4 Easy Ways To Lower Your Home's Humidity Level

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4 Easy Ways To Lower Your Home's Humidity Level

3 August 2015
 Categories: , Blog


High humidity levels in your home can make you physically uncomfortable and potentially affect your health. Moist, humid air is ideal for mold growth, which can irritate your respiratory system and trigger asthma attacks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. High humidity can also increase the amount of indoor air pollutants and allergens in your home, such as dust mites, bacteria and toxic particles from cleaning products and other household items. 

How humid should your home be? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends maintaining humidity levels of 50 percent or lower throughout the year, which helps prevent mold from growing. There are several simple ways to keep your home from becoming too humid.

Crank the AC

Your air conditioner helps draw humidity out of your home, making it a healthier and more comfortable living environment. Your AC unit's evaporator coil helps remove warm, moist air from inside your home. In order to ensure the coil is able to work properly, it's important to keep it clean. Just keep in mind that running your air conditioner frequently or at colder settings can also lead to higher energy bills, so don't rely solely on this method of lowering your home's humidity levels. 

If you run your AC often but the humidity does not seem to be effective, it could be smart to call in a technician from a business like Perry Heating Cooling to perform maintenance or maybe even replace the cooling system.

Use Exhaust Fans

The exhaust fans on your bathroom ceiling and above your stove are there for a reason. These fans pull moisture out of the air in these rooms and send it outside. When you're bathing, taking a shower or cooking on your stovetop, turn the exhaust fan on to reduce the amount of humidity in the room. 

Check Your Dryer Vent

Take a quick peek to make sure your dryer vent is fully sealed to prevent moist air from leaking inside your home. This air should be heading directly outside through the vent as long as there are no cracks around it. If you're trying to save money on utility bills by hanging clothes to dry instead of using your dryer, do so outside so you're not adding moisture to the air inside your home. 

Run a Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers are highly effective at removing excess moisture from the air, leading to lower humidity levels, as long as they're used correctly. If you plan on running a dehumidifier, don't put it near walls or furniture and make sure you close the windows and door of the room it's in. Otherwise, your dehumidifier won't work as well at reducing humidity.