December 29, 2020

Can a humidifier help with allergies

Did you know that almost 80% of Americans are suffering from allergies? Allergy symptoms range from making you miserable to putting you at risk for life-threatening reactions. It can be really unpleasant and annoying, but there are some ways to ease your allergies and reduce or get rid of your symptoms. Pills can help, but a good humidifier also can be beneficial. Dry air can cause a lot of problems and increase allergies. Which types of humidifiers are good for allergies? Geniani is here to help. Read on for helpful information.

Why You Need to Control the Climate in Your Home

The climate in your home is key to keeping your family healthy. When the air is too dry, allergies become aggravated because nasal passages are irritated. It can lead to a sinus infection. On the other hand, when the air is too humid, it creates the perfect environment for allergens such as mold, mildew, and dust mites to thrive. So, the humidity level in our household has a really big impact on our health. It not only plays a big part in how allergies are treated, but it also plays a big part in how allergies are developed. Besides helping with your allergies, well-balanced humidity levels can also reduce the number of dust mites in the air. So how can a humidifier help with allergies? The right type of device will add moisture in your home and the humidity level will increase. The perfect humidity level is about 40-60%, so you just need to keep an eye on it. A humidifier can help clear your nasal passages and relieve any discomfort you may feel from allergic reactions.

How to Have the Right Humidity Level in Your House

If you suffer from any type of allergy, you should know that the air in your home should be neither dry nor hot, it should be comfortable for you. Both of these can actually worsen your symptoms and make you more miserable. You should have a hydrometer to determine how moisturized or dry the air in your house is. It will help you to control the climate in your household and you will know when to use your device. Well-balanced moisture levels can keep dust mite levels in the air low, thus relieving your symptoms.

Remember: the moisture in your home should always be between 40-50%. Never let it get higher! It can make your allergies even worse.

Do Humidifiers Help with Allergies and Why

Humidifiers release steam or water vapor into the air. This increases humidity. Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. It can play a role in both the development and treatment of allergies. The right humidity level can help keep nasal passages clear of mucus. Why it is important? If your nasal passages are clear, your body has an easier time purging any allergens. Humidifiers are also useful for those who are trying to get rid of sinusitis. If you add moisture in the air your symptoms will be easier to manage.

It is a good idea to get a humidifier for cold and flu season. Especially, if you have children. You can resolve a runny nose, sore throat, and coughing with a good humidifier. Skip the scratchy nasal passages and throat by using a humidifier for allergies and sinus symptoms in your home.

What Type of Humidifier Is the Best for Allergies

A good humidifier will significantly reduce the growth of allergens. It creates an environment in which all bacteria and allergens are unable to thrive. Now you understand how a humidifier for allergies can help you. So, it’s time to learn more about the different types of humidifiers and their benefits.

Warm mist vs. cool mist humidifiers

Firstly, you need to choose between a cool mist and warm mist humidifier. The cool mist humidifiers are quiet and usually easy to clean. But you should remember that they need more frequent cleaning. You can read about how, when and with what you should clean your cool mist humidifier here. Some people say cool mist is more comfortable to breathe. It is children-friendly and safe to use even in the nursery or a child’s bedroom. Most office workers choose this type of humidifier because it is comfortable to use, portable and moisturizes the air quickly. It is perfect for those who suffer from seasonal allergies and asthma.

Warm mist humidifiers produce and release warm steam vapors into the air. They are a little quieter and may work best at soothing sinuses and thinning out mucus secretions. But, they are better for smaller areas, like a bedroom.

Remember: as they produce very hot mist, they should be kept away from children. They can be really dangerous.

Air washer humidifier

Air washer humidifiers are also cool mist humidifiers. They both increase the humidity and purify the air. Rotating filter discs submerged in water remove larger pathogens (bacteria and viruses) and irritants from the air. These humidifiers need more regular cleaning and maintenance. The main plus of this humidifier is that it offers more allergy relief by filtering out pollen and dust.

