Winter is Coming; Do You Have a Humidifier?

Calgary isn’t known for being a particularly humid city, so it isn’t uncommon for Albertans to not realize how much impact humidity, or a lack of it, can have once the cold sets in. Regardless of the weather, a certain amount of moisture in the air is essential to your comfort. And as the season turns cold and our furnaces begin to strip all moisture from the air, this fact becomes inescapable. Having a humidifier in your home as winter approaches will not only keep it warmer and help regulate the temperature, it will also improve your home and your health and wellbeing.

Humidity Reduces Static!

Have you ever felt that your home was unusually staticky? Do you find yourself frequently exchanging static shocks with your family? It could be that a lack of humidity is to blame. When an environment lacks moisture, the air becomes more conductive to static electricity. The drier it gets, the worse your shocks are likely to be. Static electricity often increases during the dry winter months, so adding extra humidity to the air in your home is an easy way to tame the frizz in your hair, avoid the stick and snag of freshly dried laundry, and most importantly protect your sensitive electronics which could be damaged by built up static.

Keeps Your Plants (and You) Healthy!

To stay healthy, plants basically require two things: water and sunlight! Apart from placing them near a sunny window and watering them regularly, there is one more thing you can do to help them thrive — ensure that the humidity is high enough. Keeping the air in your home sufficiently humid will make sure your plants can absorb any extra moisture they may need through their leaves. But an arid environment doesn’t just damage your plants. It can leave the people and pets in your life with dry, flaking skin, chapped lips, itchy eyes, and an irritated nose or throat. Worst of all, viruses like the cold and flu live longer and are more contagious in dry homes.  

Prevents Damage to Your House!

Have you ever noticed how your house starts to make more noise than usual when it gets cold? When you start hearing all those creaks and cracks, it usually means that your house is feeling the effects of the winter. Dry, cold air is tough on wood. As it cools, wood shrinks. When the wood is dry, shrinking can be even more significant and can even cause damage to your house and furniture. It’s not only the wood that can suffer damage; paint is also susceptible to the cold. All this leads to your home needing more frequent repairs. Because wood (and people!) are best with a steady, constant level of moisture, a central humidifier can be a good investment for your home and your health.

When customers ask us which investment will most benefit their home and health over the long run without draining the bank, we absolutely recommend a humidifier. It’s an affordable and effective solution to various problems that many Albertans face. This is especially true during the winter, when the temperature falls and our home and work environments becomes arid.

Are you ready to say goodbye to frizzy hair and dry, itchy skin? A home humidifier can help! But unlike many projects, a humidifier is best left to a professional. If installed incorrectly, a leaky humidifier can easily spark a mould problem. Call the experts at Fresh Air Furnace Services today at 403-452-9528 to get started!