Use a Whole House Humidifer to Eliminate Dry Skin and Scratchy Throats

Dry nose, cracked, itchy skin, and sore throats, aggravated allergy and asthma symptoms: these are all symptoms of dry air. Dry air will make you feel cold and uncomfortable, make your fine furniture and cabinets dry out, plus make your nose and skin feel itchy and dry. If you don't have a whole house humidifier, you should. The job of a whole house humidifier is to try to spread moisture throughout the entire house from one location. This differs from a room humidifier which only supplies humidity to one room or a small number of rooms.

Whole house humidifiers can only be used with forced-air heat and will deliver up to 50% more comforting humidity in your home. These types of humidifiers are a lot more complicated than a room humidifier, and need to be installed by a professional. They are connected to the central heating system, usually the furnace, from where the humidified air can be pumped around the rest of the house.

Dry air is not only unhealthy; it is bad for wood furniture and your house, too. Moisture in wood furnishings decreases when the air is extremely dry. The result is that wood shrinks and expands through the seasons, loosening joints and widening seams. Moisture can condense on window frames and even inside cold walls, leading to the formation of mold and structural problems. Humidifiers, by sending small molecules of moisture into the air, can help keep you healthier and also extend the life of your furniture.

Humidity can help ease congestion and so people who have respiratory conditions like asthma may use a room humidifier to ease congestion. Some portable humidifiers are capable of humidifying an entire house but these tend to be large and loud. Humidifiers help to keep comfortable levels of moisture in the air, which really reduces the strain on the respiratory system. Whole-house humidifiers work like the traditional room humidifiers: They put moisture into the air, making harsh, dry air easier to breathe – soothing you. Humidifiers are also divided on the type of water vapor it releases; which are warm air and cool air humidifiers. In the case of warm air humidifiers, the water is heated and released as water vapor.

One way to measure the humidity in your house is through the use of a humidistat. Humidistats that display room humidity levels and humidity settings are best and can usually be found for less than $20 at department stores and electronics retailers like Radio Shack. Ideally you should try to maintain your house between 45% and 55% relative humidity. This is considered to be a comfort zone. Once the humidity drops below 45%, your house begins to feel dry. If the humidity rises above 55% in the summer it feels humid or muggy and in the winter it feels clammy.