High humidity is one of the many invisible dangers we face in our home. When there is too much moisture in the air you run the risk of creating a habitat where viruses and bacteria will thrive and multiply. Equally having less moisture in the air can cause health concerns such as the exacerbation of Eczema. Therefore, understanding the moisture content of the air (Relative Humidity- RH) is crucial to tackling the issues that come with humidity in your home.
Humidity issues are far more prevalent than you might imagine. In fact, research carried out by EcoAir in November 2017 shows that 84% of the UK population do not check humidity in their homes and as such, 79% of us have lived or currently live in homes that are affected by damp and mould.
We at EcoAir are passionate about raising awareness of the impacts of humidity in your home and such have provided a vibrant and easy to understand humidity ruler for all to use. The Humidity ruler is a simple tool you can use that highlights the key issues that can arise at certain humidity levels.
Humidity is simply the amount of water vapour that is present in the air and is measured by ‘Relative Humidity’ (RH) which comes as a percentage from 0-100%.
The recommended humidity level is 45%-55%. Humidity above 60% cent causes condensation and encourages the growth of mould, fungus, mildew. It also enables bacteria, viruses and dust mites to breed quickly which causes health problems such as allergies, arthritis and asthma. In contrast, humidity below 40% can trigger skin irritations such as a dry nose, eczema and can cause severe eye irritation for contact lens users.
High humidity can be caused by a number of factors: weather, modern insulation, double glazing, central heating and bathrooms are just several of the reasons humidity may rise as the moisture in the air is trapped indoors.