Home Humidifier Safety Guidelines
A home humidifier is an important part of many homes. It helps raise the level of humidity in the environment during cold weather, so you don’t get that sore, itchy throat or dry lips. However for some people – namely those with breathing problems – a home humidifier can pose a threat to their health.
Contrary to what some of you may think, a home humidifier can do more harm than good to individuals with asthma and allergies. This is because an increase in humidity in a room encourages the growth of mold, bacteria, dust mites and other harmful organisms. Even the moisture in the air itself can irritate one’s lungs and thus trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory conditions.
Even healthy people can be put at risk if either the humidifier or the room it is in is not kept clean. A home humidifier ought to be cleaned every couple of days, or according to the instructions of its maker. The water reservoir must be emptied, cleaned and dried regularly. No water is too remain there for too long. Further, if you are not going to use the home humidifier for a long time, clean and dry it thoroughly before putting it away.
The room where the humidifier operates in must be kept dry. If water is allowed to collect, then humidity level would get too high. Water would condense and cause mold to grow. It would also be impossible to dry your laundry!
To avoid these troubles, you need to know the humidity level of the area prior to installing a home humidifier. You can buy a model that already has a built-in humidity level monitor known as a hygrometer. But they are not very accurate. The best thing to use is a standalone hygrometer.
Now here are the different levels of humidity:
Too low – 30% and lower
Just right – 40-45%
Too much – 50% and higher
When humidity is at 30% or less, you will experience discomfort like dryness and itchy skin—and so will your wooden furniture probably. The 40-45% range is the ideal level of moisture. If the humidity is 50% or higher, you must not use a humidifier as this would over-moisturize the room. In that case, you might need a dehumidifier instead!
A home humidifier is a handy appliance for those bitterly cold winter times. But as shown here, it needs to be monitored and cleaned regularly. Do make sure your home humidifier is in good running condition always.















