For a person to live comfortably in his apartment, house, cottage, there is not enough beautiful furniture and a well-done European-style renovation. The state of the internal microclimate of the dwelling is very important. And for this you need to know and understand what temperature and humidity are necessary for the body, and be able to control their parameters.
If everything is clear with the air temperature, since everyone knows that when the cold time comes, you need to turn on the heating devices, and use air conditioners in the hot season, then not everyone is familiar with the concept of air humidity.
The need for air humidification
Maintaining optimal indoor humidity isn't just for the sake of young children. Adult health also deteriorates in dry air conditions. The condition of hair, skin and general performance of a person depends on the level of humidity.
Compliance with the desired moisture content in the apartment has a beneficial effect on the health of all family members. With a lack of moisture in the room, the following can develop:
- Allergic attacks. Dry air contains a lot of dust particles that do not settle down, but fly around the room. This condition is harmful to people with bronchial asthma.
- Sleep disturbance. A healthy night's rest is possible only with cool and humid air.
- Dry mucous membranes. They trap all harmful bacteria and microorganisms, acting as a barrier between the human body and the environment. Dryness of the membranes promotes the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the body.
- The occurrence of friction when wearing the lenses. In this case, it is extremely important to moisturize the mucous membranes so as not to injure them.
Allergies are a common sign of dry air in a room.
Women look less attractive due to brittle hair and premature aging of the skin. In a stuffy room, the human body is forced to throw out more liquid to cool and preserve life.
If these parameters are not observed, interior items also dry out greatly: floors creak, furniture deforms. But waterlogging leads to dampness. It damages health no less than dryness.
In this video, you will find out why dry air is harmful:
How to maintain normal humidity in your home
It seems to many that air humidity is a rather minor indicator that can be neglected. This is not so, we have already found out. Now we are faced with the following task: to learn how to maintain normal air humidity in a house or apartment.
On the one hand, this is not at all difficult - you do not have to make significant changes to your life or buy special devices. On the other hand, humidity is an indicator that depends on many factors, and you have to keep all of them in your head. What is the room? How much humidity should it be at this time of year? Does the heating work? By measuring and adjusting the humidity in the apartment, you will have to answer these questions.
A fairly effective way to prevent critical deviations from the norm is to develop several good habits in yourself and permanently fix them in everyday life: dry clothes indoors, do not keep the air conditioner constantly on, ventilate the apartment more often and do wet cleaning.
You need to understand, however, that with the help of such a set of good habits, you can only avoid critical deviations, but you will not achieve a constant optimal humidity value. Unfortunately, this requires too much attention, time and perseverance.If you are not ready to put in such heroic efforts every day, let the Airnanny A7 climate system take care of everything.
The Airnanny A7 is more than just a humidifier or conditioner. It is a very smart, sophisticated and multifunctional climate system that will solve all the issues related to the air quality in your home. It will cleanse dust, microorganisms and suspended particles, humidify, warm up the air, and then quietly supply it, creating an ideal climate in your home. This is a comprehensive solution for residents of large cities who are not ready to sacrifice their family's health.
Moisture Determination Methods
A hygrometer is a device designed specifically to maintain optimal moisture parameters in a room. Its task is to determine the amount of water vapor in the house. Install the device away from radiators and moisture-forming resources —Kitchen and bathrooms. Failure to comply with these conditions will result in incorrect results.
For different types of premises, their own moisture parameters are determined. They are calculated according to the frequency of stay of family members in each room and are consistent with the physiological characteristics of the body. Normal air humidity should be:
- in the children's room - up to 70%;
- in the bedroom for adults - up to 70%;
- in the living room - up to 60%.
For children, the humidity should be at least 70%;
This is due to the fact that the child has narrow nasal passages, therefore the mucous membrane dries quickly... He spends most of his time in the nursery. In the bedroom, people get good rest, as a result of which the body must replenish the lack of oxygen and moisture. The residents of the house use the living room much less, so there are no strict requirements for it.
