At the height of the heating season, radiators and heaters dry out 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. Purchasing a humidifier is a simple solution to the problem. But what if you don’t want to spend money on expensive home appliances? How to humidify a room at home in winter? Below are inexpensive but effective methods. The advantages of industrial devices in comparison with home-made ones are explained.
What is the norm?
The correct humidity range for humans is 40-60%. If there are children or adults with SARS 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. Hecalled a hygrometer. It has 2 disadvantages: high cost and calibration before first use. But there are no analogues of 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 plain water into a transparent glass glass and put it in the refrigerator. The temperature of the liquid should drop to 3-5 degrees. Then take out the glass and put it away from heat sources. After the glass has fogged up, you need to find out how long it took for it to dry. The air is devoid of moisture when the walls of the glass dry in less than 6 minutes.
Let's look at why it is important to humidify the air.
Dryness
The heating period is delayed up to 7 months. During the season, the humidity in the houses drops to the limits of 20-30%. If you listen to your body, an adult will notice the following symptoms: dry skin, poor sleep, occasional nasal congestion, sore throat and unreasonable thirst.
Children, especially babies under one year old, have it worse. Dry air dries out 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 uncomfortable. Such situations end with treatment with harmful drugs, where banal air humidification could help.
Bacteria and viruses
In the modern world, people are still sure that frequent illnesses in winter are associated withhypothermia after being in the cold. The risk of SARS from the cold is approximately 10 percent. Everything else is viruses and bacteria that enter the body. Air devoid of moisture is a cozy environment for their stay. Overdried mucous membranes lose their defenses and are not an obstacle to the penetration of infections transmitted by airborne droplets. This is the main reason for the frequent occurrence of SARS and influenza.
Allergy
Dry air, in addition to the smallest dust particles, contains hazardous compounds emitted by household chemicals, building materials and furniture. And these are the main causative agents of allergies.
Lack of moisture is the cause of restless sleep, early skin aging, deterioration of nails and hair. Dry air has a bad effect not only on humans. Due to the lack of moisture, indoor plants wither, stop growing and tying inflorescences. Wooden furniture, floors, windows and doors dry out and crack. Musical instruments are especially susceptible to this.
How to humidify a room without a humidifier? Let's 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 into the house, it is recommended to wipe the mosquito nets with a wet rag more often. In winter, it is better not to abuse this method. In the cold, water practically does not dissolve. From the street, the air, devoid of liquid, gets inside, and the humidity drops. You can ventilate in winter for no more than 5 minutes and not every day, to circulate fresh air.
Regulated heatingappliances
This method is not directly related to how to humidify a room in winter. But without it, it will not be possible to achieve results by folk methods. It is best to do this when a major renovation is underway or housing is being built. Namely, install regulators on all heating radiators to change the temperature in the house as the weather outside changes. If not, then you need to somehow close the heaters. Use heat insulators or towels. Under such conditions, the need for an open window will disappear.
Cleaning
Another way to moisturize a room is to clean it daily. Mopping the floors helps to deal with the dust in the air for a while. Not everyone has 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. In this case, do not use household chemicals and sprays. 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 microclimate of the room. Vapors coming from its surface will saturate the air with water particles. The degree of humidity 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. Work from a network and consume a little electric power. The overflowing water evaporates, while its murmur has a beneficial effect on the nervoussystem. It is only necessary to periodically add water to a special compartment.
Indoor plants
In search of an answer to the question of how to humidify a room, many do not know that almost everyone has "helpers" in this matter. House plants normalize indoor air parameters, ionize it, release phytoncides and destroy bacteria. If the leaves begin to turn pale and dry, this is a signal that the level of water vapor in the room is low.
How to humidify the air in a room at home using greens? When filling the flower collection, preference should be given to tropical plants. They release more moisture. This is an orchid, fern, hibiscus, ficus.
