Heat's On: 3 Easy Fixes for Dry Indoor Air This November
The heat is on for the season, and you can usually feel it before you think about it: scratchy mornings, static when you pull on a sweater, lips that need balm by lunchtime. Furnace air is dry air, and November is when most of us notice. The good news is that putting a little moisture back takes almost no effort once you set it up. Here are three small changes that make a heated house feel a lot more comfortable.
1. Put moisture back in the rooms you actually use
You don't need to treat the whole house at once. Start with the bedroom, since that's where you spend eight hours breathing the same air, then add a second spot at your desk or in the living room.
A compact unit is the easy way in. The Cool Mist Maker Portable Mini Air Humidifier has a 200ml tank and two modes: continuous mist, which runs about 8 hours, or intermittent mist (3 seconds on, 3 seconds off) for roughly 10. It runs on ultrasonic technology at under 30 dB, so it won't keep you up, and it powers off any USB port, including a laptop or power bank. It also has a color-changing light with green, blue, red, yellow, pink, light blue and white, which doubles as a soft night light if someone in the house doesn't love a dark room.
- Keep it a few feet from the bed, not right beside your pillow.
- Empty and refill it with fresh water rather than topping it off.
- Run the intermittent mode overnight to stretch one tank until morning.
2. Don't forget the car
Car heaters are just as drying as the one in your house, and winter commutes mean you're sitting in that air twice a day. A plug-in option handles it without any setup: the Mini Car Charger Port Air Humidifier holds about 100ml of water, runs off a 12V charging input and uses cold-fog ultrasonic misting. Add one or two drops of essential oil to the water if you want a little scent on the drive. It's small enough to live in the car all winter and comes in purple, blue, pink or green.
3. Keep a drink within arm's reach
The simplest habit of the three. When the house is warm and dry, you drink more without planning to, as long as something is sitting right there. A big lidded cup beats refilling a small glass all day.
The Stainless Steel Tumbler with Handle Straw Vacuum Insulated is built for exactly that: triple-wall stainless steel insulation that holds hot or cold for 24 hours, a grip handle, a circular flip straw and an ambidextrous lid. It has a non-slip rubber base so it stays put on a desk, fits a car cup holder, and the straw detaches for cleaning. It's dishwasher safe, and it comes in pink, blue or creme.
Set up all three on a Sunday afternoon and you won't think about dry air again until spring. Browse the full VIGOR collection for more home and everyday essentials to get you through the season.