Keeping the right humidity and moisture level in your home is essential to you and your family’s health. A little moisture can be beneficial; however, excessive could be hazardous to your health by stimulating bacterial growth. It can also damage your appliances and other home assets, especially if they are not being checked. This is the purpose of humidifiers and dehumidifiers — to help you control the humidity and moisture in your home.
Suggested Humidity Levels
The recommended average humidity level is 35 to 45 percent, which can already provide you enough comfortability. It also helps protect your drywall, furniture, and other materials from the damaging effects caused by dryness or excessive moisture.
Relative humidity levels change depending on climate and air temperature. Generally, people are most comfortable with humidity levels ranging between 40 and 60 percent. In colder temperatures, relative humidity can fall below 40 percent, while summer months can push it far above 60 percent.
Managing room humidity depends on many factors, including house or building airtight, its design and construction, and if any vapor barriers or retarders are installed.
Measure the Humidity
Investing in a hygrometer can be an advantage. Cheap and user-friendly, the hygrometer is a small instrument with a display that shows the relative humidity level of a room. It can help you measure the relative humidity in your home in the fastest and most accurate reading so you can maintain a specific humidity level that your room or home needs. And adding a humidifier or dehumidifier to your home will help you achieve your desired humidity level Since humidity changes from season to season.
High Humidity Effects
When there is excess moisture in your home or room, moist air gets trapped in corners and other closed areas. This is noticeable in bathrooms when moisture draws together in corners and creates molds. It can also accumulate in windows, causing water to trickle down the window and wooden frames, causing these to rot or corrode. Also, if you notice a moldy or damp odor at home or in your room, it is an indication that you need a dehumidifier.
Methods to Remove Humidity
The ways you can do to remove moisture from the air will all depend on the existing problem, the season, and the place where the dampness is present.
- Some areas could benefit from heat, such as the basement. However, if it is winter, these areas are too cold, and heating these areas could return it to an appropriate moisture level. If there is excessive humidity, you may need a combination of both heat and a dehumidifier to reach the right levels.
- A damp bathroom can take advantage of an open window or an exhaust fan to draw out the moist air or steam from showers and baths. In spring, when heating is not necessary, buying a dehumidifier may be the best alternative for removing dampness from the floor or the basement.
When to Add Humidity
During cold winters, your heating system at home can make the air excessively dry. This can cause dry skin and wooden objects to break. You can add a humidifier to those areas at home where you spend the most time. This is to improve the air quality and relieve you from any discomfort caused by dry air. Some people prefer having them in their bedrooms to humidify the air overnight. You can also have a whole-house humidifier installed on your heating system.
