[Via – Lifehacker]
If it seems like your skin is dryer, you get zapped with static shocks more often, and you wake up frequently with a stuffy nose, you’re not just imagining things—you’re experiencing the effects of low humidity.
Photo by dolapo.
Even if you live in an area that has hot and humid summers, the drop in temperature that accompanies winter sucks the moisture right out of the air. Decreased moisture has a host of negative side effects ranging from increasing your chances of getting a cold or sinus infection—dry respiratory tissue is more susceptible to irritation and infection—to the paint and wood work in your home cracking from lack of moisture.
Over at the home-centered blog Re-Nest they’ve put together a guide to identifying whether your home is too dry, just right, or overly humid and what you can do to remedy a deficiency or excess of moisture. For those of you in a winter climate right now you can add moisture back into your homes in methods ranging from free and sort-of-effective to pricier and quite effective. The cheapest method they highlight is simple evaporation:
Adding moisture to the air is as simple as placing a vessel of water on top of, or next to, a radiator (or other air heating system). Leaving wet towels and clothes out to dry are other ways to introduce moisture into the air. This is a very low-tech and low power method, however the strength and humidity controls are limited, and available moisture is dependent on the size of the vessel used, and must be frequently refilled.
