[오늘 날씨] Be careful of your health due to the large daily temperature difference!… How to use a ‘humidifier’ correctly to prevent dryness

Today (26th), there will be a large daily temperature range in most regions, with morning temperatures being low but daytime temperatures rising.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, morning temperatures will be as low as around 10 degrees in most areas, and daytime temperatures will rise to around 20 degrees, with the temperature difference between day and night being around 10 degrees, and in some areas over 15 degrees.

In addition, from dawn to morning, there will be thick fog with a visibility of less than 200m in the eastern part of Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon inland and mountainous areas, Chungcheong inland, Jeolla inland, Gyeongbuk inland, and western Gyeongnam inland, and in other inland areas, there will be fog with a visibility of less than 1km. There must be a place where it gets stuck.

On roads adjacent to rivers, lakes, or valleys, the fog may be thicker than the surrounding areas, so special attention must be paid to traffic safety by slowing down when driving to avoid damage such as collisions.

The central region, excluding Gangwon-do and Yeongdong, will be mostly clear, but there will be occasional clouds in the afternoon. There will be a lot of clouds in the southern region, but it will become cloudy from the afternoon, and it will be cloudy in Yeongdong, Gangwon and Jeju Island. There may be occasional rain in Jeju Island from the morning and along the Jeonnam coast from the afternoon.

Temperatures will be slightly higher than normal for the time being (minimum 3 to 13 degrees, maximum 17 to 21 degrees). The lowest morning temperature will be 8 to 18 degrees, and the highest daytime temperature will be 20 to 25 degrees.

The lowest morning temperatures in major regions are Seoul 12 degrees, Incheon 14 degrees, Suwon 11 degrees, Chuncheon 10 degrees, Gangneung 13 degrees, Cheongju 13 degrees, Daejeon 13 degrees, Jeonju 13 degrees, Gwangju 14 degrees, Daegu 13 degrees, Busan 18 degrees, Jeju is the 21st province.

The highest daytime temperature is Seoul 24 degrees, Incheon 22 degrees, Suwon 23 degrees, Chuncheon 22 degrees, Gangneung 20 degrees, Cheongju 23 degrees, Daejeon 23 degrees, Jeonju 24 degrees, Gwangju 24 degrees, Daegu 23 degrees, Busan 24 degrees, Jeju 23 degrees. too.

Fine dust is expected to be at a ‘good’ level in all regions.

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Meanwhile, the season of dryness has arrived along with colder winds. During these times, maintaining appropriate indoor humidity is an issue directly related to health. This is because excessively dry indoor environments can result in direct exposure to viruses and can make it easier for respiratory diseases to spread. Humidifiers can solve these problems, but they must be used correctly to be effective.

Regular cleaning of the humidifier is important. Every day, the water tank must be completely emptied, cleaned, the surface dried, and then refilled with water. Without such thorough hygiene management, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus, which cause pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis, may occur.

Ideally, the humidifier should be placed at a height of more than 1m from the floor so that the water vapor can spread evenly, and 2~3m away so that it does not directly irritate the human respiratory system. Also, a location where water vapor does not spread toward other home appliances is good.

There are many opinions about the water to use, but most opinions, including humidifier companies, recommend using tap water. This is because chlorine in tap water has the effect of suppressing bacterial growth, so it can be effective in suppressing bacterial growth when it is stagnant in the humidifier tank. On the other hand, there is an argument that purified water creates a good environment for bacterial growth because all components are filtered out.

The Ministry of Environment emphasizes thorough management of humidifiers rather than the type of water used. Use a humidifier cleaning brush to clean off scale, attachments, and film-type membranes and dry them completely. Also, make sure that water is not left inside the humidifier for a long time and that the indoor humidity does not exceed 50%.

If you are not confident about regular maintenance, you can use natural humidification methods. You can drive out dryness by hanging wet laundry indoors or putting charcoal in water. It may also be helpful to place plants with a humidifying effect, such as areca palm.