Not everyone can afford to install a hygrometer at home. Conducting an approximate moisture analysis is quite realistic using folk methods. This will require a container filled with water. It is put in the refrigerator for several hours. After the time has elapsed, they are taken out and installed in the center of the room. Condensation forms on the vessel at a temperature difference.
Read the same: methods of measuring indoor air humidity.
The indicators are assessed by the results they see. With dry air, the walls of the dishes will also dry out. In normal humidity, condensation drops will drip off slowly. High humidity will be manifested by the formation of a puddle under the container with water.
Based on these indicators, conclusions should be drawn: dry air needs humidification, and excessively humid air needs to be dried with special electrical appliances. Otherwise, this condition threatens the development of mold and mildew.
Why is the air in the apartment dry
In the warm season, there is no need to worry about humidity in the house, an increased amount of water in the air leads to discomfort.
In winter, the indicator drops sharply and usually in city apartments does not exceed 20 - 25%, which is lower than the indicators required by GOST.
Hot batteries are often cited as the cause. In fact this is not true. The table shows how much water vapor is in the air at different temperatures and different humidity levels.
Forced ventilation increases air humidity
All apartment buildings are equipped with ventilation systems that provide multiple changes of air in the room - dirty air is removed through the ventilation system, new one comes from the street when ventilated, through window inlet valves, gaps in doors and window frames.
For example, at an indoor temperature of 20 ºС in the air, according to the norms, there should be an average of 5 to 8 grams. water.
The usual indicators of winter, for example, at minus 15 degrees - 80% humidity. Consequently, the air contains only 1.1 grams. moisture.
Outside air, entering the room for ventilation and mixing with the room air, sharply reduces the humidity indicator. The process takes place continuously throughout the cold months.
Methods to normalize indicators
Increasing the humidity of dry rooms is especially important if children are growing up in the family. The industry produces special devices - humidifiers, which are designed for various areas. Devices differ in cost and principles of operation. They significantly facilitate the fight against dryness, but if you wish, you can do without them.
Aeration of the apartment
Air exchange in the room helps to normalize the local microclimate. It is permissible to increase the humidity in the child's room by daily ventilation. It is as necessary to ventilate a child's room as an adult. It is recommended to open windows up to 3 times a day. even in winter.
During warmer months, you can keep the windows open to a minimum width. If constant ventilation is impossible, this should be done in the morning and evening hours. In case of rainy and cool weather, it is recommended to ventilate the apartment more often.
When windows exit onto a busy highway or an apartment is on a low floor, ventilation can worsen the microclimate of the room. In this case, all the dust from the street will rise and fall into the living quarters.
It is more relevant for residents of such apartments to purchase a special humidifying system.
Wet room cleaning
You can increase the humidity in the apartment by daily wet cleaning. This procedure can not only keep the room clean, but also prevent the development of allergies due to the inhalation of foreign particles.
It is not recommended to clean the apartment with the use of chlorine and synthetic detergents. Their fumes are harmful to the body, especially children.
You can get rid of excess dust by recycling carpets and floor coverings made of fabric, as well as soft toys.
Don't forget about wet cleaning indoors
Drying clothes or buying an aquarium
In winter time drying the laundry will help to effectively moisten the room... Wet towels and sheets that are hung around the apartment can increase the amount of moisture. For better evaporation, it is recommended to place them on or near radiators. After drying, it is recommended to wet the cloth again.
Supplementing the interior with an aquarium increases the humidity in the room. A small fountain can be an alternative to this device. Such devices constantly contain water, which evaporates when the temperature rises, creating a favorable climate in the house.
Buying home flowers
Green plants can raise the humidity in the room. Decorative flowers help to increase the concentration of oxygen in the room air, purify and humidify it. Among the rich abundance, preference should be given:
- dracaena;
- monstere;
- broadleaf ficus;
- sheffler;
- fatsia;
- ferns.
