The snow has fallen in many parts of the country, and winter is only a few weeks away. It’s this time of year when we start bundling up, wearing more sweaters and using more blankets. We raise the heat to keep up with the plummeting temperatures and cold drafts that always seem to find us.

It feels great to come in from the cold, and we sleep much better when we are warm and under the covers. The only downside to heating our homes is that the air gets dried out. We don’t often think about it, but winter air is less moist anyway. When we heat the air, it removes the little bit of moisture that is left.

Dry air can lead to many discomforts. We cough more, our skin is itchy, and we get a static shock on just about everything. Your plants and pets don’t like it either. To counter some of the effects of winter dryness, it is a good idea to get a humidifier to add moisture to the air in your house. Consider some of these benefits of investing in a humidifier for your home.

Keep Your Skin Healthy

Cold, dry winter air can cause chapped lips, flaky, cracked hands, and itching all over. Using a moisturizer will help, but it won’t fully rehydrate your skin. Moisture in the air keeps the skin from drying out and aids in healing skin which has already been battered by the elements.

Aid Respiratory Ailments

The cold air dries out your respiratory system, particularly your nasal passages. When you get dried out, you have a harder time fighting off colds and flu. Once you are sick, you need your mucous membranes to help fight off the viruses.

A humidifier can moisten the air and help you from getting sick. Breathing in the steam from a humidifier can help you moisten and loosen phlegm in your chest and throat. As miserable as you may feel, it’s so much harder to recover in dried out air.

Reduce Static

Have you ever seen your sweater sparkle with static in the dark? Have you sent your cat running for cover after you accidentally conducted electricity while trying to give him a loving pat?

Drier air is more conductive, so in the winter, we tend to have more shocking incidents. Kids seem to enjoy it, but it’s an indication your air is too dry. Humid air will keep the sparks down and make your hair more manageable, and you will regain the trust of your pets.

Keep Plants Happy

Dry, heated air will increase your plants’ demand for water. Plants get their water from the air that surrounds them in addition to the soil they are in. A humidifier will reduce the chance of their leaves drying out and will keep them more comfortable and healthy.

Reduce Heating Costs

When you heat your house, the humidly of the air you are breathing could drop to as low as 10%. That’s a big drop from the recommended 30-50% requirement for comfortable breathing. When your air is moister, it feels warmer. You are less likely to raise the temperature in a more humid environment than you are in a drier one. This will put less demand on your furnace, and it will save you money.

Better Sleep

When the air is dry, your throat, mouth and nasal passages get dried out. This can cause snoring and interrupted sleep. And if you already snore, it’s going to be a lot worse in the winter. Warm, moist air is easier to breathe and is better for your airways. You won’t be up hacking and coughing, and you will be less likely to catch a cold.

Healthy House

Old homes creak and crack, and for the most part, that’s normal. But dry air will make these cracks more frequent and could even cause damage to your home. Wallpaper and paint may be more likely to peel, and wood can crack when it gets dry and less flexible. Humid air will reduce the likelihood of permanent damage to your home during the winter months. You want a balance, as overly humid air can lead to mold and mildew, but in the winter, that shouldn’t be an issue.

You can purchase a portable room humidifier for around $20 to $50 or more, depending on the model you choose and what sort of bells and whistles you want with it. You need to decide whether you want a hot or cool mist humidifier. If you have small children, you may want to choose a cool mist humidifier because it removes the risk of them getting burned. Hot mist models are less expensive, and they help warm your air even more.

Adding a humidifier to your furnace will cost several hundred to a thousand dollars, but it will humidify your whole house. You can control the humidity level with a dial on the humidifier, and you won’t have to purchase one for your room. You can also use both, especially when you are sick. Just be careful not to over-humidify your house, or you may end up with wet walls and mold.

Humidifiers are affordable and practical for keeping you comfortable during the cold, dry winter months. Make sure you keep your humidifier clean and change the filters regularly. If you are curious about exact humidity levels, you can purchase a hygrometer and monitor them. This isn’t necessary, though, as your nose will tell you when the air is dry. Keep warm and stay humid!