At the height of the heating season, radiators and heaters dry the air. And humidity is the main indicator of the microclimate in the house. It is from this parameter that the comfort of being in it will depend. Buying a humidifier is a simple solution to the problem. But what if you do not want to spend money on expensive home appliances? How to moisten a room at home in the winter? The following describes inexpensive but effective tricks. The advantages of industrial devices in comparison with homemade ones are explained.
What is the norm?
The correct humidity range for humans is 40-60%. If there are children or adults with ARVI in the room, the limit should be 50-70%. There are 2 ways to understand the humidity of a particular room:
- Purchase a special device. It is called a hygrometer. It has 2 drawbacks: high cost and calibration before first use. But there are no analogues to a hygrometer. Therefore, the device is necessary for everyone who monitors the "weather in the house."
- There is a folk method that does not require any costs. Pour ordinary water into a transparent glass glass and put in the refrigerator. The temperature of the liquid should drop to 3-5 degrees. Then take out the glass and place it away from heat sources. After the glass has fogged up, you need to find out what time it took for it to dry. The air is devoid of moisture when the walls of the glass dry in less than 6 minutes.
Below we consider why it is important to humidify the air.
Dryness
The heating period is delayed up to 7 months. During the season, air humidity in homes drops to the limits of 20-30%. If you listen to your body, an adult will notice such symptoms: dry skin, poor sleep, periodic nasal congestion, sore throat and causeless thirst.
Children, especially infants under one year old, have worse. Dry air overdries delicate skin, causing discomfort. The situation is exacerbated by the appearance of dermatitis. The mucous membranes of the baby dry out, clots and crusts form in the nose and nasopharynx. This makes breathing difficult and inconvenient. Similar situations end with treatment with harmful drugs, where banal humidification could help.
Bacteria and viruses
In the modern world, people are still confident that frequent illnesses in the winter are associated with hypothermia after being in the cold. The risk of ARVI from a cold is approximately 10 percent. Everything else is viruses and bacteria that enter the body. Moisture-free air is a comfortable environment for their stay. Over-dried mucous membranes lose their protective forces and are not an obstacle to the penetration of infections transmitted by airborne droplets. This is the main reason for the frequent occurrence of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza.
Allergy
Dry air, in addition to the smallest particles of dust, contains hazardous compounds released by household chemicals, building materials and furniture. And these are the main pathogens of allergies.
Insufficient humidity is the cause of restless sleep, early skin aging, and deterioration of the condition of nails and hair. Dry air affects not only a person. Due to the lack of moisture, indoor plants wither, cease to grow and tie inflorescences. Wooden furniture, floors, windows and doors dry out and crack. Musical instruments are particularly prone to this.
How to moisten a room without a humidifier? Let us consider several ways below.
Ventilation
Once a day, before going to bed, open windows for 15 minutes. And so that dust from the street does not penetrate the house, it is recommended to wipe mosquito nets more often with a wet rag. In winter, this method is better not to abuse. In the cold, water practically does not dissolve. From the street, air devoid of liquid enters, and humidity drops. You can ventilate in the winter for no more than 5 minutes and not every day, for the circulation of fresh air.
Adjustable heaters
This method is not directly related to how to moisten a room in winter. But without it, it will not be possible to achieve the result by folk methods. It is best to do this when major repairs or housing is under construction. Namely, set regulators on all heating radiators to change the temperature in the house, as the weather outside the window changes. If this is not the case, then you need to somehow close the heating devices. Use heat insulators or towels. In such conditions, the need for an open window will disappear.
Cleaning
Another way to moisten a room is through daily cleaning. Washing floors helps temporarily cope with dust in the air. Not everyone will have the opportunity to do this every day. But during periods when someone has a cold, wet cleaning should be done regularly. Then the patient will feel better, the risk of infection of other family members will decrease. At the same time, do not use household chemicals and sprayers. Particles of these substances remain in the environment for a long time.
Aquarium
Buying an aquarium is a great option not only to decorate the house, but also to improve the indoor climate. Vapors coming from its surface will saturate the air with particles of water. The degree of hydration depends on the size of the aquarium and the area of the room.
You can install a decorative fountain. They come in different shapes and sizes. They operate from the network and consume little electricity. The iridescent water evaporates, while its murmur has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. It is only necessary to periodically add water to a special compartment.
Houseplants
In search of an answer to the question of how to moisten a room, many do not know that practically everyone has “helpers” in this matter. Home plants normalize the air in the room, ionize it, release volatile and destroy bacteria. If the leaves begin to turn pale and dry, this is a signal that the room has a low level of water vapor.
How to humidify the air in a room at home using greens? When filling the flower collection, tropical plants should be preferred. They emit more moisture. This is an orchid, fern, hibiscus, ficus.
