Ideal Indoor Humidity

Finding the ideal indoor humidity level is essential to your overall home comfort needs. Installing a whole home humidifier is one great way to set your ideal indoor humidity. Whole home humidifiers combat dryness, help with those suffering from asthma or allergies, and preserve your wood floors and furnishings.

Let’s start with the basics and learn more about humidity, why humidity is important, and some humidification warning signs to look out for. Questions about the humidity in your home? Give us a call!

What is Humidity?

According to the National Geographic Society, humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If you have a high amount of humidity, this means there is a high amount of water vapors in the air.

Why does your home need humidity?

During cold Winter months, your home can get very dry as warm air is circulating throughout your home. Adding humidity to your home will help you feel more comfortable, preserve wood floors and furniture, and minimize the formation of viruses, keeping you healthier.

For optimal comfort, we recommend setting your humidifier to the following:

• 35% humidity – 20 degrees or warmer outside
• 25% humidity – 0-20 degrees
• 15% humidity – Negative temps

Some whole home humidifiers are manual. When the season changes from Winter to Summer, all you need to do is switch to the correct season on your air humidifier.

Warning Signs Humidity is Too Low:

If you or your home is experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it’s a good indication the humidity in your home is too low:

• Static shock
• Cracks in the floorboards
• Creaky furniture
• Chipped paint
• Dry skin and sinuses
• Withering plants

Humidifiers can preserve an ideal indoor humidity level to prevent levels from getting to low or too high. There are many types of humidifiers on the market. Finding the best humidifier for your new baby, plants and specific rooms of your home can seem pretty overwhelming. We strongly recommend considering a whole-home humidifier since the system is designed to target all humidity in your home.

What’s the best humidifier?

Choosing a humidifier that will properly control your humidity levels depends on the type of furnace and the size of your home. Aprilaire, creates whole-home humidification solutions focused on improving the health of your home’s air and has listed the different types of humidifiers they offer. Consult with an HVAC professional about your options.

Humidifier vs Dehumidifier

• Humidifiers help combat dryness by adding moisture to the air. Adding humidity prevents dry skin, and the spread of viruses and protects wood floors and furniture.

• Dehumidifiers maintain humidity levels by regulating the air in every room. A dehumidifier also controls the growth of mold and mildew and keeps the air fresh even where moisture tends to linger.

Benefits:

1. Whole home humidifiers only need to be maintained once a year (replacing the evaporator pad) versus a portable humidifier which needs to be maintained daily or weekly. 
2. Humidifiers create moisture in your home to prevent your skin, nose, and throat from getting dry, keeping you healthier.
3. Some whole home humidifiers have an outdoor temperature sensor which automatically adjusts the humidity in your home.

To learn more about IAQ products and which products work best to solve common problems, check out our previous post, The Rundown on Indoor Air Quality.

If you have any questions about your home’s humidity, book an appointment today!