Winter is here along with that annoying static electricity, dry skin and chapped lips. Did you know that low humidity is not only bad for YOU, but for your HOME also? Be sure to keep reading about why your home will be happier with more humidity.
Safeguard Your Belongings by Maintaining Humidity Levels in the Home this Winter with Honeywell Humidifiers
Have Low Humidity? Indoor Air Scientists Uncover the Top Ten Household Items Impacted By Humidity Levels
It’s no secret that low humidity levels in the home can affect your body (chapped lips, scratchy throat), but did you know that it can affect your home too? Today, the designers of Honeywell Humidifiers and Dr. Ted Myatt, an indoor air scientist, have released new research on how everyday household objects suffer under low humidity conditions. Among the items on the list – wood furniture, artwork, and even wine!
“Relative humidity levels can drop to as low as ten percent in the winter months, which is as dry as the Sahara Desert. If humidity levels are too low, household objects from wood furniture to artwork can be damaged over time as moisture is pulled from wood, paper and other porous materials,” said Dr. Ted Myatt, ScD., senior scientist with Environmental Health & Engineering and the University of Rhode Island. “The solution is to maintain relative humidity levels in the optimal range of 40 to 60 percent by running a humidifier in colder, drier winter months, to mitigate these effects.”
My favorite features of the Honeywell Humidifier:
- One of my least favorite “chores” is filling the humidifier. The older models were HUGE, took 5 gallons of water and you had to carry jugs of water around the house to fill it up. Not with THIS Honeywell humidifier! It has not one but TWO removable water tanks! You can carry them to the sink, fill them from the top and just set them back down onto the base.
- Between the 2 tanks, it can hold 3 gallons of water. Those 3 gallons lasted at least 24 hours in my house.
- It may be compact in size, but it can cover the whole downstairs of our home.
- The adjustable humidistat automatically turns humidifier on and off to maintain set humidity levels. If I set it to a lower humidity level, it will turn off automatically when that level is reached.
- This humidifier is so quiet compared to the old models. It has a nice white-noise sound that actually helps me sleep better at night. There are 3 speeds for the fan/output controls. If the noise bothers you, just turn the fan speed down at night.
The research conducted found that the following list of 10 household items are most impacted by low relative humidity:
- Wood Furniture: Has your favorite wooden bench seemed a little shakier? It could be because of low humidity. Wood absorbs and desorbs water as relative humidity rises and falls, which causes it to swell and shrink. This results in furniture joints becoming loose or even pulling apart.
- Musical Instruments: Not sounding quite right? Low humidity levels may be to blame for your instrument falling out of tune. Natural wood instruments such as guitars, violins and pianos can be damaged when the wood contracts resulting in failed glue joints or cracks.
- Books: Low humidity causes the pages of books to become more brittle and fragile, and the dimensions of the pages can even change as the paper absorbs and desorbs water. This leads to wrinkles in the paper, flaking ink, or warped covers on books.
- Woodwork and Wood Floors: If you’ve noticed a slight bend in your wood floors, or gaps between the planks, it could be because of low humidity. As the wood expands and contracts, mitered corners can separate and floors can “cup” so that the floor doesn’t remain flat.
- Wine: Does your uncorked bottle of wine not taste right? Wine corks can dry out, shrink and crack if exposed to low humidity overtime, allowing air to come into contact with the wine and potentially ruin the bottle.
- Artwork: Maintaining humidity levels is vital for protecting artwork around the home. Low moisture levels tend to make paint brittle and prone to cracking, which is especially detrimental to oil paintings on canvas.
- Stamp Collections: Much like books, repeated absorption and desorption of water can ruin stamps by making them brittle or discolored.
- Photograph Collections: Have you noticed your new photographs looking more like your parents’ photo albums? When photographs curl up at the ends, it’s likely due to low humidity levels. They can also result in the photo emulsion flaking off and damaging the photograph.
- Walls: Peeling wallpaper and separated drywall seams can be a sign of low humidity in the home. The porous materials may crack and separate when exposed to low levels.
- Electronic Equipment: Static electricity brought on by low humidity levels can damage internal components of computers, televisions and other electronics – a lot more damaging than dealing with static in your hair!
Running a Honeywell Humidifier in your home, especially during the dry winter months, can help maintain relative indoor humidity levels in the optimal 40 to 60 percent range. Designed for large areas, the new Honeywell Top Fill Console Humidifier is one option for protecting items around the home as it releases soothing, invisible moisture into the room. To confirm when ideal humidity levels are reached, use a humidity monitor like the Honeywell Humidity Monitor that displays relative humidity and indoor room temperature.
For more information on the Honeywell Humidity Monitor and all Honeywell Humidifiers, please visit www.HoneywellPluggedIn.com/humidifier
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What is the humidity like in YOUR house right now? If it’s too low, don’t wait- get your Honeywell Humidifier today!
Be sure to check out our Christmas Gift Guide. We have added the Honeywell Humidifier to it. You will also find great gift ideas for the whole family.
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