Humidity Control in your Home

How Can I Reduce Indoor Humidity?

In the summer, do you have a lot of humidity in your house? The feeling of high humidity is unpleasant. When it’s too humid in your house, you’re hot, sweaty, uncomfortable, and generally unhappy.

All you want is to find a solution to alleviate the discomfort, restore your indoor air quality, and enjoy your house this summer. That’s something we are here to assist you with.

What is the Ideal Indoor Humidity Level in Summer?

30-50 percent is the golden zone for optimal indoor humidity. Too much moisture in the air may make you hot and uncomfortable, as well as cause damage to your property.

It’s also true that too much humidity may lead to mould development and moisture in your walls. Structural deterioration and wood rot are a result of this excess moisture in your walls. Humidity that is too high is likewise harmful to your health. It can cause breathing issues, allergy flare-ups, and sleep disturbances.

On the other side, air with insufficient humidity can cause allergies, asthma, and damage to wood flooring. In the winter, this is a major issue.

A humidity level of 30-50 percent strikes a balance between too much and too little moisture, keeping both you and the environment healthy.

How can I tell If my Home is too Humid?

The simplest way to determine the humidity levels in your house, apart from sweating in the small of your back, is to acquire a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a device that monitors the amount of moisture in the air. They’re not costly and may be found at your neighbourhood hardware shop.

Measure the air in your home with your hygrometer once you have it. Is it more than 45 to 50 percent? If this is the case, you should find ways to lower your humidity levels.

How can I Reduce my Humidity Levels?

You’ve realized you need to lower your humidity levels, but how can you achieve this? Let’s take a look at this quick list full of effective and easy methods to reduce the humidity levels in your home. Many of these require minimal effort or are simply good habits worth maintaining.

1.) Use your Air Conditioner to Reduce Humidity

Due to it introducing cooler air while removing warm, humid air, your air conditioner naturally helps to minimize interior humidity.

Maintain humidity control by having your air conditioner serviced and changing the filter on a regular basis. Anything that limits airflow or prevents your air conditioner from operating is not your friend.

2.) Actively Use your Exhaust/Ventilation Fans

Use your ventilation fans when bathing or cooking on a hot stove.

Keep them on a bit longer than you typically would after you’ve finished your activity. This will go a long way toward lowering interior humidity.

3.) Take Cooler Showers

Showers that are too hot result in humidified air.

We love hot showers just as much as the next person, but in this case, they are the enemy of home comfort.

We’re not suggesting you switch to ice baths. You may reduce the amount of steam in the air by reducing the temperature of your showers by a few degrees, which will assist with humidity levels.

This article goes over effective ways to protect your bathroom from too much humidity.

4.) Fix any Leaking Pipes

When trying to minimize indoor humidity, the last thing you want to do is add moisture. This is exactly what leaking pipes and faucets do.

Fix any leaks you have and use insulators to cover any exposed pipes to prevent dampness. Staining on the drywall, damp patches, and unusual water bills are all signs of a leak.

5.) Keeping your Gutters Clean Helps Control Humidity

Indoor water leaks are frequently caused by gutters, which are bad for your property, your humidity level, and you.

6.) Dry your Laundry Outside

Most of us have clothing that can’t be tumble-dried in your standard clothes dryer. We utilize indoor drying racks in the winter. In the summer, though, all those moist garments will just add to the humidity in your home.

We recommend drying your clothing on a laundry line or a drying rack outside. Before you do so, check your neighbourhood rules to see if there are any limitations.

If you need to hang items to dry indoors, a dehumidifier is a good investment. This is a must-have for any home with a basement.

7.) Get a Dehumidifier

Investing in a dehumidifier is the most reliable approach to minimize indoor humidity.

Dehumidifiers are simple devices that most commonly plug into an outlet and run throughout the day. There is oftentimes a built-in water bucket that contains all of the water extracted out of the air in your home. It’s quite fascinating to see just how much humidity gets taken out of the air in just an afternoon depending on your humidity levels.

What’s the best part? Because your air conditioner helps keep humidity levels low, you’ll have to use it a lot less. As a result, there will be less money spent on cooling costs. Check out our previous blog post all about dehumidifiers.

8.) Move your House Plants

This one may be surprising and unexpected to most. Plants are vibrant and attractive, but they also emit a lot of water. If you have a lot of indoor plants, the humidity level in your house may be rising.

We recommend relocating indoor house plants temporarily to a single well-ventilated room or to a spot outside.

It’s critical to clear your gutters and ensure that your downspouts are directed away from your house and are at least 6 feet long.

9.) Use Charcoal Briquettes

Briquettes of charcoal are no longer simply for grilling. They’re really quite effective as a dehumidifier.

This isn’t a joke — it truly works!

Simply take a few briquettes and set them in a container — a basket or can would suffice. Charcoal is extremely absorbent, sucking moisture from the air. It just needs to be replaced every 2-3 months.

10.) Open a Window

Opening a window can sometimes assist to reduce humidity levels.

When your air conditioner is operating, though, you don’t want to do this too much. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting money cooling air that has been drawn outdoors.

We hope you have found some tips to remain cool this summer as well as to assist with controlling the humidity in your home. If you have any questions, please give us a call. We’re always here and ready to help!