Let's add some moisture to the air!

When winter hits, do you regret turning your heat on because it's so drying you get chapped lips, and itchy dry skin?! This blog will be a little different, I won't be discussing medicines or illnesses, but ways to add moisture back into the air of your house/apartment.  Dry heat is awful, and my apartment heating system is the worst! I always have very chapped lips and dry itchy skin.  My eczema doesn't help matters, but I was sick of freezing my buns off to avoid using the heat.  Humidifiers are obviously the best way to add moisture, but they're so expensive and since I don't have the extra cash, I did some research into ways I could save myself some money.  Here are some helpful tips to add moisture back to the air, naturally!

Fill a crock pot with water, and keep on, with the lid off, for the day!  To add something fun, I add spices to make it a potpourri as well.  I sometimes add nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla.  Also orange or apple peels.  It doubles as adding moisture to your house and makes it smell good!! :)  You can also do this with a pot on the stove, but the water tends to boil away real fast. 

When it's real dry, I'll put bowls around the house, and boil water and fill them up.  The steam makes the water evaporate faster and get the air nice a humid.  Some people use clear bowls, and buy candles or decorative flowers to make them more appealing to guests. 

If you wide enough radiators or base boards, you can always place a bowl or pot of water on top, so when the water heats up, the water will evaporate into the air. Water doesn't need to be boiled to evaporate!

Drying your clothes indoors can help.  Hang wet clothes or towels, especially some items that can't be dried, around your house!  Hang them on coat hangers on doorways, shower curtain rods, or on the back of chairs.  If you'd like, dry all your clothes this way and save money on electricity by not using the dryer.

Houseplants are an excellent way to fight dry heat!  Plants naturally add moisture to the air themselves, so keeping them well watered will especially help.  The more plants you have, the more moisture! So buy some nice greens! :)

When you cook on the stove, leave the lids off! 

Leave a pot full of water on the stove (burners off), while baking something in the oven.  The top of the oven tends to warm up enough to heat the pot.

Take a shower with the door open! Not only will this help spread the moisture through the house, but it can also help prevent mold and mildew.

If you own, or ever wanted to own, a fish tank, that is an excellent and decorative way to beat the dry heat!

When it rains, leave the windows open a crack.

Open your dishwasher to dry dishes. The steam from the dishwasher will be released into the air improving the percentage of humidity in your house

It's always important to monitor the level of moisture you're putting into the air.  Too much can cause mold and mildew to form.  It's best to not try ALL of these methods at once, but maybe one or two, so you can balance the levels evenly.