It's a common misconception that humidifiers should only be used throughout the cold and dry winter months. But using a humidifier can benefit many people throughout the year, such as when your skin gets dry from running the air conditioner in the summer, or when your allergies flare with the changing seasons.
A humidifier is a necessity during the winter because the heated air from a furnace is dry. That dry air has a low humidity level that will absorb moisture from you and everything inside your home.
A humidifier is also great for combating the symptoms of summer allergies. By bringing your air to an optimal humidity level, it helps with itchy, dry eyes; cracked skin and lips; scratchy throats; and stuffy noses. A humidifier can also help build up your immunity to help stave off future allergens and sicknesses.
If you are unfortunate enough to live in an area where the outside temperature drops to 10-to-20 below, the humidity indoors must not exceed 20%. In this instance, a humidifier is essential in keeping you both comfortable and healthy.
And if you're finding yourself waking up with congestion, having a hard time breathing at night or feel congested often throughout the day, then you might benefit from a humidifier. Dry air from heaters or the climate outside, can cause your nasal passages to dry out, which may be behind your congestion.
Use it Year Round (in Most Environments)
"Incorporating a humidifier into your daily life ensures that you are creating a stable environment for your skin and health," Engelman says.
Many people with central humidifiers go into the cooling season forgetting to shut down the humidifier for the summer. A central air conditioner will not cool or dehumidify properly if the humidifier is running. So please remember to turn your humidifier off at the end of each heating season.
Although running your humidifier all night is perfectly safe, there are humidifier safety tips to bear in mind: Monitor your home humidity levels: The optimal home humidity levels range from 40% to 60%. Humidity levels exceeding 60% create a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, which can infiltrate your home.
Allergies need a dry and non-humid environment, and if there is not enough hydration, your allergies will become more apparent. Having a runny and itchy nose, sneezing, and watery eyes are a few common symptoms. A humidifier can provide enough hydration in the summer to help fight allergies and related symptoms.
Static electricity is caused by dry air, so by adding moisture to the air, you can help to reduce static electricity. Another benefit of using a humidifier with your air conditioner is that it can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.
Korean consumers increasingly used humidifiers to achieve the right level of humidity within their homes during the dry Winter season.
A humidifier and air conditioner can be used simultaneously, but you often don't have to. A humidifier can restore moisture to the air if you reside in a dry climate, while your air conditioner eliminates too much of it whenever necessary.
As with adults, it is best to incorporate a humidifier during both the winter months and summer months or when your home hygrometer reads below 40%. You can also introduce a humidifier for baby when you notice signs of minor nasal congestion.
When you stop using your furnace in spring, it's typically the right time to turn off the whole home humidifier. Continue to monitor indoor relative humidity levels throughout the year and only use the humidifier when indoor relative humidity levels fall below 30%.
While a humidifier can add moisture to the air, it is not designed to remove pollutants or allergens. If you want to improve the air quality in your home or office, an air purifier is a better choice.
While it may seem counterintuitive, it is actually helpful to open the windows and remove the stale, dry air from your house. Open windows during the daytime to let the fresh air in. It will help you breathe easy, and your skin won't feel that dry and itchy. Plus, it will also improve your home air quality.
Place two or three ice cubes into a glass, add water and stir. Wait three to four minutes. If moisture does not form on the outside of the glass, the air is too dry; you may need a humidifier. If water has condensed on the outside of the glass, the level of relative humidity is high.
Since air conditioned air is usually lower in humidity, it contributes to indoor comfort in the summer, but will also lead to drier skin and air passages.
An indoor humidity level less than 30 percent is too dry. Such alevel can cause dry nose and throat, and colds. Wall paneling, woodtrim and hardwood flooring can shrink and cause joints to open;cracks in drywall and plaster can develop; joints in wood furniturecan become loose, and pianos can go out of tune.
Set out bowls of water.
Place a few around your house and the water will evaporate into the dry air. One step further, if you have radiant steam heat: place a water bowl on top of radiators to heat the water and aid in evaporation.