How to Prevent High Humidity Levels at Home
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The solution, in this case, is placing a vapor barrier, such as 6mm plastic sheeting, over the dirt, and then covering the sheeting with several inches of sand or pea gravel to hold it in place. On the other side of the humidity spectrum, there are areas of the country—think Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico—in which the is severely dry all year long. Homeowners in these areas should consider installing a whole-house humidifier to increase the moisture in their home’s air. If a family member suffers from dry nasal passages, sinusitis, or skin irritations, all of which can be aggravated by low humidity, a humidifier can help alleviate symptoms.
Solved! These Are the 8 Telltale Signs of Mold in the House
For example, humidity tends to be lower during dry winters because cold air carries less moisture. Maintaining the appropriate indoor humidity is beneficial for both your health and the structural integrity of your home. Learn from experts how to measure humidity, detect signs of low and high indoor humidity, and maintain the ideal humidity level in the house. Designed to pump out excess moisture and odors from your home, these exhaust fans are useful for preventing mold growth. They’re often installed around particularly humid areas, such as in the bathroom, kitchen or basement, and can help when you’re lacking windows. Such issues are prevalent during the colder months, when we often crank up the heat, and block out any air coming indoors.
Keeping indoor humidity levels at a “sweet spot” may reduce spread of Covid-19 - MIT News
Keeping indoor humidity levels at a “sweet spot” may reduce spread of Covid-19.
Posted: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT [source]
How Can I Reduce Indoor Humidity?
You can buy a weatherstripping kit, or just adhesive-backed foam, online or at your local home goods store. Available online or at your local home goods store, a humidity monitor will allow you to check the moisture levels of the air in your home so that you have a better sense of what you’re dealing with. Place bowls of the stuff in any areas of your house where humidity is high. Baking soda works best in smaller rooms, so use charcoal or rock salt if you’re working with a larger area. You should check the humidity levels in your home at least once a week. Proper airflow is vital in a humid room to prevent mold growth and other issues.
How to Decrease Indoor Humidity from Interior Problems in Your Home
Traces of moisture can spread to ceilings and walls, causing discoloration and mold growth. Peeling paint and creaking or buckling floorboards can also be a sign of excessive moisture. Your humidistat is set too high if excessive moisture collects on windows and other cold surfaces. Excess humidity for a prolonged time can damage walls especially when outdoor air temperatures are very low. Excess moisture condenses on window glass because the glass is cold. Other sources of excess moisture besides overuse of a humidifier may be long showers, running water for other uses, boiling or steaming in cooking, plants, and drying clothes indoors.
As we discussed, having high humidity levels in your home can be very detrimental to everyone living there and the house itself. Humidity levels that are too high or low can be detrimental to your health and home. It can be almost impossible to get the mold and mildew out of a unit that’s been running for a while. Charcoal briquettes can actually be useful outside of the grill, and since they are absorbent, they can be useful when tackling humidity in the home.
Plants are lively and beautiful, but they do release their fair share of moisture. If your home has a lot of indoor plants, this could be causing your humidity level to increase. The last thing you want to do when you’re trying to reduce indoor humidity is to add moisture. Water can enter your home by leaking or by seeping through basement floors.
Avoid drying clothes on radiators
There are different types of dehumidifiers, some of which are small and portable, whereas others attach to your HVAC system. If the humidity doesn’t affect the entire house, a plug-in dehumidifier will likely do the trick. However, if your entire home suffers from high humidity, then you want to find the most efficient and effective way to tackle this problem. If your basement is damp or taking on water, you should think about how to solve this, especially if it’s a recurrent issue. Waterproofing your basement will prevent moisture from building up, but you can also have peace of mind knowing that flooding is no longer a concern. If water is leaking into your home from any point, you are bound to have humidity issues, at the least.
How Do Dehumidifiers Lower the humidity?
