After months of running your furnace, you might notice that your Columbus home feels a little dry. Static electricity and dry skin are signs that the air in your home is lacking moisture.
As a solution, many homeowners operate a humidifier during the winter months. But without proper monitoring and maintenance, they can create their own set of problems. To help you keep your Columbus home healthy and comfortable, we’re sharing tips from Michael Metzger of National Home Inspection Service.
Whole-house humidifiers are becoming fairly common, but they can be problematic. Over-moisturizing the air in your home can lead to mold, peeling paint and warping wood. It can also lead to chronic illnesses from mold and bacteria growth. To put it simply, a whole-house humidifier could be overkill for a seasonal need. It’s very easy to stop thinking about them and allow too much moisture to build up in your home.
If you have a whole-house humidifier, paying attention to its settings and performance is a must. A humidistat needs to be set according to outdoor temperatures. You must also clean and change the filter, and perform regular maintenance to prevent leaks and other hazards. If it has been several years since your humidifier has received attention, a checkup by an HVAC professional could be in order.
Portable humidifiers also require maintenance to prevent mold and bacteria growth. Because room humidifiers ubiquitous and inexpensive, proper operation can be taken for granted. Here are portable humidifier tips you should know:
1. Fill humidifiers with distilled or demineralized water. Tap water contains minerals that can create bacterial deposits on the humidifier; this bacteria can enter the air you breathe. Use demineralization cartridges or filters if recommended by the manufacturer.
2. Change humidifier water daily. Don’t allow film or deposits to develop inside your humidifiers. Empty the tanks, dry the inside surfaces, and refill with clean water every day.
3. Clean the humidifier every three days. Unplug the humidifier before you clean it. Remove any scale, deposits or film from the tank or other parts of the humidifier with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Some manufacturers recommend using chlorine bleach or disinfectants. Check your humidifier’s instructions, and always rinse the tank after cleaning to keep harmful chemicals from becoming airborne and inhaled.
4. Change humidifier filters regularly – as often as the manufacturer recommends, and more often if it appears dirty.
5. Check humidifier humidity settings. Be sure the humidity level is set between 30% and 50% Humidity higher than 50% can promote the growth of dust mites, mold, fungi and bacteria. Some humidifiers have a built-in humidistat that shows the humidity level. If yours doesn’t, consider buying a hygrometer to measure the humidity level. Hygrometers are available at hardware stores.
6. Keep the area around humidifiers dry. If the area around a humidifier becomes damp, adjust the settings or operate it less frequently.
7. Prep humidifiers for seasonal storage by draining, cleaning and drying them. Clean them again when you take them out of storage for use.
Of course, you can skip having a humidifier completely and tough things out. Humidifiers are not an absolute necessity; it all depends on your personal comfort levels and individual health concerns.
We hope you found these humidifier tips useful! As your Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, we serve your best interests at all times. Unlike real estate agents and brokerages who represent sellers, as an Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, we only represent you, the buyer, getting you the best price and terms with no conflict of interest at all times.
Understanding this distinction could literally save you thousands of dollars not only on the purchase price and terms, but also on seller concessions and home inspection issues, whether you are a first-time homebuyer or an experienced homeowner!
Contact us with your home buying questions! Remember, we are with you every step of the way…all the way home!
Andrew Show
Broker, CEBA, CEBA-M, CNE, CSP, ABR-M, e-PRO, GREEN
Buyer’s Resource Realty Services
Serving Metro Columbus, Ohio with Exclusive Buyer’s Agents
7100 North High Street, Suite 204, Worthington, Ohio 43085
614-888-4110 | 888-888-4110 Toll Free | 614-839-4110 Fax
