Dennis Reed - Page 41 of 54

How to Get Rid of Dust in the Air? – A Moist Ideal

Living in dusty conditions can have a number of adverse health effects including dry skin and breathing problems.

Common household dusting will never go away. But living with the amount of dust in the air can be minimized.

Sometimes that may mean filtering out the dust before it has a chance to land.

And sometimes that may mean adding weight to the dust so that it lands quickly and doesn’t remain in the ambient or direct air that you are breathing.

Sometimes it means using an air compressor or leaf blower and blowing it to the wind.

In most cases it’s probably a little of All the above.

How to get rid of dust in the air?

Humidity

Humidity is a big factor when it comes to dust in your home.

That’s right.

Humidity is not the first thing you think of when you are trying to figure out a way to keep the dust in the air down.

But dry air facilitates dust including all the germs and bacteria that the dust floating through the air is carrying.

So much so, that the National Library of Medicine at PubMed has stated that:

“the majority of adverse health effects caused by relative humidity would be minimized by maintaining indoor levels between 40 and 60%”.

How does that correlate to the amount of dust in the air and minimizing it?

Because when the air is dryer, dust floats easily because it has nothing to weigh it down.

When the relative humidity is kept between 40 and 60%, there is enough moisture to adhere to the floating dust particles,

including viruses attached in the dust,

to weigh down the dust particles so that it becomes too heavy to float and fall out of the ambient air (the air that you breathe).

Dry Skin

Dry air not only creates an easy path for germs and allergens to travel, it also creates an atmosphere for dry skin.

The lack of moisture in the air actually creates a vacuum that pulls moisture from anywhere it can get it.

And one of those places just happens to be your skin.

The dust particles that land on your face are doing the exact same thing. Absorbing the moisture out of your skin and leaving you dried out and itchy.

So as funny as it may seem, the relative humidity is the first thing you want to check when your air quality is too dusty.

How can you know if the moisture level of your air is maintaining the optimal point? How do you check your relative humidity to make sure that it is on point?

A Hygrometer

A Hygrometer is a device that measures the humidity much the same way a thermometer measures the temperature.

And once you’ve found that the moisture level in your air has dipped below the point needed using a hygrometer,

You will need a way to correct the problem.

Humidifier

A Humidifier is the machine that adds moisture to the air if you find that the relative humidity in your room space has lowered to the point that dust and dry air have become a problem.

Humidifiers are not a new ideal and have been around for a long time.

But as the knowledge of maintaining the proper humidity level has so much to do with staying healthy and maintaining healthy skin,

Humidifiers have become sophisticated devices that come complete with a hygrometer/humidistat function to measure and maintain your relative humidity.

They also come with much larger basins and many options to help them stay germ free longer.

Air purifiers

Of course, humidity or lack thereof is not the only reason your air may be dirty.

If for instance you live on a dirt road that is subject to dust being kicked up continually,

It is as simple as your environment.

An air purifier along with standard sweeping and vacuuming is going to do more to eliminate dust from your air at that point.

Most air purifiers work like a vacuum that pulls air through a series of filters that capture dust as well as other airborne particulates like pollen and mold spores.

Standard HEPA air purifiers are capable of filtering dust particles as small as .003 ppm. Any many air purifier manufacturers are selling purifiers with filters that are able to capture particles as small as .001 ppm

That’s pretty small.

Other air purifiers employ electronic technologies like negative ions and ultraviolet light.

Ionizers or negative ion generators use polarity to clump dust particles together so that they become too heavy to float and fall out of the air you breathe.

Similar to the effect that a humidifier has on the air as moisture helps clump and weigh down thus particles too.

Only with an ionizer, there is no moisture involved, only the production and release of ions.

It’s important though to realize that ionizers actually make your surfaces extra Dusty.

And some surfaces like TV screens and computer monitors will attract the magnetized dust particles faster than other surfaces.

That’s an important distinction to make when you’re looking for a way to get dust out of your air.

Because though the air that you are breathing will be cleaner with the use of an ionizer, the amount of dusting you do will probably increase.

Vacuuming

A great deal of dust in the air comes in the form of simple walking. Walking has a way of causing a whirlwind of dust to re-enter the airstream.

Frequent vacuuming can help keep dust out of the air more so than you may believe.

Other types of dust that come from machinery like sanders and table saws need to be vacuumed as it is produced in order to keep the level of dust from becoming a major ordeal.

Using compressed air to push the dust out of the air can work as long as there is a place for it to go. Like say a garage with a large door that the dust could be blown out of.

But dust that comes from construction like sanding wood or using a table saw will most always be better vacuumed with a shop VAC as it is being produced rather than blown with an air compressor.

The amount of dust created during a wood project can be pretty hard to displace by just blowing it.

Recap

Getting rid of dust in the air can be as simple as adding humidity back into the air with a humidifier.

Dusty air, a great deal of the time is due to a drop in the relative humidity.

By adding moisture back to the air with the humidifier, the dust in the air will absorb moisture and become too heavy to float and fall out of the air you breathe.

Other types of dusty air are environmental and can come from things like living next to a dirt road or a wind storm blowing through.

This type of dust can be rectified by using an air purifier that pulls air through a series of filters as a means of cleaning the air.

Other types of air purifiers like ionizers, though will clear the ambient air that you breathe, they will also leave your surfaces dustier. And create more of an opportunity to kick the dust back into the air.

And other types of Dusty air that are created using machinery are most always best resolved by attaching a shop VAC to the machinery that you are using to capture the dust as it is being created.

Portable Swamp Cooler – My Recent Experience in Colorado

My family took our summer vacation in the mountains of Colorado this year.

It’s not the first time we’ve made this trip during the summer but I can say it was definitely the hottest Colorado trip I’ve ever taken.

My normal experience with Colorado weather is that it is super dry and the peak temperature is usually around 85°.

This year we found ourselves walking around in 95° weather with 30 and 40% humidity.

Miserable to say the least.

If you haven’t been to Colorado Springs or any of the other touristy towns in Colorado,

One thing they all have in common is there is a great number of small shops and stores selling souvenirs, candy, and just about everything else you can think of, scattered all along the area.

As we were walking through some of these stores, there was one thing that I noticed quite a lot.

Most of these little shops were using portable swamp coolers to help cool the inside temperature.

But the problem was, the humidity outside was so high that you could barely feel anything coming out of these units.

There was one store that had a couple air movers that were doing much more to help combat the heat than the portable evaporative cooler they had setting at the door.

