7 Simple Ways to Lower Home Humidity
Now, more than ever, we are spending a more extended time indoors. So the importance of having an excellent indoor quality is vital. Many factors affect our indoor air quality, from a dirty AC to humidity, all of which are harmful to our health.
The most prevalent indoor air quality problem is home humidity. If your home has too much moisture, then it will be prone to develop mold, a very harmful thing to have. Healthwise, you will have trouble breathing, meaning you will be more tired.
Clearly, indoor humidity is not suitable to have for you or your home. Luckily, there are some things you can do to decrease it, and that’s what we will discuss today.
1. Remove Houseplants
Surprising enough, houseplants are one of the leading causes of humidity. Of course, we aren’t saying that all houseplants are harmful to you, some can actually help with bug control. Unfortunately, though, the majority of houseplants contribute to indoor humidity.
When your houseplant takes in the carbon monoxide, it also releases moisture into the air. As you can imagine, the more houseplants you have, the worse the indoor humidity will be. What can you do?
You don’t have to eliminate all of your plants, but what you can do is place them outside for most of the day. Once it gets dark, you can put them back inside. If you can’t place them out, try to move them to a well-ventilated room, and open the window at least once a day.
2. Use a Dehumidifier
A reliable way of lowering your home humidity is by using a dehumidifier. You can get a whole-home dehumidifier, which is quite large and can collect a large amount of water. Of course, it all depends on the severity of the indoor humidity as there are smaller ones too.
How does a dehumidifier work? Simply put, the dehumidifier gathers moisture in the air, using a special filter, and after the water is collected in a compartment which you can empty. There are plenty of filters for humidifiers to choose from, so be sure to get one from a reputable source.
3. Use the AC
Using an AC is an excellent way of reducing home humidity. Since most people have one, that means you don’t need to buy anything! Keep in mind that this is only efficient if your AC is in optimal conditions. That means having the filters clean and it being well-maintained.
Your AC helps in indoor humidity because it takes the moisture found in your home and releases it outside. Of course, if you have an excessive amount of moisture, this may not be the most money-saving option.
4. Open the Windows
If your home humidity is minor, then this tip will surely help in reducing moisture. It would be better to open all the windows in your home at least twice a day to impact the overall humidity level. Humidity gets worse when there is no air circulating in your home.
When you open the windows, cool air enters and removes the warm-humid air in your home. You can also use a fan to help circulate the air quicker.
5. Use a Dryer
Quite often, people wash their clothes and hang them in their homes. Hanging wet clothes only creates indoor humidity, and even more if there is already a moisture problem. The solution is either using the dryer or hanging the wet clothes outside.
If you have no dryer and cannot hang them outside, you can try the following. Hang the clothes in a room with lots of ventilation, open the windows, and use a fan. This won’t eliminate the indoor humidity, but it will reduce it.
6. Check for Leaking Pipes or Faucets
Leaking pipes or faucets are one of the worse causes of humidity. Finding a leaking faucet is easy and can be fixed with little hesitation. The problem is finding and repairing a leaking pipe, especially if the pipe is in the walls.
One way to detect a leaking pipe is by looking for wet spots or mold on the wall. Once you find it, you should either call a professional plumber or see if you can fix it yourself. After repairing a leaking pipe or faucet, you will notice how the indoor humidity disappears.
7. Take Cold Showers
Hot-steamy air is the perfect condition for moisture to increase in your home. The more hot air, the worse the effects of humidity will be. Of course, it doesn’t mean you should only take cold showers.
What we mean is to lower the heat of the water when you shower. And if you must take a hot shower, try to open a window after showering or placing a fan in the bathroom to help circulate the hot air.
Benefits of Lower Home Humidity
As you can imagine, benefits are abundant when we lower the indoor humidity levels. Let’s briefly see the three main ones.
Fewer Allergies
Mildew, mold, and mites love humidity. So if we reduce the moisture level in our home, we also reduce those harmful things.
Better Smell
Most people can tell there is moisture by only smelling as humidity has a peculiar smell. Not only that, but precipitation in the air causes other smells to be more pungent.
Overall Home Health
Wood is one of the first things to begin to deteriorate when there is humidity. As most homes and furniture is made out of wood, that means most if not all of your home is in danger. Less moisture means a healthier home.
Act Now if Your Home Has Humidity
Home humidity is never a good thing to have, as you have seen. Act quickly at the first sign of moisture. This will avoid any damage being done to your home and yourself!
The article you’ve read today is one of many home improvement posts we have on our site. So if you found it informative, be sure to check out our other articles. Without a doubt, you’ll also find them useful and educational.