10 Easy Ways To Raise Indoor Humidity

From skiing to curling up by the fire and enjoying some hot coffee, the winter season is the ideal time to get cozy and enjoy. However, not everyone finds this season of cold enjoyable mainly because of the low humidity levels that come along. With this humidity imbalance comes a number of problems that can affect one's health, home, and comfort.

Ideally, the indoor humidity level during winter should be around 45 percent, suggests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, in winters, humidity often drops substantially, to 15% or less. Such a low level of humidity can damage your skin, eyes, and even respiratory tract.

We’ve taken the time to discuss the matter with professional HVAC technicians and jot down 10 easy tips for increasing the humidity within your home and living comfortably! Let’s get started.

1) Keep Indoor Plants

Houseplants are not only an excellent way to uplift your indoor aesthetics, but they are effective natural humidifiers too. They help moisten the air through a process called transpiration. Plants absorb moisture through the roots and circulate it through the stems to the leaves. As a result, moisture is released into the air through the leaves.

Ready to work on your green thumb? Look for beautiful spider plants and jade plants!

2) Use Drying Racks For Your Laundry

Cracked or flaky skin is common during winters, due to the dryness caused by low humidity levels.

Next time you find your skin feeling a little flaky, ditch your dryer for doing laundry and use a drying rack to hang your laundry in the living area of your house instead. As your clothes dry, the moisture from them will evaporate into the air, helping you raise the room's humidity levels. It will take a little longer for your clothes to dry, but you can save some bucks on your energy bills too!

3) Try Open Shower

If privacy is not a problem for you, we recommend keeping your bathroom door open while showering. All that steam from your hot shower will flow throughout your house and add moisture to the air.

4) Leave The Bath Tub/Kitchen Sink Full

Stop draining hot water from your bathtub or your kitchen sink after using them and leave the water to cool. As it cools, some water will evaporate into the air, adding moisture to the indoor air. This is a quick, hassle-free, and affordable hack to keep your home's humidity levels in control.

However, please avoid leaving bathwater unattended if you have small children in your home.

5) Install A Humidifier

Investing in a room humidifier would be your best bet against low humidity levels. It is one of the most effective ways to raise the humidity in an indoor environment. They add moisture to the air and help you effectively avoid dryness of the skin, nose, throat, and lips. Humidifiers come in all shapes and sizes, with different ranges, depending on the area that needs to be covered. They are relatively affordable, starting from $30, enough to humidify a small room. However, there are several commercial-grade humidifiers available in the market too, best suitable for large facilities.

6) Cook Without Lids

Cooking is a significant source of moisture, especially when you are boiling water. Give your microwave a rest and switch to stove cooking instead. While cooking, we recommend avoiding covering the pots with lids to allow the steam to escape and enter the air.

7) Use Indoor Fountains

Indoor fountains are great for soothing your senses, but did you know there is more to it? If placed near a heat source or under direct sunlight, they promote the evaporation process and help to humidify your room.

8) Place Water Containers Near Heat Sources

Use containers such as jars, plates, or cups to add water and place them near heat sources. This simple technique can help to add some moisture to the air by promoting moisture to evaporate.

9) Leave The Dishwasher Open

Dishwashers use energy to dry dishes after it is done washing them. Avoid using the drying option and open the dishwasher door to let your dishes air-dry instead. This will save you a significant amount of energy and add much-needed moisture to the air.

10) Talk To Experts

We recommend talking to an HVAC expert to discuss your low humidity issue and seek his/her advice to find a more long-term solution to balance the humidity at your home or commercial facility. We, at ProServices Supply, are always here to help homeowners and facility managers to find the right solutions for the best air quality. Contact us today at (877) 776 - 8228!