How Purchasing a Dehumidifier Can Help Asthma Sufferers During Humid Summers

Australian summers are often hot and humid. This is especially true if you live in the tropical north or along the east coast where, last summer, Sydney experienced its most humid week in 15 years! And, unfortunately, for the 2.5 million Australian asthma sufferers, high humidity can trigger asthma symptoms.

With summer just about on Australia's doorstep, now is a good time to plan to tackle humidity in your home. If you or someone else in your household suffer from asthma, a dehumidifier can keep humidity levels down.

High Humidity Narrows Your Airways

Ideally, you should keep humidity levels between 30% and 50%. When humidity levels rise above 50%, your airways, or bronchial tubes, become more narrow than usual. Since asthma sufferers already have narrow airways, humidity makes it even harder for them to breathe, increasing the risk of an asthma attack.

If you live in an area prone to high humidity then, placing a dehumidifier in your home will help you to control the humidity level so you can breathe more easily.

High Humidity Keeps Mould and Dust Mites Away

Both mould and dust mites can thrive in humidity levels higher than about 50%. And if humidity levels in your home rise to somewhere between 60% and 80%, then conditions become ideal for mould and dust mites. Since both mould and dust mites can trigger asthma attacks, it's important that you keep the humidity in your home between 30% and 50%.

Placing a dehumidifier somewhere in your home will help you to keep these two asthma symptom-causing pests out of your home and airways.

Choose a Large Enough Dehumidifier

Before you purchase a dehumidifier for your home, ensure that you choose one that is the right size to dehumidify your entire home. If your dehumidifier is too small, it will only be effective in the immediate vicinity. You need a whole-house dehumidifier. Generally, larger dehumidifiers can control humidity in a home of about 280 m2.

If you choose a smaller dehumidifier, not all the rooms in your house will feel its effects over the summer. And if you have children with asthma, you need to make sure the humidity level in their rooms is low so they can sleep more easily.

Are you ready for the humid days and nights of the coming summer? Purchase a dehumidifier before the worst of the heat arrives to ensure your home is comfortable and asthma-sufferer friendly.


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