When your wake up, does your throat hurt or feel dry? This could be a sign of dry air. This is more common in the winter when your furnace produces dry air for your home. Dry throats are not the only things affected by dry air. Dry air could cause nosebleeds, dry skin, or cracked wood and paint in your home. One solution to this is to invest in a humidifier. A humidifier adds moisture to a room, which helps remove some of the problems mentioned above, among others. Also, a humidifier can help you to save money on your heating bill. This is because air with a bit of humidity feels warmer than dry air, so you can set your furnace and a bit of a lower temperature. There are two general types of humidifiers.
- The least expensive is the stand-alone room humidifier. As the name suggests, these are just placed in individual rooms to add humidity to that single room. These can be bought at a local hardware store for a starting price of about $30.
- Another option is the more expensive humidifier which can humidify many rooms. Often, a separate duct system has to be installed to bring the humid air to the rooms. If you have a forced air furnace, the humidifier can just be placed in the existing duct system, which makes it relatively easy. These will usually come with a humidistat which is an easy way to control the humidity in a room so it does not get too dry or too muggy!
Though a multi-room humidifier is more expensive, it is less conspicuous in your home. You do not have to worry about pulling many individual humidifiers out once winter comes around. Some other simple tips to help your body fight the effects of dry air are: Take short showers and drink lots of water! (milk and juice are ok too), use a moisturizer on your body and use chapstick on your lips. With the help of a humidifier and these simple tips, you can say goodbye to the effects of dry winter air!
