Over the next several weeks, the Virginia skyline will explode in a wide array of fall colors, like an orchestra heralding the arrival of the holidays and colder weather. Even as we look forward to the shorter days and the cuddly nights, it’s important to take steps to ensure our homes are prepared to handle the winter weather.
Even the most prepared homeowners often overlook one critical aspect of their home’s environment: its humidity level. You might not realize it, but the humidity in your home can have a dramatic impact on your daily life. In an area of the country where humidity plays an active role in how the air feels on our skin, controlling the indoor humidity in winter in Alexandria, VA is crucial.
What is humidity?
Simply put, humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor present in the air. When the temperature goes up, water vapor thrives in the air. As the temperature goes down, the ability of water vapor to survive diminishes and, as a result, the air becomes drier. When the weather turns cold, and the air gets dry, you will likely experience several issues.
Protect your property
When the humidity level changes in your home, it can cause the wood to swell in the summer and contract in the winter, doing severe damage to hardwood floors, furniture and even the structure of your house itself. By exerting control over your home’s humidity, you can ensure your home’s indoor humidity levels during the colder seasons in Alexandria, VA remain the same as they are in the summer, so your home’s floors and furniture don’t feel the shift.
Protect your family
More often than not, when the winter weather swoops in, homeowners run the furnace to ward it off. The result is that their indoor air often dries out. You might not realize it, but dry air is a perfect environment to breed viruses and bacteria. If you keep your home at the correct humidity level, you can destroy the environmental conditions that breed viruses even as you help the function of your lungs.
Improve your comfort
Even as you protect your home from the cold air, it’s critical to realize that too much humidity in the winter is a bad thing. As the humidity rises in cold air, the less our clothes provide sufficient insulation. As a result, cold, humid air feels far colder than cold, dry air. In short, you want to make sure your home’s air is humid, without being too humid.
Work with the pros
Need help controlling your indoor humidity in winter in Alexandria, VA? You’ve found the right team. At A Action Home Services, we’ve offered an incredible array of services to homeowners throughout the extended Washington, DC metro area since 1976. We do it all—HVAC work, circuit breaker repairs, faucet fixes, sump pump repair and everything in between!
When you need an incredibly knowledgeable team of experts, look no further than A Action Home Services. We’re ready to help you—call today!