Artificial sources of heat reduce the moisture content in the environment. Dry air is bad for the human body: it reduces immunity, irritates eyes, spoils hair, and accelerates skin ageing.
Young children and people with upper respiratory tract diseases suffer from this most often. They may experience farting and coughing, develop shortness of breath or have difficulty breathing.
How to Know When the Air Is Dry
Hygrometer
They come in mechanical and electronic, and the number of offers is as fantastic as the number of sports events at 22Bet Uganda. Sold in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, there are also compact household models for a small price.
The Folk Way
Take a glass, pour cold water into it and put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Then take it out and put it away from the battery and watch. If after 20-30 minutes, there were traces of misting on the walls, that quickly disappeared – this is a sign of excessive dryness.
If condensate forms in large quantities (even leaking on the walls) – the humidity is high. If there are no of these manifestations, everything is normal.
Why It’s Unsafe to Stay in Dry Air for a Long Time
If the humidity level is low, you should immediately think about ways to humidify. Neglecting the problem can lead to very unpleasant and even dangerous consequences:
- Decreased immunity. The mucous membrane of the nose is a natural “barrier” to dust, dirt, bacteria and pathogens, in dry air, it quickly dries out and loses its protective properties.
- Allergies can occur (or worsen). In normal humidity levels, dust particles, animal hairs and pollen are deposited on the floor. If there is insufficient humidity, they are constantly in a suspended state and easily enter the human body when you inhale.
- Difficult or heavy breathing. Overdrying of the mucosa causes unpleasant symptoms, irritation in the nose may appear, and in rare cases, bleeding occurs.
- Oxygen deprivation. Because of the lack of fresh, moist air, a person may feel drowsy, tired, and become irritable.
- Dry and sensitive skin. Too dry air can negatively affect the skin, cause itching, peeling, and in some cases provoke and exacerbate pre-existing conditions such as eczema or atopic dermatitis.
Dry air in the house affects not only people but also everything around them. Animals can experience extreme discomfort, and plants can stunt or even wither. If too dry, wood furniture will delaminate, the wallpaper will peel off, and some paint will crack or lose its original appearance.
Budget Methods to Humidify the Air
You can change the situation with the help of special equipment – humidifiers. But there are more affordable and inexpensive ways to create a favourable microclimate in the house.
House Plants
House plants not only have an aesthetic function but also create a favourable microclimate in the house. Here is a list of flowers that help to humidify the air in your apartment:
- Sparmania quickly evaporates moisture and oxygenates the air.
- Spathiphyllum. Due to its large leaf area, it is perfect for humidification.
- Nephrolepis, or house fern, actively gets rid of moisture and even signals an increase in air dryness: it changes the colour of its leaves from green to grey-white.
- Monster is one of the best natural humidifiers because of its large leaves.
Spray the flowers regularly with water from a sprayer. This not only promotes plant growth but additionally humidifies the air.
Tanks of Water Around the House
You can combine the process of moisturizing your apartment with decorating. Place bowls tanks, aquariums, and tanks with wide necks and periodically fill them with water all over the rooms.
The main thing is not to put them where you can accidentally knock them over or where they will be directly accessible to children or pets. You can add pebbles, coloured sand, and beautiful figurines to them for decoration. The function of hydration is well performed and vases with flowers.
The hydrogel can be an alternative to water. These are small coloured balls of polymers that can absorb up to 2 litres of water per 1 g. Simply pour the hydrogel into a convenient container, fill it with water, and place it in the desired location. Moisture will slowly evaporate at room temperature, saturating the air. Containers of hydrogel should also be kept out of reach of children, as they often attract toddlers because of their resemblance to coloured dragons.
Aquariums
It’s unnecessary to have fish or exotic animals (lizards, turtles). You can install compact decorative fountains and aquariums with plants that do not require special care. It’s important that the tanks are open and away from electrical appliances and outlets.
Wet Cleaning
The most workable and affordable method of moisturizing. Wiping exposed surfaces with a damp cloth daily will keep you and your family from getting dusty and change the atmosphere of the room for the better. It’s important to take care of all the places where dust settles, such as chandeliers, high cabinet tops (including kitchen cabinets), window sills, radiators, etc.