And there were a few shops that were using refrigerated window air conditioning and you could tell a big difference when you walk into those stores.

But seeing how the weather in Colorado is typically very dry, portable swamp coolers seem to be the AC unit of choice.

One portable swamp cooler I saw was so filthy that there was no way water was going to soak the pads enough to cool off the air.

So I’m not saying that the units were all maintained perfectly.

And most of these shops could have been getting a lot better result from the swamp coolers if they were putting ice in the cooler water periodically throughout the day.

But after going through a summer of excessive heat and humidity like this,

I’d imagine that a great deal of those vendors are going to be looking to switch over to window air conditioners by next summer.

Portable swamp cooler- yay or nay

Swamp coolers can do an excellent job in the right circumstances.

The problem is that this has probably been one of the most humid Summers I can remember ever going through.

And remembering back to last year, it rained so little that you could barely keep the grass wet. Definitely one of the dryer seasons I remember.

So going the portable swamp cooler route is a hit or miss.

My opinion is that if you’re grappling with whether you are going to purchase a portable swamp cooler or go with a portable refrigerated air unit or window AC,

My experience is, you will be much happier with a refrigerated AC unit.

Like I mentioned before, the shops on our Colorado trip that had Window ACs built into the wall were much cooler.

And one of the main reasons I believe that was the case is that refrigerated window ACs work as dehumidifiers as they cool the air.

In fact most Window ACs you can buy these days, have a dry mode setting to operate the unit in dehumidifier mode only.

And if the temperature itself is not all that high, bringing the humidity down with a dehumidifier or the dry mode on a window AC is going to help quite a bit.

And even make the need for an air conditioner obsolete.

Of course, if you have no way of exhausting the heat from a window air conditioner or portable AC, then a portable swamp cooler is going to be better than nothing at all.

And if you live in an area where dry weather is the norm and you’re certain that the summer heat is not going to be tainted by excessive humidity then you’re probably going to be happy with a portable swamp cooler.

Humid air is not necessarily hot air and like I mentioned a few paragraphs back, there was one shop that we visited in Colorado that was getting particularly good results using air movers. Which is basically a high velocity fan.

A fan, although maybe not on the level of a dehumidifier, can do an awful lot to help dry out the air in a specific room.

And when the humidity is so high that 80° feels like 100°, a high strength fan can go a long way towards drying out the air and bringing out the overall comfortability in a room.

But again if you are grappling on which way to turn while shopping for a way to cool off your room or shop, a refrigerator air unit is going to be a much more efficient way of cooling down the temperature in a room and also have the capacity to lower the humidity when it’s the moisture in the air that’s making things so uncomfortable.

Recap

If you’re thinking about purchasing a new unit to help cool down the air in your room or garage, there are several different options you may look into.

The above article spoke about how on a recent trip to the Colorado mountains, I noticed that most of the souvenir shops that I visited had portable swamp coolers.

But since this has been a particularly humid season, the swamp coolers we’re not doing much of a job cooling the air.

But the couple of shops that I went into were using window air conditioners we’re much cooler.

And one of the shops I visited was getting a good result out of using high velocity air movers.

The winner bar none was the window air conditioning that was installed through the wall.

Not only was it able to cool down the room better during an insufferable humid day, it also had the capacity to reduce the humidity through the dry mode function.

Portable swamp coolers have their place as long as you realize that they are not going to do much good when the weather is muggy.

At that point, you’d get better use out of a high-speed fan or an air mover.

How Do You Deodorize a Room Quickly?

We all know that bad smells are disgusting and can make you feel sick. Again Deodorizing a room is not as easy as you might think.

So, how do you deodorize a room quickly?

How long does it take to remove the stench of cigarettes, body odor, and food from your living quarters? How can I make my dormitory smell less like stale beer and more like fresh linen?

These are common questions for people who live in large households or have roommates with poor hygiene habits.

It’s not always easy to figure out how to get rid of the odor, but we have some tips for you! In this blog post, we will give you step-by-step instructions on how to clean up your home so it doesn’t smell bad anymore

Why Does My Room Smell Bad?

You’ve just walked into a room. Why does it smell? Surely, there’s something wrong with that!

It’s one of the most frustrating things to walk into a room and have it smell bad. It is not easy to tell what causes a bad smell in the room.

You might be aware of some factors that could give rise to this problem, but it won’t hurt if we find out more about why your room smells bad.

Stagnant Air

Stagnant Air Causes Room Smell Bad. Fresh air can be the answer to eliminating bad odors from your home, office, or business.

Dirty Laundry

Laundry causes the room to smell bad for 2 reasons. First, it’s dirty and second, you leave wet clothes in a pile when they’re clean. In order to avoid bad odors in your room, it’s important not to let dirty laundry pile up. Dirty clothes should be washed regularly because they will produce unpleasant scents if you leave them for too long.

Leftover Food

Kitchen is the heart of a house. It is where you prepare food for your family, friends, and guests with your valuable kitchen appliances. Unfortunately, food waste causes the smell of your kitchen to be bad.

The main cause of the smell is bacteria. Bacteria thrive in moist, warm environments where food particles are available to eat and grow.

“To avoid this problem, make sure that you have a garbage can close by when you’re done eating so that the leftovers don’t go to waste and spoil in your kitchen’s smell.”

And also the longer food stays in the refrigerator, the more likely it is to cause odors that make your kitchen smell bad. When you’re done eating a meal or snack, make sure to remove all leftover food.

Stagnant Air

Stagnant Air Causes Room Smell Bad. Fresh air can be the answer to eliminating bad odors from your home, office, or business.

Garbage Disposal Stink

You probably know that garbage disposals can make your kitchen smell bad, but you may not have realized the extent of their odor.
They produce odorous gases that are absorbed by the surrounding air. These smells are often easily avoided by keeping your garbage disposal clean.

Carpet Smells

Most people think that the carpet smells cause the room to smell bad. In reality, it is the other way around—room smell bad causes the carpet to smell. It’s very common for carpets to smell bad because they get dirty easily and accumulate bacteria over time.

How Do I Make My Room Smell Fresh?

You might be thinking that you need to clean the room from top-to-bottom, but there are a few quick and easy ways to deodorize your home. Here are some ways to make your room smell fresh.

