The cold weather months bring cozy sweaters, hearty soups, and nights spent in front of a crackling fire. They also bring dry indoor air and all the discomforts that come with it like static electricity, chapped lips, and dry skin.
You see, once heating season arrives, natural humidity levels drop significantly, making our homes feel less comfortable. Increasing the humidity level can make a home a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment. Luckily, there are many easy ways to add humidity to your house, so that you can experience all of the benefits of a home environment with the proper humidity.
Today on the blog we share some of the benefits of increasing humidity in your home and tips on how to accomplish just that.
Benefits of Increasing Humidity
The ideal relative humidity in a home is somewhere between 30% and 50%. If it dips below 30%, it’s too dry, and if it’s above 50%, the high humidity may start to feel uncomfortable.
The benefits of maintaining ideal humidity levels for your home include:
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Prevention of common illnesses: Viruses transmit more easily in dry air. A proper humidity level also helps prevent sore throats, dry sinuses, headaches, and minimizes contact lens discomfort.
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Less dust: An ideal humidity level helps keep dust, allergens, and pollutants out of the air, making the air in your home cleaner and healthier to breathe.
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Hydrated skin: Dry indoor air can lead to dry, itchy, flaky skin. Increasing the humidity can prevent these symptoms.
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Preserve furniture: Proper humidity levels help prevent warping or cracking of wooden furniture, hardwood floors, wood instruments, and more.
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Reduced electrostatic shocks: Dry winter air makes the ideal conditions for those annoying little shocks we get when we touch certain surfaces.
6 Ways to Increase Humidity in Your Home
It’s not too difficult to boost the humidity levels in your home. Here are 6 practical solutions to increase humidity in winter:
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Add houseplants to your home. Houseplants not only add to the ambiance of a home, but they also help purify and humidify the space. Choose plants with large leaves, and those that do well in dry conditions like palms, philodendrons, and Chinese evergreens.
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Use the stovetop. Cooking and boiling water on the stovetop releases steam into the air. Whenever possible, opt for the stove top over the microwave or oven.
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Set out bowls of water. Fill small bowls with water and place them on top of radiators or near heating vents. The warmth from your heating system will cause the water to slowly evaporate into the air.
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Air dry dishes. Once your dishwasher’s wash cycle has finished, open the door and pull out the racks to air dry the dishes instead of using the “heated dry” function. This will add humidity to the air and shave a few buck off your monthly utility bill.
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Use your shower steam. Whenever possible, leave the bathroom door cracked open while showering or bathing to release the steam out of the bathroom. Avoid using the bathroom vent fan, as it is designed to remove excess moisture from the air.
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Install a whole-house humidifier. Perhaps one of the best solutions for controlling your home’s humidity levels is with a whole-house humidifier expertly installed by Anthony’s Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. Whole-house humidifiers are more efficient than individual units and ensure an exact humidity level to keep your entire home comfortable.
Contact Anthony’s today for a home comfort analysis and system proposal.
