20 Cost Effective Ways To Humidify A Room
As we move from fall to winter, the air outdoors begins to chill and, as a result, the humidity begins to decline. Many of us turn up our HVAC systems to stay warm and comfy, which just exacerbates the situation. Our heating system raises the temperature but does not add moisture to the air.
As a result, relative humidity levels in our houses fall precipitously throughout the winter. Any moisture in your house, including the moisture that evaporates off your body, is immediately drawn up into the air.
And this fall of humidity levels below 30% causes various problems such as scratchy throat, chapped lips, itchy nose, and many more.
The ideal humidity percentage lies between 30- 50%. Below here, you’ll encounter the issues we’ve just discussed. Excess moisture in your house, on the other hand, can foster the growth of germs, mold, and dust mites. To measure the relative humidity within your home, we recommend obtaining a digital hygrometer.
Now let’s talk about what is the most useful & effective way to add humidity to a room.
A large humidifier can be a game-changer in this case which can quickly increase the moisture in the air and aid in the maintenance of a comfortable level of humidity. However, the expense of purchasing a humidifier, as well as the rise in power bills due to its near-constant running during the driest times, may make it prohibitively expensive for some.
As a result, we’ve taken the effort to add alternative Eco-friendly and cost-effective options to our list of techniques to assist boost the humidity levels in your house. Some of our recommendations will simply necessitate minor changes to your usual home chores! So let’s start with the 20 eco & budget-friendly humidifiers.
20 Budget & Eco-Friendly Humidifiers To Humidify A Room
1. Indoor Air Drying of Clothes on a Drying Rack
Do you usually go for a dryer while doing laundry? Instead, place a drying rack in a room or living space that has to be humidified. As your clothing dries, the moisture in them evaporates into the air, raising the humidity levels.
Drying racks are relatively inexpensive and typically fold up to make them easy to store when not in use. It may take a bit longer than using a dryer, but remember that this natural approach will also save you money on your power bill.
2. Adding Indoor Plants to your Room
Indoor plants, through a process called transpiration, can help bring humidity to your house. Plants take water from the earth via their roots and then circulate it via their stems and leaves. Plants discharge moisture into the air as the water reaches their leaves. Simply remember to water the plants often or the procedure will fail (and the plants will perish!).
3. Leaving the Bathroom Door open while Bathing
Yes, we all like our privacy in the bathroom, but if you need to boost the humidity in your home, it’s a good idea to keep the bathroom door open while you’re in the shower. The moisture from your hot shower’s evaporating water will spread throughout your home.
4. Boiling a pot of water over the stove more often
The microwave is used by the majority of people to heat water or even cook. By doing so, you are foregoing a substantial supply of moisture that works faster than many of the solutions we have described.
Also, we believe your meal will taste considerably better as a result. The same is true for your oven; if food can be cooked on either a stovetop or in an oven, cook it on the stovetop. The oven will further dry up the air, whilst the stovetop will add moisture.
5. Alleviate Yourself with an Indoor Fountain
Indoor water fountains are not only attractive and soothing, but they may help raise the humidity levels in the areas where they are installed. To encourage evaporation, place a fountain in your driest room, near sources of heat or direct sunshine.
6. Using an Atomizer Bottle
It’s an admittedly low-tech approach, but it works. If your residence is very dry, strolling about with an atomizer bottle may be beneficial. Look for atomizer bottles that can dispense a thin mist. One word of caution: don’t overspray, since moist surfaces might promote mold and bacteria development.
7. Place dish full of water on HVAC systems
Try to place dishes full of water on the top of your HVAC systems. The warm air blowing on the bowls will heat the water and cause it to evaporate. And with that, you need to replenish the water in the dishes once a week depending on how dry your room is.
8. Use an Ultrasonic Essential Air Diffuser
An ultrasonic essential oil diffuser may provide a pleasant and soothing scent while also boosting the humidity in the air. It can’t be as effective as a large humidifier but can increase humidity in the air to some extent.
Just be sure you choose a strong diffuser with a high capacity. Smaller models will not be as effective. Our buying guide will assist you in selecting the finest big essential oil diffuser for your house.
9. Leave water in the Tub & Let the heat evaporate
Don’t drain the water immediately after taking your bath. Any residual heat in the bathwater will produce some evaporation and contribute moisture to the air until the water completely cools. If you hand wash dishes, you may also try this in the kitchen sink. We do not advocate leaving bathwater unattended if you have little children.
10. Air dry your Dishes
Dishwashers use a lot of water and extra electricity during the final drying cycle. After the last rinse cycle, open the dishwasher door and let your dishes air-dry instead, which not only saves electricity but also adds much-needed moisture to the air.
