Whole-House Humidifiers Create Inhospitable Environment for Viruses
The flu virus thrives in the winter, and according to medical experts, winter conditions make it easier for the virus to spread. One effective way to reduce the flu’s ability to invade your system is to increase indoor humidity using a whole-house humidifier.
In the winter, the air around us is normally much drier than in the summer. Warm, dry air coming from your heating system tends to decrease moisture levels in your home even further. It’s common to experience several related physical discomforts in these conditions, some of which are believed to contribute to flu transmission, such as dry noses, mouths and throats.
Virologists and other experts in disease control believe it’s the dry winter conditions that contribute most significantly to the spread of flu from person to person. Normally, the flu and other virus-based diseases are passed through moisture droplets expelled when the infected person coughs or sneezes. Dry winter conditions remove the moisture from these droplets but do not harm the viruses. In a dehydrated state, experts believe, viruses produce a protective coating that allows them to survive the lack of moisture. This lets viruses remain in the air or on surfaces for longer periods, dormant but able to become active again. The protected viruses can more easily settle in dry nasal passages. When the virus is inhaled deeper into the lungs, the protective coating dissolves and the virus revives and infects your system.
When you use a whole-house humidifier, it increases moisture levels in the air throughout your home. They add moisture to all the air that flows through your forced-air heating system, which helps keep indoor humidity at normal levels of 45 to 55 percent. With more humidity and moisture in your home’s air, viruses such as the flu are less likely to be spread.
Contact us today for more information on whole-house humidifiers and how they can help keep your indoor environment more comfortable and reduce the possibility of flu transmission.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wilmington, Delaware and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).
Image Credit: Anna Leask