The quality of the air surrounding a person in a living room significantly affects his tone and current state of health. Of particular importance is the humidity indicator, which directly affects the well-being of each of the tenants of the apartment. They usually do not have enough fluid consumed during the day to completely restore balance in the body. Nature made sure that moisture taken by the skin pores from the surrounding air partially compensated for this deficiency.
The need for humidification
With the onset of the heating season, the humidity in the apartments decreases sharply, due to the drying effect of the working heaters and heated batteries. Excessively dry air leads to the following unpleasant consequences:
- frequent colds due to a decrease in immunity;
- allergic abnormalities;
- general malaise and fatigue;
- severe skin irritation.
Dry air is especially dangerous for the well-being of newborns and young children, whose skin is still not strong enough.
Even taking into account daily ventilation and regularly carried out wet cleaning in residential premises, a lot of dust and other unhealthy microparticles accumulate over time. It can be tobacco smells, exhaust fumes and “aromas” from the kitchen leaked through the gaps. Modern air purifiers are able to eliminate these unpleasant consequences of human life, by purifying the air in the rooms qualitatively and at the same time moisturizing it. In addition, special models of moisturizing devices (ionizers) have been developed that saturate the environment with free ions, increasing the oxygen content in it.
Violation of the moisture balance indirectly affects the state of surrounding objects made of wood. Under these conditions, to restore the required level of humidity, it will be necessary to artificially increase it using modern technical means. The simplest solution to this problem in everyday life is the use of modern air humidifiers.
Factors affecting the operating time of the device
The main factors determining the optimal life of the humidifier in various conditions include:
- category of the room and the average indicator of humidity in it;
- performance (power) of the device;
- required humidity level (normative parameter).
Effective processing of the children's room and bedroom will require a longer duration of hydration than for the kitchen and hallway. In the bathroom, humidifying the air is most often not required at all.
Under the performance of the purchased device is understood its ability to process a given amount of space for a certain period of time. When choosing a suitable model, one should proceed from this parameter, recalculated taking into account the area of the premises served.
The humidity level in the living rooms established by the sanitary standards must comply with the following indicators:
- in the warm season - 30-60% with a maximum acceptable level of 65%;
- in the cold season (winter) - 30-45% with a maximum of 60%.
Consideration of the factors considered will allow you to correctly select the period of time necessary for high-quality moistening of each of the rooms.
The dependence of the duration of work on the time of year
In addition to taking into account the factors already considered, it is important to determine another indicator on which the operation of the humidifier in the room depends on - seasonality, with which the average humidity indicator is inextricably linked. It is especially important to consider this parameter in hot and dry summer days, as well as with the onset of cold weather and the inclusion of heating.
In the summer months, the humidity in the home rarely reaches the value prescribed by sanitary standards. This is due to the high temperature of the air, from which moisture particles intensively evaporate. Therefore, in the summer, the humidifier should work around the clock - a full 24 hours.
With the onset of cold days, heating is turned on in the houses and the air becomes drier than in the off-season. During these periods, the device should also be used as often as possible. In autumn and spring, due to frequent rains, the amount of moisture in the room increases markedly. These days, it is recommended to turn on the device only for a while until the humidity level reaches a normal value.
How long should I turn on the device in the children's room
The effective operation of air humidifiers is especially beneficial for the well-being of the child, which forces parents to regularly monitor the humidity indicator in the children's room. It is possible to maintain an optimal microclimate in this room provided that the same rules are followed that were considered for the apartment in general. The device should be turned on when the average humidity in the room has decreased, and do not turn it off until a standard value is reached.
In the summer, the device can remain on around the clock and work without any interruption. The duration of its action in the winter depends on the humidity level in the room, associated with the features of the existing heating system.
Regardless of the time of year, experts advise turning the device on in the nursery for the whole night.
Features of operation in the nursery
The features of using humidifiers in children's rooms include:
- competent choice of installation location and its inaccessibility for the baby;
- duration of operation of the switched on device during the day;
- low noise level, which does not interfere with the baby's quiet sleep;
- discreet design (color), not too attractive to the baby.
The specifics of the operation of such devices include the recommendation to turn on humidifiers at night when the child is sleeping calmly.
When using a humidifying device, it is recommended to periodically turn on the air purification mode from harmful impurities, if it is provided for in the purchased model. It is also useful to have in it the function of maintaining the optimum humidity level for these conditions.
Care of the device is reduced to periodic cleaning of the filler tank from scale and other deposits. Maintaining the working condition of various models of humidifiers boils down to the following mandatory measures:
- cleaning the membrane built into the device (in ultrasonic devices);
- flushing cleaning filters;
- complete replacement of these elements.
For cleaning the membrane, special brushes are provided, which are supplied with the humidifier. If they are absent, soft tissue or an ordinary household sponge is used for these purposes.
Caring for the built-in filters is reduced to periodically washing them with warm water and soda and then drying them for about an hour. It is not recommended to wash them in liquids, which include active chemical additives.
Humidifier effect
Humidifying devices are in high demand among consumers because of their effectiveness and ease of handling. In addition, the following features are usually attributed to their advantages:
- noticeable improvement in the overall tone of the body;
- intensive growth of domestic plants;
- cleaning of air from pollution and extraneous odors;
- improved airway function;
- acceleration of all heat transfer processes in the human body.
With regular use of the humidifier, the risk of allergic exacerbations is reduced. In some cases, rejuvenation of the skin is observed.
The advantages of humidifiers can only be realized if they are used correctly:
- the first inclusion of the device is allowed at room temperature within 5-30 degrees;
- the humidity level in the room should not be more than 80 percent;
- the device should be placed on a flat horizontal surface to which adult family members can freely access.
It is possible to increase the efficiency of evaporation if the humidifier is located near the radiators.
When around-the-clock hydration is required
A long 24-hour mode of operation of the humidifier in rooms of any categories is used in the following cases:
- the current humidity level is very different from the norm;
- low indicator of device performance;
- in the serviced room, many moisture-loving plants are bred;
- there is no possibility of regular ventilation of the rooms;
- sultry weather.
When choosing a model suitable for the home, it is important to pay attention to the volume of the loading tank and the duration of the device from one refueling. The higher this indicator, the longer the purchased humidifier will work, ceteris paribus.
