Human health and well-being depend on many environmental factors. It is especially important what is the atmosphere in the room where people are most of the time. Many believe that the main thing is to maintain the temperature in the apartment. But to ensure a comfortable stay, the humidity level is also very important. If it is above or below the norm, this greatly affects the well-being of people, the condition of indoor plants and the safety of interior items. Therefore, it is very important to maintain optimal humidity indoors. Since this indicator depends on the time of year and on many other conditions, sometimes you have to artificially moisten or dry the air.
What is air humidity
This indicator takes into account the moisture vapor content in the air of a residential building. They are constantly present there, since the liquid comes from the street, evaporates from the surface of the skin of people, from the leaves of plants. A lot of moisture gets into the air when cooking or doing laundry. In winter, the windows in the room are closed, and radiators greatly dry the air. Therefore, usually at this time the indoor humidity is lowered.
The health and well-being of people depend on the level of water vapor in the room. In addition, moisture differences negatively affect the state of household appliances, furniture, indoor plants.
What does it depend on
Humidity in the room depends on the season, for example, in summer it is usually higher. But in the heat it can drop, so weather conditions also greatly affect this indicator. Air conditioning is also dry, especially if you do not open the windows. In winter, the humidity in the room decreases due to the lack of air exchange with the street, as well as under the influence of heating appliances.
High humidity can occur in very rainy weather, especially if the temperature is low. This often happens in the kitchen or bathroom, where the hood does not work well. Current taps, frequent water procedures or a long boiling kettle also increase moisture levels. Because of this, mold and an unpleasant smell appear in the room.
How to determine air humidity
There are special instruments for measuring air humidity - hygrometers. But in an ordinary apartment they usually use simple folk methods. The most common is to measure humidity using a glass of water. You need to fill in a glass of cold water and put it in the refrigerator to cool to a temperature of 3-5 °. After that, you need to put the glass in the room, but away from heating appliances, and observe it for 5 minutes. The surface of the glass will fog up, but what will happen next indicates the state of humidity in the room:
- if after 5 minutes the walls of the glass are already dry, then the humidity is very low;
- if in 5 minutes nothing has changed, then the humidity in the room is optimal;
- with too high humidity after 5 minutes, streams of water form on the surface of the glass.
You can also put a fir cone in the room. It should be away from radiators. If the air in the room is dry, the cone scales will open, with increased humidity they will close. Many also know that at low humidity static electricity is felt in the air. Things and hair are highly electrified.
A more complicated way is the Assman table. To use it, you need to measure the temperature in the room with a conventional thermometer, and then wrap its tip, where the mercury is located, with a wet towel. After 10 minutes, you need to fix the temperature and compare both indicators. At the intersection of the columns with these values in the Assman table will be the humidity level in the room.
What optimum humidity should be
The norms for the content of water vapor in the premises depend on the time of year and on the purpose of the room. Not always in the apartment the atmosphere that is needed for health. But you need to strive to maintain optimal humidity, especially if small children or old people live in the house. These standards were introduced by SanPiN and GOST after numerous studies. With optimal humidity, people can stay indoors for a long time without experiencing discomfort, it is also favorable for interior items and indoor plants. Typically, in residential areas, the norms are 40-65% moisture. There are still acceptable standards, they can only be maintained for some time, for a long time to be at such humidity is uncomfortable and even harmful.
In summer, the optimal humidity for a person is from 30 to 60%. But sometimes in rainy weather it can be more. The level is considered to be the norm up to 70%, if higher, this already negatively affects the well-being of a person. In winter, humidity decreases, usually it is 30-45%. But the norm at which to be comfortable is the level of 40-65%. Some fluctuations are permissible in different living spaces. But in order to maintain human health and well-being, one must strive for optimal norms.
Optimum humidity in different areas of the house
Doctors recommend maintaining the moisture level in the house at the normal level. But it can fluctuate depending on the purpose of the room. In this case, the lower limits of the norm can be 30%, and the upper ones - 70%. Exceeding these values can negatively affect people's well-being. In addition, the optimum humidity in the living room depends on the purpose for which it is used.
- It is especially important to maintain a comfortable level of humidity in the bedroom. The optimum humidity in this room should be between 40 and 55%. To maintain this level, it is recommended to often ventilate the room and minimize the number of household appliances.
- It is important for parents to know what humidity is optimal for the children's room. After all, children are more susceptible to infections, they quickly overheat and freeze. With a lack of moisture in the air, skin and allergic diseases can develop. Therefore, in the children's room you need to maintain humidity at the level of 50-60%.
- In the largest room of an apartment there are usually a lot of household appliances, books and houseplants. Therefore, the humidity level should be optimal for everyone. Recommended from 40 to 50%. More humid air can adversely affect the state of the art.
- In the kitchen and bathroom, the humidity is usually increased, as it evaporates a lot during cooking and water procedures. But still you need to try to maintain a level of 40-50%, otherwise mold may form. To do this, use a good exhaust hood and often ventilate the room.
What is the danger of dry air
The human body consists of 80% water, so air humidity greatly affects his well-being. The smaller it is, the more moisture evaporates from the surface of the skin, and the body cools. Dry air also increases the risk of colds and viral diseases. Overdried mucous membranes are susceptible to disease, because of the protective forces are reduced. Especially often this is reflected in the eyes. They blush, itch, and watery. Therefore, it is so important to maintain optimal air humidity in a room where a person spends a lot of time.
Strongly dry air also worsens the condition of the skin, it also reduces protective forces. Therefore, the risk of skin diseases and allergic reactions increases. Hair and nails become brittle and dry. In addition, there is a lot of dust in dry air that can enter the respiratory tract, causing bronchopulmonary diseases or allergies. Dust mites and other microbes breed in dust.
How to increase humidity
It is not only not comfortable in the overdried air, but also harmful. Therefore, humidity must be increased. There are several ways to do this.
- You can buy a humidifier. There are mechanical, steam and ultrasonic models. What they have in common is that under the influence of various factors, water is poured, poured into a special container. Humidifiers can also clean the air from dust and disinfect it.
- If there is no humidifier, in winter you can increase the moisture level in the room by placing water tanks near the radiators.
- You can also place wet towels on the batteries. Under the influence of heat, they will dry out, and the liquid, evaporating, will increase the humidity in the room.
- At other times of the year, indoor plants will help to increase humidity. regular watering and spraying them contribute to the evaporation of moisture. It also stands out from the surface of the leaves.
- You can also purchase a decorative fountain with water or an aquarium with fish.
High humidity hazard
But exceeding the norms of optimal humidity in the room is also harmful for people living in it. The amount of moisture in the air affects the heat transfer of the body. High humidity at high air temperature can lead to overheating of the body. High humidity is especially difficult to tolerate during physical work or in old age. High levels of moisture in the room increase the risk of the growth of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and mold.
Because of this, an unpleasant smell appears in the room, things are constantly wet. Household appliances, books, wallpapers and furniture may deteriorate. Negatively, this condition is reflected in human health. Fatigue develops faster in stuffy air, a person sleeps worse, his head can often hurt. Respiratory infections and other respiratory diseases occur more often and are more severe.