Ultrasonic humidifier

Suh types can be found in cool mist and warm mist varieties. Sometimes they even come with the option for both. This type of humidifier rapidly vibrates the water into small particles. A fan projects these particles into the air as mist, which then evaporates.

Evaporative humidifier

This type refers to cool mist humidifiers. The mechanism behind how they work is quite simple. A fan pulls air from the surrounding area into the humidifier. After that, it pushes it through a moistened wick that is submerged in water. The water evaporates into the air. Through this process, this type of humidifier creates humidity. Plus, it also cools the air in the process. It is a good choice for warmer and extremely dry climates.

Steam vapor humidifier

Steam vapor humidifiers heat the water to a high temperature. The second step is releasing the humidity as steam vapor into the air. As these humidifiers usually heat the water, irritating compounds like bacteria, algae, and mold can be destroyed. This makes it less likely that allergens will be released into the air than with other types of humidifiers.

It Is Important to Have the Right Humidity Level in Your House

You can improve your home’s air and climate quality and Geniani will help. Proper cleaning could keep your house mold and dust free. So, it is good news for all sufferers. The list of things to do is not too long. But, to achieve success, you should be very careful. So, if you want to get relief and get rid of allergies, follow these recommendations:

Keep your home cool (68 – 72 degrees F)
Have good ventilation
Maintain low humidity in your house (40-50%)

Focus on proper cleaning, temperature, and humidity if you want an allergen-free house. As you can see, these processes are not expensive.

Remember: overdoing it can actually worsen your symptoms.

Carpets. Dust mites usually are found in carpets. Replacing them with a hard-surfaced floor can remove a lot of them. It will help to relieve your symptoms in case of dust allergies. You should think about removing the carpets from your house. However, if this is not an option, you need to properly clean or vacuum them on a regular basis. If you are allergic, you shouldn’t vacuum them yourself. When possible, you should stay out of the area during the process.

Dehumidifiers and humidifiers. These are the great solutions that could keep your home’s humidity at the right level. Whether your house is too dry or too humid, it could impact your allergy and aggravate your symptoms. A dehumidifier could decrease the humidity in the case of a highly humid house. On the other hand, a humidifier could increase the humidity if you live in a dry environment.

Does Dry Air Affect Your Allergy

Breathing in dry air is bad for everyone. Of course, you may ask why it is so bad for allergy sufferers in particular. We put together some of the ways dry air can harm those with allergies.

It dries out your mucous membranes in your nose and throat. What do these mucous membranes do? They catch and filter out items entering your body when you breathe. Mucus membranes help prevent these items from entering the rest of the respiratory system. They catch viruses, bacteria, dust, pollen, mold, and other items that can trigger your allergies. They are not as effective as when fully moisturized. So what can happen if they are too dry to catch these items? Bacteria, dust, mold can enter the respiratory system and trigger your allergic response.
Dry air irritates the sinuses. Right, where many allergy sufferers feel their symptoms the most. Since you mostly breathe through your nose, your sinuses get hit hard by dry air.
It also can dry out the things that trigger your allergies, such as dust mites and pollen. That is not good news. If they are dried out, they become lighter and better able to travel in the air and into your lungs.
Many allergies cause skin reactions. When the air is dry, it will dry out the skin, making it more susceptible to reactions.

How to Understand if Your Air Is Dry

The best way to find out it is to get a humidistat. This tool measures the humidity level in your home. However, there are other signs you can look for that do not require the use of any special tools.

Does your hair stand up after brushing? Do your clothes stick together due to static cling? It is because of extra static electricity in your home.
Is your nose running and has been for a while? When the nasal passages are dry, the body will try to moisturize them through other means.
If you are feeling fluish but never seem to quite get the full-blown flu, it is another The dry air is aggravating your allergy symptoms. It is enough to make you feel under the weather.
Does your mouth and/or throat always feel dry? Yes, your air is dry.

Sure, dry air is not the only thing that can cause these symptoms. But it is one possible cause. These signs can actually be due to too much humidity. So, the best idea is to measure the humidity level before taking action.

