Looking out the window on a cold frosty day, feeling all warm and fuzzy, the heat pumping and the fireplace is on, your think life is good. Life is indeed good, but cranking up the heat in your home can leave your home environment feeling decidedly not so great if the humidity level is 0. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping indoor humidity levels between 30 and 50 percent.
What Are The Effects of Overly Dry Air?
Electric shock when touching metal objects or walking on carpeting
Physical Issues: dry skin, irritated eyes, dryness in the throat or airways, allergies, frequent coughs, bloody noses, sinus headaches and cracked lips (medical news today)
Your wood furniture, hardwood floors and moldings could become dry and might even crack
Your paint cracks more and chips easier
Keepsakes dry out and can be damaged
Dust settles onto (and inside of) our expensive electronics
Dry air feels cooler than humid air so we compensate by turning up the heat and this leads to a higher energy bill and the creation of even drier indoor air!
How to Add Humidity to your Home?
There are some options to combat the dry air in your home environment.
Single Room Portable Humidifiers
A portable humidifier is a device that you plug in to the wall and place in the middle of a room. These humidifiers can only humidity one room at a time, and they require frequent maintenance like changing the water and keeping the device clean. An example below.
Portable House Humidifier
Much larger than a single room portable humidifier and can humidify a larger square footage. Requires more water to fill and a Bacteriostatic treatment to control bacteria and algae buildup. Requires the purchase of large wicks on a frequent basis. Once you are done using it for the season you must clean out the machine and throw away the used wick. Examples Below.
Whole House Humidifer
A whole house humidifier is installed directly in your heating system’s ductwork with its own water supply and drain. When your furnace is cycling and heating air in your home, that air is also humidified by the whole house humidifier. This means that every room in your home can enjoy humidified air by using a single unit. Below is an example of a whole House Humidifier.
Another important consideration is the fact that a whole-house humidifier that’s integrated into your HVAC system has a humidistat, which is a device that measures humidity levels in your home.
The safest, healthiest humidifiers have an integral humidistat that switches the humidifier on and off as needed to maintain a safe and healthy level of humidity throughout your home.
Benefits of adding Humidity to Air
Softer, more vibrant skin. ...
Comfortable sinuses. ...
Faster healing times. ...
Healthier houseplants. ...
Protected wood furnishings. ...
Reduced heating bills.