As temperatures drop during the winter months, you might notice the air in your living space becomes very dry. This is because cold air holds onto less water vapor. A significant drop in humidity levels makes your home uncomfortable and can even worsen your family’s health. A humidifier releases water vapor into the air to increase moisture and comfort levels. Here are seven reasons why you should use a humidifier in your home this winter.
1. Helps Moisturize Dry Skin
Normal humidity levels in your surrounding environment should range from 30% to 50%. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, especially during the cold months. Cold and dry conditions degrade your skin’s moisture barrier and lead to all sorts of issues, including cracking, itching, peeling, and flaking. Since human skin isn’t designed for low-moisture conditions, you may notice the first signs of dry skin on your palms because they have fewer oil glands. Your lips might also chap quickly because they have more tender skin. Other effects of drier air include scaly elbows and bloodshot eyes.
Don’t wait till your skin is in bad shape this winter. Instead, be proactive and get a humidifier. Running a humidifier adds much-needed moisture to the surrounding air. As a result, your skin stays naturally rehydrated, which helps maintain that supple and vibrant look on the outside.
2. May Relieve Allergy Symptoms
In most cases, indoor allergies increase when there are cold weather conditions. As a result, you’ll likely notice an increase in irritants such as dust mites, mold, and animal dander during winter. Since you spend most of the time indoors, the buildup of these unwelcome guests irritates the throat and nose tissues.
Although using a humidifier will not eliminate all the harmful particles, it adds moisture to the air, keeping your nasal passages functioning smoothly. For the newer humidifier models, you can set them at lower levels to prevent adding too much humidity to the air. While breathing in, the extra water vapor helps to calm any allergy-induced inflammation. This also keeps your throat tissues moist, which prevents constant coughing.
3. Make Your Home Feel Warmer
Although humidifiers don’t heat your home like a furnace, they make your space feel warmer and more comfortable. When adequate moisture is in the air, it holds heat closer to your skin, which makes you feel extra warmth. Despite the temperature decline, you and other occupants will still feel comfortable.
Keeping your humidifier running throughout the frigid months can also go a long way in cutting down on your heating costs. This is because you don’t have to put extra strain on your heating unit trying to keep up with the cold and dry air.
4. Prevent Wood Damage
Furniture and wood are highly susceptible to dry air. If you look closely at wooden floors and furniture, you’ll realize they tend to squeak during the winter season, unlike the hot months. This results from dry air pulling out moisture from the wood, leading to shrinking and contracting. In some cases, the arms and legs of wooden chairs in your kitchen and dining area may start to wobble, and wooden doors may change in size and become difficult to close or open. Other wooden items, such as picture frames, may splinter or crack. Also, the joints on wooden floors can easily loosen, making planks pull apart.
Wood needs an environment with adequate moisture to function and look its best. In fact, hardwood floors need about 50% relative humidity to perform at their best. When the air around wood is too dry, dehydration kicks in, negatively affecting its structure. Using a humidifier during cold days will increase the relative humidity, which will help to protect your investments.
5. Stop the Spread of Viruses and Germs
As winter time approaches, you probably get worried about the common cold and flu experienced in many households. Airborne illnesses and respiratory infections spread easily in low-humidity conditions. Increasing moisture levels reduces the capability of viruses and bacteria to cause infections by approximately 85%.
Running a humidifier this winter is an effective way of keeping you and your loved ones healthy. This is because higher moisture levels make it difficult for viruses to survive. When germs get into contact with the moisture in the air, they simply drop to the ground because they become too heavy to float in the air.
6. Improves Sleep
Have you noticed your snoring gets worse as temperatures drop? This is because the low humidity levels during winter significantly affect your sinus passages. It becomes difficult to breathe through the nose and can even cause headaches and sinus pain. When this happens, you’ll start breathing through your mouth while sleeping, which causes your throat to dry out. This leads to disturbed sleep because you may wake up in the middle of the night with an itchy, dry throat
Consider using a humidifier to keep snoring at bay and improve sleep. Adding moisture into the air helps to lubricate the throat tissues. Additionally, moist air encourages mucus to dry out, which is vital in opening nasal passages.
7. Prevent Static
During winter, it’s common to experience static shocks. This shock may come up every time you touch a metallic surface or brush your hair. It gets even more annoying when wearing clothes such as coats that can easily invite sharp static shocks. When there are extremely high static levels, they can damage sensitive electronic gadgets. In some worse cases, the static buildup can create sparks that can easily ignite flammable gas.
Fortunately, you can prevent static charges by restoring moisture in the air. When there is enough moisture in your room, it eliminates the necessary conditions for these shocks. This way, there will be fewer risks of damage caused by static shocks. Also, dressing and making your hair will be much easier and more comfortable.
Your Humidifier Installation Team
As you look for ways to keep your space warm through the winter months, don’t forget to add a humidifier to your shopping list. Running a humidifier maintains relative humidity levels in your home, so you’ll never have to worry about the risk of infections, dry skin, and allergy symptoms. Humidified air also helps you and your family sleep better and prevents wood damage and the buildup of static shocks.
Whenever you are ready to add a humidifier to your home, seek assistance from Blue Ribbon Cooling & Heating in Bastrop, TX. Our team of indoor air quality specialists will help you choose the right humidifier and install it correctly. Your comfort is our priority, so we always go the extra mile to ensure we provide exceptional services for every customer. Owing to our commitment to quality services, we have received positive reviews over the years, which are evidence of our hard work. You can also rely on our professionals for other services, including heating and cooling maintenance, repair, and installation for furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, and ductless mini-split systems.
Call Blue Ribbon Cooling & Heating to book a service with our team today.