What's your Humidity IQ?

Living in Michigan means we deal with all kinds of weather, sometimes all in the same day or week! One thing I struggle with this time of the year is humidity (which is ironic, because we often complain about the humidity in the summer!). 

Right now, it's mid February and cold as heck and it's a really dry time of the year. Our houses have been closed up tight and we run the heat a lot, especially with lows in the single digits. Since we put in our fireplace, keeping the humidity up has been even harder.

But what SHOULD your humidity be, and what can you do to keep the air in your house healthy this time of the year? According to many sources, the ideal humidity is 30-40%. What does that mean? Those numbers are actually relative humidity numbers. This is the percentage of water vapor in the air based on the amount of water it CAN hold. Quick science side note: warmer air can hold more water. Colder hair has a really hard time holding onto it because it is more dense!

In my house during the winter months, my home's humidity can quickly drop below 10% with the furnace and fireplace going and no humidifiers running. Low humidity can cause all sorts of problems, from cracks in your drywall and woodwork to low air quality. Eyes and skin can suffer from dryness and viruses have the ability to stay suspended in the air far longer when it is drier. That's why cold and flu season is terrible in the winter! People stay inside more and the air is poorer quality. If you don't know what the humidity is in your house, you can get a simple hygrometer (measures humidity) or take a look at your weather station! Many weather stations that connect to a sensor outside also have a sensor on the base to take indoor readings as well. 

So, what can you do? I'll be honest, it's a constant battle. Some people have humidifiers and dehumidifiers built right into their HVAC systems, which is awesome! When I was a kid, I remember boiling pots of water on the stove and putting out dishes by the register vents! That's not really a safe option with kids and dogs running around. We used to use the cool mist baby humidifiers, but they barely put any humidity in the air and worked best one room at a time. Plus, changing the filters was a non stop battle. We have a water softener and picking the salt out of these machines was no fun chore either.

Now, we use a variety of different humidifiers throughout the house that don't use filters. I absolutely love them! We do still need to clean them monthly, but it's nothing like the cool mist ones with filters (and good luck finding the right filter!). I use this large 6L humidifier from Levoit for my living room. It has a large tank and the option for warm or cool mist, as well as a variety of settings and a remote. Really, I love it because it holds a lot of water! I fill it and let it do it's thing. Here's that model on Amazon. Use my affiliate link to purchase and I may earn a small commission (thanks!)

I use a smaller model for my bedroom of the same brand. This one is a bit smaller at 4L and doesn't have all the settings. You can set it to high, medium or low, but this model does come with the option to connect it to your phone for a remote setting! Aside from not having filters, another thing I love about these humidifiers is the ability to add in essential oils. Each model has a little slot with a felt pad that you can put essential oil on. You NEVER add oil directly to the tank the the oil pads are easy to replace if needed. Here's my Amazon Affiliate link to the 4L model, if you're interested in that one!

We still have a few more weeks of the dry, cold weather here in Michigan. If you don't yet know your household humidity, get yourself a hygrometer and find out! In the meantime, check out these great humidifiers. Let me know how it's going in your house! 

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