Moving to a Dry Climate
Dryness and Skin
If you move to a dry environment like Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Las Vegas for the first time, you will notice that the air is, well, dry. We aren’t talking about the 35% or so indoor humidity we see in New York or Seattle. We are talking about the humidity being in the single digits like 7%. The low humidity helps your body tolerate the extreme heat in the summer, but if your body hasn’t adjusted to the environment yet, the dryness can really mess with your body.
Forget the old wives’ tales of keeping a cold glass of water or boiling hot water on your living room table. Even if those may help raise the indoor humidity by a couple of percent, a 9% humidity against the original 7% will not make your room the magical oasis in the middle of the desert.
Yes, get that house plant, line dry those laundry in the room, and do anything to rack up that number, but first things first. Get some humidifiers. Yes, we wrote “humidifiers” as plural on purpose. If you don’t intend to live in a cozy studio apartment or want to carry around your humidifier to every room you go to, you will need at least one for each room. If you plan on living the “American Dream” home with an open floor-plan 700 sq. ft. or so living room and 16 feet ceilings, be prepared to have (and fill up) a few humidifiers for that living room alone.
While portable humidifiers may not become the centerpiece decor of your living room, they will be a better friend to you when it comes to cleaning, and they’re easier on the wallet. If you plan on installing a central humidifier that runs through your air conditioning system in your house, note that you will need to schedule professional cleaning periodically to avoid mold in your vents on top of having to pay several thousands of dollars for the installation alone. The plus sides of having the central humidifiers is not having to fill the water tanks every day and that you’ll have a less cluttered home, but if you have that kind of money, you probably would be chatting already with your dermatologists and house planners anyways instead of asking for our two cents.
Ideally, you want to keep your indoor humidity level at somewhere between 40% and 50%. Even then, you may still notice your skin getting dry and your lips getting cracked unless you plan on not stepping outside at all and staying in your home 24/7.
You may very well need to change your toners and moisturizers that you are used to. Keep in mind that beauty products made in your home country are designed with the local climate in mind. Don’t be afraid to go to department stores in your new city and ask for samples. There will always be a product to match your skin condition and the environment. If you’re the kind of a guy that has never used moisturizers before, think again. You will be living in a super dry climate which will no doubt give you dry skin. That means it will be easier for you to develop wrinkles in a short amount of time and get cuts on your hands from merely scraping them – all in addition to the sunspots you’ll be gifted with from the blazing sun of California, Arizona, or Nevada – which reminds us to mention stepping up on the number of the SPF on your favorite sunscreen too.
Static Electric Shocks
Are you one of those people who enjoy a static electric shock to help you wake up in the morning? We aren’t either. Be prepared to get static shocks from everything metal and even the most unexpected of the places. Unless you have a wooden kitchen faucet (we would love to see one of those if they exist), electricity will run down the water. Don’t be alarmed if you get a little buzz when you wash your hands.
Opening the car door, bedroom door, turning on a light, you name it. If you can get an electric shock from water running down from a metal faucet, you bet you will get it from anything electric or metal. If you’re wearing your furry sweater while walking on your bedroom carpet, be prepared to charge yourself up with electricity – but probably not enough to charge your phone.
With that in mind, unless you promise us to never forget refilling your humidifiers, think twice about getting anything metal. The stainless steel appliances certainly adds charm to your kitchen, but believe us when we say that you’ll be nervous opening that silver fridge every time you reach for that can of coke. The dishwasher, stove, can opener, coffee maker, toaster – you found yourself a good excuse to go with the “economical” white or black option.
You really want to be careful with the types of furniture you buy or bring with you into the desert too. If you are wearing shorts in the house and hit your leg on that metal dining table leg? You have two counts of ouches – one for hitting yourself and another for the buzz.
Fire Hazard
If you’ve ever followed the news, you have probably heard of at least one California wildfire. It’s not that Californians are clumsy people who often forget to turn off the stove. California has a notoriously dry climate along with plenty of trees to fuel up the fire to spread easily. You probably haven’t heard much about an Arizona or a Nevada wildfire though. That’s because the tiny shrubs in these states aren’t enough to fuel the fire from spreading through county lines. That doesn’t mean that things burn slower in individual homes and buildings though. Search an article for any city within these states with the word “fire” and we will guarantee you that you’ll come across plenty of local news articles.
It’s simple science that things will burn easier and faster in a dry climate, so it’s imperative for you to be extra cautious of anything that may cause a fire. We aren’t exaggerating when we say keep things on your kitchen counter tops at least 3 feet away. If you’re used to placing paper towels and the paper bottle of your organic sea salt within this distance, it’s time for you to make a change to your habit. The 3 feet rule usually applies to any heat source whether it be a radiator or a fireplace, so placing a wooden rocking chair with quilted blanket right in front of your fireplace is probably not the best idea. If you plan on barbecuing in your backyard, city ordinances usually mark the distance between the grill and a building anywhere from 10 feet up, so be sure to check your local regulations.
Here’s a few other basic things to keep in mind in order to avoid fire that you may have never even thought about:
・Have your (clothes) dryer professionally cleaned once a year
・Never run electric wires and extension cords under carpet
・If you smoke, extinguish them in water to be sure they won’t burn
To Sum it Up
As horrible as things may sound living in a dry climate at first, your body will magically adapt to the desert climate over time. The lists above are just a few things you may experience when you first arrive to the desert climate, and we’re sure your body will adjust to it after living in it for a while. Unlike your body, places with dry climate will always be prone to fire when compared to those in humid climates, so take precautions as long as you live in the desert. They’re probably good tips to keep in mind regardless of your location though.
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