With the amazingly cold weather around much of the country, people are scrambling to figure out how to keep warm. One thing I've often recommended, but rarely done, is to humidify your air. But facing another year of feeling cold and paying huge bills, I decided to pull out all the stops this year. So I bought two humidifiers.
And guess what?
I haven't changed the numbers on our thermostats, but our house feels a lot more comfortable. It isn't actually warmer, but it feels warmer. And honestly, it's all about how you feel, isn't it?
Keeping your house properly humidified has benefits beyond just being more comfortable. They include:
- less chance of illness, and faster recovery
- less stress on your wood furniture
- reduced snoring
- tighter seals around your doors and windows
So, how do you keep your house well humidified? The most effective way is to use humidifiers. Fill the tank and let the humidifier add water to your air. Some models even let you set specific levels of humidity and will turn on and off automatically.
If you don't want to buy a humidifier, there are other ways to increase the humidity in your house.
- Drying your clothes indoors on a drying rack will add a lot of water to the air.
- If you have radiators, you can put damp washcloths or sponges on the radiators.
- A pot of water on the wood stove is a low-tech solution.
- If you don't have small children, leaving water in the bathtub or sink will add some humidity.
- Cook with water. Boiling pasta, making soup, or steaming vegetables all create a lot of steam.
We have a large house, and just two humidifiers has improved our comfort dramatically. It no longer feels "freezing" inside, even though it is the exact same temperature. I wish that I had taken my own advice sooner.
