Now that the colder weather is here, you’ve undoubtedly heard that you need a humidifier (and you do!). But have you ever taken the time to look into the benefits a humidifier provides?
Humidifiers are flu killing machines (pretty much). Last year’s season was absolutely brutal, and there are no signs of it cutting us some slack this year, so you should do everything you can to keep yourself and your family protected. Naturally, this begins in the home. When you turn on heaters or light fireplaces to battle the falling temperatures, the heat produced lowers your home’s humidity. And low humidity allows the flu virus to thrive because the flu virus spreads more easily in dry air. For example, if someone with the flu coughs in a room, almost 77% of the flu virus particles remain in the air for over an hour, potentially infecting anyone else in the area. But if the humidity in that same room is raised to 40-50%, the potential of infection from a flu-laden cough drops to around 14%. (Public LIbrary of Science, 2013). This dramatically lessens the chance of passing the infection to another member of your family. Maintaining proper humidity levels in your home of between 40-50% goes a long way to fight cold and flu viruses that become so prominent this time of year.
Another reason you need a humidifier is because there’s a good chance you leave your home from time to time. Ever notice how much coughing you hear in the grocery store in the late fall and early winter? Those germs are just waiting for you to trek down that aisle so they can hitch a ride to your house. Not only that, when you go to work and send the kids off to school, you’re confronted by an endless number of unseen germs and viruses. Help fight off those pesky hitchhikers with a humidifier. Just as the elevated humidity level helps stop the spread of the flu, it also helps reduce cold symptoms and keep germs at bay. There are personal-sized humidifiers like the AURORAmini that will help cut down on the cooties. The Mayo Clinic Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine also conducted a study which found that classrooms can greatly benefit from humidifiers. (Koep, et al., 2013). So ask your school district to invest in some humidifiers for their classrooms!
Lastly, late fall kicks off holiday season. AAA expects more than 52 million people to travel for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Here’s where a humidifier can really shine. People don’t always adjust well to different climates; and if you’re traveling by air, you’re around 20% more likely to become ill during or immediately after your trip. Take Vitamin C to boost your immune system, and run a humidifier to fight the germs that could have tagged along from the airport, as well as help you breathe in dry climates. You’ll thank yourself later.
You cannot always control your environment. But maintaining a higher humidity in your home during the dry fall and winter months can cut down the active lifespan of the cold and flu viruses that strike so hard every year. Have questions about what humidifier is right for you? Our Customer Service Team is here to help! Give them a call at 800-547-3888. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 am – 5:30 pm CST.
