Those who live in the South know and dread when summer comes. Not only is it uncomfortably warm outside all the time, but it is also really humid. This humidity can seep into your home, and it is something you don’t want. It’s not just uncomfortable – it can lead to harmful mold growth that poses a risk to your home and your health.
There are a few solutions to reduce the amount of humidity. The most effective of these methods is a dehumidifier, but those can be expensive. If that’s out of your budget, there are a few other strategies you can try that cost nothing and are easy to do. Before jumping into how to fix the humidity in your home, it might help to recognize the signs that the humidity is too high.
How to Tell If Your Home Is Too Humid
For your comfort and health, the humidity levels in your home should be between 30% and 50%. When it goes above that, your space will start to feel uncomfortable, and a few things can happen:
- Your hair will frizz. While this is not a huge issue, it can put a damper on your day.
- Your house feels hotter.
- It feels as if the air is wet.
- You can start experience issues sleeping.
- Signs of mold start to appear and grow.
- Your door sticks when opening and closing. This happens thanks to the expansion of wood experiences when exposed to prolonged moisture.
- Signs of rust and oxidization.
- Allergies start to act up.
Ways to Reduce Indoor Humidity
While a dehumidifier is the best way to reduce humidity indoors, you might not own one, or your humidity issue is a minor one. If you live in a humid southern climate, then look at buying a dehumidifier or search for HVAC services in Louisville, KY. Read on to learn more ways you can deal with humidity in your home.
Ventilate Your Room
The two significant areas of your house that create moisture are your bathroom and kitchen. To ensure that these rooms are adequately ventilated, keep the windows and doors open as often as possible. Turn on your fans and open the vents. These few steps can provide sufficient ventilation to your home and significantly reduce your indoor humidity.
Maintain Your Air Conditioning Unit
Your air conditioner is a tool that can help reduce humidity. It not only cools the room down, but it significantly stops the indoor humidity. For your A/C to do this job, you have to ensure that the filters are regularly replaced.
Take Shorter or Colder Showers
A beautiful, hot shower can be very relaxing. However, showers produce a lot of excess steam. As you may have figured out by stepping out of the shower and noticing your mirror is completely fogged. Steam contributes to humidity since it is also water in the air. Colder and shorter showers produce less steam, making them a perfect solution to any minor humidity problem you may be having.
A Basket of Charcoal Briquettes
Charcoal briquettes have properties that make them a great solution to humidity issues. They can absorb humidity and odors from the air. The absorptive power of charcoal is high, and it is resistant to powdering in absorption. It also can last 2 to 3 months, making an excellent long-term problem solver.
Wrap Up
The major takeaway from these tips is to ensure that your home has good airflow. This airflow can be achieved by absorbing the moisture from the air or utilizing the proper ventilation methods.
If you find that none of these tips help, then you are probably dealing with a significant problem. If that is the case, look into purchasing a dehumidifier or find an HVAC professional near you. These tips and tricks will allow you to effectively pull the moisture from the air and live more comfortably.