How Will a Humidifier Help with Allergies

As we mentioned, dry air can worsen your allergy symptoms by irritating your nasal passages. It can lead to a sinus infection too. If you have asthma too, this can be a serious problem.

But by moisturizing the air in your environment you can solve this issue. Humidifiers can help too and will keep your nasal passages free of mucus. Plus, you will get a well-balanced level of humidity at home.

Caution: the humidity level needs to be lower than 70%. A very high humidity level can actually worsen your symptoms.

How to Properly Use a Humidifier for Allergies

Humidifiers must be used properly in order to avoid mold or any bacteria from being pulverized in the air. If you own a humidifier, you should make sure that you are using the device the right way.

Cleaning. Make sure the device is clean. You need to maintain both warm mist and cool mist humidifiers properly. Mold can accumulate in the tank of warm mist humidifiers, so make sure you clean them weekly.

Cool mist humidifiers require more cleaning because they accumulate more mold and bacteria. Therefore, you need to gently clean them daily. Once a week, you should disassemble the device and carefully clean each part. White vinegar is a great solution for that. For more tips, click here.

Pay attention to the hygrometer. This will help you understand the humidity level of your home. Thus, you can decide whether your device should be turned on or off.

Size of a humidifier. Of course, your choice depends on the area you want to be humidified. Bigger units work better for a wide area.

Note: they can release too much mist in the air. So, you should pay attention to this.

Location. Placing the device in a proper location is very important. The humidifier should be where you need it the most. Everything depends on your own needs. You may read more about the right location for your home humidifier here. If you have a warm mist humidifier, you should be careful. If you have pets or children, the device can be tipped over. As a result, it can cause serious skin burns. So, it’s essential to place it somewhere away from kids and pets.

If you want to know more about location read about the best place for humidifier

Fill the tank. Make sure you fill the humidifier tank before each use. Never add more water to the existing water in the tank. Always refill with fresh water. Bacteria can breed in stagnant water, and you can reduce the risk by emptying the tank. Afterward, you should wash and dry it, then refill it with fresh water.

What Is Better for Allergies, Humidifier or Air purifier?

Both an air purifier and a humidifier do great things to improve indoor air quality. These products are great for people with sinus and respiratory issues. However, the way they offer relief is different.

Air Purifier

The purpose of every air purifier is to remove a variety of airborne particles from your indoor air. It traps and removes dust particles, bacteria, allergens, mold spores, pet dander, smoke odors, and other harmful particles. The most popular are air purifiers with True HEPA filters. Such devices can capture tiny particles down to 0.3 microns. The True HEPA version of this filter is 99.97% effective at removing airborne particles that irritate allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.

Note: an air purifier doesn’t add moisture into the air. The functions of air purifier are to clean and filter out the pollution.

Humidifier

How to add moisture into your home’s air and ease the symptoms of allergies? By using the right humidifier. It works by pumping water vapor into a room. Humidifiers are best used in dry areas. They can help relieve dry skin, throat irritation, sinus issues, nosebleeds, and breathing problems you may experience by being in an arid climate.

Note: If you already have high humidity levels, this can encourage mold growth. You want your indoor humidity levels to stay between 30% and 50%.

Which Is Better for Your Needs: An Air Purifier or Humidifier

An air purifier might be best if:

You suffer from asthma, allergies, or a respiratory condition that’s irritated by polluted air
You want to get rid of pet dander or allergens present in your home’s air
It can help in reducing the amount of dust that accumulates indoors
You want to get rid of household odors due to cooking, pets, smoke, or mold

A humidifier might be best if:

You live in a dry climate
Do you want to increase the moisture levels in your home’s air?
You have frequent nosebleeds or sinus issues, or your respiratory system is aggravated by dry air

Are you suffering from dry skin? Read more about the benefits of a humidifier for the skin in our article “Is a cool-mist humidifier good for dry skin”

Is a Humidifier Good for Allergies

So, if you suffer from allergies, or if you just want to improve your indoor quality of air, consider purchasing a high-quality humidifier for your home. Experience what life is like without suffering from irritated nasal passages, a dry throat, and dry skin.