One of the tough things about living in Arizona is having to deal with the low humidity. Low humidity can make you uncomfortable, hurt your health, and damage your home.

This blog post will talk about why it’s important to have the right moisture levels, what happens when moisture levels are too low, and how to fix the problem. Find out how Olive Air’s knowledge of humidifiers and AC repair in Gilbert, AZ can help you get the right moisture levels for a more comfortable home.

Recommended Humidity Levels For Homes

The best humidity range for most homes is between 30% and 60%. You should also think about what you want and how things are going for you. The people at Olive Air can come take a look at your home and tell you exactly what you need to do to make it as humid as possible.

The Importance Of Proper Humidity Levels

It is good for your health and comfort to have the right amount of humidity. It’s important to keep the humidity just right because:

• When there is just the right amount of moisture, the skin doesn’t dry out, the eyes don’t turn red, and the lungs don’t hurt. You can enjoy being there because it’s warm inside.
• Health and well-being: If there is just the right amount of moisture, you can sleep better, avoid getting respiratory infections, and feel better if you have asthma or allergies. Since the nose doesn’t dry out, nosebleeds are less likely to happen.
• Making Sure That Everything Is Safe: It’s important to make sure the moisture level is just right to protect your things. This keeps fragile things like art, musical instruments, wooden furniture, and more from drying out, cracking, or warping.
• Making better use of power: It is possible to feel fine in slightly cooler temperatures when themoisture level is just right. This helps your AC work better and use less electricity.
• Keep the humidity at the right level, and it will last longer between repairs. This is because if you do this, your HVAC system will last longer.
  When the moisture level in an office or home office is just right, people can focus better and get more done.

Negative Impacts Of Low Humidity

In many ways, low humidity is bad for your health and your home. In general, these are the bad effects:

• Aerosols that don’t have enough water in them can make skin dry and itchy, lips chap, and breathing problems like asthma, allergies, and sinus problems worse.
• More stress and more money spent on energy: When there is low humidity, the air feels cooler than it really is. This can be uncomfortable, and you may want to turn up the heat more than you need to, which can make your energy bills go up.
• Getting bad damage to property: There needs to be enough moistness in the air for wooden floors, furniture, and instruments to not shrink, crack, or break. Static electricity can peel paper, chip paint, and disable electronics.

Common Signs Of Low Humidity

If you aren’t sure what the moistness level is in your home, here are some signs that it might be too low in Gilbert, AZ and the surrounding areas.

• Static electricity: Get a lot of static shocks when you touch things or other people.
• Wooden furniture that cracks or shrinks: Look for cracks or splits in wooden floors, doors, or furniture.
• Dust builds up more: When moistness is low, dust particles stay in the air for longer, which makes the dust build up more noticeable.
• Having trouble breathing: Your nose, throat, or lungs may feel dry or irritated.
• Chapped lips and dry skin: Your lips are dry and cracked, or your skin is too dry.

Effective Solutions For Combating Low Humidity

To improve humidity levels in your home and combat the challenges of low humidity, consider the following indoor air quality solutions Olive Air can offer:

Humidifiers

Installing a whole-house humidifier in Gilbert, AZ is an effective way to add moisture to the air throughout your entire home. Olive Air offers a range of high-quality humidifiers tailored to your specific needs.

AC Repair and Maintenance

Ensure your air conditioning system is functioning optimally to combat low humidity in Gilbert. Air conditioners work to control moistness in your home, and low levels can increase the unit’s workload and increase strain. Olive Air provides professional AC repair in Gilbert, AZ, as well as thorough maintenance services. A well-maintained AC system helps regulate humidity levels and ensures a comfortable indoor environment.

Expert Consultation

Contact Olive Air’s knowledgeable team for a comprehensive assessment of your home’s moistness levels and personalized recommendations. Our expert technicians can guide you on the most suitable humidifying systems in Gilbert, AZ and offer professional AC repair services if needed.

Tips For Increasing Humidity At Home

Adding a humidifier is the best way to make your Gilbert, AZ home more comfortable and damp. These other things are also possible:

• Bring some plants inside. Plants naturally raise the humidity by transpiration, which is the process by which they lose water. Ferns, peace lilies, and snake plants can all be kept inside. All of them do well where it’s dry.
• Bring your wet clothes inside to dry off. As the clothes dry, they will lose both water and air.
  
• Leave the bathroom door open after you shower so the steam can move around. The rooms next to the bathroom will get wetter because of that.
  
• Place basins for water: Place basins of water near vents or heat sources. Because it’s hot, the water will steam, which will make the air wetter.
  Not as much. They can only get rid of water in the air, not in the kitchen and bathroom.

Let Olive Air Help Control Humidity In Phoenix!

With Arizona’s dry climate, making sure your home has the right amount of humidity is important for comfort, health, and keeping things in good shape. Fighting against low humidity levels is even more important for making living in Gilbert, AZ and nearby areas enjoyable.

Olive Air’s humidifying systems and AC repair services will help you achieve optimal humidity levels. Our high-quality humidifiers and professional AC maintenance will keep your family comfortable indoors. Our experts provide customized advice during the consultation.

Low humidity shouldn’t get in the way of your health and comfort. Fighting low humidity can improve your daily life. Olive Air can help you control humidity in Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding areas to make your home more comfortable.

The abundance of sunshine and comfortable winter temperatures allow plants in Arizona to grow year-round, which can be a blessing and a curse due to the constant pollen. While the blooming trees and flowers make the springtime in Phoenix beautiful, the pollen produced can heighten allergy symptoms. Many homeowners shorten time spent outside in the peak of allergy season, but did you know indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air? The air quality inside your home could be worsening your seasonal allergies, and Olive Air is here to help! In this blog, we discuss ways to improve your indoor air quality in Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding areas.

