FYI - Humidify your home to reduce heating costs.

[suziedemocrat]

I recently bought a warm moisture humidifier for $19 to control my sinus problems, and so far, even on cold nights I haven't needed to turn on the furnace. My room will be cold until I fill up and turn on the humidifier, then it warms up quite a bit even without the furnace.

From: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/AirQualityHumidity.html#4

Controlling humidity can also help you save money on energy bills. The heat our bodies feel is a combination of temperature and humidity. In other words, the more humid the air, the warmer you feel. If you add humidity to dry, heated air in the winter, you can set your thermostat lower and still be comfortable.

[HereSince1628]

1. You will also protect any wooden furniture/instruments you have.

Winter drying and shrinkage is a major source of cracks.

[dcfirefighter]

3. "There was SHRINKAGE!" eom

[Oerdin]

5. depends on where you live.

Here in Southern California we don't experience big swings in humidity so there isn't much of the drying/shrinking & damp/expanding cycle.

[skids]

2. Let shower water stand.

As long as humidity is below 60% in the house, shower with the door open and fan off. Close the drain and let the hot water stand till cool. There's no good reason to throw heat down the drain.

[suziedemocrat]

4. Great idea!!!

I live in an apartment and I can literally feel the wind blow through the walls in the winter. I can't insulate or change the design of the building, but tips like these I can use!!!

[midnight armadillo]

7. You can weatherstrip tho

Weatherstripping on windows & doors is easy to do, no need to ask your landlord too! There are also gaskets for electrical outlets that install in a few seconds and cost about 25 cents each. These little things make a big difference.

[Porcupine]

12. Please don't do this!! Mold warning!!

I regularly work on apartments where people leave their heaters off and turn off their bath fans. The result is MOLD.

The water from the shower distributes itself evenly through the space nearby and condenses wherever it's cool. This frequently means patches of mold growing happily behind dressers, curtains and in closets. This stuff is nasty and will affect some people (me) MUCH MORE than others.

Unless the wind literally blows through your place and it is freezing every night I would say to take this idea as a bad one. In any building built since 1975 this is a goofy idea.

[Wilms]

6. Be careful, though.

From the article:

snip

Too Much Humidity?

Be careful not to add too much humidity to your home. When warm, moist air comes in contact with a cold, dry surface, the water in the air condenses, creating water droplets. Your humidistat is set too high if this moisture is excessive. There are several ways to determine excess humidity:

* Frequent fogging of windows may indicate too much humidity. The appropriate relative humidity allows only slight condensation along the lower edges or corners of windows.


* Drop three ice cubes into a glass, add water and stir. Wait three minutes. If moisture forms on the outside of the glass, the air is likely too humid.


* Moisture buildup or mold on closet walls or room ceilings and walls indicates high humidity.

Keep in mind that a tight, energy-efficient house holds more moisture. Adjust your humidistat until you reach an appropriate humidity level. Additionally, you may want to run a kitchen or bath ventilating fan or open a window briefly if the humidity level gets too high.

snip

OK?

[suziedemocrat]

11. You CAN, of course, go overboard with anything,

but it is so dry right now here in Northern Indiana that I'm not having a problem. I only run the humidifier at night. And we are opening the windows a lot during the day.

But, last winter, I did have steam on the inside of my windows once. It went away in a day or so when I stopped using the humidifier for a while.

[Massacure]

13. Ideally, there is a sweet spot between 50-60% humidity.

Go too much higher and you get mold and moisture problems, go too far below and you get various other pests as well as other problems such feeling colder (more evaporation of your sweat). The more moist the air, the more effective your nose and ears are as a first line of defense for your immune system.

[grasswire]

8. what about venting your clothes dryer to the inside?

All that takes is disconnecting the dryer hose and pointing it toward the room.

I suppose it does increase particulates in the air, but a filter could be put over the end of it, right?

[Massacure]

9. Bad idea if it is natural gas.

That could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

[skids]

10. Unfortunately they are usually in the cellar...

...where you don't want extra humidity.

But yeah, if it isn't gas powered then a filter would do it.

An even better solution, if you have the indoor space, preferrably in front of a big sunny window, is line drying.