With the onset of cold weather, people spend most of their time in heated rooms. It is warm and dry here, sometimes even excessively. Optimal humidity level indoors - 40-60%, but with the beginning of the heating season, it drops to a catastrophically low level - 25-30%. Sometimes these numbers can be even lower. Dry air in an apartment is very harmful to human health, household and computer equipment, pets and plants. Many allergic and colds are the consequences of an uncomfortable microclimate in the apartment. Factory humidifiers are expensive, not everyone can afford them. Then the question arises: what to do, how to humidify the air in the room on your own?
Wet cleaning
It seems to many housewives that in winter there is less dust and dirt, they begin to clean less often or give preference to dry types of cleaning. However, this is the wrong approach - wet cleaning will not only get rid of dirt and dust, but will also help to humidify the air in the apartment. Water is distributed in a thin layer over a large area, as a result, the humidity level rises in all rooms.
During wet cleaning, many harmful microbes die (especially if detergents or disinfectants are used along with water), mold spores, and dust mites.
Of the minuses, it can be noted only that it takes quite a lot of time to clean.
Room ventilation
Changing the air in a room is the simplest, most hygienic and time- and effort-free way. However, its efficiency level is also low. Thus, the air in the room is well humidified in rainy, damp weather, while in summer and winter, when it is cold outside, the air is also dry. With regular ventilation, the humidity level rises by several percent, the air in the room is refreshed and ventilated. This is an effective method of combating various bacteria and harmful microorganisms that thrive in a dry microclimate and do not like water.
Water containers for air humidification
A very simple option on how to humidify the air in a room: you can arrange basins or vases of water throughout the apartment. Water will evaporate, and the level of humidity will increase due to this. You can show your imagination and place around the house not just basins of water, but original decorations. For example, decorate an ordinary jar or bottle, place a composition of stones, shells inside, put a small decoration for an aquarium in a container, etc. When using this moisturizing method, remember the following:
- Water must be changed regularly, and the vessel itself must be periodically washed, as dirt accumulates in it. Plaque forms on the walls and at the bottom, sediment accumulates. All this must be removed.
- It is necessary to monitor the water level and top up the liquid in a timely manner, in dry rooms it evaporates into the air very quickly.
- Vessels with water should be placed in such places where they will not be dropped or overturned. You need to be especially careful if there are children or pets in the house.
You can add a few drops of essential oil to vessels with water, and the air in the rooms will become fragrant. To increase the efficiency of this method, you can put water tanks on the battery - then the water will evaporate faster.
Aquarium with water as a humidifier
If there was a desire for a long time, then you can get fish. Water from the aquarium also evaporates, as well as from any other container. At the same time, the air in the rooms is humidified. However, in this case there will be more worries and troubles: regular cleaning, caring for the fish, buying special food, and the necessary equipment is not cheap.On the other hand, watching fish calms the nerves, interacting with the living world has a positive effect on children. However, you need to understand that a small aquarium is unlikely to be able to sufficiently humidify the air in the entire apartment.
Fountain in the apartment
Another variation on the theme of a water container. This is the most effective way to humidify the air. It works according to the following principle: water is poured into a special tank, the device is connected to the network, and the liquid begins to circulate in a circle. Such a fountain moisturizes the air well, makes the indoor climate more favorable and decorates the interior.
There are a huge number of design options for water fountains. You can limit yourself to a desktop model or purchase a larger product. But keep in mind that water constantly gurgles in the fountain. For some, this sound calms, for others, on the contrary, it irritates. In the latter case, buying a fountain will not be the best idea.
Houseplants humidify the air
Indoor plants will help solve the problem of excessively dry air in the room. Water evaporates in this case from several sources: from the ground in a pot after watering, from a pot stand if liquid gets there, and from the leaves of the flowers themselves. Thanks to the home garden, you can constantly maintain the level of humidity at an optimal level. Especially good for this plant with large leaves, such as ficus or philodendron. Cyperus is a champion in water evaporation: through the leaves it can give up to 3 liters of moisture. Also, flowers filter the air well, many saturate it with useful substances and fight harmful microorganisms.