Dust Your Room from Top to Bottom

If you want to deodorize your room, just dust it. Dusting your room helps to deodorize it and make you feel better. Dusting removes a lot of the dirt and dust in your room. Also, dusting is fun! Dusting your room is one of the most important things you can do to keep it smelling fresh.

Use an Indoor Air Purifier

Did you know that the air inside your home can be more polluted than outside? Indoor air is often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. If you have a room that smells bad, use an Indoor Air Purifier.

Indoor Air Purifiers are very useful for eliminating smells from rooms. They really help you feel more comfortable inside your house and can even reduce allergies and asthma symptoms.

Feed Your Garbage Disposal Oranges and Ice

Did you know that your garbage disposal can smell bad? I’m going to tell you how to make your garbage disposal smell good. Feed your garbage disposal oranges and ice. This is the most effective way to deodorize a room. In fact, if you put them in there every once in a while it will deodorize your room.

Remove Smell From Carpet

Carpeting is a great way to make your house look nice. However, it can get pretty smelly if you do not keep up with regular cleaning. If you have a room that smells like smoke, the best way to deodorize it is to sprinkle baking soda all over your carpet. Then vacuum up the baking soda and voila! Your room will smell fresh again.

Open Your Windows

Did you know that opening your windows for just 15 minutes can reduce the levels of these toxic chemicals in your home? It is not good to keep the doors and windows closed because it’s hard to breathe in a closed place. You must open your windows to let fresh air in. When you do that, it deodorizes your room and makes the smells go away.

Turn on a Dehumidifier

You can deodorize your room by setting up a Dehumidifier. You can save some money by turning on a dehumidifier to get rid of the musty smell in your room.

They come in different types, so you should know what to buy when getting one.

Use an Odor Absorber

If you have a stinky room, don’t worry. You can just use an Odor Absorber to get rid of the odor in your home or office. A deodorizer can be used to remove smells from a room. Odor absorbers are great for use in places like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements where there may be unpleasant odors.

Conclusion:

Deodorizing a room can save you from the embarrassment of having an unpleasant odor in your space. And, when it comes to deodorizing a room, there are many options. However, the best way is to start using an air purifier song with some natural remedies.

For you, we have compiled some helpful tips that will help get rid of even the most stubborn smells and prevent them from coming back too soon.

We hope you found our guide on “How do you deodorize a room quickly” helpful.

Blueair Pure Air 211 vs. Levoit Core 300 (yeah baby!)

Blueair Pure Air 211

Blueair is an amazing air purification manufacturer out of Sweden that has some of the absolute best air purifier products on the market.

The Blueair Pure Air 211 is no exception.

This air purifier is about simplicity. It has one control button located directly on the face of the air purifier. One control button to simply eliminate allergens, odors, dander, and mold.

This air purifier employs true HEPA, activated carbon, and a washable pre-filter.

It is very small, coming in at only 20 in tall and about a foot diameter.

The video for blue Air is one of the most astounding videos that any air purification company has produced.

The rate at which this air purifier is able to remove all the smoke in a room is unheard of.

The noise level this air purifier operates on- 31 decibels for low and 56 decibels on high is also a landmark that other air purifiers have not been able to reach.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m pouring it on thick.

Well….

For starters, This IS an awesome HEPA air purifier and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype.

This air purifier does have an amazing clean air delivery rate and can filter a 500 ft room about five times an hour.

But….

There is some things you might want to consider with this air purifier before you go rushing in paying a big price for it.

For one, the replacement filter for it is $45. And the recommended time span to replace it is every 6 months. So you’re looking at an extra $100 a year to keep a fresh filter.

And companies like this are not stupid when it comes to the way they manufacture these filters.

They know that if they sell you a separate HEPA filter and a separate carbon filter that even though you will not be able to get a 100% clean result, you can still clean a HEPA filter pretty well and make it last much longer.

But when it is tied to a carbon filter, it’s not going to be nearly as easy to clean and you will not be able to reactivate the carbon since it has to be heated to 1,000° or something.

Second, carbon filters are sold by weight. And getting a carbon filter heavy enough and big enough to absorb strong odors is not very likely in a small air purifier. Another thing that you rarely hear about carbon filters themselves is that they can have a strong sweet smell.

Most of the reviews you find about the blue Air carbon filter is that the smell of the filter is not too good. And since the carbon filter is the part of the air purifier that is supposed to get rid of odors in the room…. WTF? You get the point.

Levoit Core 300

The Core 300 by Levoit is the close runner-up the BlueAir 211

It is less than half the price for one Levoit core 300 but it also covers about half the square footage.

The filters for the Levoit come in two different styles. One rated for pet allergies is $36 and one that is the original at $30.

What’s the difference between the two filters?
No one’s saying exactly but it looks like the pet allergy model has a heavier mass of carbon than the original.
That would make sense because carbon is the part of the filter that absorbs odors.

For less than the price of one blue Air 211, you could purchase two
Levoit Core 300s and place them on two different sides of a large room and get a better result than trying to clean a large room with one air purifier.

But two filters for two small air Core 300 purifiers is slightly more than one filter for one large air purifier.

But the fact remains that it is always better to put smaller air purifiers throughout the house than it is to have one large air purifier and try to get air from the whole house or large room circulating through the one air purifier. Make sense?

Plus there’s also the added benefit of being able to place smaller air purifiers and smaller rooms when you need them to be there.

Downside:
But remember, though you may be able to get a better air purification process out of two small air purifiers than one, the noise level of two air purifiers in the same room will be louder than one.

Levoit also has its own large air purifier line that is advertised to cover 700 square feet and only slightly more than the blue Air. But it also has a smart sensor that automatically adjusted the speed of the fan on the air purifier to match the amount of indoor air pollution that needs to be eliminated.

The price for the filter is $70. The pet allergy and smoker version cost $100.
The filter has a suggested life of 6 to 8 months before you have to replace it.

You can see how expensive it can get to run a Levoit large room air purifier pretty quickly.

The Levoit core 300 is an excellent air purifier that boasts all the same features as the blue Air.
Very quiet and able to completely filter the air in the room five times per hour.

And the reviews for Levoit are typically very good.

What’s the Best buy? Blue Air 211 or Levoit Core 300

Two small air purifiers by Levoit is a better deal than the larger 211 air purifier by Blue Air.

The price of the filters will be a little more but they are rated for 6 to 8 months over the 6 months expected exchange on the BlueAir.

It is better to have smaller air purifiers throughout a home or large room than it is to try to get one big air purifier to do all the work.

