Updated: January 2024
The air in Lancaster, California can be arid. This can affect how comfortable it is in your home or office. A humidifier can not only make things feel more comfortable, but it can also help eliminate some health conditions that might be affecting you. Below is a list of some of the most common reasons you may want to use a humidifier in your home or office.
1. Additional Moisture for Your Skin and Lips
Your skin is your biggest organ. Like most of the organs in your body, your skin needs moisture to be its healthiest. When heating your home with a forced air heating system, the humidity levels in your home can drop by up to 30%. Also, California’s dry air during the summer months can rob your skin of much-needed moisture.
The skin on your face and hands is very vulnerable to moisture loss. Your hands have fewer oil glands than other parts of your body. Your lips are made up of susceptible tender skin. This is why when you are in drier weather, your lips chap quickly. The worst-case scenario is that the air becomes so dry that your lips start to crack. You are left with skin that feels dry, flaky, tight, and itchy.
You can use lip balm and lotion to help your skin retain some moisture. However, if you have a humidifier in your home, the moisture in the air allows your body to use its regenerative powers to naturally rehydrate your skin. Keeping your skin moist eliminates some uncomfortable symptoms linked to dry skin and can lead to various health benefits. Your skin is one of the primary barriers between your internal organs and the organisms looking to attack your body.
2. Your Sinuses Also Need Moisture
If you have ever had your sinuses dry out, you know how unpleasant that feels. In worst-case scenarios, you can go from mild discomfort to experiencing headaches, sinus pressure, and even a bloody nose.
Some people may think that you want to avoid humidity when you have a stuffy nose, but in many cases, just the opposite is true. Humidity allows your body to use its natural healing factors to keep the mucus flowing, clear out congestion, and minimize the chances of you having to deal with blocked nasal passages.
When the air in your home or office has the appropriate humidity level, it soothes your sinuses. It also lowers the chance of you getting a nosebleed because there is a freer flow of mucus protecting your nose, allowing you to breathe easier.
3. Stop Snoring in Its Tracks
Did you know that there is a link between humidity levels in the air and whether you snore or how severe your snoring is? If there is insufficient moisture in the air, your throat swells and your nose gets congested.
When these two things happen, it is harder for air to move through your nose. Your body reacts by breathing through your mouth and causing you to snore. If there is the right amount of humidity in the air, the dryness in your throat and your nose is diminished, helping to reduce your snoring.
4. Make Things Easier for Your Floors and Furniture
If you have wood furniture or a wood floor, they don’t do well with massive fluctuations in humidity. When wood gets too dry, it can crack and split. A humidifier can help you keep your home at optimal humidity levels, thereby protecting the integrity of your wood floor and furnishings.
5. Moisture Equals a Warmer Home
You might be surprised to learn that the more moisture you have in the air in your home, the warmer your home feels. On the flip side, the drier the air, the chillier it feels. When you run an air conditioner in your home, one of the ways that it lowers the perceived temperature in your home is by removing excess moisture. Using a humidifier can make your home feel better without putting additional strain on your heater. Many recommend using a furnace and a humidifier in tandem as temperatures start to drop.
6. Your Plants Will Thank You
If you have several houseplants, they are likely from parts of the world where they thrive in an environment with abundant moisture in the air. When the air is dry, houseplants struggle to survive. You will notice that your houseplants are not getting enough humidity if the leaves are stunted in growth or are dry. Using a humidifier can make it easier for your houseplants to thrive.
7. Use Humidity to Combat the Spread of Germs
Substantial research shows a correlation between dry air and the ease of transmitting the flu virus. When the humidity in the air is low, the flu virus can survive longer, giving it an added push to spread among people. However, using a humidifier in your office or home during the flu season means you have a better chance of creating an environment that is not as favorable for the flu virus to survive, thereby minimizing the chances that you or those in your home will get infected.
Of course, a humidifier on its own is not a 100% surefire way to prevent catching the flu. You must ensure that you wash your hands frequently, keep parts of your home disinfected, and take other health precautions.
8. A Humidifier Can Make Being Sick a Little Easier
When you are sick, you have to deal with many unpleasant symptoms, including a stuffed-up nose, breathing difficulties, and pain in your throat. A humidifier can help you minimize the discomfort of symptoms. Not only does having properly moisturized air make it easier for you to sleep, but in some cases, it might also minimize the time you need to recover.
9. Additional Protection for Your Throat
Your vocal cords need moisture to function correctly. Without sufficient moisture, your vocal cords and, by extension, your voice can become scratchy and dry. Things only get worse the longer your throat is parched. You could reach a point where you go hoarse and temporarily lose your voice.
Moisture is essential if you have had contact with a virus or the flu. Humidifiers are an effective way to protect your throat. Children have a reduced chance of catching viruses that might cause inflammation in the upper airways if the air they breathe has the proper moisture levels.
Enjoying the Best in Heating and Air Conditioning in Lancaster, California
At Affordable Air & Heating, we offer stellar heating services and cooling services throughout Lancaster and surrounding communities in the Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley areas. We are a family-owned and -operated company that takes pride in our work. We use certified technicians and a straightforward pricing guide to ensure that the work is done right and at a fair price for our customers.
Our services include indoor air quality testing and installation of air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. We also provide repair, installation, and maintenance for furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, and mini-split systems. Contact Affordable Air & Heating today and see how we have built such a strong reputation in the field of HVAC service.
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