Bathroom
How to moisten a room at home? Residents of comfortable apartments can use the following method at any time.
After each shower, you need to open the bathroom door. The accumulated moisture will be distributed throughout the apartment.
Boiling water
Another option on how to moisten a room without a humidifier is boiled water. Leave the kettle or pot of water to simmer, opening the lid.
And if you add a few drops of aromatic oil there, then along with moisture, the air will fill with a pleasant smell.
Clothes drying
Another answer to the question of how to moisten a room is to put the spin in a small number of turns during washing so that the laundry is wet. And then you need to hang it around the house.
Homemade Humidifier
Cut a long strip of 3-5 centimeters from the fabric and moisten in water. In a plastic bottle, make a small hole on the side, fill it with liquid and attach it horizontally to the heating pipe. Wrap the cloth around the battery, and lower one of the ends into the bottle. Due to the constant evaporation, the humidity in the room will be kept within normal limits. But this is far from the only way.
Water tanks
There is an effective method showing how to moisten a room without a humidifier in winter. Fill vases, jugs or jars with water.
Place them around the apartment, in places of greatest evaporation: on the windowsill or next to radiators. If you drop decorative stones, shells, artificial flowers in the container, you get a beautiful decoration for the apartment. The disadvantage is that when exposed to sunlight, water will begin to bloom quickly. So, it will be necessary to wash the vessels often.
Atomizer
During the day, spray water from the spray bottle onto the curtains and indoor flowers. Drying gradually, moisture will enter the air.
How to moisten the air in a child’s room?
With the appearance of the baby in the house, parents are obliged to take care of creating the right conditions. In the nursery there must be a thermometer for measuring temperature, a hygrometer and a unit for humidifying the air. Moreover, the latter can not be saved. Because all the methods of how to moisten a room at home are not effective enough in comparison with special devices.
A properly selected moisturizer will help the baby feel better during a cold:
- facilitates breathing;
- liquefies sputum;
- lowers body temperature.
And for a healthy child, he is of great benefit. In pursuit of how to humidify the air in the room in winter, it is not necessary to purchase the most expensive device. The market is represented by a huge assortment of spraying devices, where everyone can choose an aggregate taking into account their financial capabilities and needs. You only need to know how to choose it.
Steam humidifier
It works on the principle of evaporation of hot water. Steam entering the environment is sterile. May increase humidity up to 80%. Some models have a steam cooling function for safe use, as well as a built-in hygrometer. When the humidity in the room reaches the set parameters, the device automatically turns off.
In comparison with other devices, the performance of a steam humidifier is higher. It evaporates up to 600 milliliters of water in 1 hour. Easy to operate and does not require filter replacement. It is necessary to add water and wash with conventional household cleaning products.
Among the shortcomings - high performance is achieved through high energy consumption. And if the device does not have a built-in hygrometer, then you must constantly monitor it and turn it off in time. Otherwise, the climate of the room will begin to resemble a tropical one.
Ultrasonic
In an ultrasonic device, the vibration of the integrated membrane breaks the water into small particles and atomizes them. This type of humidifier is considered the most popular and suitable for residential premises. Benefits:
- low power consumption;
- installed hygrometer;
- cold steam;
- cleaning system.
The last point can be attributed not only to positive qualities, but also to negative ones. Throughout the entire period of operation, it is necessary to periodically change the cartridge and filter. And this is an additional cost. And in comparison with steam, the total cost of this unit is significant.
Traditional
The essence of a traditional humidifier is in cold evaporation. Water passing through a fan to the built-in cartridge breaks into splashes and saturates the air with moisture.
The maximum indicator when measuring does not exceed 60%. Such a device will not be suitable for a greenhouse or greenhouse, but it will serve ideally for a living room. Minimal care is required. Add evaporated water and wash the filter once every two weeks. And as it deteriorates, change to a new one. Electricity consumption is low. But noise during work can interfere during sleep.
Air wash
This is an analogue of a traditional humidifier, with a difference in the availability of an air filtration system. There are models with built-in ionizers. Care consists of changing the cleaning discs once every 30 days. The device has a low noise level.
Combined
How to moisten a room if there is no goal to save? Purchase a combination device. In addition to normal hydration, it purifies the air. Built-in sensors respond to cigarette smoke, dust, dryness. The unit is equipped with 4 different filters. The advantages of such a humidifier are high efficiency, durability, practicality, adjustment and a panel that displays all the indicators. Of the minuses - this is the high cost of the device and its subsequent maintenance.
Conclusion
How to moisten a room - without or without a humidifier - everyone decides for himself. There are many ways. But no one will deny the importance and necessity of this procedure.
Some methods are best used in combination with each other. You can connect a fantasy and make a device with your own hands, or just buy a ready-made one. The main thing is that with its help the indoor microclimate will improve, which will positively affect the health of all family members.