These Steps will Help Reduce Indoor Humidity Naturally
As our Southwest Ohio summer progresses, it will be clear whether your home has a problem with excess humidity. The answer is as close as your own feelings of clamminess and discomfort on hot days. No matter how low you set the air conditioning, the indoor air still feels humid and you still see condensation on windows and walls.
Air that’s too moist is not just uncomfortable; it can be unhealthy. An example is when black mold appears on walls or other surfaces inside the home, usually in dark, damp places that are easy to ignore.
Mold spores in the air you breathe threaten family members’ health, especially those who suffer from allergies and respiratory issues. Humid air also creates an attractive environment for bacteria, viruses and dust mites. Moist air causes accelerated deterioration of food in your cabinets or pantry. Finally, muggy air can make it more difficult to sleep.
There’s no shortage of mechanical options for addressing high humidity in the home. These include
- whole-house or portable dehumidifiers,
- upgraded central air conditioning and
- mechanical ventilation systems.
Alas, many homeowners can’t afford to install humidity control systems. What are they supposed to do?
Reduce Indoor Humidity Naturally
Luckily, a thrifty homeowner has an assortment of options to naturally lower indoor humidity.
- This may sound silly, but taking shorter showers is one way to lower moisture in the air. You might be surprised to learn how much humidity a long shower will create in the bathroom and nearby rooms. If you’re not ready to give up your opera-length showers, at least make sure you have the bathroom exhaust fan running during and after the shower.
We recommend replacing your existing fan switch with a timer switch. A push-button or rotary timer fan controller makes it easy to remove that humidity from the bathroom. And if venting all of that heat out of your bathroom in the winter makes you shiver, maybe it should. But it’s simple for Jansen Heating & Cooling to install a small, affordable bathroom heater to make post-shower time as comfy as possible.
- Close the windows and doors on especially humid or rainy days. This will keep some of that moisture out of the indoor air. Running the AC at the same time will remove even more (provided you have a well-maintained, modern cooling system).
- If you have house plants, cover the soil with a layer of rocks, in order to hold moisture where it does the most good, around the plants.
- However possible, make sure that the home has an effective exchange of outside air with inside air. Air that’s trapped inside for long periods can become muggy and stale, especially if home occupants are doing activities that increase indoor humidity, such as cooking, exercising and showering.
- If you don’t have a cat in your home, try placing cat litter or calcium chloride in bowls at strategic locations around the home. This will help draw moisture from the air. If you do have a cat, you probably don’t want to let her do her business in well-traveled parts of the house.
- Inspect your home’s plumbing to make sure it’s not leaking anywhere. A leaky toilet or faucet over time can add moisture to indoor air.
Similarly, look for areas where outside water might be seeping into your foundation or walls. Poorly installed or deteriorating rain gutters can allow water encroachment in the home. You also might find dampness near the sump pump.
More Ways to Reduce Indoor Humidity
- Run ceiling fans in order to increase evaporation as the air circulates. In an occupied room, this also will make the air feel cooler and dryer.
- Consider hanging wet clothes outdoors when the weather allows it. Even dryers that are vented to the outside will add some moisture to indoor air. Similarly, avoid hanging wet clothes inside to dry.
True, you might try any combination of these natural dehumidification strategies and still have a high-humidity problem in your home. This is when it’s time to seriously consider discussing your issue with a contractor who does air conditioning service in Cincinnati.
Getting Professional Advice
They can guide you in the process of selecting an effective dehumidifier – a whole-house model for a whole-house problem, and a portable or room dehumidifier for muggy air confined to a room or other small part of the house.
If you purchase a portable dehumidifier, consider one that comes with a drainage hose. That way you don’t need to constantly remember to empty the drainage reservoir inside the device.