Food for thought:

If your main concern is getting rid of allergens and dust and you could take or leave the carbon filter, there are plenty of HEPA air purifiers that do not use an all-in-one true HEPA and carbon filter. Cheaper.

And though it may be true that you will not be able to completely wash a HEPA filter 100%. They still can be rinsed quite well if they are not sealed together with a carbon filter.

Regardless, filters are the part of the air purifier business where the big money is made.

And for the consumer, it is where most of the money is spent.

Do Air Purifiers Work for Kitchen Smells?

Kitchens are one of the rooms which are most likely to have odor builds up. The smell of spices, searing or browning foods, fish, meat, and all the other things are enough to ruin your day. So, if you are tired of having a smelly kitchen and are searching for a solution, you have landed in the right place.

Air purifiers work great to remove smells or unpleasant odors from your home air. And, in this guide, we will show you how do air purifiers work for kitchen smells and how to find out the best one. So, stay with us to explore how an air purifier can free you from your smelly kitchen.

Do Air Purifiers Work for Kitchen Smells?

As per the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPS) indoor air is 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. In this case, air purifiers are the best ever solution to purify indoor air. They remove all the harmful pollutants, chemicals, and odor from the indoor air. But, do air purifiers work for kitchen smells also?

The answer is YES, air purifiers definitely can help you with the musty kitchen smell. It can be the ultimate kitchen odor removal machine and ensure smell free air in your kitchen. Here are the facts for how air purifiers remove the kitchen smell.

Air purifiers are usually designed with activated carbon filters which are odor neutralizers. These filters trap and lock down the kitchen smell and eliminate the bad smells immediately from the air.
Another thing is true HEPA filters which not only clean the pollutants but also remove the bad smell effectively from the kitchen air. With the fine filter mechanism that can even remove the smallest particles.

Some air filters have UV lights and these are best for killing odor-causing molds, dirt, and other pollutants.
This device either uses electric attraction or a series of fans with multiple speeds that helps the air move faster. Once sucking in all the contaminated air from the room these fans pass them through the filters. You can speed up the fan if the smell is really tough to beat.
The automatic detection feature of most air purifiers can sense the dirt or smell of your air. Then automatically adjusted the device’s setting and started working to remove the smell from the room.

Using an air purifier for the kitchen can ensure your overall cooking environment and experience fresh and smell free. In addition, your kitchen will be free from allergens and germs.

What To Consider Before Buying an Air Purifier for Kitchen Smells?

Air purifiers work amazingly to keep your home air bacteria-free and odor-free. But when it comes to removing kitchen smells, not all air purifiers can do this. To make sure, your air purifier can eliminate your kitchen smell effectively, you must consider some features. So, while buying one for your kitchen do consider the following features.

Odor Filtration

The most effective method for odor elimination in the kitchen is using an air purifier with an activated carbon filter. This filter is well known as the best absorption media filter. Usually, activated carbon can easily trap cooking odors, gases, vaporized oils, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This filter becomes saturated quickly and is better for absorbing odorous elements efficiently.

There are some other odors filtration technologies available and these are Plasmawave and Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO). Photocatalytic oxidation air purifiers use ultraviolet radiation and a photocatalyst, to produce hydroxyl (OH) radicals that are purportedly generated to destroy gaseous contaminants.

HEPA Filter

When you cook something, the food releases tiny particles alongside VOCs. In this case, the true HEPA grade filters come in very handy to trap all the fine and even the tiniest airborne pollutants. However, HEPA filters are designed to capture the pollen, dust, dander, bacteria, and smoke from the air.

Once capturing the smell-causing particles and gaseous vapors, they pass right through the HEPA filter. In this way, it prevents the smell from spreading over the kitchen or around your house.

An Ionizer

Generally, ions latch onto particles and make them weigh down. As a result, they fall onto the floor or stick to the surfaces and create bad odors. Here, ionizers emit all these negatively charged ions. It works as a supplemental feature that boosts the effectiveness of an air purifier to reduce the bad smell.

Keep in mind that ionizers release Ozone which is harmful to your health. But, as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if the ozone level remains less than 0-0.05 ppm, it is considered safe for the human body. So, while buying make sure the level of the ozone.

VOC or Particle Sensor

Mostly, kitchen odor is caused due to vaporized or volatilized oils, and tiny particles. Therefore, you can look out for an air purifier that is designed with built-in air quality, particle, and VOC sensors. This combination will be great for eliminating your kitchen odor.

Air Intake and Output Design

Considering the design of air intake and output is essential for ensuring accurate placement of the air purifier. You should lookout for a compact, sideways, and flat design. With this shape, it will be convenient to place the air purifier nearby to the wall. One more thing, the 360° air intake purifiers are also considered best for better air circulation

Benefits of Kitchen Air Purifiers

It will be the most wise choice to get an air purifier for your kitchen. Having a kitchen air purifier is essential to get all the healthy benefits. In addition to keeping your kitchen odor-free, this device can do a lot more things for your kitchen. So, here are all the additional benefits that you will get from your kitchen air purifier.

Removes all the allergens from the kitchen air caused by spices, smoke, and other food ingredients.

Ensuring filtering the kitchen air constantly to prevent the musty smells, especially when you cook for a longer time.
It will protect your family member who suffers from respiratory disease caused by inhalation of smoke and contaminants.
This device effectively reduces VOCs from your kitchen caused by gas leakages or burnt food.

Air purifiers extract particles that cause lung diseases, allergies, asthma, mesothelioma developments, and many more.
The major advantage is, it reduces the level of carbon dioxide from your indoor environment.

Final Verdict

Cooking is fun but when it comes to the lingering smell, it feels very unpleasant. Over time, the cooking smell started to stink and even spread to the other rooms, which is very irritating. In this awful situation, an air purifier can help you out. If you don’t have one, getting a purifier will be a wise choice.

With the air cleaning technology, this useful device can make your kitchen atmosphere fresh and absolutely odor-free. For your better convenience, we have shared how do air purifiers work for kitchen smells, in this guide. Hopefully, you have enjoyed this guide and we are able to help you out.

Do Humidifiers Clean the Air? (You May Be Surprised)

Do Humidifiers Clean the Air?

A humidifier is not the same thing as an air purifier and doesn’t have a way to filter air.

But a humidifier can be a type of air purifier when the air is too dry.

Maintaining the proper relative humidity in a room has an air purification effect on the air.
This is because humidity droplets are heavier than the dust particles , including viruses and bacteria.

