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Humidifiers vs. Dehumidifiers

By All-Temp Heating & Cooling

Date Published: March 3, 2023

Many believe that humidity only leaves you feeling hot and muggy, however, humidity isn’t always a bad thing. Just like many things, too much or too little humidity can have negative impacts. You and your home can benefit from the right amount of humidity, which can be controlled by humidifiers and dehumidifiers depending on your situation. In this blog, we discuss how both humidifying and dehumidifying systems can benefit your home in Staunton, VA and when to use each device.

What Level Of Humidity Should I Have In My Home?

There are many important aspects when it comes to your home, but maintaining comfort is one of the top priorities. Your home needs some humidity to remain a comfortable and healthy environment. Homes should remain between 30% to 50% humidity to avoid discomfort from both low and high moisture levels. Anything below 30% or above 50% can have multiple disadvantages for your health, comfort, and home.


Related Article: What Is The Best Humidity And Temperature Level For Your Home?


When Do I Need A Humidifier Or Dehumidifier?

Many describe Virginia’s weather as a “Goldilocks Climate,” which entails it is rarely too hot or too cold. The summers in Staunton are warm and humid, while winters are moderately cold. Climates such as these can benefit from both a humidifier and dehumidifier depending on the season and weather conditions. To simply describe the home devices – humidifiers add moisture to the air, and dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air. Many homeowners use dehumidifiers to maintain a comfortable environment in the summer, and switch to humidifiers during the winter to avoid dry air. Below are ways to identify high and low humidity in your home.

Ways To Tell If My Home Has High Humidity

  • Air feels moist and muggy
  • Mold and mildew growth
  • Visible condensation on windows or mirrors
  • Unexplainable water stains on ceilings or walls
  • Peeling paint or wallpapers

Ways To Tell If My Home Has Low Humidity

  • Dry & itchy skin
  • Static electricity
  • Damaged wood furniture or floors
  • Asthma & allergy flare-ups
  • Irritated sinuses or increased nosebleeds

Humidity levels can be hard to identify without professional help. If you are curious whether you have high or low humidity, consider performing “The Ice Cube Test.” Simply place a few ice cubes in a glass of water and observe for condensation. If moisture forms on the outside of the glass, humidity is relatively high. If no moisture forms on the glass after a few minutes, your home likely has low humidity levels.

Benefits Of Dehumidifying Systems In Staunton, VA

High humidity can negatively impact your home in a variety of ways. If you are experiencing uncomfortably high levels of humidity, consider installing a dehumidifier. Dehumidifying systems can be portable or installed directly onto your air conditioning unit. Portable dehumidifiers are a flexible system, because the device can be placed anywhere in your home to remove moisture from a specific space. However, connecting the system to your AC can control humidity throughout your entire home. All types of dehumidifying systems can have the same advantages for your home and improve your overall comfort. Below are four benefits of installing a dehumidifier in your Staunton, VA home.

  • Reduces Mold & Mildew Growth
  • Protects Household Items
  • Improves Comfort
  • Reduces Energy Costs

Reduces Mold & Mildew Growth

Mold and mildew thrives in moist and humid environments. If your home has high humidity, it is more likely for mold to grow in places such as windows, ceilings, walls, or even furniture. Mold growing in your home can negatively impact your health and cause illness symptoms. Effects of mold can cause allergic reactions and symptoms such as difficulty breathing, runny noses, and headaches. Dehumidifying systems help remove moisture in the air and prevent mold and mildew from growing.

Protects Household Items

Too much moisture in the air can damage many aspects of your home. Wood floors and furniture can absorb moisture and cause the wood to expand. This can lead to warped or cracked wood and ruin your items. Additionally, high humidity can affect other personal items such as electronics, books, and photos. Dehumidifying systems can prevent damaging your personal belongings and certain aspects about your home.

Improves Comfort

Your home should always be a comfortable retreat, but high humidity can affect your comfort. Too much humidity can leave you feeling hot and muggy, which leads to discomfort. You may experience trouble sleeping if humidity levels are too high. Additionally, allergies can be heightened due to mold growth and cause further discomfort.

Reduces Energy Costs

Your air conditioning unit works to control humidity while providing cool air for your home. However if humidity is high, it works harder to remove moisture. Installing a dehumidifying system can take the workload off your AC unit and reduce energy usage. This process can lower energy costs and save you money each month.

Benefits Of Humidifying Systems In Staunton, VA

Similar to high humidity, low humidity can provide many disadvantages for your home. Humidifiers can help add moisture to your space and maintain a comfortable environment. Humidifiers can be installed on a variety of heating units to control moisture in the air before it is distributed into your home. Additionally, humidifiers can be portable and used in any room with low moisture levels. Humidity is lower in winter months, because cold air tends to hold less moisture than warm air. When humidity levels drop outside, your home needs a humidifier to maintain healthy levels. Below are four benefits of humidifying systems in Staunton, VA.

  • Decrease Susceptibility To Illnesses
  • Prevents Dry & Cracked Skin
  • Relieves Allergies & Asthma Symptoms
  • Improves Sleep Quality

Decrease Susceptibility To Illnesses

If the humidity in your home is too low, it causes dryness in many areas. Low moisture levels can dry out your nasal passages, which makes you more susceptible to viruses such as the flu. Let our expert technicians help keep you healthy this winter by installing a humidifier to control humidity in your home!

Prevents Dry & Cracked Skin

Low humidity can lead to uncomfortable dry skin. This leads to your skin feeling itchy and irritated and can result in cracking. Humidifying systems add moisture to the air, which can help moisturize your skin and increase comfort.

Relieves Allergies & Asthma Symptoms

As we have mentioned, low moisture can cause many health effects and irritation. Adding moisture back into the air with a humidifier can soothe the tissue in your nose and throat and relieve common allergy symptoms. Balance is key when it comes to reducing allergies and asthma, and All-Temp’s technicians can help identify the perfect humidity solution for your home.

Improves Sleep Quality

Dry air can make for uncomfortable sleeping situations due to dry nasal passages and allergy symptoms. Low humidity can increase snoring and insomnia. Installing a humidifying system can help you sleep better at night and alleviate allergy symptoms.


Related Article: What Are The Benefits Of A Whole Home Humidifier?


Humidity is an important aspect of your home in all seasons. Humidifying and dehumidifying systems can help maintain appropriate humidity levels to keep you healthy and your home comfortable. Give All-Temp Heating and Cooling a call to install a humidifier or dehumidifier in Greenville, VA and surrounding areas!

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