Key Points
- Moisture levels in your home should hover between 30% and 50%.
- Some identifying symptoms of humidity issues within your home are mold, mildew, musty odors, peeling paint, water stains, warped wood, wood rot, moisture build-up on windows or furniture, and allergy-associated health problems.
- Short-term humidity reduction solutions include increasing ventilation, installing an air conditioner, and using a dehumidifier.
- Long-term humidity reduction solutions require insulation improvements, leak repairs, or decorating with houseplants that remove excess moisture from the air.
Have you ever walked outside only to feel like you’ve walked headfirst into a body of water? Unless you’ve actually stepped into a lake, the culprit behind this uncomfortable atmosphere is humidity. Humidity is simply the amount of water vapor in the air. When these levels are high, the air feels thicker and heavier, and you'll feel sweatier and stickier. While there's not much you can do about outdoor humidity, you can and should be concerned with the humidity in your home. Indoor humidity is more than just a comfort concern — a humid home is an ideal environment for mold and mildew growth. High moisture levels can also damage your furniture, cause paint to peel, and leave water stains on the walls and ceiling. These seemingly cosmetic stains can spiral into structural damage caused by excessive dampness. It’s best to avoid this if you can! If you don’t know how to reduce indoor humidity, keep reading.
Why Is My Room So Humid?
Several factors influence indoor air moisture content, including the outdoor climate and indoor issues such as plumbing leaks, poor ventilation, and a lack of insulation. Everyday activities like cooking and showering can also contribute to the humidity levels in your home.
So, if your room feels like a sauna, you might need to address more than one problem to improve your air quality.
How Can I Identify Humidity Issues?
Before figuring out how to make a room less humid, you need to understand your current humidity. Humidity levels of 60% or more are considered high. When indoor water vapor levels are this high, you might notice some of these telltale signs:
- Condensation build-up on windows and furniture
- Water stains on walls and ceilings
- Warped wood and wood rot
- Mold and mildew growth
- Musty smells
- Peeling paint
You might also experience allergy symptoms, headaches, and respiratory issues. These health symptoms can arise as dust mites take over and mold sets in. Humidity can also impact sleep quality, which can lead to additional sleep deprivation-related symptoms.
How Can I Measure Humidity Levels?
Ideal indoor humidity levels should be between 30% and 50%. A hygrometer can measure the humidity in your home, providing accurate air moisture and indoor temperature readings.
There are several different types of hygrometers, although they all offer similar accuracy. Some contain a wet and dry bulb thermometer. The temperature differences between these bulbs can determine air moisture levels. Other moisture sensors measure condensation levels on a piece of metal. Some thermostats even have humidity control functions, like the IAQ Wireless Touchscreen Thermostat with Humidity Control. Nowadays, you can buy high-quality air monitors like the Trane Awair Element Smart Air Quality Monitor that show you more than just humidity levels. With the AWAIR air monitor, you can also keep VOCs, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter.
Want to learn more? Check out our editor's review of the AWAIR AIR Monitor for a breakdown of the pros and cons of this awesome indoor air quality monitor!
What Are Short-Term Humidity Solutions?
There are several quick ways to lower the humidity in your house. These simple solutions offer short-term relief from clamminess and general discomfort.
Improve Ventilation
Ventilation influences indoor humidity. Without adequate ventilation, humid air is trapped inside a room. As the stagnant air lingers, humidity levels increase.
Opening a window or two can make a notable difference, especially if it's breezy outside. You could also invest in an exhaust fan to improve ventilation and keep air moving. Ceiling fans and standing or desk fans are all practical options.
Use a Dehumidifier
An open window and a fan can improve circulation, but these options can't remove excess moisture from the air. If you're wondering how to get humidity out of a room quickly, a dehumidifier might improve your comfort.
These innovative devices use fans to draw warm air currents into internal refrigerated coils. As the warm air moves over the coils, condensation collects inside the unit. As the condensation builds up, water droplets form and fall into a storage tank. When emptying the tank, you'll notice how much water has been collected from the air.
Dehumidifiers come in various shapes and sizes, from small portable desktop models suitable for a single room to large-capacity designs like the APRILAIRE dehumidifier range, suitable for the whole house.
Install Air Conditioning
Dehumidifiers can remove moisture from the air, but can't make your living space colder on sweaty summer days. If you want to make a room less humid and cooler, an air conditioning unit helps with both issues.
Air conditioners dehumidify similarly to dehumidifiers. These units also return cold air to lower indoor temperatures and help filter dust and other particles to improve overall quality.
You can find compact air conditioners for a small room or invest in more efficient models that can improve air quality throughout your living space. You can choose a model suited to your home cooling needs, such as central air systems and ductless mini-splits.
What Are Long-Term Humidity Solutions?
Short-term solutions can improve your everyday comfort, but you should still find long-term fixes to reduce humidity in your living space. If the high air moisture is caused by structural issues, poor insulation, or plumbing leaks, your dehumidifier or air conditioning unit will need to work harder to improve air quality.
These long-term solutions to lowering humidity in your house can help prevent home damage.
Improve Insulation
Adding insulation to your home can prevent humidity from seeping in. There's no need to open walls, either. You can improve home insulation by installing foam gaskets around electrical outlets, wrapping plumbing pipes in insulation, and placing weather stripping around door and window frames. Insulating the attic and sealing up recessed lighting is also wise.
Repair Leaks
If your home has plumbing leaks, high humidity is only one concern. Leaks can lead to costly water damage and raise your water bill. But you'll need to conduct a thorough plumbing inspection to find leaks. Sometimes, leaks are hiding within the walls.
Opting for a professional inspection with a certified plumbing expert is worthwhile. Otherwise, monitor your water meter to note spikes in usage that a leak might cause.
Decorate With Houseplants
Indoor plants can remove moisture from the air to lower humidity levels while serving as vibrant décor. Some plants have better absorption abilities than others. The best dehumidifying plants to choose from include peace lilies, Boston ferns, orchids, English ivy, spider plants, and cacti.
Pro Tip: Take advantage of high moisture activities like showers. Place moisture-loving plants in the bathroom with you while you shower for better plant health and higher humidity absorption.
What Are Humidity Prevention Measures?
Once you have chosen solutions to lower air moisture levels in your living space, you'll need to implement a few prevention measures to keep your house cool and comfortable.
Regular maintenance keeps dehumidifiers and air conditioners functioning efficiently. You might also consider adopting habits to prevent daily activities from increasing humidity levels. Opening a window when showering and cooking can make a significant difference. Otherwise, consider investing in an extractor fan for the stove and oven.
Improve Home Humidity With IWAE
If you're looking for ways to remove humidity from your home, you can trust the whole home comfort experts at IWAE to help you find the right products for your living space. We pride ourselves on providing superior customer service, so we'll help you every step of the way, from finding the perfect products to offering technical assistance for installation and maintenance.
Browse our quality indoor air quality products to keep your home cool and comfortable all year round.
