Whether you have delicate wooden instruments or dry skin, keeping a room humidified can be tricky in various parts of the world. Not everyone can afford to purchase overpriced humidifying gadgets, so home remedies are more valuable than ever.
Humidifiers are great for humidity, but they are expensive and can be a pain to store and manage. In this article, you’ll learn just how to keep your room humid enough — without the added cost.
What Is Humidity?
Humidity is the measure of the concentration of water molecules in the air. In other words, it’s the amount of water vapor in the air. When there is a high concentration of water vapor in the air, this is said to be “humid.”
Most people are aware that a humidifier provides moisture to the air in your home, but many are not fully aware of what is actually going on. Essentially, a humidifier adds water vapor to the air so that the average concentration of water in the air increases. They typically use heat to evaporate the water, and a fan to disperse the water vapor throughout the room.
Why Should You Control the Humidity of a Room?
When it comes to your home, you probably want it to be as comfortable and conducive to healthy living as possible. Humidity is one way that you can make your living space more healthy and inviting.
Humidifiers are used for two main reasons. The first is to improve the quality of the air in a room, which can help to alleviate congestion and respiratory illnesses. The second reason is to change the air from dry to humid. This makes it easier to breathe and prevents things such as cracks in walls and windows, and furniture from drying out and becoming brittle.
A humidifier is convenient and effective when treating dry air in a room, although it can also be used to improve lung health. Humidifiers are especially useful in the winter when the air becomes dry, but not everyone can afford to buy one. Luckily, you can easily add humidity to a room using something as simple as a bowl of water.
Signs That the Air in Your Room Is Too Dry
Unless you live in a tropical climate such as southern Florida, there’s a good chance that the air becomes dry in your region when temperatures drop during the winter.
It can be difficult to determine whether or not a humidifier is necessary in your home, but some common signs include dry brittle hair, flaky skin, dry nasal passages, stiff clothing, and increased difficulty breathing.
Dry air can also make your throat feel scratchy or irritated, and taking a hot shower might alleviate symptoms temporarily, but increasing the humidity in your home is a better way to alleviate the problem in the long run.
Does a Bowl of Water Help Humidify a Room?
If you’re trying to add humidity to a room, you may have wondered if placing a bowl of water on the radiator or near the window will work. The answer is yes. However, it’s important to place the bowl near the window sill so that more water evaporation can occur.
The bowl will increase humidity in the room, although it doesn’t affect the temperature at all. Water will begin to evaporate into the air within an hour, which occurs faster on a hot day. Alternatively, a bowl placed near the vents will also add moisture to the air.
The effectiveness of a bowl depends mainly on the placement of it and the temperature of the room.
Moreover, when a bowl is placed near a window, its surface area will be exposed to more air, which allows the water molecules to diffuse throughout the entire room more effectively.
How to Humidify a Room With a Bowl of Water
Humidifying a room using a bowl of water is extremely simple. Using the same general principles of a humidifying machine, you’re able to do this at a fraction of the cost.
To begin, you’re going to need a large shallow bowl. Fill the bowl with water, and place it strategically. It’s recommended to put the bowl of water near a heat source so that the water can be vaporized quickly.
The best places to put your bowl of water are in front of a heating vent in your room, near the radiator or heater in your room, or next to the window (with the window closed).
Placing it next to a heating vent will cause the water to evaporate quickly, and will be automatically distributed throughout the room.
If you place it next to a humidifier, it will also evaporate quickly, but you may need a fan to help disperse the water vapor. You’ll run into a similar problem when placing the water bowl next to a window.
Placing the water bowl next to a window will also take longer for the water to evaporate, so this should be your last resort.
For best results, you can place multiple water bowls throughout your home. Just be careful not to allow things to get too humid because mold can develop and wet stains can begin to appear on your walls and ceiling.
Other Alternatives to a Humidifier
Another way to increase the humidity in a room is to add houseplants. Houseplants can increase the humidity in a room by evaporating water from their leaves. For this purpose, it is important to choose a plant with a large leafy surface. For example, a small jade plant will help to enhance the humidity in a large room.
Some other alternatives include hanging your laundry to dry inside the room you wish to humidify, leaving the bathroom door open while showering, and leaving water to boil on the stovetop.
You may also want to read: Does Opening Windows Increase Humidity?
Conclusion
Humidifying the air in your home will help you sleep better, and provide many other benefits. If you are living in a dry climate and don’t already have a humidifier, be sure to use the bowl of water to add humidity to the room.