Low Humidity can be a big issue during the winter months. People may be familiar with the effects of dry air discomforts associated with cold winter weather like itchy dry skin or scratchy throats, not only does it affect health but it affects some of your household items. From antique furniture and photo albums to pianos and even wine, low humidity levels can wreak havoc on many of our prized possessions. The designers of Honeywell and indoor air scientists have released new research on how everyday household objects suffer under low humidity conditions and what steps homeowners can take to combat the effects of dry air.
The research conducted found that the following list of 10 household items are most impacted by low relative humidity:
- Wood Furniture: Has your favorite wooden bench seemed a little shakier? It could be because of low humidity. Wood absorbs and desorbs water as relative humidity rises and falls, which causes it to swell and shrink. This results in furniture joints becoming loose or even pulling apart.
- Musical Instruments: Not sounding quite right? Low humidity levels may be to blame for your instrument falling out of tune. Natural wood instruments such as guitars, violins and pianos can be damaged when the wood contracts resulting in failed glue joints or cracks.
- Books: Low humidity causes the pages of books to become more brittle and fragile, and the dimensions of the pages can even change as the paper absorbs and desorbs water. This leads to wrinkles in the paper, flaking ink, or warped covers on books.
- Woodwork and Wood Floors: If you’ve noticed a slight bend in your wood floors, or gaps between the planks, it could be because of low humidity. As the wood expands and contracts, mitered corners can separate and floors can “cup” so that the floor doesn’t remain flat.
- Wine: Does your uncorked bottle of wine not taste right? Wine corks can dry out, shrink and crack if exposed to low humidity overtime, allowing air to come into contact with the wine and potentially ruin the bottle.
- Artwork: Maintaining humidity levels is vital for protecting artwork around the home. Low moisture levels tend to make paint brittle and prone to cracking, which is especially detrimental to oil paintings on canvas.
- Stamp Collections: Much like books, repeated absorption and desorption of water can ruin stamps by making them brittle or discolored.
- Photograph Collections: Have you noticed your new photographs looking more like your parents’ photo albums? When photographs curl up at the ends, it’s likely due to low humidity levels. They can also result in the photo emulsion flaking off and damaging the photograph.
- Walls: Peeling wallpaper and separated drywall seams can be a sign of low humidity in the home. The porous materials may crack and separate when exposed to low levels.
- Electronic Equipment: Static electricity brought on by low humidity levels can damage internal components of computers, televisions and other electronics – a lot more damaging than dealing with static in your hair!
Running a Honeywell Humidifier in your home, especially during the dry winter months, can help maintain relative indoor humidity levels in the optimal 40 to 60 percent range. Designed for large areas, the new Honeywell Top Fill Console Humidifier is one option for protecting items around the home as it releases soothing, invisible moisture into the room.
This fantastic humidifier is Soothing, invisible moisture for multiple rooms
Features
- 2 easy ways to fill – at the humidifier or carry to the sink to fill
- Easy to Fill – Removable top fill design
- Easy to Use – Optimized for high moisture output
- Easy to Clean – wide tank opening & large surfaces
- Adjustable humidistat automatically turns humidifier on and off to maintain set humidity levels
- Three speed settings to adjust moisture output and sound level
- “Humidity Reached” and “Tank Empty” indicator lights
- Durable tank design resists breaking
- Wicking filter removes impurities from water reducing white dust and providing clean moisture output
- Available in white and black
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I have a lot of trouble breathing at night mostly.
The lack of humidity affects my sinuses by drying them out.
We live in the Sonoran Desert and I notice the dryness in my hair and skin.