Indoor humidity in Southwest Florida can be a big problem for homeowners. For those living in Florida’s warm and humid climate, it’s important to know how to dehumidify your house. It can be especially difficult to maintain a comfortable living environment in the home if the humidity level isn’t under control. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to help dehumidify your home and make it more comfortable. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some easy ways to dehumidify your house in Southwest Florida.
Why It’s Important to Dehumidify Your Home
Dehumidifying your home is important for several reasons. It creates a more comfortable environment, reduces health risks, and can protect your home’s structure by preventing the growth of wood-destroying fungi and bacteria. Making sure you don’t have too much moisture in your home can also reduce the potential for other damaging condensation-related problems. By keeping your home’s humidity at optimal levels, you can ensure that your family, as well as your home, remain healthy and comfortable.
The ideal humidity level for a home is below 50% humidity. While all homes will have a little humidity, which is better than totally dry air, monitoring your home’s humidity is necessary for healthy living.
Potential Health Risks of High Humidity Levels in Your Home
Too much humidity in your house is the easiest way to create an unhealthy environment to live in. A high amount of moisture can cause the following health risks.
Allergies and Asthma
High humidity can increase dust mites, mildews, and mold growth, which can trigger allergies and asthma attacks in susceptible individuals.
Increased Risk of Illness
The humidity can cause bacteria, viruses, and other microbes to become airborne, putting you at risk of becoming ill.
Structural Damage
High levels of moisture can cause a variety of structural issues in your home, including wood rot, warping, and peeling paint.
Respiratory Irritation
High humidity can irritate your nose, throat, and lungs, leading to coughing and congestion.
Poor Air Quality
An excessively humid environment can exacerbate dust and other airborne allergens, leading to poorer air quality and potential health impacts.
Things that Cause Excess Humidity in your House
A humidity problem can come from many different sources in and outside of your house. Here are some of the most common.
1. Poor Ventilation
Poor ventilation can cause humidity to linger in your home.
2. Showers
Spending time in the shower or running a hot bath can generate significant humidity in a properly ventilated bathroom.
3. Cooking
Boiling water or steaming food creates large amounts of moisture in the air, which can increase the humidity in a kitchen.
4. House plants
Indoor plants draw moisture from the air naturally and can be a source of excess humidity.
5. Poorly Sealed Windows
Windows that are not properly sealed and insulated can contribute to excess moisture in the home by letting outside air and rainwater into the house. If you regularly open windows and turn off your AC, the humidity levels in your home will naturally increase.
6. Leaks or Flooding
Any water that gets into your house, even if it’s a small drip or leaky pipes, can contribute to higher humidity levels if it isn’t properly addressed.
Steps for Dehumidifying Your House
1. Identify Sources of Moisture
Look for the areas in your home where moisture is seeping in and causing high humidity, such as leaky windows, pipes, and roofs. You can also use a dehumidifier to detect moisture levels in your home.
2. Ventilate Your Home
Air out your home by opening windows and doors to let in fresh air only when the humidity is low outside. This will help the home be less humid and let moisture evaporate. Otherwise, ventilation should come from vent fans more often than not.
3. Boost Air Circulation
It’s best practice in a humid climate to run fans and exhaust fans regularly to help disperse humid air. This will allow the moisture to evaporate faster.
4. Install a Dehumidifier
An good dehumidifier can be used to draw out excess moisture from the air and make your home less humid. Make sure you have enough space in the area to install the dehumidifier. Portable dehumidifiers are also a good option if you can’t install a whole-house dehumidifier.
5. Seal Any Leaks in the Home
Look around your home for any cracks or gaps in the walls, floors, and doors that could be letting humidity in. Using caulk to fill these gaps and sealing any cracked windows or doors will help in reducing the humidity in your home.
6. Cool Your Home
Warm air is the enemy when you’re trying to reduce high levels of humidity. Cold air will help in reducing the humidity because air conditioners are natural dehumidifiers, so make sure your AC system is running efficiently. Turn on the air conditioner to a low temperature to keep the air circulating and the humidity low.
7. Dry Out Any Wet Items
Any wet items such as towels, clothes, and rugs can add moisture to your home and increase humidity levels. Be sure to hang up your washing and dry any items that are wet.
8. Change air conditioning filters frequently
Changing your air conditioning filters regularly ensures that you have optimal airflow and better indoor air quality.
9. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and laundry rooms
One source of excess humidity in the home that many people don’t think about comes from hot showers. The best way to eliminate that extra moisture before it becomes a problem is to use the bathroom exhaust fan or ventilation fan during and after your shower. Laundry rooms can also cause humidity issues, so using an exhaust fan or at least ceiling fan if you don’t have the proper ventilation can be helpful.
Conclusion
By taking the steps necessary to reduce the amount of humidity in your home, you’ll be able to enjoy a much more comfortable and healthy living environment. If your air conditioner needs servicing or your indoor air quality needs improvement, Dolphin Cooling is here to help! Call us today for more information.