Paula Haddock - HERLIFE Magazine

of house joints is annoying. In other words, our environment requiresa certain level of humidity for comfortable living. Humidifiers are themost common solution.Too little or too much humidity canaffect allergy and asthma patients.Too much humidity causes fungalinfections on the skin and too littlecan cause dryness and itchiness.Humidifiers and dehumidifiers are sold both online and from brickand-mortarstores.Models include point-of-use humidifiers and whole-house or furnacehumidifiers. Point-of-use humidifiers include the evaporative type, avaporizer, impeller humidifier (cool mist humidifier), and an ultrasonic humidifier.The low-tech evaporative humidifier can be a temporary solutionfor emergencies. Draping a towel in a stainless steel bowl and weighingit down allows the moisture to evaporate into the surrounding areas andincrease the humidity. Frequent changing of the towel can prevent moldand mildew.The whole house or forced-air humidifiers come in many differentstyles and with different capacities. Consulting an expert will help youdetermine the capacity you need in your building and for your purpose.Every humidifier must be used with regard to the manufacturer’s specificationsso that mold, mildew and mineral deposits are not released intothe air, creating even more problems for the home owner.Dehumidifiers also come in a wide range of types for whole housecomfort. Certain models are suitable for basements, crawl spaces andcommercial uses. Most include hoses for easy disposal of the collectedwater and filters to clean the air.As with most products, point-of-use humidifiers and dehumidifiersare relatively inexpensive, ranging from a few dollars to the hundreds dependingon size and features. Commercial products run in the thousands.However, considering all the problems associated with the relative humidityin our environment, they may be a solid investment and save hundredsof dollars on costly repairs or replacement of other household equipmentand furnishings. For consumers with health issues, they may be morethan just a convenience; they may be a necessity. ■Sources:allergyconsumerreview.com,cdc.gov,energystar.gov,ieeexplore.ieee.org,apc.com,epa.gov.HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM 43