Plants can be used as a home hygrometer: if the air in the apartment becomes too dry, the edges or tips of the leaves begin to dry out.
Of course, there is a lot of trouble with a room greenhouse: you need to take care of it, water it in a timely manner, cut it, replant flowers, fertilize the soil, carry out pest control, and so on. On the other hand, you can choose unpretentious plants, for example, crassula and other succulents that can go without watering for a long time, while they are quite capable of humidifying the air at home. This is a very convenient option for those who are often away from home. Chlorophytum, aloe or pike tail are very undemanding to external conditions, they are able to take root even in the most forgetful owner.
Often at home, drinkers for flowers are used. Water flows out of these tanks in portions, which also contributes to an increase in the level of humidity in the apartment.
Drying laundry indoors
Drying laundry is a great solution to the question of how to humidify the air in an apartment without a humidifier. Moreover, this method does not require additional efforts: all people periodically wash things. They can be dried at home, not outside. A lot of water evaporates from the laundry, so the level of humidity in the apartment will quickly return to normal. To speed up the process, you can hang laundry on batteries. If you add conditioner or use powder with a pleasant smell when washing, then a light pleasant aroma will always be present in the rooms.
Airing the bathroom
The wettest room in any apartment is the bathroom. Here they constantly do something with water: they wash, wash, take a shower, etc. Because of this, the level of humidity in the room is very high and reaches 80-90%. Why not use it for the benefit of the whole apartment? Ventilating the room for 10-15 minutes after taking a bath will prevent mold and mildew in the bathroom and raise the level of humidity in the entire apartment by a few percent. You can also leave the door open while hand washing or washing.
Atomizer for air humidification
An item as simple and cheap as a spray bottle can help solve the problem of excessively dry air. You can just sprinkle a little water into the air - small drops will collect dust and quietly settle on the floor with it. You can also spray water on curtains and tulle. Moisture will evaporate from the fabric gradually, so that a relatively constant level of air humidity will be maintained in the room. However, before using the proposed method, you need to make sure that there are no stains on the curtains from drops and splashes. Otherwise, the products may lose their appearance.
Also, the sprayer is used for spraying plants with water. This procedure will clean the leaves of dust, moisten both them and the air.
Wet towels against dry air
If the laundry is dried in the apartment infrequently, and water stains form on the curtains, then you can do it differently: use wet towels. To do this, they are moistened under a tap, squeezed so that water does not drip, and hung on heating radiators. As it dries, the procedure is repeated. It is better to use terry towels, as they hold more water and will be able to evaporate it into the air longer.
Improvised Humidifier
Running around with towels can quickly get boring, so you can do the following: make a small installation out of improvised materials that will humidify the air. To do this, you will need a plastic bottle, a piece of fabric made from natural materials (cotton, linen) or gauze, a rope knife and water. How to make such a device, step by step:
- A small hole-window is cut out on the side of the bottle.
- The bottle is tied to a radiator or heating pipe.
- One end of gauze or a piece of cloth is lowered into the bottle, the other is wrapped around the pipe.
- Pour water into a bottle.
Everything, improvised humidifier ready. Water will rise through the fabric and quickly evaporate into the air thanks to the heated radiators.
As you can see, there are many ways to humidify the air in the apartment. This can be done regardless of the season, but in winter, when the heating is on, some methods become especially effective. Air humidification does not require much effort or high costs. At the same time, many health problems can be avoided: allergies, rhinitis, dry and flaky skin - all these are the consequences of low indoor air humidity. As a result, the skin and mucous membranes dry out and cannot fully perform their functions. The lack of water is also detrimental to pets, office equipment, many valuable trinkets, books and various household items. So you need to take care of the microclimate in your home, especially since it costs nothing.
