Summer in McLean, VA, means scorching heat and humidity. Running your air conditioning not only cools your home but also helps protect it from the ill effects of too much moisture. Here’s why controlling your home’s humidity is vital.
Preserving Your Home
If you work from home using valuable electronics, the indoor humidity level is of much importance. The summer brings with it humid conditions that cause condensation in your home.
Humidity can also affect the structural materials in your home. In homes with wooden materials such as hardwood floors, reducing excessive moisture is crucial to its durability.
Wood is a porous material, meaning it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere easily. Over time, gaps, warping and uneven coloring can occur, damaging your hardwood.
Getting Rid of Biological Growth
The hot and humid air in the summertime often leads to dampness in your home. The moist or damp conditions foster habitat for biological growth on your walls or floors. This biological growth can lead to illness-causing allergens.
The key to a home free from biological growth is reducing moisture. Professionals recommend a range of humidity between 30% and 60% to keep biological growth out of your home.
Eliminating Potential Allergies
While you don’t want excessive moisture in your home, you want to keep it in the ideal range rather than eliminating it completely. A decrease in humidity levels inside your home often means an increase in health issue risks. Health complications such as asthma, bleeding noses, dry skin and sinusitis flourish at home with low humidity levels associated with dry and cold air, during the winter months.
It’s easy to ignore the humidity level of your home, but managing it will have benefits for your house and personal health. Stay aware of your humidity levels and contact Vernon Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. for your indoor air quality needs.
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