In Florida, we all know it’s not just the heat you need to worry about – it’s the humidity. Even if we have the heat under control, the humidity can still make us feel uncomfortable, hot and sticky. While we may be forced to deal with humidity outside, you shouldn’t have to suffer indoors. If the humidity in your home has gotten out of control, find out why you should do something about it and how to combat it.
How High Humidity Affects Your House
Humidity doesn’t just impact our comfort. It has many other negative effects on our house. For the most part, humidity levels should be kept around 30-50% indoors. However, during summertime in Melbourne Florida, we can get up to 100 percent humidity outside!
When humidity invades your home, it can cause a number of problems. In addition to feeling less comfortable inside, humidity can cause mildew and mold to start growing inside your house. This is a serious issue, as mold can cause a number of health problems. That’s why you need to follow these ways to reduce humidity in your home.
4 Signs It’s Too Humid Inside Your Home
It’s one thing to feel like there’s humidity around you because you just came in after spending all day in the sticky heat. It’s another thing when items around your house begin to show signs that it’s not all in your head. It’s actually humid indoors. Some of these signs include:
- Condensation on windows
- Doors stick to the frames when closed
- Mold in bathrooms
- Floorboards feel loose our bouncy
Humidity is not only uncomfortable, it’s also harmful to your health and property. This is because dust mites thrive in damp environments. The more dust mites in your home, the more dust mite feces you and your family are breathing in, causing allergies and breathing problems.
To add insult to injury, a humid environment causes wood to rot, compromising the structure of your home as well as your furniture.
What Causes of High Indoor Humidity
For ideal comfort and indoor air quality, the humidity level in your home should sit around 50 percent. Here are two common issues that may cause excess humidity in your home:
Your AC is too large. Your air conditioner does more than cool your home. It’s also responsible for removing indoor humidity. While an oversized AC may not sound like a bad thing, it can actually cause your home to be more humid. An air conditioner that is too big won’t have to complete full refrigeration cycles to cool your home. That means it will shut off before it can adequately remove humidity. This is why it’s so important to hire a trusted HVAC company to perform a proper installation from the start!
Your home has poor ventilation. Proper ventilation is a huge component in controlling your home’s humidity level. Older homes with cracks and crevices near doors and windows will allow too much humidity inside, while newer, more airtight homes won’t be able to properly get rid of humidity. To maintain an optimum humidity level, it’s important that any air leaks in your home are tightly sealed, and that areas with running water (bathrooms, kitchens, etc.) have vents and exhaust fans to remove moisture in the air.
5 Ways to Reduce Humidity In Your Home
1. Increase Ventilation in Your Home
Poor ventilation is one of the leading causes of high humidity in the home. This is especially a problem in areas of your home that produce a lot of heat or moisture. The bathroom and kitchen are the two main offenders. Whenever you use the stove or take a shower, be sure to turn on the exhaust fan. This will help remove excess humidity and keep your home more comfortable.
Why Homes Need Attic Ventilation:
2. Schedule Regular Preventative HVAC Maintenance
Most air conditioners have the ability to take humidity out from the air in your home. However, if you’ve fallen behind on your AC maintenance, then it may not be doing its job properly. To keep your AC working its best and removing humidity, make sure you receive AC maintenance at least once a year.
3. Check for Seal Air Leaks Around Your Home
If your home is not completely sealed, then excess humidity will enter your home. A simple way to stop this is by sealing off any leaks in your home. You can visually inspect windows and doors for leaks. Also, make sure all exhaust fans and pipes are well sealed.
4. Install a Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier allows you to control the humidity levels inside your home. During the hotter summer months, set the humidity in your home to 40%. (During chillier days, set it to 60%). Doing so will keep your home comfortable, and you’ll save money on your energy bills. This is because lower humidity means your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to remove excess moisture from your home.
5. Get Houseplants That Absorb Moisture
Plants make spaces look beautiful and more inviting. In addition, some of them also absorb moisture from the air through their leaves. These include Boston Ferns, Tillandsia, Reed Palms, and Inglish Ivy. Remember to place the plants in direct sunlight by windows and to water them regularly.
Colman Heating & Air Can Help Lower the Humidity In Your Home
There is no reason anyone should feel uncomfortable in his or her own home. That’s why Colman Heating & Air is here to help. If you’re having trouble controlling the humidity in your home, just give us a call or schedule an appointment online. Our experienced technicians will help you find the perfect solution to keep your home cool and comfortable year-round.
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