Winter means cold air, snow, and wind. But cold air does more than make you shiver. Cold air is often much drier than warm air, which means the humidity in your home is probably much lower than it should be. You can tell if the air in your house is dry when you notice your lips are frequently chapped or your skin is cracked and itchy. But dry air and low humidity can do more than cause dry skin. The indoor air quality experts at Poston Brothers want you to know the signs of dry air in your house and what to do about it.

What Causes Dry Air?

Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air at a certain temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the humidity. This is why on a humid 88°F day, the air feels heavy and sticky. In the winter, when the temperatures are lower, there is less moisture in the air. Our furnaces don’t help with dry air either. Because furnaces heat the air without adding any moisture, lowering the overall humidity level even more. Moisture also evaporates from your body, leaving your skin, nose, and hair feeling dehydrated. 

The relative humidity in your home should be between 30%-50%. To see the humidity levels in your home, check your thermostat or use a hygrometer. 

Signs The Air In Your House Is Too Dry

Besides checking the humidity levels in your home, there are many ways to tell that the air in your house is too dry. Chapped lips and cracked skin on your hands are some of the most common signs. But you may have noticed some of the following signs too:

  • Irritated sinus and nose bleeds can make it hard to breathe or sleep at night. If you wake up in the middle of the night coughing, it might be from dry indoor air.
  • Asthma and allergy flare-ups. Dust, pollen, bacteria, and viruses love to travel through dry air and irritate your throat and nose. 
  • Increase in static electricity.  Dry air is an insulator. When you touch certain surfaces in your house, there is a build-up of electrons that jump from one surface to another, causing a shock. You’ll get lots of static electricity shocks if you have dry air in your home.
  • Damage to wood in your home. Furniture, floors, and musical instruments are vulnerable to dry air and a lack of moisture in the air can cause wooden items in your home to crack or warp.

How To Combat Dry Air In Your Home

If you’ve noticed a lot of these signs in your home, then you’re probably wondering what you can do to add moisture to the air in your home in the winter. Humidifiers add moisture to the air and help relieve some of your dry air symptoms.

You can buy individual room humidifiers to help some of the driest rooms in your home. These small appliances sometimes have filters that need to be changed regularly, filterless models are also available. You need to refill a water tank regularly to keep your room comfortable. 

If you need humidifiers in multiple rooms, you might want to consider a whole-house humidifier. Whole-house humidifiers are added to your home’s heating system and add moisture to the air as it comes out of the furnace. These appliances are virtually maintenance-free and you don’t have to frequently refill tanks of water. If your entire house feels dry every winter, a whole house humidifier might be the comfort solution that you’re looking for. 

To Learn More About Whole-Home Humidifiers – Call Poston Brothers 

Now that you know how to tell if the air in your house is dry, now it’s time for you to see how dry by testing humidity levels. If you notice that your relative humidity is very low, then call Poston Brothers to learn more about having a whole house humidifier installed in your home. This will help maintain your health, skin, and comfort levels in your home. Call us today to learn more about any of our indoor air quality services.