The Benefits of Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers

Creating a home that’s a happy and healthy retreat is all about creating a space that’s good for both mind and body. One of the best ways to enhance the experience in your home is to improve the indoor air quality by maintaining balanced humidity levels. The most comfortable homes feature humidity levels between 30% and 50%. The time of year and climate you live in can both play big roles in whether you have dry air in your home or humid air circulating through your space. Fortunately, it’s easy to maintain proper humidity levels in your home when you utilize home humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Learn all about humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and the benefits of running these machines in your home. 

What is Humidity? 

Humidity is the measurement of vapor that’s in the air. Low humidity levels result in dry air. The higher the humidity level, the more water vapor there is in the air. Humidity levels can vary greatly based on climate and by the season. This could mean that adjusting the humidity in the home requires a humidifier, dehumidifier, or both according to where you live and the seasonal conditions within your home.

What is a Humidifier?

A humidifier is a machine that increases the humidity levels in your home by turning water into vapor in the air. There are many different humidifier benefits relating to comfort, health, and even the overall condition of the home. A humidifier can help to promote healthier breathing and even improve the overall living environment.

Humidifier Benefits

The simple act of running a humidifier in your home can provide a host of benefits, including: 

1. Relieve Nasal Congestion: If you suffer from allergies and sinus congestion, dry air may be the problem. Running a home humidifier can help to provide daily relief from symptoms. Running a cool-mist humidifier in a child’s room is a great way to help them sleep more soundly with less congestion. 
2. Prevent Nose Bleeds: Dry air running through the sinuses can quickly lead to unwanted nose bleeds. Keeping more moisture in the air helps to prevent the over-drying of your airways and keeps pesky nose bleeds at bay. 
3. Stop the Spread of Cold and Flu: Not only does air with proper humidity feel better, but it can also keep you healthier. According to the National Academy of Sciences, dryer conditions aid the survival of flu and cold bacteria. When the air is moist, the bacteria has less favorable conditions, and you’re less likely to get sick. 
4. Prevent Dry Skin: If your hands and skin get dry and crack easily, adding moisture to the air will also help add moisture to your skin. 
5. Relieve Dry Eyes: Dry air causes dry eyes. Running a home humidifier in the home will help to keep everything moist, including your eyes, especially if you feel that your eyes get dry when you wear contacts. 
6. Keep Plants Healthy: Introducing a little more humidity to your home helps provide a healthy environment for house plants. It essentially helps replicate the feeling of a little greenhouse, especially when you place your plant in a place it receives natural light. Air that’s too dry will dry out the soil too fast. 
7. Minimize Snoring:  The dryer the air, the more you’ll snore. Keeping the proper levels of moisture in the area will help soothe your throat and prevent congestion, thus reducing snoring. 
8. Protect Flooring & Furniture:  Dry air can actually cause your wood furniture to split and crack over time. Maintaining a healthy moisture level in the home will prevent the wood from drying out. 
9. Improve Hair & Scalp Health: Dry air can lead to a dry scalp, causing dandruff and hair breakage. When your air has the right amount of moisture, your scalp and hair are less likely to dry out.  

Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Your Humidifier 

Getting the most out of your humidifier is all about how you use it. Here are some quick tips for using your warm or cool-mist humidifier: 

• Set the humidifier at the ideal level (between 30% and 50%). 
• Change out the water daily to prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. 
• Make sure to use pure or distilled water to prevent the minerals of tap water from releasing into the air. 
• Clean your warm or cool-mist humidifiers with hydrogen peroxide or a manufacturer-recommended disinfectant every few days.  
• If the machine features a filter, change the filter per manufacturer instructions. 

What is a Dehumidifier?

Although some humidity in the air can be extremely beneficial, too much humidity can create a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Dehumidifiers benefit the home by taking moisture out of the air, lowering the humidity levels in your home. There are many different types of dehumidifiers to choose from, including whole-home dehumidifiers, crawl space dehumidifiers, industrial dehumidifiers, and pump dehumidifiers. 

Dehumidifier Benefits

Now that you know what dehumidifiers are, check out all the amazing benefits of running a dehumidifier in your home. A few of the most notable benefits include: 

1. Reduce Environmental Allergens: Dust mites love humid climates, so keeping the humidity levels in your home below 50% will help provide an inhospitable environment for these common sources of allergic reactions. Of course, washing your bedding regularly can also help minimize allergens in the bedroom. 
2. Prevent or Reduce Mold & Mildew Growth: Like dust mites, mold and mildew can grow rapidly in environments with humidity levels above 50%. Reducing the humidity in the home will also help eliminate the growth of mold and mildew. This can be especially important in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other wet areas of the home. 
3. Prevent Asthma Attacks: People who struggle with chronic asthma are often worse when they are in overly humid areas where mold, mildew, and dust mites are prevalent. Dehumidifiers can actually help prevent asthma attacks by creating an environment that is less likely to offer triggers for attacks. 
4. Lower Energy Costs: That’s right, running a dehumidifier can actually lower your energy costs because your HVAC system won’t be working to pull humidity out of your air; it can just focus on cooling the space. 
5. Minimizing Condensation: Condensation on windows, walls, and other surfaces occurs in moist environments. Over time, this condensation can even damage the drywall, wood, and other surfaces in your home. Dehumidifiers help eliminate condensation by removing that extra moisture from the air. 
6. Prevent Musty Odors & Purify the Air: Anywhere with mold and mildew can start to smell musty and damp. Maintaining proper humidity levels by running a dehumidifier helps to prevent those odors associated with mildew. Many dehumidifiers even feature a built-in air purifier, making the air healthier to breathe by eliminating impurities as it dehumidifies. In bathrooms, installing a bathroom exhaust fan is another way to help remove excess moisture and unpleasant odors from the air. There are even some humidity-sensing bath fans that will help you maintain proper levels. 
7. Food Stays Fresh for Longer: Too much humidity makes food stale very quickly. Instead of opening your favorite chips only to find out they’ve lost their crisp, consider running a dehumidifier. This small step will help to keep food fresh for longer, thus reducing waste and lowering your grocery bill. 
8. Protect Your Home & Belongings from Rust: Exposure to too much moisture can quickly cause metal items throughout your home to rust. Reducing moisture levels in the air will help protect furnishings, electronics, and the metal items throughout the home from rust. 
9. Deter Insects: Like mold, insects love damp areas. Prevent creepy crawly residents by lowering the humidity levels in your home and creating a dryer, less hospitable habitat. This is especially effective with ants.

Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Your Dehumidifier

Get the most out of your new dehumidifier by relying on these simple tips: 

• Clean the unit per the manufacturer’s instructions. If necessary, this may include the use of demineralization products (sold separately). 
• Set the humidity level between 30 and 50 percent to ensure the home isn’t too dry or too humid. 
• Utilize cool-mist humidifiers in a child’s room to prevent accidental burns. 
• The moisture the dehumidifier pulls from the air ends up in a tank. Make sure to empty the tank regularly, according to how often you use the dehumidifier and how long it’s running with each session. 
• Keep windows and doors closed as you run your dehumidifier.

Choosing the Ideal Humidifier or Dehumidifier

Once you know the benefits of dehumidifiers and humidifiers and how to use them to better control the humidity in your home, it’s time to select the ideal machine for the space. There is a wide range of different types of units to choose from, including free-standing units, wall-mounted units, cool-mist humidifiers, whole-house units, industrial units, and more. As you shop, consider how many square feet the unit supports and how often you’ll be running the units. If you’re renting a space, portable units you can take along with you make a great investment.