Live Comfortable: 4 Solutions When Your House Feels Too Humid

Most experts agree that indoor humidity levels should never rise above 50 percent. Living in a damp home is going to increase your risk of mold, bacterial growth, respiratory infections, pest infestations, and many other serious issues. These five solutions will help you bring down your humidity levels and avoid the many unwanted consequences of having excess moisture in your home.

Improve the Ventilation

The easiest and most affordable way to lower your humidity levels is to get a gentle breeze moving through your home. As long as it isn’t too damp or cold outside, you should open a few windows and turn on your fans. Even a smaller oscillating fan will redistribute some of the moisture that is in the air so that your home doesn’t feel as humid. If it is particularly humid outside, then you need to shut all of the windows and turn the fans up to a higher setting.

Inspect Your Plumbing

Ongoing leaks and standing water can substantially increase your indoor humidity levels. That is why all homeowners need to check their pipes and fixtures for any signs of damage at least once every few months. You might also want to have a professional plumber inspect your home every two or three years. They can use specialty equipment to find cracks and leaks much deeper in the pipes.

Buy a Portable Dehumidifier

Whole-home dehumidifiers are extremely effective, but they can also be quite expensive. Portable dehumidifiers are much more affordable, and they can easily be set up wherever they are needed the most. A dehumidifier that is placed in your bedroom or just outside the main bathroom could potentially extract gallons of water from the air every week. Some of them can also be controlled with wireless remotes and smartphone apps.

Tune Your HVAC System

Your HVAC system plays a major role in your home’s humidity levels, and you should have it serviced by an experienced contractor, like those at Robinson Heating & Colling Inc, every six or seven months. A well-maintained condenser will circulate air throughout your home and speed up evaporation. A heating and cooling specialist can also check all of the ducts and vents for any leaks that might be allowing moisture into your home. When your furnace or air conditioner finally needs to be replaced, you should ask the HVAC contractor about systems that have built-in dehumidifiers.

Living in a home with high humidity levels is uncomfortable, unhealthy, and unwise. Luckily, most homeowners can easily control their indoor humidity levels with a few simple upgrades and some changes to their habits.