There are plenty of unproven myths that surround the use of humidifiers. Several households are uncertain about the effects of their use or even how to use them correctly. Some of the myths that people have given about humidifiers are partly true, but a majority of them can be easily debunked. Before you scratch this equipment from your budget and shopping list, take time to read and research the truth about these important house appliances that can greatly affect the health of your family.
Below are the most common myths that muddy the collective reputation of humidifiers, we have also shed light on the false assertions and revealed the truth.
Myth: Humidifiers are an unhealthy choice for new-born babies
Unfortunately, this is false. Humidifiers are a good idea for new-born babies as babies are sensitive to the temperature and humidity in a room. Adding a humidifier to the house can make a huge difference. The humidifier will keep the room of your child clean and germ-free. The moisture in the room's atmosphere helps preserve the warmth of the room without having to turn up the heat, therefore, helping the baby sleep better and breathe easier. If you are the mother of a new born baby, you need to do some priority shopping based on a humidifier.
Myth: Cool mist air produced by a humidifier is not clean
There have been lots of arguments about the quality of air that is produced by a cool mist humidifier with some people saying that this air is dirty and not as clean as the air produced by a warm mist humidifier. The truth is that there is no scientific basis for this claim. A cool air mist humidifier uses a wick filter to ensure that they produce clean, moist air that is mineral free and comparably clean to the output of a warm mist humidifier.
Myth: Humidifiers can eliminate airborne pathogens
A humidifier could be the difference between getting a flu and not having one. The humidity that a humidifier adds to the atmosphere of your home automatically limits the mobility of disease causing germs in your home. This should not, however, be interpreted to mean that the humidifier kills the germs that are airborne. The moisture in the atmosphere makes the gems too heavy to float around. A moisture saturated atmosphere makes germs drop to the floor as they are too heavy and this can inhibit the spread of an air borne disease like flu.
Tests carried out by medical scientists have recommended that people should at least raise the level of indoor humidity to at least 43 percent. This level of saturation of a room’s atmosphere reduces approximately 85% of airborne bacteria and viruses.
Myth: Humidifiers adds to the useful life of furniture
True! A humid atmosphere makes the furnishings on wood to last longer. The same effect applies for wooden floors and wallpapers that may be hung in a house. A humidity evacuated atmosphere makes wooden structures start to crack and become structurally weak as well as lose their aesthetic value. A humidifier can reverse such decadence in furniture and add to the useful life of wooden structures.
Myth: Humidifiers help reduce snoring
Very true! Dry air is one of the risk factors to snoring. A humidifier reduces dry air that allows a more natural breathing pattern and therefore greatly aids in reducing the possibility that one will snore. Do you snore or you have a breathing partner who snores? Now you know better.
Myth: Cool mist humidifiers are extremely noisy
False! A humidifier does not have to be noisy at all. A majority of the designs available on retail today run whisper quiet.
Myth: Humidifiers are only good if you have contacted a cold
False again! When you contact cold, the first remedy that a doctor asks you to do is to run a humidifier. The benefits of humidifiers and common cold do not, however, stop at helping with common cold. A humidifier can keep your indoor plants healthier and help you sleep better at night if you have a sore throat. The benefits of using a humidifier are virtually countless!
Myth: Humidifiers can kill indoor plants
Contrary to the truth. When humidity is either too high or too low, indoor plants can be affected, and this starts by dying at the tips of the leaves. However, several of the known indoor plants come from the tropics where there are high humidity levels and dry air inside your house makes it hard for them to rehydrate and this can cause an imbalance of the right amount of water they need to survive. By running a humidifier at your home, you can invigorate the indoor plants by giving them the right air moisture and cause them to thrive.
Myth: Humidifiers fix the odor problem in your house
Unfortunately, however, we would like this to be true, it is an outright myth. Because you have a humidifier in your home does not mean that you will leave rotting garbage in your sink and still have a pleasant atmosphere.
Humidifiers are not to solve your slack of bad hygiene. If there are bad odors left by stale food and rotting garbage, do not buy extra humidifiers to take out the odors, take responsibility and flush your dog's waste down the toilet where it belongs.
If you do not solve this problem, the humidifier will just add to it by masking it with more humid air making it hard to go away. This will actually introduce other bacteria and mold problems.
Myth: with a humidifier, you will never have to dust again
We do not know who invented this one, but it the silliest so far that we have to discuss. There will be no retirement for your feathers duster after buying a humidifier. I may be wrong but of course, unless someone can prove to me that the humidifier will magically lift the dust off from the floor and send it out. Not possible. Ensure you stick to your house dusting routine, as usual, and this will help the humidifier in doing its job better.