To understand the “ideal range” of humidity in your home, you first need a clear understanding of what humidity is.
In simple words, humidity is the amount of moisture in the air around you. There are two categories (or types) it is divided into:
Absolute Humidity
Explaining the definition of Absolute Humidity is simple. It is represented by the amount of water that’s present in the air divided by the mass of air that is present in the given space.
Relative Humidity
On the other hand, relative humidity is what we primarily use to measure humidity levels in the home. It refers to the amount of moisture currently present in the air compared to the maximum amount it can hold. For example, if the weather channel indicates that the humidity level is 60%, it means the air around you is 60% as moist as it can possibly be.
What Accounts for Low Humidity Levels in the Home?
When it comes to measuring humidity levels in your house, there are two spectrums—low and high. So, let’s tackle those one by one.
What do low humidity levels mean? If your home’s humidity level is below 40%, it accounts for low humidity levels and is more prevalent during winter when the air is drier. This, in turn, leads to various complications like dry skin, itching eyes, sore throat, etc.
However, low humidity also impacts your home beyond your health. Consistently low humidity inside your home can impact the home’s structure, including the wood materials, floorboards, wallpapers, etc. If you live somewhere with chronically low and freezing temperatures and low humidity, gaps in the floorboards can also occur.
If not tackled promptly, low humidity can also cause dust buildup in your home, along with other issues like the paint on the furniture chipping off.
Some of the health-related symptoms you might experience due to low humidity levels are a bloody nose, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, itching and dryness on the skin, cracked or chapped lips, allergy symptoms, and asthma flare-ups.
What Accounts for High Humidity Levels in the Home?
Similar to low humidity, you need to be aware of another concern: high humidity levels in your home. This occurs when the humidity levels are above 60% and is common during summer months, especially around the South of the world.
Having an unregulated and high humidity level in your home means you will struggle with numerous health risks, mainly due to mold and mildew growth caused by dampness inside the house.
If you already have respiratory complications, such as asthma or other allergy-related complications, it is crucial that you implement immediate mitigation steps to lower the humidity levels.
Since high humidity is associated with “dampness” inside the house, promoting mold growth, etc., the condition can also impact the home, weakening the structure and making it a breeding ground for insects.
What Is the Ideal Humidity Level for Homes?
Given the impact humidity levels have on people’s homes, regulating them is essential. That said, the “ideal” humidity level falls within a range rather than a single fixed number.
For example, during the winter months, an indoor humidity level of 30–40% is typical. In contrast, during the summer, it’s normal for the range to increase to 50–60%.
Most recent reports suggest that maintaining indoor humidity between 40% and 60% is ideal. This helps ensure excellent air quality and supports the health and comfort of everyone in the home.
Furthermore, the lack of humidity regulation in your home can lead to various complications, including the proliferation of bacteria and viruses. Not just that, if the humidity levels are not ideal inside your home, it is also bound to aggravate any respiratory ailment that you might be struggling with.
What Is the Ideal Humidity Range for Comfort and Sleeping?
Much like the average standard levels we discussed, the ideal humidity you should keep in your home for a comfortable night of sleep is 40-60%.
Maintaining this level, especially in the bedroom when you are sleeping, will prevent the skin from drying out and ensure you don’t feel uncomfortable during a restful night’s sleep.
Besides humidity, maintaining an optimal temperature inside the bedroom is also essential for ensuring good-quality sleep. Ideally, a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit is considered ideal for sleep.
What Is Considered Uncomfortable When It Comes to Humidity Levels?
If the humidity levels in your home are between 40-60%, you will not have to face any discomfort. However, what happens when these levels aren’t maintained?
For example, air humidity below 30% can make the air feel extremely dry, making you feel parched, sore throat, and experience skin dryness. Chronically low humidity levels also worsen respiratory symptoms and affect the wood around the house.
On the other hand, if the humidity levels are above 70%, it can feel suffocating and make you sweat buckets. Not only that, but the high moisture levels also affect the devices in the house and the different components of decoration you have around.
Either of these situations isn’t ideal and can, to say the least, affect people’s health, status, and home structure. So, the key is to ensure that you consistently regulate the humidity levels from time to time.
How to Regulate and Maintain Optimal Humidity Levels in the Home?
Given how humidity impacts different aspects of our health and home, it is crucial to regulate it periodically and maintain its optimal levels.
The first step to regulating the humidity levels in your home is to measure them. Once you do, it lets you know whether the levels are low or high, based on which you can then implement steps to rectify the issues.
Here are a few tips:
| To Increase Humidity Levels | To Decrease Humidity Levels |
|---|---|
| To Increase Humidity Levels | To Decrease Humidity Levels |
| Add a humidifier to your home | Install a dehumidifier in your home |
| Cook without lids in the kitchen | Install a range or exhaust fan in the kitchen |
| Shower with the bathroom door open | Shower with cold water in the washroom |
| Purchase houseplants that can regulate humidity | Ensure there is proper ventilation in the bathroom |
| – | Get rid of houseplants that might be adding to the moisture levels in the air |
Either way, whether the levels are high or low, you can’t compromise on timely check-ins from time to time. This ensures that you know the humidity in your home and can take proactive measures to control those levels properly.
Final Words
Regulating the humidity levels in your home is a non-negotiable, especially if you want to keep yourself healthy and your home intact. Besides knowing the “ideal” humidity levels, you need to ensure that you also check the levels every now and then and implement the rightful measures to keep the humidity levels well-regulated in your home. We hope this article provides you with all the essential insights you need about humidity levels inside your home and how to regulate them well.
