Why whole-home humidification matters

7/10/2018

No one’s going to argue that clean air is vital to having good health. Breathing air full of toxins, allergens, dust, and other small particles puts our lungs and immune system in overdrive. Fortunately, there are products to give our bodies a break, such as whole-home humidification. Taking special care of the air quality in your home is just as important as eating correctly and exercising.

The oil embargo in 1973 created a national energy conservation movement. One of the main effects was creating tighter and more energy-efficient homes. With tighter homes, hazards have a much harder time getting out of the home. Essentially, homes have a harder time breathing fresh air. The World Health Organization has linked these tighter, more energy-efficient homes to the large increase in asthma and allergies. This “Tight Home Sickness” affecting allergies and asthma has a huge effect on adults and children’s overall health.

Forbes Magazine published an article in 2012 reviewing a compilation of studies on the dangers of asthmagens in our buildings. Not only did they report there are over 374 known asthmagens in common building materials, the article also pointed out Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. We don’t usually have control over the air in our offices, stores, or schools. However, we can affect the air in our homes. The perfect opportunity to give our lungs and immune system a break is while we relax and sleep in our homes.

Reason #1 to have a humidifier — GET RID OF MOLD!

How can you tell if you need a humidifier? Here’s one quick and easy way. Its winter time and you’re waking up with dry skin, bloody noses, and cracking furniture. There are many humidifier options for you to solve this problem. There are many benefits to having the proper humidity level in your home such as:

• Lower utility bills result from using lower temperatures on your thermostat because, with the proper humidity levels, you can be more comfortable with less heat.
• Protect your furniture from drying and cracking, prevent hardwood floors from shrinking up.
• Improve your overall health and comfort by relieving dry skin, chapped lips, sore throats and much more!

How do humidity levels in a home affect comfort?

If the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature indicates because our sweat does not evaporate at all. If the relative humidity is low, we feel cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily; we can also feel extremely dry.

Low humidity has at least three effects on people.

1. Low humidity dries out your skin and mucous membranes. If your home has low humidity, you will notice things like chapped lips, dry and itchy skin, and a dry sore throat when you wake up in the morning. (Low humidity also dries out plants and furniture.)
2. Low humidity increases static electricity, and most people dislike getting sparked every time they touch something metallic.
3. Low humidity makes it seem colder than it actually is. In the summer, high humidity makes it seem warmer than it is because sweat cannot evaporate from your body. In the winter, low humidity has the opposite effect. If you take a look at the chart above, you’ll see that if it is 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) inside your home and the humidity is 10 percent, it feels like it is 65 degrees F (18 degrees C). Simply by bringing the humidity up to 70 percent, you can make it feel 5 degrees F (3 degrees C) warmer in your home.

Since it costs a lot less to humidify the air than to heat it, a humidifier can save you a lot of money! For best indoor comfort and health, a relative humidity of about 45 percent is ideal. At temperatures typically found indoors, this humidity level makes the air feel approximately what the temperature indicates, and your skin and lungs do not dry out and become irritated.

The EPA states that “Humidifiers are commonly used in homes to relieve the physical discomforts of dry nose, throat, lips, and skin. The moisture they add to dry air also helps alleviate common nuisances brought on by winter heating, such as static electricity, peeling wallpaper, and cracks in paint and furniture. However, excess moisture can encourage the growth of biological organisms in the home. These organisms include dust mites, which are microscopic animals that produce materials causing allergic reactions to household dust, and molds.”

Whole-house humidification can…

• Lower your utilities by allowing you to run lower temperatures on your thermostat because with the proper humidity levels you can be more comfortable with less heat.
• Protect your furniture from drying and cracking, prevent hardwood floors from shrinking up.
• Improve your overall health and comfort by relieving dry skin, chapped lips, sore throats and much more!

To schedule a FREE Humidifier Estimate, call us at 515-657-6634.

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