How to humidify your house in the winter
When you think of humidity, what comes to mind? If you’re like most living, breathing human beings, you associate humidity with long, sweltering summer days in which you can’t even sit in the shade without pouring buckets of sweat. Many people are surprised to learn about humidity’s ties to winter. This short guide provided to you by JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning in Deptford, NJ, will tell you all about the benefits of wintertime humidity and how to maintain ideal indoor humidity levels during winter.
What Is Humidity?
If you think back to elementary school or middle-school science class, you might remember the water cycle. Liquid water evaporates, turning into water vapor. Eventually, water vapor accumulates in clouds. Once clouds get fully saturated, rain falls back down to the ground.
Humidity refers to how much water vapor hangs in the air. The relative humidity is used to measure concentrations of water vapor depending on the temperature. In other words, relative humidity compares the current humidity to the maximum concentration of water vapor the air can hold at a certain temperature.
Humidity During Different Times of Year
As temperature increases, maximum humidity increases. Summers naturally have more humidity than winters.
Low-humidity environments draw in more water than their high-humidity counterparts. Even though you might not sweat much during wintertime, cold winter air pulls considerable amounts of water from your body. In turn, this can lead to several unwanted symptoms:
- Sore, scratchy throat
- Chapped lips
- Dry, flaky skin
- Itchy eyes
A Humidifier Can Improve Skin, Throat, Hair, and Eye Health
Unfortunately, there’s no way to raise the planet’s overall humidity. As such, when spending time outside of the home during winter, you’re still at risk for dry skin, chapped lips, itchy eyes, and a sore throat. On the bright side, you have near-total control over your home’s relative humidity.
You may have noticed that hair gets dry and weak during winter. These conditions come directly from low humidity. Using a home humidifier can also make your hair look better and be stronger during winter.
Increasing Relative Humidity Can Also Limit the Transmission of Viruses
Influenza, one of the most common ailments humans spread between each other, is typically spread through droplets. No matter how careful you are, you naturally expel tiny droplets when you speak and breathe. Flu viruses live longer in environments with low humidity, which is one reason why there’s a flu season during wintertime every year.
Numerous studies have confirmed that the influenza virus spreads easier in environments with low humidity. Although you should always wash your hands and avoid touching your face, improving indoor humidity can limit the spread of influenza.
Improve Your Partner’s Snoring
It’s easy to get annoyed with partners, family members, or housemates who snore. At times, falling asleep with a chronic snorer can seem impossible.
Although snoring is a medical condition and should be treated as such, humidity can improve snoring. When the throat, tongue, and uvula are more lubricated, people typically don’t snore as loud.
Ideas for Humidifying Your Home
Humidifiers are the golden standard in in-home humidification. Still, humidifiers aren’t perfect. Try using these innovative ways to improve your home’s relative humidity.
Avoid Using Your Conventional Dryer
Before the advent of the conventional dryer, people dried their clothes air-dried their clothes. If raising indoor humidity is your goal, go old-fashioned with your laundry. Hang wet clothes up around your home with hangers or makeshift clotheslines.
Bring Plants Into the Picture
If you don’t already have several plants indoors, it’s time to test out your green thumb. First off, regularly water your plants. Secondly, leave these plants in areas that get tons of sunlight. If you do this regularly, you’ll benefit from this makeshift humidifying cycle.
Limit Your Use of Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans remove water vapor and odors from homes. They’re most often used after showering and while cooking. Try not to use your exhaust fans after showering. Instead, leave your bathroom door open during and after your shower. If you can’t leave it open during your shower, leaving it open afterward is good enough.
Looking for a Reputable Figure in the Indoor Air Quality Space?
If so, look no further than us, JAMCO Heating & Air Conditioning in Deptford, NJ. Established back in 1986, we’re a second-generation family business that strives to provide residential and commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning solutions. Other services we provide include air conditioner and heater repair, installation, and maintenance. We also make custom ductwork with sheet metal and sell, repair, and install ductless mini-split systems. Reach out to us now for indoor air quality assistance or all-around HVAC service
