Adding Moisture to Your Indoor Air, Naturally

Do you run a humidifier in your home? You may be causing more sickness than good. Indoor air plays a really big role in our health, and during the cold, dry winter months, this can certainly make things more uncomfortable. While we know that moisture in the air can be a good thing, we also know that it poses many problems, especially for allergy and asthma sufferers.  Janice Nolen, an indoor air specialist and assistant vice president for national policy at the American Lung Association says, “Moist environments provide a wonderful breeding ground for mold and bacteria.” “If you neglect to clean your humidifier properly, it can quickly become a cozy incubator for germs—one that aerosolizes those microorganisms and mists them into the air you breathe”, she says. This is what they call “white dust”.

More often than not, the biggest concern over humidifiers is operator error, in that we don’t clean our machines every day and/or in the way we’re supposed to according to the EPA. I’ve seen the mold grow first hand when I used a humidifier when my children were small. I didn’t notice the wetness that was building up around the machine. By the time we had noticed, mold had grown all around it. I was mortified to think my family and I had been breathing this in the whole time! This is when good ol’ mom came to the rescue.

Here are some well-known natural ways to get more humidity in your home during the colder months.

1. My mom’s favorite…boil a pot of water. Do more cooking at home. Drink more tea instead of coffee. It’s really that simple. All these things will create steam, thus producing more humidity in the air.
2. Leave the door open when you shower or bathe. You know how you can’t see in the mirror from all the steam after taking a shower or bath? Opening the door will allow all that moisture to be released into the rest of the home, causing more humidity.
3. Put bowls of water on top of your heat registers. If your heat registers are on the floor, place a metal or ceramic bowl on top of one or a few of them. When the heat kicks on, the heat will cause the water to heat up and thus allow moisture to be blown into the air. If your heat registers are not on the floor, you can do this same trick by placing a glass of water onto a sunny window sill. The sun will heat up the glass of water through the window, creating moisture that will pass into the air.
4. Let your clothes and/or dishes air dry. That’s right. All that water has to go somewhere, and you guessed it. All that moisture goes right back into the air.
5. Get yourself some houseplants! Plants just love humidity. They help in adding more moisture into the air by a process called transpiration. As long as you keep them watered, (and not over watered) they will naturally release moisture from their leaves and stems in the form of vapor. These amazing little guys also help in purifying the air as well.
6. 6.     Here’s my favorite…you can run your Young Living (or other brand) essential oil diffuser! Here’s the thing. Mold does not like essential oils! “One study from the Internet Journal of Microbiology found clove oil to be powerful against such bacteria as Staphylococcus and Aspergillus.  Melaleuca, lavender, peppermint and thyme showed the strongest killing power against MRSA antibiotic resistant bacteria according to studies at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.” Mold spores grow so quickly when they are exposed to water. Keep them in check by using your essential oils.

All of these natural ways can bring relief to anyone who is suffering from dry skin, dry throat, sinus congestion, fatigue, cough, headaches, and nasal irritation without the risk of growing mold and bacteria. Incidentally, these symptoms are also signs of mold-associated illness. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms without relief after you begin using your humidifier, my advice is to call your doctor. Then throw away your humidifier!