Your home needs humidity to improve and maintain its comfort level. If your home is too humid, you run into issues with things such as mould and mildew. If your home is too dry you can have issues ranging from damage to wood furniture to ongoing nose bleeds. Dry air is more common in the winter when the heat is on. This is when you’ll most likely notice the following five signs that you need a humidifier:
1. Static
If you find your home seems to be aglow with static, this is a sign you need a humidifier. Dry air contributes to static in the home leading to little shocks between family members, especially when walking on carpet. However, it also makes your hair static, your bed linens static and your clothes as well.
2. Itchy Skin and Chapped Lips
If you find your skin is itchy and dry, or your lips are flaky and cracking, these are all signs that you need a humidifier. Dry air also leads to flare-ups of existing skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. If you are spending loads of money on Chapstick and skin lotions, it’s time to invest in a humidifier.
3. Cold Symptoms
From dry scratchy coughs to itchy throats, and burning eyes to a feeling your asthma or allergies are getting worse, a dry home often makes you feel as miserable as you would be with a cold. This is because drier air contributes to airborne particles that can really cause unpleasant irritation for your eyes, nose, throat and eventually even your lungs. All of this is caused by dry air and can be reduced or even eliminated with a humidifier.
Did you know that indoor air quality is directly linked to your health and comfortability in your home? Let our team at Whitfield ClimateCare make your home more comfortable, and give us a call today.
4. Nose Bleeds
Along with those cold-like symptoms, you might also experience constant nosebleeds. This is due to irritation of your interior mucosal membranes.
5. Issues with Wood Elements in the Home
Whether it is your wood floors, moulding, or furniture, wood and dry air don’t mix. This is because the dry air will actually try to take moisture where it can find it, including the wood in your home. This can be seen in signs such as gaps and cracks in the wood.
Dry air leads to shrinking and over the years wood will tend to shrink in the cold weather and expand in the summer. This causes issues including warping. Just keep in mind this can also weaken wood structures in the home, so you really want to keep wood pliable. By installing a humidifier, you help keep moisture in the air and your wood happy.
Why Install a Humidifier?
A humidifier is designed to increase water vapour in the air. If you don’t think moisture is important, there are actually recommended humidity levels for indoor air quality for health ranging from 30 to 50%. If they fall below 30%, you’ll experience the five signs we’ve listed here.
However, if they go above 50%, you’ll experience a whole new list of woes including mould growth and other bacteria that can make you sick. So ideally, you want to use a humidifier as it will help you maintain the perfect humidity level year-round.
Do you need a humidifier in your house? We would be happy to help make your home more comfortable. Give us a call today.
