Spring is here, and the homemade humidifier should follow
Humidifiers can help maintain the new look of your wooden furniture
You've gotten over a cold. The frigid winter weather is finally saying goodbye for a few months. You're ready to head outside and enjoy throwing tennis balls at the dog park. But before you can even step out of the door, your throat feels like somebody pushed cotton balls inside, your nose is runny and wearing contact lenses has become impossible.
It's spring and allergy season, the worst combination. But with a little help from a homemade humidifier, spring can be far more welcoming. Learn the difference between a dehumidifier and a humidifier, why the latter helps with spring allergies, and steps for how to make a homemade humidifier.
How dehumidifiers and humidifiers help homes in different ways
Spring humidity can be a bit of a roller coaster ride. Sometimes the weather is dry while other days are muggy. Designed to decrease moisture in naturally damp environments such as a basement or attic, dehumidifiers help to reduce humidity, and fight against mold, mildew and musty odors. Dehumidifiers, the enemy of silverfish, also protect walls and ceilings from excess moisture damage.
Humidifiers, on the other hand, are designed for dry rooms (including when the air is dry indoors during the winter season). If spring nights are still a little chilly in cold-weather cities, a space heater or baseboard heater may still be in use, creating this dry environment. Humidifiers level the temperature by adding moisture in the air.
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Additionally, humidifiers can reduce dry skin, itchy skin and those pesky allergy nosebleeds. For asthmatics, humidifiers also make breathing easier. If you have issues with sleeping at night during allergy season, a humidifier keeps your throat and nasal passages clear and may stop snoring.
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The role humidifiers play on your furniture
In addition to your own body, wooden furniture can be sensitive to humidity too. The furniture will naturally expand when it absorbs moisture, then push its way back in when the weather is dry. If the room temperature is not regulated, this is when you may spot those bubbles in the wood. Mold and mildew are also a magnet for damaged wooden furniture. Humidifiers help avoid swelling, drying and cracking to help save your fragile furniture.
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So you’re ready to have a humidifier in your home but short on money? No worries. Homemade humidifiers are easy to make and much cheaper than store-bought versions. Here are five options for a homemade humidifier.
5 ways to make a homemade humidifier
These five methods can be used to create a homemade humidifier using supplies you may already have at home.
1. Water Bowl Homemade Humidifier: In a shallow bowl or dish of water, position it near a radiator or a sunny window. This will help the water evaporate more quickly. If you want to save a few dollars on candles, you can add a few drops of essential oil, cinnamon sticks, citrus peels or herbs (ex. rosemary or lavender) in the water to give the room an inviting fragrance.
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2. Wet Towel Homemade Humidifier: Dampen a clean, wet towel. Then, hang the towel near a heat source or a fan. As the towel dries, it will release moisture into the air.
3. Boiled Water Homemade Humidifier: Boil a pot of water on the stove. When it comes to a gentle boil, reduce the fire to a simmer. Then, add optional herbs or essential oils for a magnetic scent all over the home. Stay near the kitchen to make sure to watch the water levels so the water doesn't burn totally out before you can refill it. (You can also do this with a slow cooker, such as a Crock-Pot, but always be close by so the water doesn’t get too low.)
4. Potted Plant Homemade Humidifier: If you already have potted plants in various places of your home, group them together in one room. Then, add the bowl of water mentioned in the first homemade humidifier.
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You can also mist your plants regularly as long as it wouldn't damage them. (Misting is not recommended for succulents, cacti, hairy leaf plants, fuzzy leaf plants, jade plants or snake plants.) Transpiration, the process in which plants release water vapor through the stomata tiny openings in the leaves, will then release moisture into the air.
Ferns, orchids and tropical plants thrive in humid environments because it mimics the natural habitats that they're used to outside. A humidifier helps to keep their leaves hydrated.
5. Do-It-Yourself Wick Humidifier: Gather a small fan, a sturdy container, and a sponge or cloth. First, fill the open container with water. Second, place the sponge or cloth halfway in the water with the top still exposed to the air. Third, position the fan in front of the bowl so it can gently blow the sponge or cloth around. The cool water will evaporate as the fan blows, releasing humidity into the air.
If you’re not sure which homemade humidifier is best, try all five before you decide. Your plants, your wooden tables and your nose will thank you later.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the now-weekly paid posts each Friday (as of March 16, 2025). Thanks for reading!