You know that winter’s at hand when dry air becomes an issue. The winter season brings with it low humidity as well as a string of problems from worsening allergies, parched nasal membranes, dry skin to nosebleeds and static electricity.
The humidifier fixes these issues by regulating the moisture in your home. On the other hand, room humidifiers tend to attract mold while central humidifiers can be expensive. They can also add up to an already skyrocketing energy bill that usually peaks during the winter months.
Most importantly, you can forego investing in an expensive appliance by resorting to any of the eco-friendly and low-effort alternatives listed below.
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1. Drying Clothes on a Line
If you want to take care of your dry air problem in a simple way, then you should think about drying your clothes on a line. When you dry your clothes the old-fashioned way, it can release a good bit of moisture into the air. Your damp clothes will be able to dry on the line and that moisture is going to help alleviate some of the dryness in the air. This is a very smart way to take care of a dry environment when you don’t have access to a humidifier.
You should be able to buy a clothesline that will work perfectly indoors. Most people choose to dry their clothes outside when they use clotheslines but they can work indoors as well. Simply string up your clothing in a room where there is enough space. It may be a little bit inconvenient if your house is small but it will help out with your humidity.
Laundry is something that you will be doing pretty much all of the time. Laundry is a never-ending battle and you will always have clothes to hang on the line. It may be a bit annoying to have to dry your clothes on the line since it will take longer but you can always use the dryer for your important clothing items and use the line for non-essential ones. Whatever it is that you decide to do, you will be able to use this method to make a difference in your home and get rid of the dry air.
Pros:
You can buy a clothesline to hang indoors at a very low price. It will be easy to get everything set up and you can dry your clothes this way from now on. Drying clothes on a line uses no electricity and it can help to humidify your air. This could be a very smart way to alleviate your dry air problem.
Cons:
Hanging a clothesline in your home is not going to be practical if your environment is small. People who live in apartments and small homes will not want to hang clotheslines indoors when it will inconvenience their lives. Some people don’t do laundry often enough to make this a practical solution either. There are also people who don’t own laundry machines and it is unlikely that they will want to carry wet clothes back from the laundromat to dry them at home.
2. Houseplants
Keeping houseplants is going to be a great idea if you have problems with dryness in your house. Houseplants are going to be able to help to humidify your home in a natural way. The leaves of your plants will wind up having moisture on them. This moisture will evaporate into the air and add some of the humidity that you so desperately need.
The problem with this method is that houseplants don’t necessarily like dry environments. You will need to be especially vigilant about watering your plants if you want them to do well. They may dry out a little more quickly than usual due to your dry air. As long as you stay on top of watering them, everything should be fine.
You will likely want to spread out your houseplants throughout your home. This will help to add some moisture to the air in specific areas. As long as you don’t mind putting in a little work to take care of some plants, this method will work out nicely. Depending on the severity of your dry air problem, you will either be able to solve your issues or make things a little bit better.
Pros:
Taking care of houseplants can actually be very satisfying. They will be a natural way to improve air quality as well as providing the air with a little bit of extra moisture. Placing houseplants throughout the house at specific points will be a good strategy. You can buy houseplants at very reasonable prices so it won’t be a solution that is difficult for you to implement.
Cons:
The houseplants will need to be taken care of very meticulously due to the dry air. You may want to purchase houseplants that are a little harder to compensate for these issues. This method involves taking care of plants and going to a lot of effort. It isn’t the simplest solution but it can be nice if you don’t mind putting in a bit of effort.
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3. Vases Filled with Water
Another smart method that you can make use of is to fill various vases with water. If you set these vases in front of windows that get plenty of sunlight, then the water will evaporate and add moisture to the air. This acts as a sort of natural humidifier that you can set up very easily. If you already have some vases that you can use, then you won’t even have to buy anything at all to make use of this method.
It is recommended to open your curtains up during the day so that the sunlight can hit the vases directly. This will slowly add bits of moisture to the air and your home should feel less dry soon enough. If you want to make sure that this method will work out as easily as possible, then you will want to set up several vases in front of different windows. This can help you to spread out the moisture.
If your home doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, then this method may not be as effective. It is largely dependent on how much sun comes through to evaporate the water. It should work for most people but it isn’t going to be the ideal solution for everyone. Examine how much sunlight is hitting your windows and you will be able to determine if this is going to work out for you or not.
Pros:
This is a very inexpensive method to humidify your home. If you already own some vases, then you won’t even need to go out to buy anything. Setting up vases in front of your windows will be very simple. You’ll be able to get everything set up and can then sit back and enjoy a more comfortable home. Even a few vases that are filled with water can wind up making a difference in a small environment.
Cons:
This method is largely dependent on your windows getting hit with enough sunlight. If you have a particularly shady yard, then you may not get much sunlight at all. Some people live in overcast areas as well and this can prevent the sunlight from being as effective. This is either going to be an excellent way to humidify your home or a faulty one, depending on certain factors.
4. Cooking on the Stove
One of the easiest methods for raising the humidity levels of your home is going to be to cook on the stovetop. If you cook on your stove regularly, then you likely are already adding a significant amount of moisture to the air. Cooking things such as pasta on the stove will add moisture to the air very easily. People who cook at home often will like this method since it won’t involve them doing anything out of the ordinary.
If you make an effort to cook a few things on top of your stove every day, then you will add a lot of humidity to your house. If your house is somewhat small or medium-sized, then this solution may work nicely to help you avoid needing a humidifier. This is a very practical humidifier alternative that can work well to add moisture to the air. You won’t need to do anything too special and you’ll like how easy it is to implement into your daily schedule.
Pros:
You likely already cook on your stove fairly regularly. If you make an effort to cook things on the stovetop as often as you can, then you will be adding humidity to the environment as easily as possible. People who like to make dishes such as pasta will love this method. It isn’t going to cost you anything because you have to eat anyway.
Cons:
This may not provide enough humidity to make a difference if your house is on the large side. Those who live in apartments or small homes will likely find that this will work wonders. It just isn’t going to work as well when there is more space to cover. Also, you may not want to cook on the stove every single day.
5. Running the Shower
When you need to add a little bit of moisture to the air, running your shower can help you out nicely. If you leave your bathroom door open while you are running the shower, then you will be adding quite a bit of moisture to the air. Some people choose to shower with the door open to help out with humidity problems. This is more convenient for people who live alone or couples but it can still work out nicely.
You don’t have to take a shower yourself to make use of this method, either. It is simple enough to just leave the shower on for several minutes in order to enjoy the benefits of this method. Of course, this is a little wasteful and you won’t want to do this too often. Water isn’t something that you should waste if you don’t have to so some of the other methods on this list may be more practical for you.
Pros:
This method isn’t going to cost you much money and it will allow you to add humidity to the air in a fairly natural way. If you can shower with the bathroom door open, then that is going to be useful. You can eliminate the dryness in the air effectively through this method.
Cons:
Showering with the door open may not be practical for many people. Those who live with many others will not want to do this. Running the shower without anyone actually showering is a good method but it will waste a lot of water. It is up to you to decide how you feel about doing this.
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