How Does A Humidifier Help Combat Dry Winter Air?

When most think of humidity, they think of muggy air and hot temperatures. Humidity levels in Chesapeake can be uncomfortable due to being located on the Atlantic coastline. However, humidity is not always a bad thing. Dry, winter air can heighten health symptoms and potentially damage components of your home. In this blog, we will explain why some humidity is important and how a humidifier can help your home in Chesapeake.

Humidity Isn’t Always A Bad Thing!

Humidity is necessary for your home, but too much or too little can pose threats to your health, home, and comfort. In the winter, humidity levels drop due to cold air holding less moisture than warm air. Dry, winter air can worsen respiratory issues and cause more discomfort such as dry eyes and skin, sore throats, and nose bleeds. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 17.2 million households in the United States utilize humidifiers to maximize indoor comfort.

What Is A Humidifier?

Humidifiers come in different types and sizes depending on the need for humidity in your home. Some devices can be plugged into any wall plug around your home, while others can be connected directly to your heating system. Simply put – humidifying systems add moisture back into the air by releasing water vapor or steam. Humidity levels in your home should remain between 30-50% for ideal health and comfort. One of Quality Contracting’s trained technicians can help identify if your home in Chesapeake and surrounding areas could benefit from a home humidifier!

Benefits Of A Humidifier

Trust us – we aren’t fans of the sticky way humidity tends to feel. However, humidity isn’t always something that makes you sweat and your hair frizz. Humidity in the winter is crucial to your home and health. Below are 5 benefits of installing a humidifier in Chesapeake this winter.

• Prevents Dry Skin
• Increases Home Comfort
• Relieves Allergy Symptoms
• Protects From Home Damage
• Prevents Static

Prevents Dry Skin

Low levels of humidity draw moisture from the outside layers of your skin, which causes it to dry out. As your skin loses moisture, it can feel tighter and appears dull due to flakiness. Dry skin can look like rough patches or cracked lips. Installing a humidifier in your home adds moisture back into the air and prevents dry skin discomfort.

Increases Home Comfort

As we all know, humidity can make the summer temperatures feel much hotter. Installing a humidifier in the winter months can be beneficial by making rooms feel warmer. Humid air holds more heat and reduces the workload on your heating system. Adding a humidifier to your home allows homeowners to adjust their thermostat setting without feeling a temperature difference, which saves money on energy bills. Additionally, humidifiers help prevent illnesses and dry skin which can improve your comfort at home.

Relieves Allergy & Health Symptoms

Illnesses such as the flu are more common in winter months, because of the dry air. Humidifiers help add moisture to the air and make residents in your home less susceptible to illnesses and allergy symptoms. If you struggle with previous respiratory illnesses such as asthma, dry air can heighten symptoms and decrease comfort. Humidifiers can help soothe virus symptoms in the nasal and throat passages by the moisture added to the room.

Protects From Home Damage

Dry air can cause damage to many aspects of your home. If you have wood furniture or flooring, low humidity levels can result in wood cracking or loosening. While your home should remain between 30-50% humidity levels, wood requires similar levels of moisture to keep from cracking or warping. Other items in your home affected by low moisture are books, wallpaper, photos, and musical instruments.

Prevents Static

As the weather gets colder, the air becomes drier and contains less water vapor. Water vapor works to conduct static charges away, which means static electricity increases in low humidity areas. Not only is static electricity a burden when it comes to laundry or frizzy hair, but it can damage electronics in your home. The charge can cause electronics to fail and damage internal components. Humidifiers can help protect your home and electronics by adding water vapor into the air to continue fighting static charges.

The right amount of humidity in your home can benefit your health, home, comfort, and air quality. We recommend installing a humidifier for many reasons, but one being to help the workload of your heating system. Overworked heating units can result in uncomfortable and costly breakdowns. For heating unit repair in Chesapeake and surrounding areas, give us a call!