No-Cost Ways to Humidify Your Home in Winter

What do the Sahara Desert and your home have in common?   They both have a relative humidity of 5 percent in January. 

 The air around us is always looking for water.  If it doesn't come from a pot of water on the stove or a humidifier in the hallway, the atmosphere will pull water out of our bodies, making us walking humidifiers.  

The symptoms of that are well known-- flyaway hair, static shock when you touch something, itchy skin, bloody nose.  

Luckily there are things we can do to increase the humidity and actually save money at the same time.

1. Turn off the "heat dry" feature on your dishwasher.  When dishes are clean, simply open the door, let the steam enter the room and the dishes will air dry super quick.

2. Turn off the fan and open the bathroom door when you shower.  You'll vent the steam into the house and give family members a thrill. 

3. Give the dryer a rest till spring.  Line dry your laundry on racks or line in the basement.  The dryer is one of the biggest electric draws in the home. You'll save money and humidify the air with the damp laundry.  

If you have a clothesline outdoors, go ahead and use it.  Your clothing will freeze board stiff within an hour.  Bring it indoors and it will air dry in moments and humidify the air.

4.  Done boiling the pasta or potatoes?  Don't dump the water just yet.  Let it evaporate into the room.  The longer you leave it the more water will be released into the air and you have a built-in excuse to not wash the pot.


The bottom line, any time you have something wet or damp, don't reach for electricity to dry it, let the winter heat do it for you.  Your appliances will last longer, you'll add years to your clothing, and your skin and wallet will be grateful. 

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