Nobody likes breathing in dry air all day long in the house. It is for this reason that manufacturers created humidifiers to get some moisture into the air. This makes it a bit more comfortable for you to breathe, and it is better for your respiration.
Industrial humidifiers can be rather expensive, and they take up a considerable amount of power. So if you have a small house and want it humidified, you can do it without incurring the expenses. This is how you can go about it;
How to Humidify a Room with a Bowl of Water
You can use water’s natural evaporation rate to humidify a room. Although it is slow, water evaporates at room temperature, and the vapor will remain in your room. You can place several bowls of water strategically around a room to make the vapor distribution equal.
If you have a radiator, you could put the bowl on top of it, so the heat increases the evaporation process. You could put the bowl in front of a fan to spread the moisture throughout the room.
Other Ways To Add Humidity To Your Home
Having dry air in your house can be pretty frustrating. You will feel like your skin is itchy, and the room will be very uncomfortable. When the dryness is extreme, you could even feel some pain in your nostrils as you breathe.
It would help if you avoided this unpleasantness at all costs by adding some humidity to your home.
You could buy a humidifier and use it to change the humidity levels. The problem is that they might be expensive or hard to install.
Even if you don’t have a humidifier, you can control the humidity level in your house. Here are some simple ways you can do this to make your house more comfortable.
- You can use the shower to add some humidity. Leave the bathroom door open for free air movement, then turn the shower heater on and let the water run for five or so minutes until you feel like it is at the level you want it to be.
This is a method that will produce a lot of humidity fast. You will notice the mirrors getting foggy within a few minutes. The humidity will pass out of the bathroom and go into the nearby rooms, making them humid.
- You could also boil water in your house and achieve the same results. Get the water in a kettle or an open pot to make it evaporate. The steam from the water will spread throughout the house and add some humidity.
- You could also have some plants in your home to help with humidity. Plants produce oxygen, and they can also be a big help in humidifying the house. Some plants work better than others, but in general, almost all plants work.
You need to be careful with the plants since they take in oxygen at night. Ensure the room is well ventilated, so both you and the plants get enough oxygen; otherwise, you will suffocate. Succulent plants like cacti will work best for this since they release more water.
- Placing open containers with water next to windows. The sun will increase the rate of evaporation when it heats the water. As air comes into the room, it will carry the moisture and spread it around the room.
This is a similar concept to placing bowls over air vents. The air forces the moisture up, and it will get distributed more evenly across the room. This will prevent dampness in some areas while others remain dry.
What Are The Benefits Of Humidification?
Before you decide to add humidifying bowls to your home, you need to look at all the benefits and problems that come with it. The correct level of humidification has numerous benefits for your health as listed below;
One of the benefits is that it reduces the chances of getting a nosebleed. Nosebleeds occur due to the pressure difference between the interior of your body and the environment, which causes blood vessels to rupture.
High humidity increases the environmental pressure, so it is closer to the internal pressure of your body.
This will ensure you don’t get nosebleed as much as you would in an area with little humidity. High humidity is also good for your skin and hair development.
A lot of research suggests that humid air is good for your body, especially in the cold seasons. With the correct application, humidity could be the key to remaining healthy even as the weather changes.
When temperatures go low, it is a good idea to get the house humid. During this season, many people get a cough, and you can avoid this by staying in humid houses. Staying in a humid environment will also help you fight the cough faster.
It is scientifically proven that dry air is prone to transmitting infections more than humid air. Infection rates in most hospitals are high because the air in the building is kept dry. This also explains why people get sicker during winter than in summer.
Microbes in the air can survive in dry air, and they cause bacterial infections. Even if you wash your hands, they could get re-contaminated through the dry air. In addition to this, dry air is bad for immune barriers that protect us from infections.
So you are safer from airborne infections in areas with a lot of humidity. The best level of humidity for indoor air is between 40% and 60% relative humidity. You can use a hygrometer to check the humidity level in your house.
Whether you use plants, a humidifier, or any other improvisation, humidity is good for you at the proper levels.
It could be a problem if it becomes too much; thus, you have to control it. Also, make sure that the humidity is evenly distributed around your house.
Harmful Effects Of Humidity
Each year, the monsoon comes in, and it increases the humidity levels to insane highs. Even if it is not natural, you could have a humidifier in your house, and you get too much moisture. Let us break it down and see how this affects the human body;
One of the biggest concerns with high humidity is the heat that comes with it. This is why most coastal areas are hot; their air has a lot of evaporated water, making them highly humid. You will get sweaty and still feel hot.
Sweat is supposed to cool you off as it evaporates off your body. However, this is not the case with high humidity.
There is more humidity in the air which means that the concentration gradient doesn’t allow for evaporation.
So the body will keep producing sweat that will stay on the skin with a minimal cooling effect. This will make you very uncomfortable and in need of a long shower at the end of the day.
This can cause dehydration since the body will sweat more and more in an attempt to cool off. After some time, you will begin to notice this effect on your skin and general body performance unless you drink enough water.
This effect can cause heat stroke when you are doing vigorous tasks. This is a problem that will be clearest in players taking part in field games or athletics.
Apart from sweating, humidity also affects respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies. It even increases the intensity of arthritis. Patients with these conditions often claim to “feel” a storm coming, and there is some truth to it.
The pressure changes that bring about an increase in humidity also affect your body directly. They, therefore, make some pain worse than it would be in a dry atmosphere; thus, respiratory conditions are more severe when it’s humid.
Humidity is also a problem for your house and AC. Having a lot of moisture in the air will make small temperature changes seem more significant, and it will mess with your AC.
Even your hair gets ruined by too much moisture, so it is not always your friend. In a humid environment, your hair will get frizzy, and it will need more hairspray and time to make it.
Conclusion
You can use a bowl of water to humidify a dry room. You should place the bowl near the window or over an air vent where air passes at high speed.
This will allow the air currents to carry the moisture into the room and give a balanced environment.
You could also use some equipment you will find in your house to increase the moisture levels. You could use the heated shower, a kettle, or have plants inside the house. All these will work, but you could always get humidifiers to have complete control.
Humidity is good for you if you have it in the right amount. It will reduce the spread of infections, and it would make the environment more comfortable.
Too much humidity will make you sweaty, uncomfortable and it could mess with your respiratory system.
