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4 Creative Ways to Increase the Humidity in your Home

By Laura Miller January 19, 2017
While I count my warm home among my many blessings, running the heat all winter really takes a toll on my skin, and my poor kids cry every time they get zapped by static. We have a humidifier for our bedrooms, but that doesn't help with the humidity in the rest of the house, so I started to think of other ways to make it more comfortable around here.

1. Make stove top potpourri - Place a pot of water on the stove to simmer during the day. Add your favorite scents. You can use essential oils, herbs/spices, and even food to make your house smell great at the same time. Our favorite so far has been about 1/4-1/2 cup of cranberries, 1/2 sliced orange and a tablespoon of cinnamon chips (or one stick). You can also add pine sprigs, cloves, or anything else you enjoy.

2. Let the kids play with a spray bottle - Find a sprayer that makes a super fine mist and let the kids have a little fun. Be sure to explain that water can ruin wood and some upholstery and give them some guidelines. My two-year-old son thinks it's the best game ever for me to spray in his direction while he runs away saying "Ahhhh!" and feigning terror. We get to have some fun and enjoy the benefits of the humidity the rest of the day.

3. Hang your clothes to dry - Save money and increase your humidity by skipping the dryer and letting your clothes hang to dry. Use a drying rack, or toss them over the back of a chair that won't be ruined by the moisture. You can also reduce static from the dryer by stopping it just before clothes are completely dry because over-drying makes static worse. And if you don't care to hang everything to dry, fleece is a good place to start because it dries faster than other fabrics in the dryer and builds static easily.

4. Set a pot to boil for noodles (and forget about it) - Just kidding... don't forget about it like I did today! While the humidity level was much more comfortable, it really slowed down the dinner-making process. However, simply making noodles, soup, rice, etc will put some moisture in the air, so those are great meal choices for days when it's feeling pretty dry.