While the start of the heating season brings cozy warmth for many, it also presents a significant challenge—dry air in our living spaces. Dry air not only affects our comfort and health but can also have a negative impact on items like wooden furniture, old and new books, and even musical instruments.

“Dry air damages the mucous membranes in the nose, throat, and nasal passages, which are vital protective barriers against bacteria and viruses.”

What You Need to Know About Indoor Humidity

Dry air can cause discomfort for people and, as mentioned, affect various household items. Issues such as skin irritation, breathing problems, creaking wooden furniture, warped musical instruments, and even damaged artwork are just some of the problems you might face if the air in your home is too dry. Maintaining an optimal humidity level (usually between 40% and 60%) offers numerous benefits. Keeping the humidity level within this range will not only improve your well-being and health but also help preserve wooden items and various other objects in good condition.

“Optimal indoor humidity levels are typically between 40% and 60%.”

How to Recognize That the Air in Your Home is Too Dry

To address the problem of dry air promptly, it’s important to notice early signs that may indicate overly dry air in your home:

• Persistent dry skin
• Waking up with a dry mouth and feeling the need to drink more often
• A stuffy nose or frequent runny nose
• A feeling of dryness in your nose or throat
• More frequent respiratory infections
• Dry eyes
• Clothes and hair becoming static
• Wooden furniture making creaking sounds

These could be the first signs that the air is too dry.

“Monitor indoor humidity with a hygrometer—a device that measures indoor air humidity—and ensure your home’s humidity levels are optimal.”

What to Do If Your Home Has Dry Air

• Use Humidifiers: Combat overly dry indoor air with humidifiers. If your home is spacious, be sure to place multiple humidifiers in different areas. Humidifiers are an effective solution for maintaining optimal humidity levels, whether they are portable devices or whole-home humidification systems.
• Install Ventilation Systems: The most efficient way to regulate air humidity is by installing window cassette ventilation systems or undertaking more serious ventilation system installations. Although this can be a significant financial investment and takes time to set up, if resources allow, a ventilation system will undoubtedly be a modern and sustainable solution for your home.
• Ventilate Properly: During winter, avoid keeping windows in ventilation mode for an hour; instead, open them fully for at least a minute to create less heat loss while effectively exchanging the air.
• Simple and Low-Cost Solutions: For example, during the heating season, you can place wet towels on radiators or hang special containers filled with water on them. Various indoor plants that require frequent watering can also help regulate humidity levels.
• Use Clay Plaster Indoors: This ensures a constant air humidity level between 45% and 55%, resulting in a pleasant and cozy living environment. It is electrostatically neutral, does not attract dust and other impurities, and is suitable for people with allergies. Clay plaster also purifies and ionizes the air.

Natural Solutions: An Eco-Friendly Home in Harmony with the Environment

One of the most natural solutions you can take to ensure optimal indoor humidity and air quality is choosing eco-friendly home construction using sustainable and ecological materials. Eco-friendly building materials like clay, lime, wood, stone, straw, old bricks, flax fiber, reed, jute mesh, wood fiber boards (using resin instead of glue), and other natural materials promote a healthier living environment. These ecological materials not only improve air quality and promote the sustainable use of our natural resources, but they also do not have a long-term negative impact on our health. Additionally, this aligns with a zero-waste lifestyle, as these materials can be reused or recycled.

Understanding the issues that excessively dry air can cause makes it clear—humidity plays a crucial role in our daily lives. Maintaining optimal humidity levels is important not only for our health and well-being but also for preserving the items around us.