So when the humidity binds itself to the dust in the air, the dust becomes too heavy to float and falls out of the ambient air that you breathe.

Very similar to the way an ionic air purifier works.

Except in the case of the air purifier it is ions that are binding to dust and causing it to fall.

Humidifier for Plants

Another way that humidifiers help clean the air is by keeping your air purifying plants healthy.

If you haven’t seen it, there’s a popular list of plants that NASA was conducted research on and determined natural air purifiers.

A humidifier is one of the best ways to keep your plant life thriving in your home.

Adding some of the plants like spider plant and rubber plant that NASA has determined are air purifying plants to your home is an excellent way of utilizing a humidifier in an air purification mode.

Dry air can cause a variety of issues including interrupting respiratory function and causing skin and acne problems.

When the Air does not have enough moisture, it allows dust to float and travel freely making it into your pores and also absorbing the moisture out of your skin and your nasal cavities.

Using a humidifier to keep the relative humidity in your home at 40 to 60% will alleviate most dry air symptoms.

But on the flip side… over-humidifying the air can have the opposite effect.

Air that is too humid can explode the dust mite population exponentially in your home. It will also promote mold growth which in turn will unleash mold spores into your Air.

When the humidity gets above 60%, running a humidifier we’ll make the air quality worse.

For instance, Basements are notorious for being extra humid. Running a humidifier in a basement would be the opposite of what you need to do.

A dehumidifier is a more useful device at that point. Refrigerated air conditioners double as dehumidifiers and some even have “dry mode” settings that allow you to bring the humidity level down in your home without bringing the actual temperature down.

Many basements require industrial vents to pull the moisture out of the area.

Monitoring and keeping your relative humidity between 40 and 60% is the key .

You can purchase humidifiers and dehumidifiers that have a hygrometer or a humidistat built in to ensure that you are adding or taking away the right amount of humidity to stay healthy.

Both humidifiers and dehumidifiers come equipped with smart apps that you can get notifications from as well as monitor your relative humidity remotely at any time.

Though a humidifier can be a huge factor and do a great deal to help manage the air quality when conditions are dry,

A humidifier is not a replacement for an air purifier because indoor air pollution does not rely solely on the air being dry or extra humid.

And air purifiers are useful all year long whereas humidifiers usually gets stored away during the warmer and hot months.

But an air purifier will do nothing to add or take away moisture from your air.

And unfortunately there is not an appliance that can humidify, dehumidify, and filter the air. At least nothing available that can do a great job at any of the three.

Recap

A humidifier can help clean the air when conditions are dry.

Without the adequate moisture in the air, airborne particles, including germs, bacteria, and viruses, can float much easier and travel much further.

A humidifier will add moisture droplets to the air that will bind with the dust particles and cause them to be too heavy to float. The result will be cleaner and fresher air.

But a humidifier can actually make the air quality worse when the humidity is on the high side.

Higher levels of humidity promote mold growth and feed dust mite populations.

Reducing the humidity with a dehumidifier or refrigerator air conditioner will help keep the air quality good during times and seasons of heavy humidity.

But neither a humidifier or a dehumidifier is a replacement for an air purifier.

Air purifiers work 24/7 all year long to keep your air clean. Whereas humidifiers and dehumidifiers are both seasonal devices that are stored away when not in use.

How to Clean a Fan (fast and easy)

Do you have a fan that you have let go for a little too long without cleaning it?

If so, you have probably noticed that it is not blowing nearly as well as it once did.

Nearly every fan is designed so that you can get your fingers into it. That also means that the spaces that the air is meant to flow through can also get dirty enough to reduce in size pretty fast.

And depending on where you are primarily using the fan, that can happen even faster.

Fans require airflow to work properly. And over time, the accumulation of dust can cause a fan to have much less area for the air to flow through.

How to clean a fan ( fast version)

If you have a fan that has a front and a back like a rotary fan, box fan, table fan, and so forth.

There is a quick way to clean your fan so that it is blowing much better.

Granted this is a method for you if you’re just wanting your fan to blow better and not particularly interested in detail cleaning it at this point.

Here’s the trick.

Tools you will need.

A cleaning brush with a long handle ( a broom will do if that’s all you have)

1. Take the fan outside. But choose somewhere where you still have access to an outlet. (An extension cord will work)

2. While the fan is off. Take the cleaning brush and scrub the outside of the fan as well as possible.

( Remember we are not trying to get inside of the fan at this point. This is primarily to get your fan blowing again fast)

3. Without standing directly in front of the fan. Turn it on it’s high speed.

At this point you should see a lot of debris flying off.

4. With the fan on high speed, start brushing the rear of the fan.
The point is to clear out all the little areas where dust has accumulated to the point where it’s not letting air through.

By now you should see quite a bit of difference in the rate of which the air is able to blow through the fan.

6. Just keep on brushing the front and back with the fan still running on high. The debris should be flying off rapidly. Do it to your satisfaction.

At this point, you are able to see why I said do not stand directly in front of the fan and why I said take it outside first.

There you have it. A quick and easy way to get your fan blowing well again.

Didn’t work?

If you have a lot of dust that is binding to the fan, you may have to do a little more than brushing it off.

For instance, If you are using the fan in a kitchen, you may find that the dust does not blow off quite so easily when brushing it.

That’s because of the grease that accumulates on a fan when it is continuously blowing in a kitchen.

How to clean a fan ( slower version)

Sometimes you can’t just get away with doing it the easy way.

And sometimes the point is not to hurry up so your fan will blow easier, but to actually get down to the nitty gritty and put some actual shine on it.

Tools you’ll need

Warm soapy water
Degreaser
Wash towels
Screwdriver
Gloves
Face mask

Fortunately most box fans, desk fans, and oscillating fans are very easy to take apart.

It’s almost like somebody thought ahead and made them that way so that they could be easily disassembled and cleaned.

1. Unplug
You won’t be needing any electricity whatsoever for this type of cleaning method. So start off by unplugging the fan so that there is no chance of getting injured or shocked at all.

2. Disassemble

Disassembling in this case means taking the outer grill off. You’re not going to be doing anything with wiring for anything that has to do with electricity.

a. Box fan

To take a shell off a box fan, you will need a Phillips screwdriver or a screw gun.

Simply remove all the screws that are connecting the plastic covers to the metal frame and remove the covers.

Be sure to put the screws somewhere where you can keep up with them.

b. Oscillating fan

This type of fan has latches that are easily opened.

