Many things may affect the level of indoor comfort and among them is humidity levels. This is one major factor that alters the air we breathe inside and at the same time leads to problems such as mold, mildew and also allergy related worries.
It is also found that moisture contributes to home property damages like your walls wearing out and the likes of the rest. So if we must live and stay in an environment free of excessive humidity then we must be up and doing regarding the causes, and possible solutions.
While you may seem too worried about levels of humidity in your house as result of the challenges that accompany it, I would be very glad to tell you that there’re different natural methods to deal with this development.
Even making a do-it-yourself dehumidifier saves lots of money and safe to use in most cases. I believe you want to leave your doubt to the way forward, however below is what you can do.
If you’re not living in the arid states of the country then it is impossible to escape humidity during the summer days of the year.
For instance, the West Northern Carolina is characterized by temperate rain forest. The high quantity of moisture available makes plants grow in the area which is not found anywhere else on the earth. However, this also means the same amount of precipitation will find a way into your home and other households around.
Why Is High Indoor Humidity In Your Home Bad?
Different studies tell us about the ideal indoor humidity saying it should be within 30 – 50% which is the level that promotes comfort indoors. But when humidity levels find its way above 60 percent then is inevitable to have an uncomfortable situation in our homes. Below are things to expect in the presence of excessive moisture.
- A common sign, you notice your hair is frizzy out, although may not be a concern to some people but to some, it’s another beauty challenge.
- Excessive moisture makes people have abnormal sleep problems due to uncomfortable environment.
- The air becomes damp and when you sweat, it does not cool you down because it cannot evaporate.
- Mold and mildew begin to thrive and even spread faster. These allergens can be harmful to some people with breathing conditions.
- Swelling of wooden materials due to moisture absorption. And if your house construction is majorly wood component then expect to see more damages.
- Iron and metal material in your house will eventually become rusty in a high humidity environment.
- For those that live or raise pets, odor from them become disgustful and irritating.
- In a worse situation, deodorant may fail to work and you’ll be forced to live in oozing environment.
The list is exhaustive as I cannot mention all but with the few ones listed above, you’ll see the reason to keep your home humidity free.
Natural Ways to Deal with Humidity
Excessive humidity doesn’t mean a life or death situation. It is a natural occurrence and also there are natural ways to deal with it. The possible try ideas here will help you manage the moisture problem at home:
Good Ventilation
Ensuring a good amount of air flow is coming into your house is one simple way to reduce it. You can open windows in this case.
Fix leaking pipes
Leaking pipes are the major entrance of humidity gaining access into our homes. Occasionally check for possible leaks and repairs. If your pipes are not the insulated model then replacing them with insulated types can help reduce humidity because insulation prevents pipes from sweating out moisture.
Use a dehumidifier
This device is specially designed to solve the excessive humidity problem. So if you are looking for a quick solution to tackle humidity invasion in your house, a dehumidifier is simply what you should look for. They come in different coverage size and number of pints they can withdraw per day.
Most advanced models monitor the humidity in your home and turn on automatically to keep the humidity under check leaving you with optimal levels.
Cover up houseplants soil that is exposed
Available water in this soil will eventually escape into your air thereby adding up to humidity levels. More so, if left uncovered, it means you need to water your plant often than expected.
AC settings
Setting your air conditioning unit to “dry mode” helps to remove moisture while cooling your space.
Use the fireplace or woodstove
Either of this home appliance can warm your house in cold period and this means the disappearance of moisture.
Turn the fans On
Turn on more fans. As they run continuously moisture has no option than to evaporates into oblivion
Replace AC/ Furnace filters
When these filters are dirty can reduce air flow rate due to clogging.
Shorter showers
Staying long in the bathroom increase steam, hence increase moisture. But if you can do without a long shower then install vent bathroom fan so that you can turn it on during the bath.
Line dry clothes outdoors
Stops the habits of sun-drying your clothes inside during laundry. Indoor drying significantly increases humidity levels in the home.
Final Word
Humidity is good but the same time, too humid environment is the thriving ground for mold and mildew growths. These agents’ activities have a negative impact on our health and more so, excess humidity can damage your building including the foundation.
However, if you must stay healthy in the summer, then humidity check should be your watch guard.
