Why is there a need to control the indoor humidity of your home or building?
Maybe some of you haven’t thought of this matter before. Humidity, after all, is among the least-mentioned issues that come into the mind of homeowners. However, you should not shrug it off.
Humidity that is too low or too high is bad for your health. It also causes structural damages, which is something that you don’t want if you put a high value on your property. Managing humidity is crucial to ensure the conduciveness of your space and its overall structural integrity over time.
What Is Humidity?
Humidity is a measure of how much water vapor is in the air. When air is fully saturated with water vapor, its relative humidity is 100%.
Meanwhile, relative humidity is the measure of the amount of water in the air together with the maximum moisture present. The higher the temperature gets, the more water vapor air can contain. Oppositely, when the temperature is low, the carrying capacity of the air to carry moisture is low, too. Hence, you should not be surprised that warm regions have damp or wet air.
Humidity is an integral part of the Earth’s atmosphere; it is derived from the water vapor that lingers on the air. Water vapor occurs in the atmosphere through evaporation in major water bodies such as seas and lakes.
You can remove humidity, as it is an existing component of the water cycle. As water evaporates, moisture in the air occurs. However, this moisture is then removed when condensation takes place.
What Is The Healthy Indoor Humidity Level?
You wouldn’t want to keep your air too dry or too wet. Later on, we will discuss the effects of each of these situations.
As a responsible homeowner, you would want your indoor space to be conducive to your comfort and health. It should be free from impurities and other sources of irritations. Of course, setting the proper humidity levels can help you in this aspect.
Many have different suggestions when it comes to the healthy indoor humidity level. After all, people base their perception on their degree of comfort, and that’s not entirely wrong.
However, experts suggest that the humidity level of a home should only stay between 40% to 60%. Any lower or higher than this range and you will experience various humidity problems such as allergies and respiratory illnesses.
Fortunately, you can always protect yourself and your family from the potentially harmful effects of humidity by having a humidifier and dehumidifier. A humidifier adds moisture to the air; a humidifier reduces it. You can get either of these devices depending on your needs.
Reasons Why You Need To Control Indoor Humidity
What Happens If The Indoor Humidity Is Too Low?
Low humidity usually refers to the dryness of the air. It is a common occurrence during the cold season–where the temperature is quite low. Combined with the use of heating systems, it is entirely usual to experience arid air during winter.
But just because it is normal doesn’t mean that you can just let it off the hook. Otherwise, you would experience the following things:
Dry Skin
Dry skin is the result of low humidity in the air, and the more intense the dry climate, the drier your skin will get. It’s actually the air, not the water in your skin, that keeps it from getting dry. The air’s relative humidity, which is the amount of moisture in the air compared to the maximum it can hold at a certain temperature, affects how much water your skin and hair can absorb from the air. When it is humid, it takes longer for the water that your skin puts out to evaporate, so it doesn’t evaporate as quickly as it would in low humidity.
Influenza
Flu transmits easily when the air is dry, according to several studies. Many are reluctant to believe this fact, but the link between low humidity and virus transmission is quite strong. To be on the safe side of things, you need to ensure that your indoor air is properly humid. You don’t want any virus to compromise the health of your family.
Nose Bleeding
Low humidity can cause nose bleeding in some people. When the humidity drops, nostrils are subjected to dry air, which triggers the inflammatory response. Inflammation causes the capillaries in the nostrils to expand. This is harmless in itself, but when the air becomes too dry, those capillaries can expand too much and burst, causing nose bleeding.
Furniture Damage
If you have wooden furniture, low humidity is bad news for you. Wood is one of the most versatile and useful materials in the world. But even the most vigorous trees can be damaged by high or low humidity levels. You may not think humidity has much to do with wood, but actually, the opposite is true. All wood is made up of a matrix of wood cells, which contain cellulose. Cellulose is a strong substance, but it does need moisture to maintain its integrity. The absence of water vapor in the air reduces the rigidity of wood; over time, it would crack and get brittle.
Stress
Many people are surprised to find that humidity levels can affect their mood: it turns out that low humidity levels are a common trigger for stress. The reason is that low humidity levels make the air feel drier than it actually is. Our body’s natural reaction to this is to signal a stress response to prepare us for an emergency. This is why some people feel very tense, anxious, or even panicked when they are in a dry climate.
What Happens If The Indoor Humidity Is Too High?
Mold Growth
High humidity is a big concern for homeowners and building managers. When the relative humidity in the home is too high, mold growth can occur. It is estimated that high humidity is responsible for 20% of all mold complaints. Keep in mind that bacteria and molds proliferate quickly in highly humid environments. The rooms in your home with the highest humidity levels are the most likely candidates for mold growth. The highest humidity levels are usually found in the kitchen and bathroom, especially the bathroom, since it’s where we shower.
Respiratory Illnesses
Asthma and respiratory illness are typically seasonal since they often occur during peak periods of pollen and mold growth. Still, they can also be triggered by various factors, including cigarette smoke, air pollution, and even high humidity. Surprisingly, all of these triggers can take advantage of the moist environment inside our homes, especially during humid summer months.
Increase In Dust Mites
An increased level of humidity in your home can cause the proliferation of dust mites. Dust mites are microscopic organisms that are normally found in the home. They feed on the flakes of dead skin that we all shed naturally as we go about our daily business. However, one should know that dust mites are always present in highly humid conditions, as they absorb water for their survival. Once you regulate your indoor humidity, these dust mites will no longer infest your home.
Heat Exhaustion
When summer arrives, so are the hot, humid days. In fact, high levels of humidity can make it feel like it’s hotter than it really is, making the heat of the sun unbearable to many people. This is because the excess water in the air prevents the body from sweating, which is our internal mechanism of cooling. If the body can’t cool down, it is completely possible to suffer from heat-related conditions such as fainting and stroke.
Ways To Control Indoor Humidity
There are a lot of things that you can do to ensure that your indoor humidity remains at safe levels.
- Of course, the first solution is purchasing a humidifier or dehumidifier. These devices can help you combat the inconsistencies in the relative humidity of your indoor space. They are a great addition to your home, especially if you or your family members are prone to respiratory illnesses, allergies, and other humidity-related health conditions.
- If you see that there is moisture gathering in any parts of your home, you should dry it right away. Afterward, determine the cause or origin of the condensation.
- Your windows and storm doors are efficient in reducing moisture in your space. For instance, upgrading them to double or triple-pane windows can provide insulation from the cold temperatures, preventing the cool and dry air from settling in.
- You may also want to open the blinds and drapes during winter. This would help warm your interior glass. It may cause a little bit of condensation, but the enhanced air circulation can compensate for that.
- You should work with your heating and cooling systems, too. Electric and gas furnaces curb excess humidity with the heat they release. Meanwhile, air conditioners reduce moisture because they make the air dry and cool. Using them properly can help address the fluctuating moisture levels in moisture.
- It is essential that you consider caulking the gaps and seams of your home. It doesn’t only prevent humid air from entering; it also makes your home energy efficient.
Other simple but clever ways to control indoor moisture:
- Always cover your pots while you are cooking
- Interior doors should remain open for enhanced air circulation
- Cover your aquariums if you have them
In Summary
The importance of controlling indoor humidity is essential for the health and welfare of your family. Being exposed to abnormal levels of humidity can bring multiple problems to your body and even to the structures of your home.
Furthermore, you should consider buying a humidifier or dehumidifier to guarantee that you’ll be able to regulate the moisture levels of your living spaces whenever you need to.
That’s it for now. If you have other inquiries, feel free to ask me in the comment section below.