Are Indoor Humidity Levels Affecting Your Health?

The ideal indoor humidity level is either 35% to 45% or 40% to 50% depending on who you ask. Thankfully, the human body is quite flexible and you do not have too aim at an exact figure. The important thing is to avoid extremes. Living indoors is not entirely natural. The artificial environments that we create for ourselves can sometimes cause extremes of humidity to occur. For short periods of time this is nothing to worry about, but the long term effects can be quite unpleasant.

If the humidity level regularly exceeds 50% you are likely to experience a rapidly increasing dust mite population, which will affect allergy sufferers. Permanently damp rooms tend to have a musty smell. The damp air is a perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew and fungus, which can cause serious health problems. Where ever possible the cause of such conditions should be removed, but it is not always that simple and a dehumidifier may be required. A modern dehumidifier with built in humidistat can be programmed to maintain a humidity level below 50%. There are a wide variety available, so it is important to find the correct type for your situation. A useful guide to dehumidifiers can be found at DehumidifierTips.com

Consistently low humidity levels are also bad. This tends to occur when the weather is cold outside and we turn up the heat in our homes. The most noticeable effects are a sore throat and sinus pain, symptoms that are common in modern society at certain times of year. You can also get dry skin and itchy eyes. The solution is to buy a humidifier that will put moisture back into the air. Like dehumidifiers, these can be programmed to operate automatically, and there is a huge range available that make the most of a variety of different humidification techniques. These techniques are explored in detail at HumidifierInformation.com together with everything else you need to know on the subject.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, maybe you should buy a hygrometer (humidity meter) and take some readings to find out if humidity is the cause. With modern technology at your disposal there is no need for your health to suffer.

You can find out more about optimum indoor humidity levels at http://www.humidifierinformation.com

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Check Your Indoor Humidity Instantly!

Is your home or office too dry?

The right humidity level is really important during the heating season.

Relative humidity is an important factor for several reasons. It affects how comfortable we feel. If it's too dry, we can't seem to get warm no matter how high we set the thermostat. It can affect the ability of some folks to breathe. Humidity levels also affect the cost of heating because lower humidity levels require higher temperatures in order for us to feel comfortable.

Indoor humidity levels are also believed to be related to the frequency of colds and allergic reactions. And excessive humidity can result in unwanted mold growth along with damage and discoloration of window sills, walls, and other building components.

So for a number of different reasons people pay more attention to the indoor relative humidity levels during the heating season.

A lot of folks don't really know what relative humidity is. A simple but non-scientific explanation is that it is the amount of water vapor in the air.

A common method of measuring indoor humidity is to buy a little devise at your local hardware store to tell you what it is. These devices are designed to sit on a table or shelf and are about three inches square in size. They usually sell for less than $20.

My personal experience with these devices is that they are often inaccurate when compared to a commercial indoor air quality meter. The ones I tested were not off by a couple of percentage points. They were off by a lot!

This same device often includes a "comfort zone" which is supposed to indicate at what temperature and relative humidity you will feel comfortable. There is a quick, free, and accurate method to evaluate your indoor humidity. It won't give you the relative humidity in percent, but it will indicate if you have too much or too little humidity. Remember that mold loves excess humidity. Too little and you're going to be uncomfortable.

I have tested this method against the commercial indoor air quality meter I use and found it to be quite accurate in indicating when the humidity level is too high or too low.

So what is this method? It simply requires you to look for two things.

First, look at your windows. Moisture on your windows means the humidity is too high. We're not talking one or two drops. We're talking about enough moisture so it runs down the glass and forms little puddles on the window sill. When this happens, your humidity is too high! If you continue to maintain this high humidity level, you are encouraging mold growth by providing the perfect environment. It will happen.

You may discover water forming on the windows in one area of your house, but not in another. For example, your bathroom window has water frequently forming on the sill while other windows in the house remain dry. Too much humidity in your bathroom may be the result of not running the exhaust fan long enough after a bath or shower. The rest of the house is ok.

So now you know how to determine if there is too much humidity in your house. What about too little?

To determine if it's too dry, you look for another simple, yet accurate indicator. Static electricity. Do you get static electric shocks when you walk across the carpet and touch something metal? Is it impossible to comb your hair without having several strands stick straight out? Do you need a ton of hair spray? Does the cat's fur stick out when you pet him?

These are all signs that it's too dry in your house. You need more humidity.

Now that you know how easy it is to check, you never need to wonder about your indoor humidity level. You'll know almost instantly if it's too humid or too dry. You don't need to buy a thing, and the results are almost instantaneous and quite accurate!

Copyright (c) 2008 Jon Dacken

For your copy of the free report "How To Sell Your Moldy House" plus other "mold secrets your not supposed to know" visit [http://www.thetoxicmoldsolution.com/]

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