Would you be surprised if we told you that having a high humidity level throughout your home decreases your energy efficiency? Well, it’s true! When you have high humidity in your home it makes the air inside of your house warmer and eventually your HVAC system is going to have to work to cool it down.
Trying to determine whether excess moisture throughout your home is due to high humidity can be a little tricky. If a particular room in your house has an area that is moist you are most likely dealing with a leak. However, if an entire room or an entire wall is affected then your problem can most likely be contributed to the humidity in your home being off.
Trying to determine whether excess moisture throughout your home is due to high humidity can be a little tricky. If a particular room in your house has an area that is moist you are most likely dealing with a leak. However, if an entire room or an entire wall is affected then your problem can most likely be contributed to the humidity in your home being off.
Running your air conditioning unit is a great way to prevent and reduce humidity. In order to provide you with a cool home, your AC unit will pull air in from outside and filter out some of the moisture that is present. This is a more natural way to dehumidify your home, however it is only as effective as your AC filters. Over time these filters can become clogged and prevent air from flowing through which can cause higher levels of humidity in your home. Deep cleaning these filters will help to reduce the amount of humidity in your home and leave you and your family feeling comfortable.
This may sound a little weird but some of that water you are boiling turns into steam. This steam then gets absorbed into the rest of the air throughout your home. If it is a day where it is extremely humid outside, some of that humidity will find a way into your home no matter how hard you try to prevent it.
Some plants work to reduce the moisture level in the air, an example of this kind of plant is a Boston fern. Having these plants is a small way to work towards reducing the humidity level in your home and is helpful to the environment too.
If your home happens to have a crawl space with a dirt floor, one way to help prevent humidity in your home is by covering it with a polyethylene ground cover. It is important for you to also make sure that the soil in this area is dry and that there are no areas of standing water. Another place for you to pay attention to is your dryer duct. Make sure that the duct is venting directly outside because if it is not it can cause high humidity levels in your home and in some cases, it can even cause a fire.
The fans in your bathroom and your kitchen are there for a reason, to help reduce humidity! In just 24-48 hours humidity levels that are 55% and above can cause mold and bacteria growth. Making sure to run your exhaust fans whenever you have to cook our a shower will help keep that excess moisture from building up inside of your home.
One household chore that comes with humidity is doing laundry. This humidity comes from the moisture that is exposed to the home when wet clothes are hung up to dry inside. This can become even worse if you have poor ventilation throughout certain rooms in your home. In order to help prevent your damp clothes from increasing the humidity within your house, put them in the dryer or opt to hang dry your clothing outside.
While long, hot showers are extremely relaxing, these showers expose your home to both moisture and heat. These showers contribute to the humidity levels within your house and can easily be avoided by shortening your shower time and lowering the temperature. There are also appliances that can be used to help reduce humidity caused by showers, like a low flow shower head.
This may sound extreme, however, carpets have more of an affect on your home than you may realize. Your carpet can retain high levels of moisture, and because of this they may be contributing to high levels of humidity throughout your home. If you have tried other options to reduce your humidity levels and are still experiencing issues you may want to consider replacing your carpets.
In your home you want your humidity levels to sit between 30% to 50%, with the goal percentage being 45%. If your indoor humidity level is regularly at 55% or above it may be time to consider a whole home humidification system. This system is an easy and low maintenance way to keep your humidity levels comfortable for you and your family. They will also provide you with air that is clean and free of allergens making it easier for you to breathe too.
Keeping your humidity levels right within that sweet spot comes with more benefits than just keeping you comfortable too. Some benefits of lower humidity include:
The last thing you want is to be uncomfortable in your own home and high levels of humidity may be doing just that. Contact our team at Express Tech Air to learn more about how we can help make your day to day living even more comfortable.
