Using a humidifier in the winter

[seeking 162]

I suspect that my recurring throat infection may have to do with the dryness in the room. We do open the windows twice a day for at least 15 minutes but may be that is not enough. I do hang a small can of water from the heater but I wonder if this is enough. Did anyone else feel the need for a humidifier? What kind is best?

 

S

[Steven192 272]

To answer your topic header.

 

No.

 

I have never owned one and never felt the need for one.

 

Why would you need one unless you heat your rooms to some stupid temperature?

 

 

[robinson100 12,792]

no - I´ve been here for 17 years so far and have NEVER even thought of using one!!!

 

Do you air your rooms regularly?

[Bipa 5,814]

We've been using our Venta humidifier for the last 5 winters. I feel it has made quite a positive difference. The first winter in Germany with hot-water heat, I immediately started having problems. I started off with those basket things that you hang off the radiators, but it wasn't enough for me. You can get the Venta and other humidifiers at Mediamarkt, Saturn, and other such stores. We ended up getting ours from some online shop for cheaper, but darned if I can remember which one.

 

Our house in Toronto had a built-in humidifier as part of the central forced air heating & air conditioning. I was surprised at how few people in Germany even thought about humidifiers, let alone had them.

[seeking 162]

Yes. we air the rooms quite regularly, twice a day, in fact. (Tomorrow only once, I think:-)).

 

That the rooms are dry is a fact, how much I can blame my throat infection on that is the question. I do get over the infection with just home remedies, but it is the frequency of this infection that makes me wonder if it is due to the dryness. The infection never degenerates into a cold, but I can do without this throat pain.

 

May be I can make do with the homemade humidifier.

 

S

[MonksTown 104]

My DE-humifidifier is currently running on full power!

[kent 509]

i put a towel folded over many times on the top of the radiator and soak it with water it works very good.

[seeking 162]

 

put a towel folded over many times on the top of the radiator and soak it with water it works very good.

We were told not to do that. Apparently that reduces the efficiency of the heater.

 

S

[a2s 1]

My infant daughter was having the same trouble and so we found the following trick to work very well. About 15 minutes before she slept, we would plug in an electric kettle in her room, open the top and let it boil for 10-15 mins keeping the door to the room closed. The humidity in the room increased (we would wait until the condensation on the windows was visible at the edges) and doing this daily, she's been better since.

[Moondancer 5,723]

Have never used one, but tend to sleep with the window cracked open most nights and sleep with a big thick duvet. I also spend a lot of time outside though too.

 

I think if you drink enough water that should hydrate you, maybe turn your heaters down? Are your rooms dusty? This can cause problems too.

[capslock 204]

Some basic physics: the (absolute) amount of humidity air can hold decreases with temperature. If you take outside air at 0° and 100% relative humidity, it contains about 3 g / cubic meter. Then heat it to 22° and it could potentially hold about 25 g / cubic meter, so it has about 15 % relative humidity. However, water from yourself, plants, cooking, showering, laundry will humidify the air unless you air a whole lot or have very leaky windows.

 

So in winter, in a typcial older German home, you will end up with 30 - 40% rh which is at the lower limit of the comfort zone.

 

In North America, outside air can get a lot colder, - 20 to -30° not being uncommon. Also, the air conditioning system is usally employed to distribute the heat. Unless the air is recycled, this will result in a very high air exchange rate which might necessitate a humidifier.

 

We live in a newly built house which is airtight, has heated floors and a controlled ventilation system that exchanges the air at a rate of 0.5/h, i.e. the complete air within the building is replaced every two hours. This is a lot more than what you would get in old house unless the windows are very leaky or a storm is blowing. Still, even with those -15° before XMas we did not feel the need to humidify the air.

[capslock 204]

If the air is too dry, most people notice an irritation of the mucous membranes in the nose first, up to frequent nose bleeding.

 

I had this problem (constantly irritated nose, not nose bleeding) in Japan in winter. With the winter being pretty short, many buildings do not have central heating. Instead, people will use a portable electric or gas heater with a ventilator. This produces very hot, very dry air. I've seen this happen in factories, where everything was cold except for the meeting room, or also in many small restaurants.

[Kazalphaville 1,813]

I have a small dish of water on top of the radiator.

[Small Town Boy 6,672]

This question can be answered very simply by using a hygrometer. If the values are frequently below around 40%, then you will want to humidify. But like MonksTown, It's a dehumidifier that I use year-round, albeit less in winter.

 

And opening the windows will lower humidity levels in winter, not increase them.

[seeking 162]

 

And opening the windows will lower humidity levels in winter, not increase them.

I thought the whole idea of leaving the windows and doors open was to let in humid air from outside. Now I see what you mean. Human activity inside the flat actually raises the humidity levels. Airing the rooms is to let humid air OUT. And that is why some use DEhumidifiers.

 

I like the idea of using the electric kettle to raise the humidity level in the room before bedtime. Alas, if only there were such a simple trick to make my throat infection disappear!! Thanks for all your tips and tricks.

 

S

[dessa_dangerous 13,315]

Moondancer makes a good point about staying hydrated, but if at the end of the day you find you didn't have time to drink your 8 glasses, you might want to do some sort of humidifying. As a hypochondriac who despises going to the doctor, I find I self-diagnose a lot. After having a lot of sore throats and sensitive nostrils, I began upping my water intake and leaving the kitchen window closed when boiling water; either not opening the bathroom window after showers or only opening it for a little bit and I feel much better. I have cured a sore throat in a matter of hours by drinking a liter and a half of water then taking a nap. Things like lack of sleep, stress and indeed arid air could all play a part. If you come from a fairly humid place, as I do, you might find the winter air in Germany too arid for what your body is used to.

[Erised 2,824]

I had the same problem with the low humidity in winter and being dried out. My solution was a water fountain feature/plant combo that I sat on the windowsill above the radiator. Plug it in and it works great. I fill it with a half litre of water once or twice a week, so I know it is working as it should. Plus, it looks pretty. Most important, I feel hydrated and no more nose and throat problems.

[Krieg 14,926]

Get a device to measure the level of humidity and they take whatever actions you need to move the humidity level to something that is comfortable to you. You can buy one for 10 EUR.

 

People doing things without understanding what and why make me smile. Like a guy who was running a humidifier and a dehumidifier at the same time.