Bathroom
How to humidify a room at home? Residents of comfortable apartments can use the following method at any time.
After every shower you need to open the bathroom doors. The accumulated moisture will be distributed throughout the apartment.
Boiling water
Another option on how to humidify a room without a humidifier is boiled water. Leave the kettle or pot of water to simmer with the lid open.
And if you add a few drops of aromatic oil there, then along with moisture, the air will be filled with a pleasant smell.
Drying clothes
Another answer to the question of how to humidify a room isit is during washing to set the spin on a small number of revolutions so that the laundry is damp. And then you need to hang it around the house.
Homemade Humidifier
Cut a long strip 3-5 centimeters wide 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 in a horizontal position to the heating pipe. Wrap the fabric around the battery, and lower one of the ends into the bottle. Due to constant evaporation, the humidity in the room will be maintained within normal limits. But this is far from the only way.
Water containers
There is an effective method showing how to humidify a room without a humidifier in winter. Need to 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 lower decorative stones, shells, artificial flowers in a container, you will get a beautiful decoration for an apartment. The disadvantage is that when exposed to sunlight, the water will begin to bloom quickly. This means that you will need to wash the vessels often.
Atomizer
During the day, spray water from a spray bottle on curtains and houseplants. Gradually drying, moisture will flow into the air.
How to humidify the air in a child's room?
With the advent of the baby in the house, parents must take care of creating the right conditions. The nursery should have a thermometer to measure the temperature, a hygrometer andhumidifier unit. And you can't save on the latter. Because all the tricks of how to humidify a room at home are not effective enough in comparison with special devices.
The right humidifier will help your baby feel better during a cold:
- makes breathing easier;
- thinns phlegm;
- reduces body temperature.
Yes, and for a he althy child, it is of great benefit. In pursuit of how to humidify the air in a room in winter, it is not necessary to purchase the most expensive device. The market is represented by a huge range of spraying devices, where everyone can choose a unit based on their financial capabilities and needs. You just need to know how to choose it.
Steam humidifier
It works on the principle of hot water evaporation. Steam entering the environment is sterile. Can 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 will automatically turn off.
Compared with other appliances, the performance of the steam humidifier is higher. It evaporates up to 600 milliliters of water in 1 hour. Easy to operate and does not require filter replacement. You need to add water and wash with ordinary household chemicals.
Among the shortcomings - high performance is achieved through high power consumption. And if the device does not have a built-in hygrometer, then you need to constantly monitor it and on timedisable. Otherwise, the room climate will become tropical.
Ultrasonic
In an ultrasonic device, the vibration of the built-in membrane breaks the water into small particles and atomizes them. This type of humidifier is considered the most popular and suitable for living spaces. 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 these are additional costs. And in comparison with the steam, the total cost of this unit is significant.
Traditional
The essence of a traditional humidifier is cold evaporation. Water, passing with the help of a fan to the built-in cartridge, breaks into splashes and saturates the air with moisture.
The maximum indicator when measured will not exceed 60%. Such a device is not suitable for a greenhouse or greenhouse, but it will serve perfectly for a living room. It requires minimal maintenance. Add evaporating water and wash the filter once every two weeks. And as it wears out, replace it with a new one. Electricity consumption is low. But the noise during operation can interfere with sleep.
Air wash
This is an analogue of a traditional humidifier, with the difference in the presence of an air filtration system. There are models with built-in ionizers. Care consists in changing the cleaning discs every30 days. The device has a low noise level.
Combined
How to humidify a room if there is no goal to save money? Purchase a combined instrument. In addition to the usual humidification, it purifies the air. Built-in sensors react 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 indicators. Of the minuses is the high cost of the device and its subsequent maintenance.
Conclusion
How to humidify a room - without a humidifier or with it - 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. You can connect your imagination and make a device with your own hands, or just buy a ready-made one. The main thing is that with its help the microclimate in the room will improve, which will positively affect the he alth of all family members.
