When the chilly fall and winter seasons start to roll around, many of us anticipate dry, bitter air both outdoors and indoors. As the air loses humidity, it tries to obtain moisture from other sources — including you!

When the air draws moisture from your skin, nose and throat, you're more likely to experience colds, nosebleeds and chapped lips. Dry air can also wreak havoc on your home and belongings, including floors, walls, ceilings and furniture.

Sustaining humidity in your home is important to minimize these dry air symptoms. Learn how to tell if the air is dry in your house and what you can do to address the issue.

Top 9 Side Effects of Dry Air

You've probably come to expect cracked, itchy skin and a runny nose as the air begins to dry out. Even so, dry air can affect us in more ways than we realize. It can impact our bodies, health, homes, belongings and even our pets. Here are some symptoms of dry air in your house that may surprise you.

1. Sickness

Mucus acts as a trap, catching dust and allergens that can make you sick. Low humidity in the air can dry out the nose, which lowers its ability to produce germ-trapping mucus. That's why sore throats and stuffy noses are especially common during the drier, colder months. You might experience various mild to severe symptoms from exposure to dry air, such as:

Cold or flu
Sinus infection
Asthma
Bronchitis
Pneumonia

If you have pets, dry air can impact them similarly. You may notice an increase in pet dander, dry nose, respiratory infections and other symptoms in your furry friends.

2. Structural Damage

Dry air won't only attempt to pull moisture from people in your household — it also absorbs moisture from your home. As the air dries out, you may notice your flooring creaking more, especially hardwood.

Dry air can also draw moisture from the wood in your home's frame, causing door jambs and walls to shift. This can lead to gaps between walls and ceilings — not to mention difficulty opening and closing doors. Windows can develop gaps, letting in cold winter air. Aside from drying out your indoor air further, this can also drive up your heating bill.

3. Damage to Furnishings

Besides affecting your home's structural integrity, dry air can impact the things within the four walls. You may notice:

Cracked wood furniture.
Out-of-tune musical instruments.
Brittle and wrinkled books, artwork and other paper items.

4. Static Electricity

The static electricity in your home naturally dissipates when there is ample humidity in the air. As a result, it shouldn't come as a shock — no pun intended — that dry air can cause excessive static electricity buildup. You'll likely notice minor annoyances, such as:

Electric shocks after touching a metal surface, like a doorknob.
Blankets and clothes sticking together while folding laundry or making the bed.
Your clothes sticking to your body.
Your hair standing on end.

5. Dry, Irritated Skin

Water makes up 64% of our skin so naturally your skin dries out when there is low humidity in the air. An influx of dry air in your home can cause the moisture to evaporate from your skin. As a result, you might experience:

Flaky or itchy skin.
Chapped lips.
Painful cracking of the skin.
Tightness in the joints.

Severely dry air can cause flare-ups of existing skin conditions like acne, dermatitis, and eczema. Maintaining humidity levels in your home is important to keep your skin healthy and hydrated.

6. Stress

Believe it or not, a prolonged lack of moisture in the air can actually elevate stress levels. In a study involving employees in four different buildings with varying humidity levels, those who worked in drier air reported poorer sleep quality and heart rates indicating a stress response.

7. Dehydration

Your body is about 60% water. It's no surprise that dry air can deplete your body's fluid levels and cause dehydration. Dry air will try its absolute hardest to pull moisture from anything, including the human body. As the moisture in your skin, lungs, nose and eyes evaporates, it's natural to feel dehydrated.

8. Nosebleeds

Random, unexplained nosebleeds are one of the clearest indicators of dry air. In fact, dry air is the most common culprit of nosebleeds. Low-humidity environments can dry out your nasal membrane — the soft tissue that lines the nasal cavity — causing it to crack. Blowing or rubbing your nose aggravates the nasal membrane and makes it more likely to bleed.

9. Eye Irritation

A lack of moisture in the air can affect your eye's tear film that protects the cornea. When consistently exposed to a dry atmosphere, your eyes dry out due to moisture being pulled from the protective film. Contact lenses can accelerate evaporation from the tear film. This makes contact lens wearers particularly vulnerable to dry eyes.

Small dry patches can develop on the eyes, exposing them to other allergens and irritants. You may experience:

A burning sensation or soreness in the eyes.
Blurred vision.
Increased risk of eye infection.

What Is the Ideal Humidity Level in a Home?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping your indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50%. Here are some things you can do to boost moisture in your home:

Boil water on the stove: This is an easy way to bring steam into the room, release excess moisture and reduce dry air in your home. Try boiling some water on the stove for about 30 minutes a day.
Hang-dry your laundry: Hanging wet clothes and towels in your home can bring moisture into the room. Plus, you can skip the dryer and avoid driving up your electricity costs.
Invest in a whole-home humidifier: Running a high-quality humidifier is the most effective way to increase moisture in the home. While a small, portable unit only humidifies a single room, a whole-home humidifier installs directly into your system. It draws water from your main water line to humidify your entire house.

Combat Dry Air in Your House With Boss Mechanical

A room that's too dry in winter isn't just uncomfortable — it's taxing on your health and home. Luckily, Boss Mechanical offers comprehensive indoor air quality solutions to keep your space healthy year-round. Our technicians can help you select and install a whole-home humidifier to:

Minimize airborne germs and viruses.
Keep your skin hydrated.
Prevent your home from warping and cracking.

Boss Mechanical is ready to help you navigate the dry winters in Ontario. Browse our selection of whole-house humidifiers and contact us today.

The Surprising Effects of Dry Indoor Air in Winter