Healthy humidity levels have a lot of benefits. On the flip side, air that is too dry or too humid leaves you facing some unique risks. Among those is an increased chance of suffering from allergy symptoms. You can keep reading to learn more about how humidity can impact allergies in both good and bad ways.
Then give our team a call when you are ready to schedule an assessment for a whole house humidifier in Chambersburg, PA. We can talk to you about your different humidifier options and how one of these unique systems would be set up inside your home.
Rainy Days
Increased humidity levels are often caused by rain showers. The result of heavy or frequent rain is that plants around your home grow and bloom faster. While this is great in a lot of ways, it is not good if you have allergies to pollen or specific plants.
It’s good to know this so that when it rains, you can expect an uptick in allergy symptoms in the days and maybe weeks following. You may be able to take steps like taking allergy medicine or staying indoors more to alleviate your symptoms.
Mold Growth
High humidity levels also increase the likelihood of mold growth. It is important to know that there are always allergens and mold spores in the air around you. However, the spores are more dangerous when they latch onto a surface and begin to spread to become an infestation.
If your home is humid, it creates the conditions that mold thrives in. Additional moisture in the air can mean that mold is more likely to grow, especially in dark spaces around your home. You may not even realize that mold is growing since it can be largely out of sight.
However, mold being on surfaces around your home also increases the number of mold spores entering your air and potentially triggering allergy symptoms. When you take preventative steps to reduce humidity levels, you can combat mold growth by ceasing the ideal conditions in which it grows.
Tips to Reduce Humidity Levels
If you want to reduce humidity levels in your home, there are a few steps you can take. First, you can invest in a hygrometer, which measures the moisture in the air around your home. This can help you understand how high your humidity levels are. Accepted humidity is usually between 30% and 50%. If the humidity in your home is above 50%, that can increase your likelihood of suffering from allergy symptoms.
Your next step is to complete air quality tests that can measure the levels of contaminants in your home. If they are higher than outdoor levels, you may want to invest in air purifier services. It is not uncommon for indoor air quality to be up to five times more polluted than the air that is outside.
If humidity levels are indeed consistently high in your home, a dehumidifier is an excellent investment. And you can select the humidity level that you want your home to maintain and a dehumidifier can automate those settings. Your home will feel better and you’ll be able to breathe easier with more balanced humidity and a lesser likelihood of suffering from allergy symptoms.
If you’re still concerned about allergens in the air, an air purifier is another great addition to your home. It can help to eliminate harmful particles from the air, including allergens.
To schedule your indoor air quality service, contact Premier HVAC Services today!