Benefits of a Home Humidifier

There are many health reasons to have a furnace and humidifier work together to improve your comfort at home. Cracked skin. Irritated sinuses. A scratchy throat and itchy eyes. Dry air is a common source of discomfort at home, and can contribute to a variety of respiratory problems and increased allergy symptoms. With average Canadians spending up to 90% of their time indoors, according to the Canadian Lung Association, poor air quality is a real concern all year round. Problems increase in winter, however, because when air is heated, its relative humidity drops. Not only that, low humidity in the air makes the temperature in your home feel colder, which can lead to you turning up the heat even more, needlessly increasing your heating bill.

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Here are the top 4 benefits to having the proper humidity in your home:

  1. Moisturizing your skin
    As we mentioned, dry air in your home through the winter can leave your lips chapped and your skin tight, dry and itchy – particularly on your hands, which have fewer oil glands and which you tend to wash more frequently, causing further drying. A humidifier can help keep everything smooth and moist.
  2. Protecting your furniture
    Too little moisture in your home can cause wood to split and crack, leading to damage. Maintaining a healthy level of humidity helps maintain your lungs and your furniture.
  3. Controlling static electricity
    Static electricity and the nasty shocks you get, most often in the winter when you touch your furniture or other people, are worsened by dry air. A humidifier can help reduce static electricity.
  4. Hydrating your plants
    Many of the indoor plants we love the most originated in humid, tropical climates. Indoor air, especially in winter, doesn’t provide many plants with the humidity they need to thrive. If your plants’ leaves are getting brown at the tips or they’re dying altogether, it may have nothing to do with your green thumb. It may be a sign you need a humidifier.

 

The benefits of whole-home humidifiers

A whole-home humidifier can be a great option for keeping your entire living space comfortable, as well as helping lessen breathing problems and many of the issues above. To help you make an informed decision before purchasing a unit, here are a few important benefits of installing a whole-home humidifier:

  • Less work
    A whole-home humidifier only needs to be cleaned once or twice a year. Whole-home humidifiers are attached directly to your home’s water supply, so you don’t have to constantly check and fill water reservoirs, like on smaller room humidifiers.
  • Increased home value
    Naturally, potential homebuyers place value on a property that’s equipped with an up-to-date HVAC system – a whole-home humidifier may increase that value. Additionally, a humidifier can provide the right amount of moisture to prevent damage to wood floors, fixtures and furniture that results from air that’s too dry.
  • Improved indoor air quality
    A whole-house unit monitors your home’s humidity level, adding moisture only when it’s needed and limiting the humidity to the setting level you select. Many room units, on the other hand, don’t have regulators to stop the humidification process when the proper humidity level is reached, often resulting in over humidification. Too much humidity can lead to mould, mildew and dust mites. Humidifiers also help prevent dry and itchy skin, eyes and nasal passages, thereby improving your family’s comfort at home.
  • Lower energy and operating costs
    A whole-home humidifier is integrated into your household water system, so you never need to purchase expensive distilled water that is required for some room humidifiers. Installing a whole-home humidifier may also increase your home’s energy efficiency. Moist air feels warmer than dry air, meaning you’ll feel warmer at lower temperatures and can keep your thermostat at a lower level on chilly nights.

Beyond regulating the humidity in your entire home, do you need to add extra humidity to a particular room? A portable humidifier might be what you’re looking for.

Did you know?

Too much humidity in your home can cause its share of problems, too. When moisture levels are too high, condensation can form and that can lead to the spread of mould and mildew as well as promote the growth of dust mites.

Also remember, different humidifier models offer different features and settings. Depending on the weather and humidity conditions where you live, the model and settings you choose may vary.

A RelianceTM Home Comfort Advisor can offer you advice, answer any questions you may have and help you choose the humidifier that’s right for you, your home and your budget.

For even more great information about Indoor Air Quality and Air Purification, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Indoor Air Quality.