Is your home or office too dry?
The correct humidity level is quite important during the heating season.
Relative humidity is a vital factor for several reasons. It impacts our level of comfort. While it’s excessively dry, we are unable to get warm regardless of how high we raise the thermostat. It could also affect the ability of some people to breathe. Humidity levels also impact the cost of heating since lower humidity levels need higher temperatures in order for us to feel cosy.
Indoor humidity levels are additionally thought to be linked to the rate of colds and allergic reactions. And excessive humidity can result in unwanted mould growth along with damage and discoloration of window sills, walls, and other building components. So for a number of different reasons people pay more attention to the indoor relative humidity levels during the heating season.
Many people don’t quite know what relative humidity is. A basic definition is that it’s the level of water vapour inside the air in your home.
A common technique of determining indoor humidity is to purchase a little device at your local hardware store to give you a reading. These items are designed to sit on a table or shelf and are about three inches square in size. They usually sell for less than $20.
Personally, I find that these tools are frequently imprecise, compared to a better quality, commercial device. The ones I tested were not simply incorrect by a few of percentage points. Each of these was incorrect by a large amount!
This same tools usually indicates a “comfort zone,” which should indicate the temperature and relative humidity you would feel most cosy. There is a quick, free, and specific technique to evaluate your indoor humidity. It won’t give you the relative humidity in percent, but it will indicate if you have too much or too little humidity.
Consider that mould likes excess humidity. Too little and you’re going to be uncomfortable.
I have tested this procedure against the commercial indoor air quality device I use and found it to be quite exact in figuring out when the humidity level is too high or too low.
This technique involves you looking for just two things.
Check out the windows in your house. Condensation on and around your windows indicates a high humidity level. This doesn’t mean just a few drops. We’re talking about sufficient moisture so it runs down the glass and develops into little puddles on the window sill.
When this happens, your humidity is too high! If you continue to maintain this high humidity level, you are supporting mould development by providing the right environment. Mould will definitely grow in these conditions.
You could see water accumulating on the windows in one spot of your house, but not in another. For example, your bathroom window has water regularly developing on the sill but other windows in the house stay dry. Excessive humidity in your bathroom might be the result of not turning on the exhaust fan long enough after a bath or shower. The other rooms in the home stay unaffected.
You can now establish whether the humidity level is too high, but how can you determine if it’s not high enough?
To determine if it’s excessively dry, you search for another easy, yet accurate signal. Static electricity. Do you feel static electric shocks if you walk across the carpet and contact something metal? Is it out of the question to comb your hair without having a few strands stick straight out? Do you need lots of hair spray? Does the cat’s fur stick out if you pet him?
These are all signs that it’s excessively dry within your house. It’s suggested that you raise the level of humidity.
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