The level of humidity required for the room is achieved through daily spraying and regular watering of the flowers. By their condition, one can judge the level of humidity in the apartment. In dry air, plants dry out and their leaves become soft.
Residential humidity standards
The World Health Organization recommends maintaining the humidity in the living quarters at the level of 30-60 percent, the optimal indicator is 45. There are also standards according to GOST, in which the values are somewhat different: according to the document, in winter the optimal indicator is 30-45 percent, in summer - 30- 65. The WHO recommendations, however, need to be treated more carefully, because GOST standards are aimed primarily at engineers and builders, and not at the residents themselves.
Why are humidity standards not a specific indicator, but a range of values? The fact is that it can fluctuate, depending on several factors: the type of room (the air is more humid in the bathroom, the bedroom is drier) or the season (the humidity in the apartment is higher in spring and summer, lower in winter). Deviations from this norm are fraught with problems with the skin and mucous membranes (throat, eyes, nose), premature aging, various allergies and respiratory infections. The main risk groups are children, allergy sufferers and the elderly.
Alternative ways
The required humidity indicators are achieved in different ways. Among the widely known folk methods, the most commonly used are:
- placing vessels with water near the batteries;
- spraying from a spray bottle;
- turning on the garment steamer;
- periodic boiling of water.
Some of these methods will not work if children are growing up in the apartment. Working with electrical appliances requires caution, and keeping track of babies is sometimes very difficult.
In the children's room it is recommended to set up an aquarium and place several pots of flowers... Some plants contain toxic substances, so it is not recommended to purchase a monster, for example.
Types of air dryers
Air dehumidifiers are climate systems that are used in permanently waterlogged rooms to absorb water from the air. Available in three types:
- household (removing up to 30 liters of water per day)
- semi-industrial (up to 300 liters of water per day)
- industrial (more than 300 liters of water per day).
It is clear that bulky powerful devices are used in industry, and more compact devices are suitable for residential premises.
Household dehumidifiers are presented in two types:
Varieties of home moisturizers
If an allergy is detected in a child, it is required to constantly monitor the level of humidity in the apartment. To maintain optimal parameters, it is recommended to buy a special humidifier. Modern industry produces several types of such devices: traditional, ultrasonic and steam. It is recommended that you consider the benefits of each type before purchasing. The main parameter is the area of the room to be humidified.
Standard equipment
The natural form of evaporation is produced by cold-type humidifiers. These devices consist of a water tank, filter and fan. Advantages of the device - minimal electricity consumption, preservation of efficiency in the event of evaporation of all the water, stop work when the optimum humidity is reached.
Among the disadvantages should be highlighted the frequent replacement of filters, the use of purified liquid, the inaccessibility of independent regulation of the moisture level. The device is programmed to receive a humidity of 60%, when this indicator is reached, it turns off.
Steam construction
Models of this type release hot steam during operation. Steam humidifiers are characterized by quick humidification, the ability to use tap water, the absence of filters, and automatic shutdown when there is a lack of liquid.
Do not forget that in case of careless handling, there is a risk of burns. This technique consumes a large amount of electricity, which can be attributed to a significant disadvantage. The devices are stable and mobile, but should not be installed in children's rooms. Pets can also get hurt from these devices.
Ultrasonic device
The latest developments have made it possible to create a device operating on high-frequency vibrations of a special film (membrane). It helps to convert water into cold steam. The latest generation devices are in demand thanks to safety, compactness, economy, humidity control, quickness of humidification and reasonable cost.
Some models of modern air conditioning systems are equipped with humidification devices. Special built-in systems are capable of purifying and humidifying the air according to certain parameters. They are usually assembled from several devices.
One of the most important indicators of the microclimate in the house is the optimal level of humidity. But when using special devices, one should observe the measure: low humidity threatens to deteriorate well-being, and high humidity - the formation of mold and mildew.