What is humidification and why is it so important?

Humidification has become an essential process to guarantee the quality of the air we breathe. This is largely due to the fact that environmental dryness has many negative effects on health. Next, we will explain what it consists of, what advantages it offers, and how humidity control can be carried out in the home.

What is humidification?

First, we need to clarify two key concepts. One is ambient humidity, which is nothing more than the amount of water vapor contained in the air we breathe. However, the one we use to measure it is relative humidity. In this case, we are talking about the percentage of water vapor present in the air at a specific temperature compared to what it could hold at most.

The warmer the air, the more water it can hold. For example, 1 kg of air at -18 ºC can only contain 0.92 grams of water vapor. In contrast, at 21 ºC, it can hold up to 15.8 grams of this element. The process of humidification consists of adding an extra dose of water vapor to the air present in the environment. By doing this, we can prevent certain health problems and obtain the benefits that we will see next.

Why humidify?

Dry air presents a series of disadvantages for human health. For example:

• Irritation of the respiratory tracts and mucous membranes.
• Itching in the skin, especially under hairy areas and hair.
• Dryness in the eyes.
• Greater exposure to viral and bacterial infections.

In addition to this, dryness in the air can accelerate the deterioration of wooden structures and cause an increase in electrostatic discharges. Both heating and air conditioning often increase it.

Humidifying the air and, therefore, keeping relative humidity levels within recommended parameters helps to prevent all these problems. Also:

• Facilitates falling asleep and enjoying better rest.
• Promotes cleaning and sanitization of the air.
• It is useful for saving energy, as it provides a greater sense of thermal comfort.
• Creates a more suitable environment for the most vulnerable, such as babies and elderly people.
• Relieves nasal congestion.

However, we must consider that excess relative humidity can also cause problems. During winter, its values should range between 40% and 50% at a temperature of 22 ºC. In summer, between 45% and 60% at 24 ºC.

Humidity control at home

The only way to know the percentage of relative humidity inside the home is by using a hygrometer, a device integrated into a wide variety of air conditioning and ventilation appliances.

Once the relative humidity is determined, if we observe that it is too low, we can take a series of measures to increase it. We are talking, for example, about leaving the bathroom door open while taking a shower or placing plants inside the room in question.

As we can see, controlling relative humidity indoors is perfectly possible. In this sense, the process of humidification is essential to prevent health problems associated with air dryness. Currently, controlled mechanical ventilation systems often have built-in hygrometers. Their function is to automatically adjust the concentration of water vapor in the environment without the user having to do anything.