Clever Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality Without a Humidifier
Whether it makes you feel colder or causes trouble with your immune system, no one likes being in a home with dry air. This is particularly true during the winter months, when all you want is to come home to a warm and cosy environment!
When it comes to fixing dry air indoors, purchasing a humidifier will provide the best solution. Humidifiers work by emitting steam or vapour into the air, increasing the moisture levels (also known as humidity levels). With help from a humidifier, you can successfully improve your indoor air quality in an instant.
However, humidifiers can be expensive. Within this guide, we will take you through 8 clever ways to improve indoor air quality without a humidifier.
Get Some Plants
Did you know that houseplants work as an excellent air purifier? Not only are those green leaves beautiful to look at; they have humidifying benefits, too. A healthy plant uses transpiration to release water vapour through its leaves. If you have a fairly large selection of plants together, there will be enough transpiration going on to give back to your home’s atmosphere. As a result, the air in which the plants live will be full of moisture! For best results, keep your plants well watered (but don’t let them drown!).
Utilise Fans
Humidifiers work by blowing moisture from adsorbed water into the air. To do this, near enough all humidifiers contain a fan. With this in mind, it’s actually pretty simple to create your own DIY humidifier with help from a standard household fan! There are lots of guides online to help you with this, but the main idea is to use a water bottle for storing the water, a sponge for absorption, and your fan for movement.
Boil Water
It’s likely that you’ve noticed surrounding objects covered in moisture whenever you boil something. This is because boiling water creates moisture; exactly what is needed to humidify a room! Although a short-term solution, boiling something will always help to humidify the air around you. Whether you’re making a hot beverage or cooking pasta, take advantage of the moisture it creates!
Steamy Showers
Similarly to boiling water, hot showers also help to humidify your home. While it’s not wise to have a boiling hot shower, having it warm enough to generate steam will be sure to do the trick. For best results, shower with the door open or leave it open as soon as you have finished washing. The moisture from the shower will travel to surrounding areas, resulting in a lovely warm home.
Get An Aquarium
We weren’t joking when we said this guide would be full of clever ways to improve air quality! Believe it or not, an aquarium can help you to win back control over your home’s air humidity. The majority of aquariums (the bigger the better) create a lot of moisture, which eventually evaporates into the air. As the aquarium will always be there, you’ll forever have a stream of water vapour to keep your room’s humidity levels high. And, not to mention, you’ll have a lovely selection of fish to look after!
Use Household Items Differently
When it comes to washing and drying clothes, there are a couple of things that you can do to improve the humidity generated. Firstly, when taking your clothes out of the washing machine, leave the door open so that the moisture can evaporate into the air. This works similarly to the shower method! In terms of drying, try and hang your clothes on an indoor drying rack, if possible. The damp clothes will naturally create moisture – while cutting down on utility bills, too.
The Wire Hanger Trick
There’s another way to cheat the system and create your own source of moisture – it goes by the name of the wire hanger trick. All that you need to do is fill a bowl with hot water, bend a coat hanger, ‘sit’ it in the middle of the bowl, and then cover your creation with a cloth. For best results, make sure that the cloth touches the water slightly. From here, the water will move into the towel, eventually passing through and evaporating into the air. The towel helps to create a larger surface area, meaning more vapour!
Monitor The Results
There’s only one way to ensure that all of the tricks in this guide work, and that’s by monitoring the results. This can be done with either an air quality monitor or hygrometer. Both types of device assess the air’s quality and humidity levels, helping you to work towards your desired goal.
Of course, sometimes a home can have far too much moisture, which can cause more harm than good. If this is the case in your home, consider using a dehumidifier to keep everything under control.
Sources:
- Indoor Air Quality – Duke Occupational & Environmental Safety Office
- Improving Air Quality in Your Home – Colorado State University Extension