How do you ensure good humidity in the house?

It is cold outside, the heating is working overtime and windows are not opened or are only opened briefly. This ensures that the air in the house becomes drier – perhaps too dry. While good humidity and good ventilation are important for a healthy indoor climate. It has also been known for some time that viruses – such as COVID-19 – spread more easily through dry air. Now extra important to keep the humidity good!

A good humidity in the house is between 40 and 60 percent. You can measure the humidity in your home with a humidity meter. Some heating thermostats also indicate the humidity level in the house.

You can often notice it in the house when the air is dry. For example, you suffer from dry eyes or dry skin. Pay attention! The tips below only help if you ventilate sufficiently. That’s really the most important thing!

How do you raise the humidity in your home?

Tip 1: Open a window

No matter how cold it is, open a window for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure there is enough fresh air in. Of course you don’t have to do this if you stay in that room. Of course you can also go upstairs while you open everything downstairs. That way you stay nice and warm.

Tip 2: Lots of plants

Lots of plants in the house can help maintain good humidity. There are also plants that do more than just create oxygen: they have an air-purifying effect. These plants absorb harmful substances from the air through their leaves. Plants known for their air-purifying effect include the curly fern, the spoon plant, the areca palm (‘gold palm’), the monstera deliciosa (‘hole plant’), the rubber plant, ivy and the grass lily.

Don’t think that you no longer have to ventilate if you have a lot of plants, even then you still have to ventilate regularly!

Tip 3: Trays on or on the heating

You can also put water on the heating or buy special containers that you can hang on the heating to increase the humidity in the house. Moisture also evaporates with the warm, dry air from the heating system. Make sure you clean the containers regularly, otherwise it will become a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria.

Tip 4: Open the bathroom door for a while

By showering with the bathroom door open, the steam from the hot water spreads over the entire upper floor. Good for the humidity! Do you prefer to shower with the door closed? Then you just open it after showering. Do you have an extraction system in the bathroom? Turn that off for a while, otherwise it won’t make much sense.

Tip 5: Boil a pan with water on the stove

Of course you want to have the extractor hood on while cooking, because otherwise all the odors and fine dust will spread through your house, but putting a pan of water on for a cup of tea, for example, also creates steam and thus increases the humidity. So don’t use the kettle for once and put a pan on the stove.

Tip 6: Dry the laundry on the heating

Do not use the dryer for a while and put your laundry on the heating. It certainly doesn’t look cozy, such a living room was full, but by drying your wet laundry on the heating, you increase the humidity in the room. The disadvantage is of course that this again creates more dust.

Tip 7: Buy a humidifier

A solution – albeit a more expensive one – is to purchase a humidifier. There are different types for sale. Do your research before you buy one. Do you want to use it for the bedroom, for example? Then buy one that doesn’t make too much noise. And do you have children and/or pets? Then it is better not to buy a steam humidifier, because they use warm steam.

Do you also have a good question? Send us an email.