With the air in our homes drying up during the winter months, we get a lot of people asking how much a whole-home humidifier would benefit them.
Our answer is almost always, unequivocally: A whole-home humidifier would benefit you tremendously, in a variety of ways.
Humidifiers are amazing to have, especially here in Ohio. However, what a lot of people don’t know is, they can also become useful during other seasons as well. Having said that, the smaller (normal size) humidifiers you find in retail, while they work for single rooms or for small spaces, whole-home humidifiers are far more beneficial. Whole-home humidifiers greatly improve the overall Indoor Air Quality of the entire house. They benefit not only you and your family’s health, but also the condition of your house itself as well.
To delve into this further, we at Lebanon Heating & Cooling put together the following list of our Six Major Benefits of Whole-Home Humidifiers:
- Sleeping Conditions
When humidity levels drop as they do during the wintertime, the air in our homes becomes excessively dry. This can lead to an unhealthy breathing environment that often results in discomfort and illness. Furthermore, it can make snoring louder and other sleeping problems worse, as snoring often interrupts sleep cycles. This affects the person snoring as well as others in the home. To make matters worse, coughing and breathing problems caused by dry air can disrupt sleep as well, and dry throats can aggravate the problem. For these problems, the solution often lies in getting a whole-home humidifier. Whole-home humidifiers are known to be helpful for improving sleep quality.
- Prepared For Flu Season
Our respiratory systems are lined with membrane tissue that needs moisture to enable proper sinus function. However, low levels of relative humidity, or dry air caused by the cold weather, removes moisture from this tissue and causes irritation. Normally, this makes one’s throat scratchy and sore and creates painful sinus issues and other respiratory tract problems.
The arrival of cold and flu season often irritates these issues further, making what would normally be a common cold far more painful and troublesome. Worse yet, there are a lot of viruses that are known to spread faster in dryer conditions and people with these inflamed respiratory systems are more vulnerable to catching them. This creates a sort of double-edge sword, a recipe for complete misery. Luckily, whole-home humidifiers are very helpful solutions.
- Protecting Furniture & Wood
Wood furniture along with molding, trim and woodwork in a home looks a lot better and lasts a lot longer when relative humidity levels are maintained within the proper range, which is 30 to 50 percent. If levels are too low, the dried up air extracts moisture from not only our bodies, but also from exposed wood in the home. When it pulls moisture from wooden furniture, tables, hardwood flooring, trim and cabinetry, it damages them and causes them to split, warp and crack. Doors and window frames are no exception either. And, the damage can influence how they function, making it harder to open and close. As such, installing a whole-home humidifier is good for your belongings and the actual house itself.
- Help With Allergy Symptoms
When a person’s immune system overreacts to air conditions that are less than optimal, allergies are usually a result. Because the immune system is battling airborne pollutants and struggling against arid conditions, its mucous membranes swell and over-produce mucus. Common symptoms include runny noses, watery eyes and sneezing spells. When skin dries, hives and other irritation cause excess itching. If you or your loved ones are experiencing allergy problems and your indoor humidity levels are dry, a whole-home humidifier is something you should definitely consider.
- Skin Health
Anyone who’s ever dealt with eczema or dermatitis understands what it’s like to have dry and itchy skin. These conditions are magnified when the air is cold and dry, when low humidity levels cause skin problems. For people with dry skin, whole-home humidifiers are great for keeping moisture levels in the air in a healthy range. They enable skin to keep its natural moisture levels, which gives skin its elasticity. Without it, skin develops wrinkles much faster.
Also without it, dry air makes oil-producing glands in the body hyperactive, which often leads to a condition that causes acne problems. Because the outdoor air is dryer during the wintertime, maintaining optimal indoor humidity levels helps keep skin healthy.
- Convenience
For an individual room or a small area, retail-size humidifiers can be useful. However, to improve the overall air quality of an entire dwelling, whole-home humidifiers are by far more superior options for a variety of reasons, least of all being their convenience. If someone tried to maintain healthy indoor humidity levels for their entire home using the smaller humidifiers, they would have to use numerous devices all throughout the house, safely placed in all the right places, and kept up with constantly with water. This would become time-consuming, tedious, wasteful and potentially hazardous. Because using a bunch of smaller humidifiers would not be practical, if you’re looking to maintain humidity levels in your home, a whole-home humidifier is hands down the best option. Having this single device installed in your air duct system is hassle free. You won’t ever need to refill it because they are directly linked to your water line. And the humidity would be added to your air supply as it’s distributed into your home from your HVAC system, so you would never need to see it, adjust it or plug it in. Once we put this device in your system, it is fully integrated and ready to go!
Call Us Today to Learn More!
Sustaining proper levels of humidity in a dwelling keeps everyone happier, healthier and far more comfortable. Because we care about the quality of the air in your home, we want you and your loved ones to live comfortably and enjoy the holiday season! If you’re interested in having a whole-home humidifier installed, please call Lebanon Heating & Cooling today at (513) 540-1773, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here!