Simply open the latches and take the front cover off. The back cover is usually permanently attached to these.

3. Spray degreaser

Once you have it disassembled, spray degreaser on the front and the back of the covers and let them sit for a good 20 minutes.

Some degreasers take longer, some take a shorter time. The best policy is just to read the instructions on the can.

Spray the fan blade as well as any other spot that needs it. But try not to get anything inside of the motor.

Some degreasers can be pretty aggressive at getting grease off of things so be sure you wear some plastic gloves so you don’t end up irritating your hands.
A face mask is not a bad idea either.

4. Wash with soap and water
Once the degreaser has had time to release any grime that is on the fan parts, simply take a bucket of warm soapy water and wash all the degreaser and grime off.

5. Let it dry
6. Reassemble

You’re finished.

How to clean a tower fan.

A Tower fan doesn’t come apart and go back together nearly as easily as a box fan.

If you can get away with brushing the fins out and wiping the outside down,

That’s going to be a lot better choice than taking it apart.

Taking the time to clean your fan to make all the difference and how well it blows and cools down a room.

It doesn’t take too much accumulation of dust and particles on the outside of a fan to reduce the air flow to a point that you might as well leave it off sometimes.

How to Clean a Window AC Unit – Without Removing It

How to Clean a Window AC unit

Cleaning a window AC unit can be easy or not so easy depending on how long it’s been since you cleaned it.

And if you your AC unit is not cooling like it should or if it’s doing something stupid like spitting water at you, then you know it’s time to give it a good once over.

Some things can be easily cleaned without having to mess with taking it apart or removing it from the window.

Some other things may not be quite as simple. Like I said, it depends primarily on how long it’s been since it’s been cleaned. Unless it’s located in an area that is just predisposed to getting dust all over and inside your window AC.

Cleaning supplies

A few items that will make the job much easier if you have them on hand is a vacuum with good suction. A handheld would be much easier to work with if you have it and a “can of air” which is usually called electronic duster. A good scrub brush is also going to be handy. For pros, an air compressor with a nozzle is going to speed things way up.

Let’s get cracking.

1. Unplug it
No use messing around with an electronic device while it’s plugged in.
We’re just trying to clean it, not diagnosing a problem that requires power.

2. How to remove front cover of window air conditioner

The first thing to clean is the filter and to do that you’ll have to remove the front cover of the air conditioner.

There are more than one brand of window air conditioner and there are a multitude of different styles of removing the front cover also.

On most window air conditioners, you will simply have a pull tab located on the top or the side that allows you to pull the front cover down and off.

But there are other window ACs like the GE for example that have a filter that just pulls out from the side and do not provide easy access to the grill.

On window AC that doesn’t have easy access, it will require you to take a couple of screws out and pull the entire plastic casing off of the front.

If you have a manual window AC with knobs to dial in the temperature, you’ll have to take the knobs off first to be able to get the plastic casing off.

Cleaning the filter is a very simple process that usually can be done with the vacuum cleaner or a brush. You can even wash it under the faucet in the sink. Only be careful to let it dry completely so you don’t have any chance of mold growing in the AC by putting a wet filter back into it.

2. Clean the grime off of the grill and fins.

How to clean air conditioner fins

Once you have the cover off and the grill is exposed, take a soft brush and brush any grime and dirt off of the fins.
A soft brush because you do not want to bend the fins.

If the finns are already bent, you can purchase what’s called a fin comb that will straighten them back out.

This step can easily be done with a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air. If you have a portable compressor, you will be able to blow any grime and debris on the fins off that much easier.

3. Clean the cover

Before you put the cover back on, use the opportunity to clean the dust and debris out of all the nooks and crannies located on the cover. Believe it or not, even if it doesn’t look like it, dust can keep your air conditioner from blowing at the rate it is meant to. (This is a big deal with fans too. You would probably be surprised how well your tower fan would blow by just doing some simple brushing maintenance on it.)

4. Clean the rear of the AC.

Can you hose down a window air conditioner?

If the AC is still in your window, you can actually hose down the back side of the window AC with a hose. The only caveat is that you do not use a high pressure attachment that could bend the fins or damage any component inside of the AC.

After all this part of the AC is meant to be in the elements and can take a beating from a rainstorm or snow. Hosing it down is an easy way of getting dirt and debris off of the outside of the air conditioner.

Make sure you keep the water on the outside of the unit and not spray in such a way that it goes inside the house.

If you are not in an area where you can clean your window conditioner with a hose, a vacuum cleaner will do just fine, and or an air compressor will do even that much better.

And remember if your air conditioner is not that dirty, a can of electronic duster that you use on a computer keyboard will do the trick just fine. It’s a lot easier using a can of electronic duster than it is to drag out a water hose for a vacuum and an air compressor if you don’t have to.

5. Clean the drain hole

If your air conditioner is spitting water at you, there is a good chance that your drain hole is clogged up.

The condensation coming off of your cooling coils when the air conditioner is running is designed to drip out of that little drain hole.

If the drain hole is stopped up then the water will just keep on rising till it starts coming out of the vents and spritzing your house.

If the drain hole is already clean and it is still spitting water at you or not draining, then you should tilt the air conditioner slightly so that the water drains out of the hole instead of building up. You may have to put a shim or something on one side of the air conditioner to keep it tilted slightly for the water to drain off.

The drain hole on a window AC is typically just a small hole around 3/8″ big located either on the side or towards the rear of the AC.

While you have the hose out, spraying out the drain hole should be pretty easy.

If you don’t have a hose, try blowing the drain hole out. If there is something really jammed in the drain hole, try taking a small pointed object like a small screwdriver and poking it through the hole being careful not to poke too hard as to puncture anything on the other side of the hole.

Never add a second drain hole to a window AC using a drill unless you have the whole AC taken apart so that you can see exactly where to drill without puncturing any part of the AC compressor. ( How do I know that? Let’s just say that I’m glad I didn’t spend more than a couple of hundred bucks on that AC.)

How to prevent mold in the window AC?

You can prevent mold in a window AC by ensuring that the drain hole is clear and that the condensation is draining off properly.
If the air conditioner is not draining and water is able to fill up inside of the window AC, then the chances of having mold inside of your AC go up considerably.
The second thing you should do to prevent mold in your window AC is to wipe it down regularly, and vacuum the dirt out.
Mold cannot grow without having the basic ingredients of moisture, food (like dirt) and dark.

