During the cold winter months, the air in your home can get pretty dry. This can lead to itchy eyes, parched throat, chapped lips, and a stuffed nose. The obvious solution is to run a humidifier to increase moisture levels.
But these units run on electricity and can sometimes get very pricey. One clever way of increasing the moisture levels in your house is using a bowl of water. Read on and learn more!
How to humidify a room with a bowl of water
When there’s moisture in the outside air, the heating system can dry the interior air. If you have a radiator heat in your room, you can use a bowl of water to increase the moisture levels in your room.
The heat increases the rate of evaporation and will keep your room cool. But even when you don’t place it near a heat source, the same principle applies. Doing this will only provide moderate humidity. For best results, place the bowl around the perimeter of your room. Leave it for a couple of hours to do the trick.
The effectiveness will depend on the surface area of the water exposed to the air. Just like a humidifier, a bowl of water gives moisture with less effort. On the upside, it requires less physical work than setting up a humidifier.
The science behind using a bowl of water in front of a heater is straightforward. When you turn on the heater, it will pull water from the dish into the air. This method was used before humidifiers were invented. During the summer months, you can place water-filled bowls on window seals.
Do you humidify your room with pure hot or cold water?
Another technique of humidifying your house is boiling water and placing it in large bowls. To make the air more soothing, add a few drops of eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil. The oil will free you from colds and coughs.
This method is more effective when you don’t have children or pets in your house. If you have a baby in your house, you should place the bowl in a place where they won’t be able to crawl or climb. This method works best when you seal any gaps around windows and doors.
To avoid constant refilling, use a large bowl. You have to maintain the moisture levels as too much moisture could damage the walls and furniture.
Benefits of placing a bowl of water in your room
Raising the indoor humidity levels to 30-50% renders airborne viruses ineffective.
This is because the airborne particles are too heavy to float. Also, our bodies rely on water to feel good. During winter, the air can lead to dry skin and chapped lips.
While a hand lotion can help to moisturize your skin, it does not give lasting results. A bowl of water will add moisture into the air preventing your skin from drying out.
If you have a cold, a bowl of water can help to open the airways. It maintains the right humidity levels while soothing the throat. And when the nose is stuffy, the humidity will clear out the excess moisture helping you breathe more freely.
Other than that, the water can protect your household furniture. But the benefits don’t end there. Because a humidifier runs on electricity, a bowl of water will reduce your bills. This makes it an eco-friendly and money-saving alternative.
When the wind chills are brutal outside, the air in the house is the driest.
The heating system creates an imbalance between temperature and relative humidity. So, how can you tell that it’s time to humidify your home? Just place a glass of ice water and give it a few minutes. If you rub the outside side of the glass and there’s no moisture, then should humidify the air.
Should I use hard water or tap water to humidify?
Health experts recommend that you use clean water. Unfiltered water contains a high level of minerals than purified water. When these minerals are dispersed into the air, we can breathe them causing an array of health problems.
Given that we all have access to tap water in our homes this is our go-to option. If you’re a health-conscious person, tap water may not be the best alternative. What’s more, tap water contains bacteria that can trigger mold growth.
To prevent health problems, you should use bottled or distilled water. The main advantage of this water is that it doesn’t contain mineral deposits. Only use tap water if you have a reverse osmosis filter in your home.
While you can use any decorative bowl to humidify your room, a ceramic dish works well on heat sources. If you’re using an old-school radiator, a stainless steel bowl is the best rather than the ceramic counterparts.
Can you use a bowl of water to humidify the baby’s room?
When parents are setting up a baby’s room, they pick every detail with extreme care. If the heating system is robbing the natural moisture in the room, you can use this trick. Since most babies are susceptible to infections, they can fell prey to respiratory problems.
As you use a bowl of water, check the humidity levels every few hours.
Keep an eye on the level of water in your bowl to maintain the right humidity
For optimal results, you should keep tabs on the level of water. If the bowl of water stays stagnant for a week, mold will grow. This means that you have to empty the water every two or three days.
And don’t let the bowl sit for so long without cleaning it. Unlike a humidifier, there’s no way you can regulate the humidity levels when using a bowl. When it rises above 50%, it can encourage mold growth.
To be on the safe side, you should use a hygrometer to monitor the moisture levels in the air. When using this instrument, avoid placing it close to the bowl. Keep it in a central location to sense the overall condition of the room. If you don’t have a hygrometer, check whether there’s some moisture on the seats or bed.
Final Thoughts
Are you looking for a simple solution for wintertime dryness? Well, if you can’t afford a humidifier, you should place a bowl of water in your room to humidify the air naturally.
This prevents itchy eyes, ashy skin, scratchy throat, and chapped lips. In practice, air flows into the room increasing the relative humidity. Depending on the humidity levels in your room, you may have to replace the water a few times a week.
When you use this remedy, you don’t have to worry about the quality of air in your home.
