Do you have issues with dry air in a room? In this article, we share how to humidify a room without a humidifier. If you’re not keen on buying a humidifier and you’d like to learn how to humidify a room naturally, keep reading on.
How to humidify a room
Dry air in your room or your whole home can cause issues such as dry skin, dry coughs, allergic reactions and general discomfort for you and your family.
Dry air is caused by a lack of moisture in the air which means the humidity in your room or home has dropped. To bring the humidity level back up to a better range, moisture needs to be added to the air.
The quickest way to do this is by using a humidifier in your home (which the EPA has written about here) however there are humidifier alternative options that won’t require you to buy an appliance.
In this article, we share how to humidify a room without a humidifier.
Humidify a room with a bowl of water
Does a bowl of water humidify a room? Yes, a bowl of water can humidify a room.
Placing a bowl of water in the room is one way to humidify a room without a humidifier. Simply place a medium to large sized bowl in the room and if you are using a heater in the room, place the bowl near the heater.
The water from the bowl will naturally evaporate and create more moisture in the room. Putting the bowl near a heater or open fireplace will make the water evaporate faster and will help reduce dryness in the room.
Humidify a room with a bowl of water whenever you feel the air is dry. As a rule of thumb, whenever you’re using a heater, make sure there’s a bowl of water nearby.
Use plants that humidify the air
Just as there are plants that absorb humidity in a room, there are plants that humidify the air.
Plants such as Jade, the Areca palm and the Boston fern are plants that add moisture to the air. When using these plants, ensure that they get enough sunlight in the room and water them as required. The Boston fern requires a lot of watering and soil that is moist at all times.
Avoid plants such as cactuses and succulents because they draw moisture in from around them and they will make the air more dry in a room.
Dry your clothes indoors
If you want another idea for how to humidify a room, dry your clothes indoors! While we usually hang our clothes to dry outside especially during summer, drying your clothes indoors is one way to humidify a room without a humidifier!
The water on your clothes will naturally evaporate over time, creating moisture in the air. While it may take longer to dry your clothes indoors, doing so will give you the added benefit of humidity in the room while air drying your clothes.
Cook on a stovetop
Cooking on a stovetop is a great way to humidify a room without a humidifier. If you’re boiling water on the stove or cooking liquid meals like soups and stews, the steam from your cooking will increase humidity naturally without you needing a humidifier.
This is a great humidifier alternative if you need more humidity in your kitchen and dining rooms, especially during winter when we all love a hearty soup or stew for dinner!
Spray water in the room with a spray bottle
If you want to know how to humidify a room naturally, give a few sprays of water in the room using a spray bottle. This will add moisture to the room and also cool you down if it’s a hot day. Just be careful not to leave puddles of water on the floor in case anyone slips!
Use your clothes dryer inside
We’ve already covered drying your clothes indoors but if you use a clothes dryer, use the clothes dryer inside. A clothes dryer naturally blows out moist air, so why not use this moist air in a room that needs humidity?
People usually place their clothes dryer in their garage or a laundry with a door opened but if you need to humidify a room without a humidifier, then this is the best way to do it without spending extra money on appliances.
Leave the door open when taking a shower
One of the best ways to humidify a room without a humidifier is by leaving the bathroom door open while taking a shower. This may not work for everyone due to lack of privacy but your shower creates a lot of steam which ends up turning into droplets of water due to condensation.
Rather than keeping your bathroom wet and humid, open the bathroom door to let out some of the moist air into other rooms in your home!
Fill your bathtub with water
If you have a bathtub in your bathroom, leave it filled with hot water and leave your bathroom door open.
The water in the bathtub will naturally evaporate due to the heat, causing the air in the bathroom to become humid and of course, the air will pass out of the bathroom and into other nearby rooms.
Use a damp towel near a heater
Another natural way to humidify a room without a humidifier is to place a wet or damp towel near your heater. We’ve already recommended drying your clothes indoors, so this is another similar method.
If you have family members who leave damp towels on the bathroom floor, make good use of these by placing them near a heater. The heater will evaporate the water from the towels, adding moisture to the air.
Leave your dishwasher door open
If you’ve ever opened your dishwasher right after it finishes washing, you would’ve noticed steam escaping. This air is full of moisture from washing your dishes, so why not leave the door ajar so that the moist air leaves the dishwasher and ends up in the kitchen air?
This is another great way to naturally humidify a room using what you already have!
Use an indoor water feature
This is a great way to add humidity to a room without a humidifier and will also add to your home’s appeal!
Use a stylish indoor water feature in your living room or bedroom. The water from the water feature will naturally evaporate, creating moisture in the air. And it looks nicer than seeing damp towels in a room!
Boil water and add essential oils
If you want to know how to humidify a room without a humidifier or an essential oil diffuser, why not boil water on your stove top? Add a few drops of essential oils for extra aromatherapy health benefits!
This is a very simple method for humidifying a room without a humidifier. Fill a pot with water and boil it on the stove, then add a few drops of essential oils.
Fill your kitchen sink with hot water
Regardless of whether you wash dishes by hand or a dishwasher, every kitchen has a kitchen sink. Fill your sink with hot water and the heat from the water will cause it to evaporate into the air and create more humidity in the room.
Once the water has cooled down, you add more hot water to it or use the cool water to water your indoor plants or your garden. Don’t waste water by just unplugging the sink when you’re done!
How much water to humidify a room
You might be wondering how much water to humidify a room? This depends on a few factors including the size of the room and the current humidity level.
The larger a room, the more water required to make the air humid. And if you’re using heating in the room, then you will need to factor this in too. The heater makes the room dry. Without a heater on, the air is not as dry.
A bathtub filled with water is enough to humidify a bathroom but you might only need a bowl of water left in your bedroom to keep that room humid enough for comfort.
How long does it take to humidify a room?
This depends on the size of the room and the method you’re using to humidify it.
It won’t take long to humidify a bathroom that has a hot shower running or a bathtub full of hot water, but if you’re using a spray bottle to humidify an open plan living area, it will take you a while.
To speed up the process, we recommend turning off the heater which dries out the air. By switching your heater off, you’re allowing more humidity into the air from whatever process you are using.
To monitor the humidity in a room, we recommend using a digital hygrometer. This way you can keep checking the humidity level and adjust accordingly.
One final word
The best way to humidify a room is by using a humidifier, however if you can’t afford one or simply don’t want to buy one, then trying the other humidifier alternative options we’ve shared in this article could be enough for your home. Test out a few different methods until you find one that suits you.
