Most houseplants are hybrids of plant species which grow wild, somewhere in the world. A good rule of thumb for keeping them healthy is to try to match the same environment from which they originated. You may not be able to match every criteria for your plant, but every small step you take to ensure the plants comfort will be a giant step towards keeping your friend healthy.

Proper lighting and watering are, by far, the most important criteria for the health of your house plant, but temperatures and humidity will drastically affect your plants as well. Generally, tropical plants enjoy a relative humidity of 50%-70% and warm temperatures. Unfortunately, when temperatures in the home rise above 67 degrees F., the humidity drops drastically, so it may be necessary to sacrifice a few degrees of warmth in lieu of an increase in the humidity.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Succulents being the most notable, which prefer warmer and drier conditions. At temperatures below 60 degrees, African violets will stop blooming, Poinsettias may drop their leaves, and the leaves of Gardenias may turn yellow. It will be a great benefit to your plant if you do a little research about what the needs of your particular species happen to be.

This might sound silly, but sometimes I turn on the shower with hot water and turn on the fan to increase the humidity when it gets hot in the house. I also use the water that collects in the tub later once the chlorine has a chance to dissapate.

Hey it`s what works for you, and that sounds a workable idea to me.