Two common sources of indoor leaks are your pipes and your gutters. Laundry is a common source of humidity, especially if your washer and dryer are older and less efficient. Some laundry rooms are more humid than others, and while washing and drying can create humidity, hang drying your clothes leaves you even more vulnerable. Two of the most important ways to dehumidify also happen to be the most accessible and least disruptive.
Rehome Your Houseplants
Making the most of any natural sunlight can help to warm houses and dry out any damp air. Opening curtains and blinds in the day prevents moisture from being trapped around the windows and using rugs and mats on wooden and stone floors can make rooms feel warmer too. If you haven’t already, consider investing in double glazing as it helps your property retain the heat from the sun during the day. The ideal humidity level for homes is 30 to 50 percent—if it exceeds this number, you will need to find a solution for limiting the moisture in your home. "You will likely notice your home is too humid if it feels damp," says Brandon Martin, owner and operator of B Cool Heating and Air Conditioning. "Some thermostats will tell you the humidity level on the display as an easy reference."
Rated the overall best on our list, this machine left the air in our home clean and moisture-free. Additional causes for low humidity in the home include the excessive use of air conditioning or of a dehumidifier. Also keep in mind that some locations do not need to be cold to have low levels of humidity outside, like cities or towns located in desert regions. In these places, low humidity is a constant hazard that needs to be combated with a low maintenance solution, like a whole-home humidifier. Low humidity means that there is a small amount of water vapor in the air, making it feel very dry.
We’ll put together a custom plan, hire expert contractors, and make sure the work gets done right. Plus, you’ll get the famous Sealed energy-savings guarantee if your house qualifies. When you get your home air sealed, you’ll fill in all the cracks and gaps that allow air exchange with the outside. Basically, heat pumps are the superheroes of the HVAC world (or, as we like to call them, the Tesla of HVAC).
Optimal humidity is good for your health, aids sleep, and promotes daytime mental alertness. You will also breathe easier if you normally suffer from a respiratory illness like asthma or allergies. Excessive humidity levels can lead to heat stroke and pneumonia if you are continuously exposed to it, not to mention how irritable being hot and sweaty will make you. Dampness that sets into drywall or carpeting creates a breeding ground for dust mites and mold growth. Moisture can attack fine wood furnishings, floors, or walls, causing stains and damage. When you weatherstrip around your windows and doors, you create an airtight seal that prevents humidity from outside seeping into your home.
When the humidity dares break into our homes, it's important to be equally prepared. Maintain your home as a haven from summertime humidity with these simple tricks and fixes. It seems there's nothing that can't be improved by decluttering your home, be it making your house look more expensive on a budget or trying to reduce humidity.
Nicholas is a heating and energy expert with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Nicholas is dedicated to finding the best heating solutions for every need, as well as optimising energy usage, reducing costs and helping others live with lower-cost energy bills. "Especially after cooking or showering. Even better, use the trickle vents on windows or keep a quarter light open for background ventilation." It may be cold outside but maintaining good ventilation in all rooms is a natural yet crucial method to counteract humidity, ensuring the levels don't build up with nowhere to go. While hygrometers are the go-to tools for measuring humidity, Mitchell suggests paying close attention to physical signs too. “Consistent condensation on windows, a musty smell, or unusual respiratory responses can all signal high humidity,” Mitchell says.
Cooking, bathing, drying clothes, washing dishes and several other everyday activities also release moisture into the air. This can make your home uncomfortable, particularly in the summer. In the winter, certain heating appliances, including unvented natural gas space heaters or kerosene heaters, can also increase the moisture inside your home. Plus, any cool surfaces such as windows, walls and doors that lack proper insulation can gather condensation.
But whole house dehumidifiers that connect with a home’s HVAC system are also available to decrease moisture levels throughout the entire house. Your home likely has a few different exhaust fans, and each should be used regularly to limit humidity. Having old insulation replaced, especially in the attic and basement, could be the key to eliminating excess moisture in the air.
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