how to get rid of a dry cough it is never pleasant to have a dry hacking cough that is painful and leaves you exhausted and too weak to do any of your daily tasks when you have an allergy attack the flu are cold there are a few things you can do to treat your cough you may find many of the things that can bring relief in your pantry on grocery shelves or in the health food store if you use herbs to treat a cough consult your health practitioner or the herbalist at the store for directions and dosing step 1 drink water and hot tea both water and warm drinks may help alleviate tickling and throat irritation that causes a dry cough according to the University of Maryland Medical Center or UMMC step 2 eat a bowl of hot soup to help relieve your cough says UMMC warm soups may help relieve tightness in the chest and congestion enabling you to cough up mucus that is trapped in the airways step 3 sleep with a vaporizer in your bedroom to moisten the air it may reduce tightness and irritation in the throat that can cause a cough step 4 add a humidifier to your furnace to add moisture to the air in the whole house in dry climates or during winter months the air can become extremely dry causing or aggravating a cough step 5 use hot steam to moisten mucous membranes in the sinuses and throat and relieve your dry cough suggest the University of California at Davis Student Health Services boil water and place in a bowl on a table or counter cover your head with a large towel and lean over the bowl covering it with the other side of the towel be careful not to burn yourself with the steam step 6 swallow a spoonful of honey to relieve a dry cough the Medical College of Wisconsin writes that honey and other sweet syrups act as cough suppressants by coating the throat and helping prevent irritation and tickling that can aggravate a cough step 7 use a hot compress on your chest to soothe and relieve a cough the moisture and warmth may help break up congestion in your chest mentions the Greene pharmacy herbal handbook placing a drop or two of eucalyptus oil on the cloth may offer an added boost for clearing the sinuses step 8 take cough medicine says UMMC cough suppressants antihistamines and decongestants may all help different kinds of coughs depending on their cause ask your pharmacist to recommend something that might work for your particular condition however be aware that many cough medicines can produce serious side-effects warnings if coughing persists or worsens contact your health practitioner tips use organic honey which is free of impurities and less likely to aggravate a bad cough