Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality inside one’s home and how it relates to you and your loved one’s health and comfort. At Washington Court House Heating & Cooling, we’d like to take a moment to brief you more about managing the humidity levels in your home, so you can be more ready for the spectrum of weather/temperatures we experience here in Ohio! It truly is mind-blowing how much your indoor air quality can affect your comfort, health, and home!
What Are the Differences Between Dehumidifiers and Humidifiers?
For starters, let’s focus on defining what humidifiers and dehumidifiers are. Next, we can address how to implement what we’ve learned. Humidifiers supply moisture to your home’s air when it is too dry. Generally, we use humidifiers in the wintertime to work against the dryness associated with winter weather. In contrast, dehumidifiers draw moisture from the home’s atmosphere when the humidity is excessive. Dehumidifiers are most frequently used in the spring and summer to rid our house of the sticky and stuffy feeling we undergo with high humidity levels.
The preferred humidity level in a home is within 30% and 50%. Thus, a dehumidifier is necessary if your home is above 50% humidity. Likewise, a humidifier is needed if humidity levels are below 30%. Wonderful truths to know, but how do we pinpoint the humidity levels in our household? Some people are more connected to their environment and can easily perceive where these levels currently live. However, suppose you are like me and are uncertain where your home’s humidity resides. In that case, our kind and brilliant team members at Washington Court House Heating & Cooling will happily assist you in the pursuit of figuring your home comfort out!
How Does a Humidifier Improve Your Home?
We utilize humidifiers to improve our indoor air quality by offsetting the harmful effects of dry air. Humidity can aid in preventing your home’s wallpaper from splitting, halting excess static electricity, and it is excellent for wood floor and furniture preservation in your home. Additionally, your water-loving houseplants will owe you one! Also, a humidifier in your household can help trim some unnecessary baggage from your monthly utility bills in the winter. When there is moisture in the air, your home will feel warmer, and we all can gain something from more reasonable utility bills!
How Does a Humidifier Improve Your Health?
Not only are there advantages to using a humidifier in respect to our home, but for our health as well! Dry air can force moisture to flee our skin and cause unwanted respiratory symptoms. Humidifiers aid those suffering from dry skin, eye irritation, dry throat/airways, allergies, regular coughing, nosebleeds, sinus headaches, and chapped/cracked lips. In addition, studies have verified a high probability for the more immediate breakdown of virus particles in the atmosphere when a humidifier is in one’s home; what good news for us as we persist in pushing through this pandemic!
How Does a Dehumidifier Improve Your Home?
If moisture is fruitful in your home, mold and mildew exposure is highly possible, potentially multiplying at an unnerving rate. No one desires fungus to prosper in their safe space! Many of us have faced the challenges associated with flooding and water leakage in our homes. I wish someone would have advised us to utilize a dehumidifier to assist in removing leftover water. This strategy supplies a more efficient drying process, thus stopping mold and mildew growth in its tracks! Damp conditions can also mean an odorous stench for your home. A dehumidifier will combat these smells, making for a more welcoming home environment for yourself and others. Not to mention, termites and other pests flourish in moist environments, so if your home has high humidity levels, it is at risk for infestation, which is nowhere near ideal for you or your home!
How Does a Dehumidifier Improve Your Health?
Mold and mildew are stinky, unattractive, and bug-inviting, but it’s also a problem for your health! The health risks correlated with exposure include congestion, wheezing, irritation, and a ton more! It can also be monotonous to free your house of mold and mildew once it begins growing. Therefore it is crucial to reduce extra moisture in your home. Dehumidifiers can help suspend mold and mildew growth and improve your home’s indoor air quality by removing the excess water from the air. Likewise, mold and mildew can also result in allergy symptoms, including sneezing, stuffy/runny nose, nose/throat irritation, dryness, watery/itchy eyes, and congestion. Plus, as if living with seasonal allergies isn’t a nuisance already, too much moisture in the atmosphere can create trouble for our breathing. Therefore, downsizing the humidity inside our homes with a dehumidifier promotes a more breathable environment, especially if you or your loved ones have asthma!
If your air conditioner doesn’t allow for the management of humidity levels as effectively as it once has, it would be in your best welfare to contact our team at Washington Court House Heating & Cooling. Our qualified staff is eager to hear from you! Of course, as the weather changes and becomes increasingly warm, you’ll be content to have an adequately functioning air conditioner to help you fight the power of heat and humidity. But, don’t dabble while mildew, mold, and bugs begin to run amuck in your home. Instead, contact our experts at Washington Court House Heating & Cooling today at (740) 281-5312, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here! Now, who’s ready to improve their home’s indoor air quality!?
