusers come in many shapes and sizes, as well as capacity and running time. So, you can hand-pick them based on your specific needs. Use an essential oil diffuser to humidify your home and set a relaxing space.
12. Utilise an electric humidifier
Electric humidifiers, similar to essential oil diffusers, create the mist from cold water. They usually have a larger capacity and can run longer than oil diffusers. If you want to introduce moisture to the air effectively and in a short time, they may be the best option. Some humidifiers can work with essential oils too.
Make use of kitchen appliances and fixtures to humidify your home
13. Fill up the kitchen sink with hot water
Filling up your kitchen sink with hot water will help to release moisture quickly. To do that, close the drain, fill up the sink with hot water, and let the water evaporate. This trick will work especially well if you have an open kitchen plan and want to humidify a large living space in your home.
14. Leave the dishwasher door open
Leave the dishwasher door open after the appliance finishes its job. Hot steam will increase the air humidity quickly and effectively.
15. Use the stove instead of the oven
It’s a good idea to use the stove instead of the oven on days when the air in your home is especially dry. The oven generates more heat than the stove and contributes to lowering the humidity level in your home even further. If you still need to use the oven, fill up the heat-resistant container with cool water and place it in the oven, leaving the oven door open. Cool water will absorb most of the heat and release moisture into the air.
Open up spaces to help distribute the moisture
16. Leave the bathroom door open
After having a bath or a shower, leave the bathroom door open. This will help to distribute the moisture and humidify the rest of your home. Bathrooms are often more humid than the rest of your home, so you can leave the bathroom door open to allow better moist air circulation.
17. Leave water in the bathtub
If you have a bathtub and have just finished the relaxing bath, you can leave water in and let it evaporate. Leave the bathroom door open to help the moist air circulate. If you have small children or pets, this might not be the best idea – try other ways to humidify your home then.
18. Hang up a damp towel on the bathroom door
Why hanging up a damp towel on the bathroom door to dry is a good idea? It can help water to evaporate quickly as the warm air concentrates higher up in rooms. You can also hang up a damp towel to dry in a different (drier) room than the bathroom – to raise the humidity level in that area.
Turn off electronics emitting the heat
19. Turn the heaters down
Turning the heaters down can help you preserve the moisture in the air. If you’re feeling too cold and don’t want to do it during the daytime, try decreasing the temperature for the nighttime or when you’re away.
20. Turn off any unused sources of heat
Try also turning off any unused sources of heat, for example, laptops, desktop computers, TV sets, and other similar appliances. Do not keep the oven and stove heating on when you don’t need it.
21. Mop the floors
An easy way to release some moisture in the air is to mop the floors. Be cautious of the slipping hazard.
How do you humidify the air in your home? Share your tips in the comment below.