I have one of those digital weather stations that displays the indoor/outdoor temperatures, the indoor humidity, and gives a forecast prediction for the next 12 hours. I have gas heating, and during the winter months, my indoor humidity plummets down to a bone dry 2%. When it doesn't have to run as much, it'll climb back up tho. But I just checked it, and it is at 2%. Fortunately, I haven't had any problems so far with static. Which is great because I have a down comforter, which can be a static magnet, haha.

I'm not sure what the minimum humidity has to get before static becomes a problem. When I first moved into this house, I used to shock myself quite often. But now that I monitor the RH and can keep track of it, I think that it helps keep the shocks down to a minimum. One trick that I'll use if it gets bad, is to fill up a spray bottle with water and spray my comforter or furniture with a fine mist. Not even enough to make it damp. This can help out tremendously. You can also use those fabric refresher sprays, which do the same thing and leave your furniture smelling great. :)

This post was edited by ToMMyBoY69 on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 11:52

Purple, I have four hygrometers, and three humidifers.
Humidity has dropped as low as 5%...
My hair frizzles when humidity is 20% or lower.
Skin feels like sandpaper, and lips chap.

Do not like low humidity.

TY for the responses!

Toni, I couldn't agree more, when my hair gets static, I get crazy!

Tommy, we have gas room heaters, not a central system (no ductwork) and I'm surprised how much they dry the air. We have a fireplace grate in front of the main one and when I put a wet towel on it, it steams like a pot of boiling water. So far today, I think I've wet the towel about 7 times. Hard to get used to again, last house never had dry air. I'm watering a lot more often this winter. (Moved in April.)

I figure, if my hair stays 'down,' the plants probably aren't too uncomfortable though I don't have any serious humidity divas.

sort of tangential, but what's a good brand for hygrometers? i'm looking at a couple on amazon but i'm worried they're not accurate . . .

I don't bother with humidifiers, because once the heat kicks back on, it strips the moisture back out of the air again. It sounds worse than it actually is tho. Most of the time, I never even think about it. Fortunately, Arkansas stays pretty much humid year round, so it doesn't take the humidity very long to come back. I just looked again, and the readout says it's up to 25%. When the heat isn't running, the RH can climb back up to 30-45% RH. It's only any issue when I have to run the heat more often throughout the day.

Arkansas has some whacky weather that fluctuates sporadically around this time of year. It can be bitterly cold one day, and then up to the 60's the next. This is why we get some pretty gnarly thunderstorms come springtime, the warm humid air from the Gulf coast, clashing with the bitter cold dry air from the North. Just another day in the life of an Arkansan, lol.

Thanks for the responses! Rhizo, yes ma'am, I'm drinking water, TY!! Tommy, AR sounds similar to AL (and why not, only 1 letter different, right?) Winter's a box'o'chocolates.

K8, that's a good question...

So, besides a humidifier, what are ways to create some humidity? (Some more effective than others, and some depend on your style of dwelling.)

Don't turn the heat so high.

Boil water (add herbs to make it "potpourri".)

Partially machine dry laundry (I do this so the fabric softener sheet can do its' thing,) then hang inside. I don't do this for all items, just those that hang easily, I kind of poke through the dryer after about 15 mins & choose some things to hang. Also, by removing at least 1/4 of the stuff, the rest dries much more quickly, saving me $.

A wet towel spread on a mesh/wire-type surface would do a lot more than the cliché bowl of wet gravel/pebbles since there would be exponentially more surface area from which evaporation would occur.

Fill bathtub or sink with hot water & let it steam.

Open bathroom door ASAP after a steamy shower or bath.

When using oven, put a pan of water in there (if it won't negatively affect the way the particular food cooks.)

Group plants together.

What else?

Our dear friend Toni would use those little recirculating fountains in her plant rooms, and close the door.

I have a couple of table top humidifiers for the bedroom and living room. They help, as do the usual kitchen and shower activities.

We keep our home very cool in the winter, though. That, alone, makes a huge difference.