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Room Humidity: Expert Tips on How to Reduce it

Airfree Room Humidity

If your home is feeling uncomfortably hot and wet, then you can’t miss these expert tips on how to reduce room humidity .

Humidity always seems to get a bad rap, especially in states like Florida and Hawaii. These places, after all, have an average relative humidity (RH) of over 73%.

Interestingly, these two aren’t the most humid states in the US. Alaska is, with its average RH reaching more than 77%.

Regardless of where you live, though, it’s vital that you learn how to control indoor or room humidity, not leaving it too high or too low. For starters, too much of it can affect your body’s ability to sweat and keep you comfortable. Moreover, studies have found a link between  humidity and pathogens like viruses.

To that end, we’ve come up with this guide to help you reduce excessive humidity at home. Read on to learn how to combat high humidity issues in the  rooms of your abode.

Get a Hygrometer to Check Room Humidity Levels

A hygrometer is a device that measures the humidity level in a room or enclosure. By getting one for your home, you can test and monitor indoor RH, so you can see if it’s too high, too low, or just right. You’ll find these devices sold in your local drugstore.

According to health experts, an indoor RH level of 70% or higher facilitates mold growth. As such, they also recommend keeping it around 30% to 50%.. Retaining indoor RH at these levels can help contribute to better indoor air quality.

Keep Things Cool and Less Muggy With Cold Showers

A study found that using hot water in bathtubs and showers can cause the RH level in bathrooms to spike to 100%. The researchers also noted that the indoor RH level rose in the changing rooms. Wherever the freshly-bathed person went, the RH level could also rise.

With that said, you might want to take more cool (or cold) showers or baths instead. This doesn’t mean that you have to jump into ice-cold water. However, you should consider lowering the water temperature setting by a few degrees.

In doing so, you can reduce the amount of steam that gets introduced to the air. This, in turn, can help reduce the moisture that often plague bathrooms and showers.

Always Run the Exhaust or Vent Fans

When you use a hygrometer, you’ll see that the kitchen and bathrooms have the highest readings. One reason is that these are the places where a lot of extra moisture constantly gets introduced to the air.

In some US states, like Minnesota, mechanical ventilation is required in homes. Exhaust and vent fans are a few examples of such ventilation devices. Ventilation (natural or mechanical) promotes air circulation and can help to lower the humidity of a room, as well as improving indoor air quality.

If your home has these exhaust fans, put them to good use by always running them whenever you cook, shower, or bathe. In doing so, they can do their job of sucking humid air out of the room and then bringing it outside. At the same time, the ventilation fans can deliver fresh air into the interior of that room.

Since exhaust fans help expel air, then they can help reduce room humidity. This, in turn, can help you keep molds and mildew at bay. The fewer of the microorganisms you have at home, the better your indoor air quality can get.

Use an Air Purifier That can clean the Air

Air purifiers clean the air by reducing contaminants and then releasing the air  back into the room. However, innovative purifying systems can do more than just eliminate air contaminants, they also kill microorganisms that can cause heath problems.

In this way, they don’t add any humidity to the air inside your home. Instead, they only clean it to give you fresher, cleaner air. As they don’t make the indoor RH any higher, they’re a fantastic way to make your home healthier.

Get a High-Quality Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers, suck in air and then “wrings” out the moisture from it. The condensation gets collected in a tank attached to the device. The machine then releases dryer air back into the room.

In that way, dehumidifiers can work well to reduce room humidity. Plus, dehumidifiers and air purifiers can help your air conditioner function better and last longer.

For starters, a dehumidifier makes your AC work less hard since there’s less moisture in the air, which makes you perceive temperature as being lower, as a consequence, you may set your AC thermostat to a higher temperature. [AE1] A purifier, in turn, makes the air cleaner, so fewer contaminants enter the air conditioner.

Get All Those Leaky Pipes Sealed and Fixed

Some of the culprits behind elevated indoor moisture in homes are leaks in plumbing components. This is common in the US, with the average household even wasting up to 10,000 gallons every year due to leaks.

Aside from wasting water and causing spikes in water bills, leaks also foster mold growth. Leaks can also cause severe property damage, such as water-damaged structures. What’s more, both leaks and water damage can attract pests and vermin.

So, one of the best ways on how to get rid of humidity in a room is to get leaky plumbing parts in it sealed and patched up. You may be able to fix or replace dripping kitchen and bathroom faucets. However, it’s best to get in touch with a local plumber if you have cracks in hidden pipes.

Start Reducing Room Humidity With These Strategies Now

As you can see, something as simple as the use of ventilation fans can already help you reduce room humidity. If you want to improve air quality, then consider getting an air purifier. Aside from that, it is important to bring down high levels of humidity ASAP, so that you can keep your home comfy and healthy.

Are you interested in learning more about innovative air purifiers? Then please know that our team here at Airfree is ready to help! Feel free to get in touch with us now so we can answer all your questions about purifying the air in your home.


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