How to Reduce Humidity in Your House

Living in Florida, we deal with humidity on an almost daily basis. But just because we live in the most humid state in the U.S. doesn’t mean we have to deal with humidity inside of our homes.

Humidity occurs when there is too much moisture in the air and many factors can contribute to excess humidity indoors. When humidity forms in your home and becomes trapped inside, it can make certain areas or your entire home feel damp and uncomfortable. Before you can remove the humidity from inside your home, it’s important to locate the source of the moisture. Fortunately, there are simple ways to rid your home of excess moisture. Learn how to find the cause of your home’s humidity below.

Causes of Humidity in Your Home

Not only is humidity uncomfortable, but it can be dangerous to you and your loved ones. Areas with excess moisture can turn into a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and other bacteria. Once you have located the source of the humidity, you can work to remove it.

Typically, humidity comes from one of these common sources:

Bathrooms and Kitchens: Bathrooms and kitchens tend to be the most humid areas in a home. Steam from showers, baths, sinks, and dishwashers can get trapped in these spaces before it can be properly vented outdoors.

Poor Ventilation: Speaking of poor ventilation, if the rest of your home isn’t properly ventilated, it can cause excess moisture to accumulate throughout your entire home.

Washer and Dryer: Washer and dryers make our lives more convenient, but these appliances can also be a source of humidity if they’re not properly vented.

Over cooling: Even in Florida, too much cooling power is not always a good thing. If areas of your home are over cooled, it can create condensation, which will make your home feel humid.

5 Easy Ways to Reduce Humidity

Excessive humidity in the home is something that everyone tries to avoid. After all, excess humidity means your house will not only be warm and uncomfortable, but too much humidity can lead to mold, mildew and poor indoor air quality. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to reach ideal humidity levels in your house — starting with these five easy tips and tricks.

1. Invest In a Dehumidifier

One of the best ways to combat humidity is to purchase a dehumidifier for your house. Even a small dehumidifier will reduce the amount of humidity in your house significantly. There are many sizes to fit anything from small rooms to full-house dehumidifiers. When installing a dehumidifier, you should determine the most humid spot in the house using a hygrometer which can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

Dehumidifiers are one of the easiest and most effective ways to remove humidity from your home. Take for example the Carrier Whole-Home Dehumidifier. This dehumidifying solution provides enhanced comfort, even in humid regions like Florida. What’s great about this option is that is flexible and can be installed anywhere, promotes energy savings and contains a permanent, reusable filter.

For more information about dehumidifiers, check out our blog: Does Your Home Need a Dehumidifier?

2. Keep the Fans On

Fans provide low energy circulation which can push humidity out of the air. The constant movement of air decreases the chance for mold and mildew growth, which in turn improves indoor air quality. Air that is not moved around frequently can become stale and much less comfortable than air that is being circulated.

3. Take Shorter Showers

This is the option that nobody really wants to do, but it can decrease the level of humidity in your house significantly. Steam is produced when you shower, which then spreads throughout the house. Taking shorter showers will not only reduce the humidity in your home but it will also decrease your utility bill each month.

4. Check For Leaky Pipes

Sometimes excess humidity can be caused by a leaking pipe in your house. Common places that leaks occur are under sinks, shower pipes and basically anywhere water is pumped. Constant water leaking can lead to mold and mildew in your house. Mold can be very dangerous to people with breathing problems.

5. Cover Your Houseplants’ Soil

One natural and easy way to reduce humidity in your home is to cover the exposed soil in any houseplants. When you water your houseplants, the water evaporates and increases humidity. When you cover the plants, the water vapor is trapped in the cover keeping the humidity high just where it needs to be. This will also keep you from having to water the plants as much.

Reduce The Humidity in Your Home With Energy Air

If your house is showing signs of high humidity, contact a professional today. You don’t have to deal with excess moisture and humidity in your home. Contact the HVAC professionals at Energy Air or schedule an appointment online and we will discuss our dehumidifying solutions with you.