When the winter months arrive, they bring cold weather with them. However, it’s not just the cold that gets to you in winter; the dryness in the air also causes issues. So what can you do to protect yourself from this by keeping your home humid during the winter season?
Table of Contents
Here are some tips and tricks you can use to keep a house humid in winter:
- Cook using the stove
- Buy a humidifier
- Dry clothes indoors
- Hot showers and baths
- Vent your dryer inside
- Seal up windows and doors
- Add houseplants
- Spray water
- Lay out containers of water
Keep reading for an in-depth analysis of the best ways to increase the humidity in your home during the winter. I’ll explore some free tricks you can use and some products you can purchase to get the job. By the end of this article, you’ll be ready when winter arrives!
1. Cook Using the Stove
Cooking on your stove is an excellent way of boosting the moisture levels in the air, especially if you are cooking with water. For instance, boiling potatoes or vegetables. You could even boil water to make tea or coffee on the stovetop to the same effect.
As you heat water on the stove, some liquid will evaporate into the air. This inevitably makes the air more humid indoors in your home. Therefore it makes sense to avoid using your oven or ordering in when you’re trying to boost humidity during winter.
Read: Why Is My Humidifier Leaving White Dust?
2. Buy a Humidifier
The easiest way to ensure that your home remains humid during the winter is by investing in a quality humidifier. Humidifiers release water into the air and increase the moisture content. This helps you keep your home warm when it’s cold outside. Maintaining a specific humidity level is also a great way of increasing your energy efficiency.
If it’s really cold outside–like below freezing–you should reduce the humidity levels on your humidifier to boost your energy efficiency.
Check out the Aqua Oasis Cool Mist Humidifier on Amazon.com, as it’s an affordable and practical humidifier ideal for a small room. This 2.2 L (0.48 gal) humidifier disperses water constantly to maintain your ideal humidity levels in your home.
Read: How To Keep Low Humidity In The House?
3. Dry Clothes Indoors
If you do your own laundry at home, avoid hanging your clothes outside during the winter. Also, stop using your dryer to dry clothes. Instead, hang your clothes indoors to dry to maximize the humidity from the damp clothes. This will not only save you money on electricity, but you’ll also increase the humidity levels in your home.
Have a Question? Ask HVAC Technician
Click here to use the chatbox to speak with one of our technicians.
No in-home service calls. No appointments.
D clothes are full of water. If you hang them up on a line or clothes rack indoors, the dry air in your home will pull moisture from the clothes. Since you’ll regularly be washing clothes in the washing machine, this method is excellent for maintaining a good humidity level throughout the winter months.
If you don’t have a lot of space for hanging up wet clothes, hang up items that are thick and retain more water. Towels and denim are ideal as they hold a large amount of water in a small space–the more water in the clothes when you hang them up, the more moisture in the air.
Read: How To Keep House Ventilated In Winter? (10 Tips)
4. Hot Showers and Baths
Another easy way to increase the humidity in your house is to enjoy long hot baths and showers. When showering, keep the bathroom door open to other areas of your home when possible. This will allow the humid air to spread through your home, boosting the humidity levels.
While spending more than a few minutes in the shower may increase your utility bills, you’ll also boost the humidity levels, which could reduce them again. If you’re concerned about energy and water usage, a hot bath is often the best bet.
Especially given that most people spend significantly longer in a week bath than in a hot shower.
Read: How To Keep A House Warm In Winter?
5. Vent Your Dryer Inside
In most buildings, the dryer in your home is vented to an outside area of your property. This is because the dryer vents out a large quantity of water and moisture as it does your clothes. In most cases, you don’t want this air inside your home. However, with suitable filtration, you can use the steam from this vent efficiently.
Instead of allowing that warm moist air to escape into the atmosphere, vent the dryer into an indoor area of your home. This will significantly boost the humidity levels on your property while also pumping warm air inside. The result of this change will be noticeable in hours, and your house will become warmer and easier to keep warm.
Dryer vents do pose risks like fire and spreading potentially harmful bacteria. Therefore, you should consult an expert and invest in the proper safety equipment before venting your dryer indoors in your home.
6. Seal Up Windows and Doors
When the air outside is cold and dry, any gaps, cracks, or open windows will allow the moisture from your home to escape. Therefore you’ll need to ensure that your windows and doors remain shut. On top of this, you can seal along the rim of your windows with duct tape to ensure no moisture escapes.
You can also make use of household items like curtains and door stops to ensure that they remain closed and increase the insulation in your home. However, if you have old-fashioned windows or doors, forming an adequate seal could be challenging.
Therefore, the best way to keep your home humid is by investing in modern windows and doors. Modern windows offer superior insulation to older models. As a result, you can have greater control over the air quality in your home.
7. Add Houseplants
One of the best ways to add style to your home while also increasing the humidity levels is by adding houseplants. Houseplants absorb water and use it to grow and create energy. However, once the plant is finished with the water, over 90% of it is released back into the air!
Therefore, if you water your plants with 1 gallon (4.54 liters) of water per week, at least 0.9 gallons (4.09 liters) will be released into the air.
The more houseplants you add to your home, the more water they will need to live. The water you give to your plants, the more water your plants will release into the air. Therefore, if you want to increase the humidity levels dramatically, add numerous large houseplants that require a lot of water.
The best indoor plants for boosting your humidity levels are succulents. Specifically the jade plant and spider plant. These succulents can release as much as 97% of the water they take in from watering.
House plants also release clean air and improve the atmosphere in the room, not just boost humidity levels.
Read: Can You Use Tap Water In The Humidifier?
8. Spray Water
Another cheap and straightforward way of increasing your indoor humidity levels is by using a spray bottle. Fill the spray bottle with water and squirt small amounts of water throughout your home. You can spray this water on any furniture or surface that won’t get damaged by getting wet.
The water will evaporate in dry air and increase the humidity levels. You can also add essential oils or fragrances to the water to give your home a fresh smell. Spray bottles are available all across the country in most stores and rarely cost more than a few dollars.
9. Lay Out Containers of Water
Last but definitely not least is one of the easiest and cheapest solutions on this list. Leaving out a large bowl or container filled with fresh water. You can place a water container in each room in your home or just in specific areas.
The dry air in your home will absorb moisture from the open water container. Over time you’ll notice the water decrease from the container as the air becomes more humid. Keep the container filled up to control the humidity levels in your home.
Key Takeaways
Keeping your home humid during the winter will shield you from the harshest conditions. Dry air can cause some health issues and hurt your living standards. Luckily you can prevent this in your home by remembering these crucial tricks:
- Use hot water when possible.
- Cook on the stovetop and book water.
- Add houseplants to your home and water regularly.
- Seal the doors and windows and keep them shut.
- Invest in a humidifier.
- Vent your dryer indoors.
- Leave out water in a container.