Why Is Good Indoor Air Quality Important In Arizona?

We spend a large portion of our time in our homes, whether you are sleeping, working, cooking, or lounging. It is important to ensure the air you breathe while inside your home is clean and beneficial to your health. If your home has poor indoor air quality, you may experience allergy symptoms and other health conditions. Common indoor air pollutants in your Arizona home include mold, mildew, pet dander, dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and smoke. Additionally, the amount of humidity in your home can contribute to poor air quality and negative health symptoms due to the excess or lack of moisture. Below are ways poor air quality can affect your health in Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas.

• Sore Throat
• Congestion
• Dry/Cracked Skin
• Increased Susceptibility To Illnesses
• Headaches
• Dizziness

While poor air quality can cause many health symptoms, it can also lead to respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If you or someone currently struggles with respiratory diseases, it is extremely important to maintain positive air quality to keep them healthy and comfortable.

How To Improve Indoor Air Quality In Gilbert, AZ

Depending on the harmful pollutants in your air, some can flare up allergy symptoms, cause discomfort, and damage personal belongings. There are a variety of simple maintenance tasks homeowners can do to improve their home’s air quality and keep each resident healthy. Below we have listed seven ways to improve indoor air quality.

• Schedule AC Maintenance
• Maintain Clean Air Filters
• Install Beneficial Home Devices
• Invest In Quality Air Filters
• Groom Pets Outdoors
• Increase Ventilation
• Dust Regularly

Schedule AC Maintenance

Air conditioning maintenance is aimed to ensure your AC system is prepared for the workload the spring and summer seasons bring. A trained Olive Air technician will perform various beneficial tasks to prevent future AC repair in Phoenix, which includes thoroughly cleaning the air conditioner. AC units typically sit outdoors and can build up debris and dirt. Even if your air conditioner is located inside, it has been sitting since last season and likely has dust collected inside. A Gilbert technician will clean each component and remove dirt before it can be picked up in the cooling process. Dirty air conditioners can produce unclean air and negatively impact your home’s air quality. Give us a call to schedule AC maintenance in Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas.

Maintain Clean Air Filters

Maintaining clean air filters is one of the most beneficial ways to keep good air quality inside your home. Air filters catch pollutants before they are distributed throughout your home. However, air filters can become clogged with each allergen and need to be cleaned to continue working effectively. If your air filters are dirty, the filter struggles to catch pollutants and allows some to slip by and affect air quality. Be sure to change your air filters at least every 90 days to maintain good indoor air quality.

Air Filter Tip: If you struggle with keeping up with the last time you changed your air filter and when to change it next, we can help! When you are changing your air filter, write the date three months from now on the edge of the filter. This helps keep track of what date you need to change your filter by!

Install Beneficial Home Devices

There are a variety of home devices that help improve indoor air quality, such as humidifiers and air purifiers. Your home relies on humidity to maintain comfort and good health. Humidity levels should always remain between 30-50% to maintain positive indoor air quality. Some homes in Arizona struggle with humidity due to the dry climate, and humidifiers can help add moisture back into the air. Air purifiers are made to remove harmful contaminants in the air and circulate clean air back into your home. Air purifying systems can greatly benefit indoor air quality if you have harmful pollutants floating through your home.

Invest In Quality Air Filters

While it is important to maintain a clean air filter, it is equally important to utilize quality filters throughout your home. When choosing an air filter, homeowners should know two things: the type of filter and the MERV rating.

The most common types of air filters are fiberglass and pleated. While these are both beneficial options, the filters have air quality differences. Fiberglass filters are often the cheaper option, because the filter struggles to catch small particles. Pleated air filters are more expensive, because of the filter’s ability to catch small particles. The filters differ due to the minimum efficiency reporting values. (MERV)

MERV measures a filter’s effectiveness to catch particles and ranges on a scale of 1-20. Fiberglass filters typically range between 1-4 MERV, while pleated filters range from 5-13 MERV. We recommend homes use air filters between 8-13 MERV to maintain positive air quality and an efficient HVAC system. The higher the MERV, the more particles a filter can catch and the cleaner your air will be.

Groom Pets Outdoors

Pet dander is a common indoor air pollutant in homes and could be the cause of your allergy symptoms. Pet hair can clog air filters, contribute to dust, and carry pet skin cells and saliva. To cut down on pet dander throughout your home, we recommend regularly grooming your animals outside of your home. Homeowners can personally groom their animals in the yard or send them to a professional. Be sure to give your furry friends lots of treats for being the best during their grooming session and keeping you healthy inside your home!

Increase Ventilation

The reason indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air is because of the lack of ventilation homes can have. Harmful pollutants can build up and negatively impact allergy symptoms. There are many ways to improve ventilation inside your home, such as:

• Opening a window
• Utilize ceiling fans
• Turn on exhaust fans when cooking

Dust Regularly

One of the easiest and cost effective ways to improve indoor air quality is to maintain a clean home. Furniture around your home such as couches, throw pillows, and rugs can collect dust and build up other harmful pollutants. Additionally, dusting with a rag and natural cleaning product can help avoid dust build up and keep you breathing easy. Cleaning and fluffing around your home, especially unused areas, can help keep allergy symptoms to a minimum.

Let us help keep you healthy and comfortable this allergy season in Phoenix! We are here to help keep your air filters clean and your air conditioner running smoothly. Give us a call to schedule AC maintenance in Gilbert, AZ and surrounding areas this spring!