The Importance of Using a Humidifier in the Winter

Posted on February 4, 2016 at 12:02 pm

Iowa winters are often very cold and dry. The humidity levels in your home drop to very low amounts, making your home uncomfortable to live in. A simple solution? You should invest in a humidifier to replenish the necessary moisture in your home that makes it a comfortable living environment. Humidity levels should ideally be around 30%, and in the winter months it usually falls to less than 10%. There are many important benefits of humidity in your home, and a humidifier can greatly help to make your home a more comfortable living environment.

Protect Your Furniture

While very high moisture levels can damage your furniture, so can very low moisture levels. There needs to be happy medium. Too little moisture can cause your wood furniture and flooring to split or crack unexpectedly. To preserve your wooden belongings, add a humidifier to your rooms. It is important to remember to monitor and track the humidity levels in each room to ensure you don’t overdo it. Humidifiers have great health benefits, but that doesn’t mean you should not be running it all the time.

Prevent & Treat Illness

Dry winter air can dry out your sinuses, lowering your immune resistance to unwanted bacteria. Believe it or not, viruses have trouble traveling in moist air. This means that when your home has moisture in the air, you are less likely to get sick. Lastly, we all know that dry air leads to dry, itchy skin. When you replenish the air with the necessary moisture, your skin will feel better and more naturally moisturized.

Reduce Your Heating Bill

It is known that dry air feels a lot cooler than moist air. When your home has less than 10% moisture, it is going to feel cold and very drafty. Adding a humidifier can help make your home more comfortable, warm, and could save you money from having to constantly run your heat during the cold, sub-zero Central Iowa temperatures.

Sleep More Comfortably

Sleeping with a humidifier will allow you to breath more comfortably and wake up without a dry nose or throat. Dry air will make throats and noses drier, and tend to cause more snoring. To reduce this, sleep with a humidifier and you will feel more comfortable and refreshed when you wake up.

Things to Remember When Using a Humidifier

You should remember to change the filters on your humidifier regularly as recommended. It is often advised to use distilled water because it doesn’t contain any minerals that can build up within your humidifier, causing damage. Using water with fewer minerals will also save you the hassle of having to clean your humidifier often.