Balanced humidity is a key ingredient in creating a healthy and comfortable environment. In general, humidity, which is defined as the amount of water vapor in the air, most often refers to a measurement of relative humidity.
Because the relative humidity can directly correlate with allergy problems, house and building damage, the presence of pests, and your overall comfort level, it's important to understand this concept.
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Why Humidity Level is Important
Dry Air
Indoor humidity that is either too high or too low can cause handfuls of problems for your health and your home. When the indoor relative humidity is below 30%—extremely dry air—the likelihood of the spread of cold and flu viruses increases.
Too-dry air can also irritate and inflame nose and respiratory passages, dry out skin, and wreak havoc on the foundation of your home by causing walls and ceilings to crack, wood floors to separate, and door and window frames to shrink. The easiest way to treat dry air is to add a humidifier to your room.
Humid Air
On the contrary, when the relative humidity is above 50%—damp and moist air—airborne allergens such as mold spores, dust mites, and bacteria thrive and multiply quickly, aggravating the symptoms of allergy-sufferers.
Excessively humid environments cause other issues:
- They're desirable breeding grounds for cockroaches, termites, and other annoying pests.
- The cause of musty odors, accelerated wood rot and decay, stained ceilings and walls, and more.
- When the relative humidity is high in a hot environment, you can feel much hotter than the current temperature because your perspiration cannot evaporate into air already brimming with moisture.
The best way to remove excess moisture from your space is with a dehumidifier.
The Ideal Humidity Level
To avoid the air quality and comfort problems inherent with low or high relative humidity, it's best to maintain a balanced measurement.
Ideally, the relative humidity in a home should fall between 30 and 60%.
This means the surrounding air is holding only half of the maximum amount of moisture it can retain. At this level, dust mites cannot survive, mold spores cannot reproduce, and household pests, which prefer to live in highly humid environments, are driven away.
The air is moist enough so as not to irritate your skin, throat, and breathing passages as well as weaken the physical foundation of your home. This moisture level also lessens the risk of foundation problems related to high humidity.
Checking Relative Humidity
Digital humidity gauges called hygrometers can quickly give you an accurate reading of the current humidity level in your home, saving you the time it would take to tackle any tricky math equation.
In Summary
The ideal relative humidity level for homes is between 30 and 60%. It's simple to maintain this healthy humidity level once you understand relative humidity. Add a dehumidifier in areas with excess moisture or use a humidifier in dry spaces.
Still Have Questions?
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