# How can I get the humidity up in my apartment **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509 "2013-10-29T00:29:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/1 "2013-10-29T00:29:49Z")
Now that winter is starting I"m getting nosebleeds and static shocks again. My apartment is about 800 or so square feet, maybe 8 feet tall for about 7000 or so cubic feet. I have this vaporizer > **[Vicks Warm Steam Vaporizer Humidifier with Night Light - 1.5gal](https://www.target.com/p/vicks-1-5-gallon-vaporizer-with-night-light-v-150/-/A-10403767)** > > Read reviews and buy Vicks Warm Steam Vaporizer Humidifier with Night Light - 1.5gal at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more. And when I use it at night in my bedroom I leave the bedroom door open to the rest of the apartment. I do that because if the humidity goes up too much it will travel throughout the apartment rather than all being in the (200 square feet) bedroom. I’m worried it’ll get too high in the bedroom and cause mildew if I don’t leave the door open. But it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I don’t know the calculation to determine air saturation to reach a nice level like 45-50% humidity, but if I’m starting at about 30% and going up to 45%, it shouldn’t be that much should it? That humidifier puts a gallon out each day. A gallon of water in 7000 sq ft should have a decent change on the relative humidity should it not? My hygrometer does not show a meaningful change in the air. Is it possible I’m leaking moisture to the outside somehow? If so do I need to set up another vaporizer? Should I just put a bucket of water in my bedroom and close the door? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/2 "2013-10-29T00:33:43Z")
Small loaf pans full of water, place near or on heater vents. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/3 "2013-10-29T00:51:40Z")
My heater vents are on the walls. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/4 "2013-10-29T01:01:54Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > My heater vents are on the walls. High or low? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/5 "2013-10-29T01:07:45Z")
Pretty sure he means high **RP**. You can always take the vents off and place the pan just inside. (Then put the vents back on. Since you’re going to be adding water to the pans on a frequent basis, I wouldn’t bother screwing the vents back on. Just stick them on if possible.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/6 "2013-10-29T01:11:20Z")
Every place I’ve lived, the heater vents are in the floor or low in the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/7 "2013-10-29T01:15:05Z")
Mine are on the wall near the ceiling, several actually are on the ceiling. Wouldn’t just setting the pans out at random, more or less, do the same thing? Also I still don’t know why my vaporizer (which should be putting out a gallon of water a day) isn’t making a very big different for my humidity levels. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/8 "2013-10-29T01:20:22Z")
I believe you will get better results with a room humidifier rather than a vaporizer. I had one when we lived in Omaha and it made an obvious difference in the “feel” of the air. Most produce aerosolized water mechanically rather than creating steam electrically, and they blow it around better and have larger reservoirs. Google it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/9 "2013-10-29T02:36:48Z")
I think you need more in the range of 2-3 gallons/day for the space. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/10 "2013-10-29T02:56:42Z")
> [@Sam\_I\_Am](#): > > I think you need more in the range of 2-3 gallons/day for the space. I’m ashamed to admit I still don’t get the whole relative vs absolute humidity, or why raising the temperature indoors causes a lower relative humidity. I’ve heard it has something to do with the fact that absolute humidity is lower in lower temps, so when you raise the temp the relative humidity goes down since the air can hold more water due to a higher absolute humidity. But I’ve also read the saturation point per cubic meter at about 25C is 30grams of water per cubic meter. My apartment is only about 200ish cubic meters, so wouldn’t 6000 grams totally saturate the air assuming I started from nothing? That is 6 liters to go from nothing to saturated, and I’m already putting 4 into the air and seeing little benefit. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-the-humidity-up-in-my-apartment/672509/11 "2013-10-29T03:37:44Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > But I’ve also read the saturation point per cubic meter at about 25C is 30grams of water per cubic meter. My apartment is only about 200ish cubic meters, so wouldn’t 6000 grams totally saturate the air assuming I started from nothing? That is 6 liters to go from nothing to saturated, and I’m already putting 4 into the air and seeing little benefit. If you have heating vents then fresh dry air is being pumped into the room, and when it gets dry everything else in the room dries out and absorbs moisture you are adding to the air. Wood and cloth can absorb a lot. Moisture will also condense on cold surfaces, windows can do this a lot. If you’re not seeing condensation on the windows when you run a humidifer or vaporize it’s an indication the house, or at least the room is not well sealed and you’re losing a lot of water that way. My house is all wood and not well sealed, and keeping humidity up can be very difficult.