High humidity in your home can lead to mold, mildew, and musty smells, compromising your health and comfort. Learn how to lower humidity levels effectively and maintain a healthy indoor environment.
Those who haven’t spent a summer in the South don’t know the true meaning of humidity. As the temperatures rise, the humidity levels follow. Even born and raised Southerners may never completely get used to the overwhelming humidity, but we’ve sure learned how to tackle it with iced tea, balmy breezes, and anti-humidity hair products. Southerners are prepared to take on the worst humidity outdoors, but we don’t want it in our homes.
How To Lower The Humidity In Your House
If the indoors feel sticky and muggy like the outdoors, there are some easy ways to lower the humidity to a more comfortable level. Try these ideas in your home:
Use A Dehumidifier (Or A DIY Version)
When the goal is to dehumidify, logic calls for using a dehumidifier. These genius contraptions help remove moisture from the air and can make a big difference in cooling down the house. Opt for a whole-house system that is incorporated into the HVAC, or use standalone machines that work on a room-to-room basis.
Set Out Moisture-Absorbing Materials
If the humidity hits without forewarning and you find yourself without an actual dehumidifier machine, you can also go a chemical route to lower the humidity without a dehumidifier. Several substances like charcoal, rock salt, cat litter, and baking soda can help to draw moisture out of the air. Simply place the item in an uncovered dish or a container vented with holes, and set it in humid areas like the bathroom, basement, attic, or kitchen cabinets out of reach of children and pets.
Hang A DampRid
Another contraption that can help fight indoor humidity is a handy dandy DampRid moisture absorber. This disposable hanging bag traps moisture, preventing stale, musty smells and leading to fresher air. It’s especially ideal for small or closed-in spaces like closets or bathrooms where there’s minimal airflow.
Pump The AC
On a hot day, odds are that turning up the air conditioning will already be your instinct, but this cooling technique will also affect your home’s humidity levels. As the system cycles out hot, thick air, it replaces it with cool air that will feel much less muggy. For the most effective dehumidifying and cooling, use a fresh air filter on your AC unit, a detail confirmed by Southern Living.
Avoid Introducing Heat
Wherever you can, turn down the heat. This may mean refraining from long, hot showers, opting for no-cook meals, and running heat-producing appliances like the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher less often. Try taking refreshing, cool showers and hanging your laundry outside to dry.
Turn On The Fans
On humid days, exhaust and ventilation fans are your best friends. These fans can often be found in places where air movement is especially important for dehumidifying because of heat- and moisture-producing activities like cooking and showering. Turn on your oven and bathroom fans to promote air circulation and reduce humidity.
Clean Dryer Vents
Your dryer releases a lot of moisture during the drying process, and you don’t want that steam backing up into your home. Make sure dryer vents are cleaned regularly (while you’re at it, clean your filter, too) so that moisture can easily exhaust out of your home.
Rehome Your Houseplants
We love our variety of houseplants as much as the next Southerner, but desperately humid times call for desperate measures. Plants release moisture into the air and can contribute to household humidity. Send them on a summer vacation to the porch for a long weekend.
Improve Airflow
To manage the humidity in your home, take hold of the reins on the air that comes and goes. Even when it’s hot and humid outdoors, cracking a window can help airflow and prevent heavy, humid air from being trapped inside. This can be especially effective in moisture-prone areas like the bathroom and kitchen.
Seal Cracks And Gaps
On the other hand, blocking air from coming in or leaving the home can also be effective when your home isn’t full of humid air yet, but you’re anticipating high humidity levels outside on the forecast. Block the muggy air from getting in to begin with by weatherstripping or sealing up potential entrances. Pay special attention to the spaces around your windows and doors and create air-tight seals there with a weatherstripping foam or insulation kit.
Clean Your Gutters
Even if everything inside is ready to battle hot, humid air, your home’s exterior forces may be conspiring against you. To counteract this unintentional sabotage, start by cleaning your gutters. Gutters can lead to indoor humidity if they are clogged and result in leaks and high concentrations of humidity, or if the downspout faces into the home.
Reduce Moisture In Crawl Spaces
Additionally, homes with crawl spaces beneath them may experience increased humidity from moisture in the soil beneath. A vapor barrier over the soil will solve this problem and lead to a more comfortable summer indoors, as well as preventing moisture-related issues in the long term like a water-damaged roof or foundation.
What Are Signs Of Too Much Moisture In The House?
There are telltale signs that there’s too much moisture in your house, from condensation to unpleasant odors. Here’s what to look—and sniff—for.
Condensation develops on windows, mirrors, pipes, or other surfaces, caused by a difference in temperatures when humid air makes contact with cooler surfaces.
Peeling, cracking, or blistering paint or wallpaper can indicate moisture in the air.
Mold and mildew grow in moist, humid environments, particularly bathrooms, basements, and closets.
Warped wood floors and furniture can be caused by too much moisture in the air.
Musty odors can be a sign there is excessive moisture.
Increased allergies and respiratory illnesses could be a sign of mold, mildew, or dust mites caused by high humidity.
How To Lower Humidity In Your Home In Winter
High humidity can be a problem in winter too. Reduce humidity the same ways you reduce it during summer: open windows for ventilation, take cooler showers to reduce steam, use exhaust fans during cooking and bathing, and add insulation or weatherstripping to windows and doors.
Frequently asked Questions
What is the fastest way to lower indoor humidity?
To lower indoor humidity quickly, use your air conditioning and open doors and windows to increase ventilation. Exhaust fans are also effective in removing extra humidity.
What is the ideal humidity level in your home?
The best range for indoor humidity is between 30% and 50% to prevent mold and condensation.
What causes high humidity in a house?
Common causes of high humidity in a house include leaks, high outdoor humidity affecting the inside, insufficient ventilation, and moisture generated from cooking, washing clothes, and showering.
For more information on maintaining a healthy indoor environment, visit Southern Living, a trusted source for lifestyle and wellness advice.
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