11. Replace your Iron with a Steamer
A portable steamer makes it simple to remove wrinkles from garments and drapes while also humidifying the air. These convenient devices are far less expensive than humidifiers, don’t require filters, and heat up in seconds.
12. Use a DIY sponge humidifier
A sponge can be used to humidify a room in addition to washing your car or dishes. To begin, soak the sponge in water for a few minutes. Remove any extra water from the sponge by squeezing it. Cover the sponge with a plastic bag. Puncture a series of small holes in the plastic bag and set it in the room you want to humidify. To achieve the necessary humidity, you may need more than one sponge, depending on the size of the space.
13. Place a Damp towel on Heat vents
A damp towel on a heat vent might also help to increase humidity. Place the towel on a heat vent after soaking it in water. When the towel has dried, soak it in water and place it back on the vent. To quickly increase the humidity, use numerous towels. You can hang damp towels from the blades of your ceiling fan when it is not in use, in addition to placing them over a heat vent.
14. Moisten your Curtains
Another fantastic approach to add moisture to your home is to spray your curtains. Dampen the curtains using a spray bottle. If you don’t have a spray bottle just sprinkle water on it.
The curtains must be exposed to sunlight for this to operate. This will aid in the evaporation of the water in the room.
You may speed things up by opening the windows and allowing the air to flow through the curtains.
15. Place vase of water on Sunny Windowsills
Have a big window sill but no floor HVAC systems? Place vases filled with water on large windowsills that get a lot of sunlight for the entire day. The water will heat up and evaporate over time and will add up to the humidity level of your room.
16. Group your Humid loving plants
Humidity is released into the environment by tropical plants. By putting your humidity-loving plants together, they may support each other by increasing the humidity in the surrounding area. As a style suggestion, arrange plants with a similar shade and design together so they don’t clash.
17. Recycle your Electric candle warmers
You can definitely recycle an electric candle warmer & use it as a humidifier. Just place a glass vase or cup filled with water on top of an electric candle warmer.
Fill the top receptacle of the candle warmer with water & be careful not to let either dry out or they may shatter or split.
18. Alleviate the doors, windows, and exterior siding
During the winter season, the unfit doors & windows leak out heat & moisture. As a result, energy bills rise and the living atmosphere becomes less pleasant. So, to minimize this loss of heat and moisture & to keep the humidity intact in the room the doors, windows should be alleviated. If you are short by budget then you can also do exterior siding to keep the moist air inside your room.
19. Reuse a Crockpot as a Humidifier
Crock-pots make wonderful humidifiers. Simply fill the pot three-quarters of the way with water, cover, and heat on high. Allow it to warm up before transferring it to whatever room requires moisture. Allow the steam to fill the air as you remove the lid.
20. Place an Aquarium in your room
Water evaporation is a natural component of an aquarium or fish tank’s life cycle, and it can assist to passively raising the humidity in the surrounding air. As an added benefit, fish tanks and aquariums may be readily decorated to improve the overall appearance of your house, particularly if you’re looking for feng shui vibes.
To conclude there are numerous eco and budget-friendly and even free ways to boost the humidity in your house to far more pleasant levels.
A big humidifier, on the other hand, will be the most effective approach to add moisture to dry air and maintain an optimal level of humidity within your home.
Whatever technique you pick, we’re confident that these tips will make being home throughout the winter more comfortable.
FAQS:
What happens when humidity increases?
When the air contains high moisture content, like in humid weather, perspiration cannot escape, making our bodies hot and sticky. This causes profuse sweating, increased blood circulation rate and depth, and increased respiration.
What is the ideal level of humidity?
Humidity is the amount of moisture vapor floating in the air around you. According to reports, the optimal relative humidity for health and comfort is between 30 and 50 percent humidity. This indicates that the air contains between 30 and 50 percent of its full moisture capacity.
Why does excess humidity grow mold?
Condensation can occur when warm, humid air comes into contact with a surface that is colder than the surrounding air. Mold may grow when moisture collects on porous surfaces. That is why maintaining a low relative humidity within your structure is critical for mold and mildew prevention.
What percentage of humidity kills mold?
To destroy mold, the humidity level should be kept below 50%, preferably around 35%. If you have mold in your basement, having a contractor construct vapor barriers around the outside of the house’s foundation is usually the best long-term solution.
Conclusion
So that’s how to humidify a room without having to spend a penny. In this article, we have discussed the 20 best humidifier alternatives that can help you to fight dry air. If your house is too big for these free alternatives of humidifiers, consider getting a whole house humidifier.