Keeping your drain hole cleaned out, the AC tilted so that the water drains out easily, and wiped and vacuumed of dust, will eliminate two of the main ingredients of mold right there.

If you already have mold in your window AC, you should be prepared to take the window air conditioner out of the window and disassemble it so that you can spray the inside thoroughly with either Lysol or vinegar.

It’s not the end of the world or your air conditioner but mold sickness is a real thing and you should take it seriously.

The casing of a window air conditioner is generally held on by some very plain in view screws that can be taken out. The whole cover will come off easily after that. That will give you access to be able to spray a mold deterrent like Lysol or vinegar into any nook and cranny you can locate inside the AC.

There’s nothing like having an air conditioner during the hot summer months.
The problem is that they tend to get dirty and need regular maintenance.

Taking the time to spruce up your AC unit is going to help eliminate mold and mildew that builds up inside the unit and stops it working properly.

It’s worth opening up your unit once a year and cleaning it out once a year, even if it’s still running smooth.
The filter should be checked once a month and cleaned whenever it looks dirty as well.

Here are the 12 steps of cleaning a window air conditioning unit.

What you Need

2 soft cloths
A hand-held spray bottle
Fin comb

Bucket
Vacuum
Rubber gloves

Soft-bristle brush
Goggles
Coil cleaner – which can be found at any hardware store

The 12-Step Process

Start out by disconnecting the AC unit from all power sources
You need to unplug every single power cord being fed into the unit. If the window unit is wired directly to the home then you want to either turn off the master circuit breaker or disconnect the unit from the fuses. The manufacturer’s instructions will tell you how to discharge the capacitor. This capacitor is a device that holds the extra charge needed to kick-start the motor in your AC. Removing it is an essential step in ensuring there is no charge left in the device before cleaning it.

Clean off the outside cover of the unit. Wipe it down using a wet cloth. Get rid of all the grime and dust that you can to ensure that it doesn’t fall down into the unit when the cover is opened. That just creates more work for you later. It’ll be much harder to get off then too.

Now you can take the front cover off. Some of them are designed to be removed easily using just your hands. For others, you might need to remove some plastic screws or hooks. Place down these screws or clamps in a safe place while working. That way you can avoid losing them. Be warned that some units will also have metal grills that need to be removed. Their edges can be sharp, so take care when removing them!

You need to clean the reusable filter in your unit, assuming that it has one. Take the filter out of the AC unit and put it in a bucket filled halfway with warm and soapy water. If you don’t have one to hand then your sink or bathtub would do fine. Get rid of dirt and other buildup by swishing the filter around. If it’s really dirty then you might need to use a soft brush to clear it all off. Put the filter off to the side so that it can dry out before you put it back into the unit. Having a wet filter in the unit just attracts more mold and dirt, which is not what you want when you’re trying to keep it clean!

Make sure that you change the disposable filter in your unit regularly. Once again, that is assuming that it has one. The US Department of Energy recommend changing filters once a month during the warm season.

Vacuum out the inside of the unit. A vacuum extension can help you reach the bottom of the unit, as well as the sides of the unit, the back of the front cover, and – if you have one – the metal grill. A moist rag can help here if there’s too much dirt for a vacuum to handle by itself.

Put the unit back together. Be sure to let the unit dry out completely before you put it back together. Plug the window unit back into the power source and switch it on. Clean off any debris that might blow up after it has been powered on again.

Be sure to keep your unit stored in a cool, dry place when the time comes to put it away. Cover it up with a sheet of plastic and leave it in a dry place as this will prevent the spread of mildew and mold.

If you want to take your cleaning to the next level, there are some extra steps you can take before putting the unit back together.
These are optional steps and should be performed delicately.
These steps are for cleaning the fan blades and coils, which are very delicate and are easy to bend and break by accident. The motor housing can also be very sensitive and should be avoided at all times when cleaning an AC unit.

Now it’s time to clean coils in your AC. Make sure you use rubber gloves and protective goggle for this. Add the coil cleaning solution to the water bottle and spray the coils lightly. Take care to spray only the coils. Leave them for around 15 minutes before pouring some warm water onto the coils. Ensure that the coil cleaner has been completely removed from the coil. Be careful to avoid getting electrical parts near the coils wet. Consider putting a dry rag down on the electrical parts to prevent water damage.

Clean the fan blades of the unit using a soft, clean cloth to remove dirt from the fan blades. Be sure to wipe gently so as to avoid bending and damaging the blades. AC units can be pretty loud as they are, and bent blades only makes them louder!

Finally, you can use the fin comb to repair dents in the fins of the coils. Now you can put the AC unit back together and go back to enjoying cool air whenever you need it.

Do Humidifiers Increase Oxygen? (No and Yes)

Do Humidifiers Increase Oxygen?

A humidifier is not an oxygen machine or an oxygen concentrator and it should not be mistaken for one.

A humidifier is an appliance that adds moisture or humidity to the air. And humidity actually displaces oxygen.

But a humidifier can increase oxygen indirectly in a couple of ways.

1. Humidity is a natural air purifier that weighs down particles like pollen and airborne bacteria as well as viruses.

Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier can make these particles too heavy to float thereby increasing the natural oxygen available.

The National Library of Medicine has stated that “the majority of adverse health effects caused by relative humidity would be minimized by maintaining indoor levels between 40 and 60%.

By keeping the relative humidity at the recommended level, you naturally increase the oxygen by using the natural capacity of humidity to purify the already existing oxygen.

Plant humidifier

Using a humidifier as a tool to help keep your oxygen creating plants healthy.

Using a humidifier for plants is not a new idea. Plants need the right humidity to thrive and stay healthy just as much as people do.

The same dried out air in the house that causes your skin to crack and your nose to feel brittle will also have an adverse effect on your plants.

Plants need that 40 to 60% relative humidity to thrive as much as people do.

If you haven’t heard about it, there is a list of plants that NASA has conducted an in-depth study on and has declared them to be all natural air purifiers.

Some of the plants included in the list are Aloe Vera, Rubber Plant, and Mother-in-law’s tongue.

And a number of the plants, including the ones I mentioned above happened to be some of the best oxygen producing plants that exist.

Do you see where I’m going here?

The combination of the right plants with the right moisture in the air can make an amazing air purification system and a high oxygen producing environment.

So what’s the answer to the original question?

“A humidifier can help increase oxygen when it is used as a tool to help purify your air and to keep your all natural air purifying and oxygen releasing plants moist and healthy in your home.’

