Humidity needed for apartment

[kalanamak]

Does anyone om the house but you have this problem? Is the nasal spray just saline or is it OTC or a prescription drug. This "rip them out" business makes me wonder if you are using one of the "addicting" sprays, or if you just have plain old winter allergies and need to have your MD take a gander up there to see if your sinuses are "boggy". Do your eyes itch as well? When you pull out your eyelids, do the little capillaries look much more prominent than your friend's eyelid capillaries? Can on the stove will not, IME, do as much as a good humidifier. Which kind have you tried? How many square feet is the space? blacksalt who has seen many a boggy nare in her day

[Stormin Mormon]

This from a friend of mine: (I'll forward any sensible replies to her)

Hey everyone!!! I'm in need of some advise and hoping someone can help. We have a space heater to heat our apartment, so the air gets really dry here.

I use some nasal spray to moisten. But with the air so dry in my house nowadays I'm relying more and more on them (and I don't want to) I've tried using a humidifier but it doesn't put enough moisture in the air and I've tried the old can with water in it on the stove trick,but either the cat or the kids get into it and spill it all over the place, so I need suggestions here please before I go in and rip my damn sinus out myself. any advise would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[Edwin Pawlowski]

There are humidifiers and there are HUMIDIFIERS. I'd go with a larger one. I can do a 2,000 square foot house with one on the lower level. Add a couple of gallons of water a day with east, more in the very cold weather.

[Red Neckerson]

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look at the models they have. For example, Lowe's has one:

Hunter 3-1/2 Gallon Care-Free Humidifier Plus® Item #: 141524 Model: 34355 $69.98

and that one is rated at 1600 square feet....

[m Ransley]

Get a good digital humidistat to see what your have in humidity. You may have other problems. To much humidity can cause other problems, condensation, and mold.

[NoOne N Particular]

Put a "water feature" in a corner. This, of course, assumes you have room.

Wayne

[Phisherman]

Run two or three humidifiers. That should raise the humidity. Fifty percent humidity is best. You could add some plants too. Some kinds of cooking (boiling water, soups, etc) will raise the humidity too.

[m Ransley]

Phisherman BS, run 2 or 3 in an apartment ?? 50 % is best ?? BS again. as the temp drops so do humidity requirements. You do Not want condensation anywhere or mold will develop. I have 1800 sq ft in Zone

5 it goes to -20f I only have 1 humidifier and rarely use it and monitor Humidity. OP should quit using nose spray and first clean the dam house and get a calibrated humidistat. 3 humidifiers in an avg apt will over humidify

[Gary R. Lloyd]

The first thing to keep in mind for winter low humidity problems is: Cold air is dry air. The more cold outdoor air is entering your home, the drier your home will become. Keeping the outdoor air outdoors is the first line of defense. Also, if you are exhausting indoor air to the outside, then a like amount of outdoor air will find a way to get indoors to replace it. Nature hates a vacuum.

Gary R. Lloyd

[PaPaPeng]

The cheap way. Find a expansion type-friction hold curtain rod that can be put into the bathtub enclosure. Hang a thick towel from it and let the shower keep it wet it with water. The evaporation off the towel should help with your humidity problems. My objection with humidifiers is the heavy lime buildup on the filter element. They are a hassle to clean and too costly to replace regularly. Plus there is a likelihood of slime blooms in the humidifier's reservoir. Ultrasonic humidifiers are even worse if you have hard water. There will be a coat of lime on the floor around the machine.

[Stormin Mormon]

Totally awe inspired idea. When I used to live iwth my folks, I'd soak my bath towel in hot wate,r and hang it from the rack. Great minds.... sometimes come up with the same ideas.

I also used a sprayer bottle. Mist into the air.