Hack a humidifier to fight the dehydration. Twitter user Aaron B suggests soaking a towel with water, wringing it tightly so that it's not dripping, then hanging it over an ironing board in front of your room's vent or heater.
Here's a cool humidity hack: Fill a bowl with water, bend a wire coat hanger in the middle so that it can “sit” over the bowl, and then drape a damp washcloth or hand towel over the hanger so that the towel partially hangs into the water. Water will wick from the bowl up into the towel and then evaporate into the air.
Without having to spend a dime, you can increase your home's humidity by placing a metal or ceramic bowl of water on top of your floor registers or radiant heating unit. The water will evaporate into humid air. On a sunny day, place a bowl or vase filled with water on your windowsills.
An easy way to improve the humidity in an air conditioned room is to place a few bowls of water around the room. The water will gradually evaporate into the air. For faster evaporation, use large, shallow bowls and place them in direct sunlight where they'll warm up quickly, such as a window sill.
Place Bowls of Water on Registers
This is probably the most effective of these humidity-boosting tips. Place metal or ceramic bowls full of water on heat registers or radiators to push humidity into the air. You may be surprised by how much water is released during cold months when the furnace is going full tilt.
Place Metal Bowls Over Your Air Vents
By placing a metal or ceramic bowl of your floor vent, the hot air coming out of your vent is pushing moisture into the air. This is an extremely effective way to make a DIY humidifier and add moisture to the air of your home.
Warm-mist and cool-mist humidifiers are equally effective in humidifying the air. By the time the water vapor reaches your child's lower airways, it's the same temperature regardless of whether it started out warm or cool.
For an effective DIY way to add moisture to the air in your home, turn to your stove. By heating a kettle of water or boiling a pot of water for pasta, you're causing evaporation. As the water evaporates, it turns into vapor and mixes freely with the air in your home.
Step 1: Set the chair near an electric outlet, so it's facing the wall. Step 2: Position the tub by the back of the chair. Step 3: Add water to the tub until it's a few inches full. Step 4: Wet the towel (not so much that it's dripping) and drape it over the back of the chair so that one end is dipped in the water.
High moisture levels in the air can trigger allergies and asthma, as well as promote the growth of mold, bacteria, mildew and dust mites.
Hanging out wet towels or cotton bedsheets is probably one of the best-known methods for cooling down a room without AC. It's as simple as it sounds. Soak the towel or sheet in cold water and wring it out. Hang it up either directly in front of the open window or on a drying rack in the middle of the room.
Lay the cloth over the fan. As it blows the air out, it'll circulate through the cloth and the air will feel cooler. Make sure that the cloth cannot get caught on the fan in any way at all––if this is a possibility, don't use this method. Replace the cloth frequently, as they dry out.
“There are many simple things we can do to ensure it doesn't stop us from getting a good quality night's rest. “Rather than sheets or blankets, use damp towels to keep yourself covered but cool while you sleep.” You could also fall asleep faster by popping your sheets in a freezer before going to bed, said Dr Pixie.
Dry air inside your home is often caused by central heating and poor insulation isn't just a minor inconvenience. It can lead to mild to serious health effects you want to avoid for yourself and for your family.
Boiling water on the stove will instantly release moisture in the air. This is a low-cost way to add warmth and humidity to your home. Instead of heating water in a microwave for tea or hot cocoa, use a kettle on the stove instead.
While it may seem counterintuitive, it is actually helpful to open the windows and remove the stale, dry air from your house. Open windows during the daytime to let the fresh air in. It will help you breathe easy, and your skin won't feel that dry and itchy. Plus, it will also improve your home air quality.
During the winter, if you open the window when the outside air is colder than the air indoors, the cold air will come into contact with the warmer air and the level of humidity will fall automatically.
Ok, so you're ready to give a humidifier a try. But, if you're heading to your bathroom sink to fill up the tank, you may want to reconsider. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both advise against putting tap water in your humidifier.
Adding bowls of water around a room works kind of like a humidifier, but at a slower speed. Place a few bowls of water around the perimeter of the room you want to humidify and leave them there to allow the moisture to evaporate into the air.
On average, a tightly sealed home of 1,500 square feet should require a humidifier output of 3.2 gallons per day. An average home of the same size would need a humidifier output of 5.5 gallons per day, while a loose home would need 7.0 gallons per day.