Ideal Home Humidity and Proper Humidifier Care
Why do we want to add humidity to our homes, and what exactly is humidity?
Humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. People tend to feel more comfortable when the relative humidity is within a certain range (between 40 and 60 percent). If the humidity is too low, people may experience physical discomforts such as a dry nose, throat, lips and skin. Low humidity may also wreak havoc on your home, causing static electricity, cracks in furniture and paint, and peeling wallpaper. High levels of humidity also cause a room to feel stuffy and create an environment in which biological contaminants can thrive. Moisture is often added or removed from indoor air to make a room feel more comfortable.
There are several types of home humidifiers, as follows:
- Console humidifiers are in cabinets that stand on the floor, and are usually kept in the same position in a home.
- Portable humidifiers are smaller than consoles, so they can be easily moved from room to room. Portable humidifiers can be:
- Ultrasonic humidifiers, which create a cool mist using ultrasonic sound vibrations
- Impellers, or cool-mist humidifiers, which create a cool mist using a high-speed rotating disk
- Evaporators, which transmit moisture into the air invisibly using a fan to blow air through a moistened absorbent material, such as a belt, wick, filter, or evaporative cartridge.
- Steam, or "warm mist" vaporizers, which create steam by heating water with an electrical heating element, and allow steam to cool before it is released into the room.
- Central humidifiers are built into heating and air-conditioning systems, and are used to increase the humidity level in an entire home.
Ultrasonic and Impeller humidifiers generally disperse more microorganisms and minerals into a room than the other humidifier types. Evaporative and Steam Vaporizer humidifiers with tanks that hold standing water can allow for growth of microorganisms, but generally disperse less, if any, of these pollutants into the air when compared to Ultrasonic and Impeller models.
Tips for getting the best performance from your humidifier:
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the use, maintenance, and replacement of any filters/parts for your humidifier.
- Use water with low mineral content to prevent the build-up of scale and the dispersal of minerals into the air. Tap water, especially in areas with hard water, can cause crusty
deposits in humidifiers. Minerals in the tap water can be circulated into the air, causing "white dust" to appear on surfaces in the room. Distilled water typically has lower mineral
content than tap water, so lower amounts of minerals will be dispersed in the air. The EPA has not determined that evaporative and steam vaporizers disperse measurable amounts of minerals
in the air, so use of distilled water for these units is unnecessary.
- Clean portable humidifiers every third day. Always unplug the unit when assembling or disassembling it. Empty the tank and use a brush or scrubber to clean it. Remove any scale,
deposits, or film that have accumulated on the sides of the tank or interior surfaces, and wipe all surfaces dry.
- Do not let the area around the humidifier become damp or wet. Do not allow absorbent materials, such as carpeting or drapes, to get damp. If this occurs, either turn down the output volume of the humidifier, or use the humidifier intermittently.
If you have any questions regarding home humidifiers, please feel free to contact our Customer Service department at (888) 847-7850 or email us at info@homeairtreatment.com for a quick response to your inquiry.