The benefits and harms of humidifiers

Humidifiers are considered the easiest, safest and most effective way to increase the humidity level. These devices allow in a short time to significantly increase the percentage of humidity in a closed room, which has a positive effect on health, the stability of the immune system and even a person's mood. In this material, you will learn about the benefits and dangers of humidifiers, as well as get acquainted with the point of view of doctors on this controversial issue.

Few clearly understand why it is still necessary to increase the percentage of humidity in the room. The answer to this question is quite simple - in apartments where people sleep and spend most of their lives, 3 main factors affect human health. The first 2 factors are the temperature level and the cleanliness of the premises. They are responsible for comfort, good mood and do not allow you to get sick. The third factor is the level of air humidity, which should be from 45 to 80% for a full and healthy life.

You should understand in more detail, under what conditions in the premises the level of humidity is increased.

• In the winter season, the humidity in apartments is greatly reduced due to hot heating - this is also affected by the lack of air conditioning and the replacement of wooden windows (as it was before) with plastic ones, which absolutely do not allow fresh air to pass through. People living in such conditions may experience the following symptoms: premature aging and dry skin, brittle hair, weakened immunity and frequent illnesses, morning headaches and nasal congestion. And the same detrimental effect is on children, pets and plants.
• A pleasant level of humidity in apartments where small children live is especially important. Dry air affects babies much more strongly than adults - all because of the parents' fear of provoking drafts from open vents.
• Adequate and stable indoor humidity plays an important role in the well-being of people suffering from household and animal allergens. Humid air weighs down dust particles, pollen and animal hair, which prevents them from rising from the floor and provoking allergic reactions.
• People with asthma, pneumonia or tuberculosis are also advised to rest in rooms with fairly high humidity levels. Often, experts recommend installing air-humidifying devices in rooms with patients with infectious diseases such as acute respiratory infections.

In addition, dry air in an unventilated area can build up the following harmful compounds, which can potentially worsen your health:

• human waste products;
• various vapors from polymer appliances in the room;
• harmful gases and compounds that form during cooking;
• various viral microorganisms.

Humidification of the air can significantly reduce the impact of these harmful elements on the human immune system. Many people prefer to increase the humidity in the rooms, using the available tools that were used half a century ago. To do this, wet cleanings are carried out in the premises as often as possible, containers with cold water are installed throughout the room, or damp objects (mainly rags) are hung up near warm walls and radiators.

Today humidifiers and climate control devices are in great demand, which can be explained by an impressive number of advantages and useful properties possessed by such a technique.

• Humidifiers are believed to be able to optimize human heat transfer processes. To a greater extent, this applies to babies and adolescents, whose body produces a huge amount of heat through the lungs. If a child sleeps in a room with stagnant and dry air, his body begins to intensively lose moisture, which leads to thickening of the blood and complication of the internal processes of the body. In addition, an insufficient level of humidity affects the functioning of the child's mucous membranes (which simply dry out and become covered with a crust), which is reflected in the rapidity of breathing and blocking the natural processes of neutralizing microbes that enter the human body through the mouth and nose. Difficulty breathing and blockage of mucous membranes usually leads to serious diseases such as otitis media, bronchitis and even asthma.

• Modern humidifiers are extremely functional and can simultaneously perform several useful functions. Most of the new models are high-tech air washers that work with water and carbon filtration baffles, as well as fine air filters. This allows you to efficiently process the air and clean it from bacteria, microbes and allergens.

• High-quality moisturizers not only stabilize the functioning of the human body, but also have a positive effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails. It is believed that with a good level of humidity, the likelihood of wrinkles on the skin, irritations and rashes on the face and body is reduced.

• A properly working humidifier indirectly affects a person's mood and vitality - people working in offices know how difficult it is to concentrate in a stuffy, hot and unventilated room with a humidity below 20%.

• Dehumidified air has a negative effect not only on people, but also on the appearance and durability of household appliances, decorative elements and furniture (made of stone, wood or natural fabric). Furniture made from some types of wood dries up over time and cracks from low humidity.

• A good level of humidity optimizes the work of the body not only of a person, but also of all plants that are grown in an apartment. Moisture affects the condition of the leaves and stems of flowers, and also stimulates flowering. It is not for nothing that when growing garden plants, a stratification procedure is carried out (includes the creation of conditions of high humidity), which involves the creation of pleasant weather conditions for the germination of flower seeds.

It must be said right away that the potential harm from humidifiers is rather due to the improper use of these devices or the purchase of low-quality models that are not capable of performing key functions. The disadvantages described below will be characteristic only for some types of humidifiers.

