Professional Humidity Solutions in St Louis Area
Every St. Louis homeowner is familiar with the oppressive, uncomfortable effects of high humidity, but what about excessively dry air? Indoor air quality can suffer when the humidity drops too low, potentially creating problems for you and your home. A whole-home humidifier is a simple, cost-effective solution that can help support your family’s comfort and wellness all year long.
Improve Your Health and Wellness
It sounds odd, but the amount of water vapor in the air – known as humidity – can have important effects on your health. This is especially true when it comes to indoor air. Depending on the season, most experts recommend keeping the humidity levels in your home between 30% and 50%. Above this range, the air can start to become stuffy and oppressive. Too much water vapor can disrupt your body’s ability to cool itself and even make it more difficult to breathe.
However, too little water vapor can be just as harmful. Many viruses and other airborne pathogens survive best in dry air. To make matters worse, low humidity can dry out the mucous membranes that protect your body against foreign invaders. With that in mind, a humidifier is a great way to help ward off illness. If you’re already under the weather, adding a bit of humidity to the air can help break up congestion. Maintaining a comfortable humidity range supports more restful sleep as well, which is essential to overall health and wellness. Finally, a humidifier can help ease allergy and asthma symptoms by preventing excessively dry air from irritating your respiratory tract.
Whole Home Humidifiers Combat Discomfort
When temperatures drop during the colder months, that typically means less moisture content in the air. Home heating systems can easily warm this air back up, but most of them don’t add any additional moisture. As a result, the relative humidity inside your home can sharply plummet as your heater works to keep you warm. Unfortunately, as the air becomes drier, it also becomes more effective at stealing moisture from your body.
That often means cracked and itchy skin, chapped lips, dry eyes, congested nasal passages and a sore, scratchy throat. Needless to say, having the moisture pulled from your body doesn’t leave you feeling very comfortable. Fortunately, a whole-home humidifier is an effective solution that works hard to keep you comfortable. By adding moisture back to the air, a humidifier can keep your home’s humidity stable even in the depths of winter. You’ll enjoy smoother and more comfortable skin, healthier hair and less irritation of your eyes, nose and throat. As an added bonus, you can put an end to the annoying static shocks that build up when humidity levels fall.
Protect Against Damage From Dry Air
It’s not just your body that suffers from the desiccating effects of dry indoor air. If it’s not addressed, chronically low humidity can also take a toll on your home in a variety of ways. It can pull moisture from wood, drying it out and causing it to crack and shrink. That’s bad news for everything from floor joists and molding to wood furniture and cabinets. Drywall is similarly affected, increasing the risk of unsightly cracks and other damage.
Of course, adding too much moisture to the air can be just as bad for your home. Worse still is sharp fluctuations, which can cause wood and other materials to repeatedly expand and contract. To alleviate these concerns, consult with a qualified HVAC contractor to find the appropriate humidifier for your home. When properly installed, a whole-home humidifier can keep humidity levels stable and offer long-term protection against damaging dry air.
The winter season can be difficult enough without having to deal with the discomfort and potential health risks of low humidity. For high-quality humidifiers and other whole-home solutions, call Indoor Comfort Team to learn about our professional indoor air quality services.