How do you know how much humidity to add to aid your plants?

The ideal is to mimic the natural environment and climate where the plant grows the best.

In other words, cactus is going to need less humidity because of its natural desert surroundings and Rubber tree is going to need much more because of its natural tropical habitat.

Doing the research for your plants is key.

Knowing the humidity level in your home is also key.

If you do not know what your humidity is already, you do not have a starting point.

A hygrometer is an inexpensive thermometer type device that measures humidity.

But a better option is to own a humidifier that has a hygrometer/ humidistat already built in.

Most Humidifiers are usually known to be pretty cheap devices you find in the drugstore or Walmart.

But these days humidifiers are smart machines that can either work as cool mist or vaporizers and include features like essential oil compartments and bacteria resistant materials.

Recap

Do humidifiers increase oxygen?

A humidifier is not the same thing as an oxygen concentrator.

Human beings cannot breathe underwater and it is also true that when the humidity is very heavy, it can be harder to breathe because of the thickness of the air.

High levels of humidity are also known to be a lot more likely to be full of mold spores and dust mites. Dust mite populations are actually exploding with high humidity.

So just blasting humidity into a room with a humidifier is not an answer to increasing the oxygen or creating an environment where you can breathe better.

But maintaining the proper relative humidity in the house is a great way to reduce the amount of airborne germs and allergens as well as hydrate your nasal cavities and your skin.

Humidifiers are also an excellent way to keep your plants lush and thriving.

And if you want to take it a step further you can include plants that are listed in NASA’s top Air purifying and oxygen releasing plants.

Humidifiers can help increase the oxygen in a room but they do so indirectly.

Benefits of a Humidifier While Sleeping (next to snoring train)

So how much of our lives do we spend sleeping, do they say? Like 26 years or something, and another 7 years just trying to get to sleep. That’s insane.

We all know the feeling I’m not getting a good night sleep and trying to be at our best the next day or sometimes days.

Not getting the adequate amount of sleep presents a whole host of problems.

Some very severe like memory loss, heart disease, and low sex drive.

There is no doubt that sleep is a very important part of everyone’s lives.

But did you know that humidity can have an effect on how well you sleep?

It’s a fact.

Air that is too dry can cause your breathing to be impaired because of dust and germs that easily float when there’s not enough moisture in the air to weigh them down.

When you’re trying to sleep, breathing in these impurities can cause snoring, coughing, and exasperated sleep apnea.

Dry air also can cause your skin to become dehydrated leading to flaky itchy skin, and acne.

As well as cause your nasal passages along with your throat, to become raw leading the nosebleeds and a dry sore throat.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, air that is too humid can be filled with mold spores and dust mites, also making it hard to breathe deep while you are trying to get a good night’s rest.

Excessive humidity can also be harder to breathe which can impair your slumber, and be a nightmare for people with asthma and sleep apnea.

But fortunately, there is a device that can help you remedy any problems you are having sleeping because of poor low humidity.

The device?

The humidifier.

Yep. The Humidifier.

The benefits of sleeping with a humidifier nearby are many.

Restful sleep when you’re congested and your nasal passages are swollen and brittle, hydrated skin when you’re dried out,

and Air that is cleaner to breathe because of the capacity of moisture in the air to ” weigh down” dust and particulates inhibiting their ability to float.

Sounds wonderful and it is. Humidity is much more a part of being healthy and getting proper sleep than most people including myself ever thought of or gave it credit for.

How do you know if you need a humidifier?

How do you know when you need to use a humidifier?

There are certain times of the year, namely the cold winter months when the air becomes naturally too dry.

Then to combat the cold, we turn on the heater, which dries the air out further.

During this time of year, it’s a no-brainer. You need a humidifier.

But even with that information, knowing when to use a humidifier is still guesswork unless you have a way of measuring the humidity.

Aha… The point!

Measuring the humidity level of the air in your home is the only way you can be sure you need to fire up the humidifier.

How do you do that?

A hygrometer. A hygrometer is to humidity what a thermometer is to temperature.

A simple device that measures the relative humidity.

You can buy them fairly cheap and monitor the humidity at your leisure.

But, Humidifiers these days come with everything you need to measure your humidity, dial in the humidity level you want, and let the machine do the work.

You can buy a humidifier with a built-in hygrometer and a humidistat to set the humidifier at whatever humidity you want.

You can purchase humidifiers that have all the smart capabilities that allow you to control your humidifier via your phone, or check the relative humidity in your home, or schedule the humidifier to come on at a certain time.

All at your fingertips and all easily programmed to take commands by voice.

With what is known about humidity these days and it’s capacity to hinder viruses, hydrate skin and help keep acne under control, as well as act as a natural air purifier,

Combined with the amazing selection of humidifiers available that can do it all,

I think its time we took humidifiers more seriously and looked at them as an investment other than a cheap plastic drugstore item.

Humidifiers are also starting to make big jumps in the way they are cleaned.

You can now purchase humidifiers that have ultraviolet lights to target and kill bacteria inside of the water before it becomes part of the air,

There are also humidifiers that are made out of antimicrobial plastic that keeps bacteria and fungus from being able to grow on the actual materials that the humidifier is made out of,

And there are also additives you can buy to put in the humidifier to keep mold and bacteria from becoming an issue.

And don’t forget, smart humidifiers will also alert you when it’s time to clean your humidifying device.

Recap

Sleeping with the humidifier when the air is dry has many benefits.

1. Keeping your skin hydrated,

2.Weighing down and keeping dust and particulates out of the air so that they are not breathed in,

3.Easing the pain of swollen and dried nasal passages are all benefits to sleeping with a humidifier on.

But as wonderful is all that is, humidifiers are not needed all year long.

In order to get the best result out of a humidifier, you need to know exactly when to run it.

And in order to do that, you first need to measure the humidity before you get started.

A hygrometer is a simple tool to measure the relative humidity.

Fairly inexpensive, the hygrometer will let you know whether you even need to turn the humidifier on or not.

Fortunately these days, it’s not hard to find a humidifier that has a hygrometer built in as well as a humidistat to dial in the humidity level that you desire.

Like everything else in the modern world, humidifiers can be purchased to work with your Wi-Fi and be controlled using an app to schedule and monitor your relative humidity level.

If you’re living on the opposite side of the spectrum and you’re average humidity is too high, a dehumidifier may be the ticket.