Manage Humidity Levels Through the Seasons - Parkersburg & Surrounding Areas
High humidity often goes hand in hand with elevated temperatures outdoors. This humidity can easily seep into your home, negatively impacting your comfort. Keeping that extra moisture out of your home can greatly increase your warm weather experience.
Summer is often described as muggy, sticky or heavy. Winter is often described as the opposite: crisp, dry or bitter. These illustrations refer to the amount of moisture in the air during the seasons.
What is Humidity?
Humidity is simply the amount of water that is suspended in the air around you. Everyone feels comfortable at different humidity levels, something that is dependent on personal preferences, level of physical activity and clothing. But generally, the optimum range is somewhere between 45 - 55%.
How Does Humidity Change With the Seasons?
The temperature of the air determines how much moisture it can hold. The higher the temperature, the more moisture in the air. That’s why summer tends to be humid and winter tends to be dry.
The Problems of Extreme Humidity
A variety of illnesses and health threats can be caused by too little or too much moisture in the air. A few of these dangers include chemical interactions, ozone production, fungi, mites, viruses, bacteria, allergies and respiratory infections.
Common Effects of Imbalanced Humidity
Low Humidity - Dry air can cause damage to wood floors/furniture, a greater susceptibility to colds and infection and itchy, dry skin.
High Humidity - Air that is too moist can encourage mold growth, cause sleep discomfort and produce unpleasant muggy conditions.
How Can You Achieve the Ideal Home Humidity Levels for All Seasons?
Summer - By using exhaust fans, always running your air conditioner and turning of your humidifiers, you can make the air indoors dryer and more comfortable.
Winter - In the winter, some ideas to enhance your indoor air humidity are adding a whole house humidifier, placing water bins near your heating system and adding live houseplants.