Norms of humidity in rooms

MAN, AS YOU KNOW, IS 60% WATER. AND HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD BE IN THE AIR AROUND US? WE UNDERSTAND THE HUMIDITY STANDARDS IN AN APARTMENT, A NURSERY, AND AN OFFICE.

Importance of humidity

The air we breathe is always filled to some extent with water vapor (we, of course, do not take into account desert regions that are not suitable for human life :)). Humidity indicates the content of these vapors. It is absolute and relative.

When we talk about the norm of air humidity, we always mean relative humidity, in other words, we are interested in the degree of air saturation with moisture.

Relative humidity can be measured using home climate control devices (for example, MagicAir base station) or a household hygrometer.

Humidity rates in apartments

What is the humidity rate in the apartment indicated in official sources? Building standards for UK are spelled out in interstate GOST 30494-96 “Residential and public buildings. Indoor microclimate parameters.”

According to this document, 30-45% is considered optimal relative humidity in the cold season and 30-60% in the warm season. The following indicators are also specified in GOST: in winter, according to the authors, it should not exceed 60%, and in summer – 65%.

It is worth remembering that the numbers indicated by GOST are primarily intended not for residents of buildings, but for those who design and maintain these buildings. This is evident, for example, by the fact that the GOST norm of humidity in an apartment is lower in winter than in summer. This is because, in the cold season, the relative humidity of street air drops significantly when it warms up to room temperature. It is difficult to design and maintain a building so that it maintains “summer” humidity standards in winter without significant costs. But this does not mean that in winter the human body needs less moisture.

Physiologists recommend maintaining humidity in the apartment at a level of 40-60%, regardless of the time of year.

30% humidity – the lower limit of the norm according to GOST – is felt by many as dry air with all its attendant consequences. Such humidity is insufficient for most indoor plants: they will begin to dry and fade. The optimum humidity for indoor flowers common in our latitudes is 40-70%.

Humidity rate in a children’s room

A children’s body is worse than an adult in coping with harmful environmental factors. Children freeze faster and overheat faster, catch a cold easily, more often catch infections, and more difficult to tolerate diseases.

Therefore, the microclimate in the nursery should help maintain the protective forces of the child’s body, and humidity plays an important role here. In no case should the air be dry? In dry air, the child’s body intensively loses moisture. Mucous nasopharynx dry out and lose their ability to resist infections, the baby may feel itchy eyes, and peeling may appear on sensitive skin.

The norm of humidity in the apartment for a child is considered to be 50-60%.

The well-known children’s doctor Mubeen insists on more: he calls 60% humidity the norm for a healthy child and recommends 70% for a baby who has caught an infection (the higher the humidity, the less dry the mucous membranes).

The humidity rate for a child in winter is no different from summer. But there is an important point: in winter and summer, it is advisable to maintain the temperature in the children’s room at a level no higher than 24 ° С. If the room is warmer, then 60% humidity will turn the nursery into the tropics: You probably know from your own experience that high humidity is transferred to the heat much more difficult than to the cold. Also, exceeding the indicated temperature norm can cause the child’s body to overheat, which, again, will lead to the loss of fluids, drying out of the mucous membranes and skin.

Humidity rate at the workplace

The humidity rate in the workplace depends on the specifics of the work. Different types of production require different moisture indicators. Say the air in flower greenhouses will be much more humid than in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

If we talk about office work, then the humidity rate in the office will be approximately the same as for residential premises: 40-60%. Higher humidity is highly undesirable because it can adversely affect equipment and documents. However, the problem of high humidity is not distinctive for office rooms. The reverse problem is much more communal: too dry air. A humidifier is already a conversant attribute of offices. As a rule, this is the easiest way out if the humidity in the cabinet does not correspond to the norm; the main thing is to install it correctly.

Humidity control

Knowing the humidity values in the living room and dressers, you can continue to its regulation (unless, of course, it is necessary).

The most reliable way to increase humidity is to install an air humidifier with sufficient airflow. If the air in the room is very dry, then you may have to wait 7-10 days for the ultimate materials and furniture to fill with moisture: only after that, the humidity will begin to increase.

Ways to lower humidity:

• In winter, airing the apartment helps a lot. In order not to open the windows and not to overcool the rooms, you can use the forced ventilation with air heating.
• Install dehumidifiers.
• High humidity can be caused by leaks, for example, in water pipes. Leaks must be found and repaired.
• Using the air conditioner in cooling mode makes the air drier.

If you often cook something in the kitchen, the air is humid. Install the hood above the stove.