• Steam humidification devices work by supplying fairly hot steam through the holes in the case. This can be dangerous for families with small and curious children, who can deliberately or accidentally hit the jet of hot steam or overturn the appliance - all of which will lead to burns. In ultrasonic models of humidifiers, steam is supplied in a cold form - this is both a plus and a minus, since hot steam simultaneously destroys harmful bacteria and is able to slightly raise the temperature in the room.
• Among consumers, it is precisely ultrasonic humidifiers without filters... The principle of operation of these models is built in such a way that the liquid supplied to the container evaporates in the room along with all harmful elements such as salts. These substances enter the lungs of a person, are deposited on the skin and on the leaf plates of plants.
• If you install the humidifier close to dark-coated walls or furniture, you may encounter the problem of the formation of an unpleasant white coating from moisture evaporation. They are created by using too hard water. White bloom forces consumers to clean regularly and affects the appearance of furniture. To deal with this problem, some resort to the following set of tricks:
  • fill appliances with distilled water, which can be bought in stores;
  • buy more expensive models of humidification complexes with a filter that will soften the water, which will significantly reduce the amount of harmful salts in the water and prevent the formation of an unpleasant sediment;
  • used for refueling water filtered at home - standard household filters, which are usually used in the purification of tap water for drinking.
• I must say that high humidity levels are just as dangerous as low - too humidified air can provoke colds and negatively affect your skin. To create optimal humidity conditions, a device such as a hygrometer is installed in the devices, which allows you to regulate the efficiency and rate of evaporation of moisture.

All opinions about humidifiers that can be found in abundance on the Internet can be divided into two camps: the opinions of doctors and experts, as well as the opinions of ordinary users who are convinced of the benefits or dangers of a humidifier from their own experience. It is worth taking a closer look at the point of view of each audience segment.

It should be said that even among the professional medical community, opinions about climatic complexes and humidifiers vary greatly. Experts agree on only one thing - an excessive level of humidity is just as dangerous as a low one, so it is necessary to carry out round-the-clock control over the level of humidity in the room. Experts believe that the optimal humidity level for adults should be 40-60%, for babies, room humidification can range from 50 to 70%. Experts unambiguously speak about the influence of ultrasonic humidifying devices on the human body, which today are the most popular and are widely used in ordinary Russian families.

Doctors believe that the harmful effects of using ultrasonic humidifying devices are greatly exaggerated and are the result of the illiterate use of such equipment at home. According to experts, ultrasonic humidifiers do not affect the manifestation of colds and infectious diseases such as sore throat. According to many studies, the vibration frequency of sound when using such devices does not exceed 5 MHz, which is an absolutely safe indicator for the human body. Doctors remind that ultrasound is often used in the work of medical devices - with its help, ultrasound diagnostics, physiotherapy, inhalations and many other health-improving procedures are performed.

If you evaluate the reviews of humidifiers on the Internet, you will notice that most of the described shortcomings of such devices apply to strictly defined models. Particularly highlighted are negative reviews about the detrimental effect of steam from humidifiers on furniture and walls of the house. Many consumers are not satisfied with the efficiency of devices, as well as constant moisture in the form of puddles that accumulates under such devices. As for consumer reviews about the harmful effects of humidifiers on the human body, here you can find a large number of people claiming that their child fell ill with a sore throat or a cold after installing a humidifier in his room. It is also worth noting that most of the audience treats such reviews with distrust and refers to the incompetence of the parents themselves in matters of child health.

Humidifier users are advised to pay attention to a number of factors that will allow you to choose the highest quality, functional and safe humidifier model.

• Decide on the type of humidifier - there are traditional (moisture evaporates due to contact with the evaporating element), steam (operating on the principle of heating water and further supply of hot steam), as well as ultrasonic (moisture falls on the vibrating plate and evaporates).

• Carefully study all the technical parameters of the device - the capacity of the humidifier should correspond to the size of your apartment, as well as to the individual needs of your household. The capacity of the device must be sufficient to work in a room for a long time without refueling. For apartments with small children, you should choose humidifier models with a low noise level. And also find out the model's energy cost figures.

• Check out the additional features of your device. The most common functions: ionizer, aromatization, air purification filters, timers, remote control, 2-3 humidification speeds, function of changing the direction of steam supply, hygrometer. Keep in mind that the more additional functions a device has, the more expensive it will cost and the higher the likelihood that something will break.

• Be sure to check the instructions for use of the device as well as the user manual. Use the appliance strictly as directed and do not exceed the recommended dose of water.

In addition, a number of consumer recommendations can be distinguished to create the most convenient, comfortable and healthy conditions for using such equipment, namely:

• try to regularly clean the humidifier tank, which will prevent the growth of bacteria and exclude the appearance of sediment at the bottom of the tank;
• do not use the same water in the operation of the humidifier for more than 24 hours; Ideally, you should change the fluid every time you turn on the device;
• do not forget about replacing or cleaning the air purification filters - this is especially true for consumers who have installed the device in dusty and old rooms; a dirty filter can lead to an unpleasant smell of steam and reduce the humidification efficiency to nothing; the instructions for using such a technique should indicate the permissible time for using a particular filter - usually about 30–45 days.
• consumers are advised to keep the optimum humidity level in the room at 50–55%; anything more or less can lead to uncomfortable sensations;
• from time to time, you should ventilate the room, which does not need to be done while the device is in operation;
• in no case repair climatic devices and humidifiers yourself;
• not all models of humidifiers are equipped with the aromatization function, but many consumers like to add oils and even salt to the evaporation container, which leads to a breakdown of such devices; doing this, of course, is not worth it;
• the device is best installed in a place inaccessible to small children; for this, furniture or hills closer to the center of the room are usually chosen; When looking for a place, keep in mind that steam can negatively affect nearby furniture and carpets.

How to choose a humidifier, see the video.