Humidity levels change with seasons, and as a homeowner, you should ensure that your indoor humidity is always balanced. Doing this can help prevent health issues related to low and high humidity and protect your furniture and other items in your home from getting damaged.
Fortunately, there are simple solutions to humidity problems that don’t cost money. This is not to say that you should not consider buying devices that control humidity. You should, as they are incredibly efficient.
How to increase home humidity
When the humidity in your home drops, which often happens during the winter season, the air becomes dry. This can present some serious issues such as coughing, dry sinuses, dry and itchy skin, and irritated eyes and nose. On top of that, your furniture, wallpaper, floors, and even plants can start to deteriorate.
But there are simple solutions to this problem. Here are some tricks you can use to add moisture in the air to increase humidity in your home.
Turn your shower on
Turn your shower on to hot and let it run for a couple of minutes. This will increase the moisture in the rooms closest to the bathroom. If you have more than one bathroom, run all of them. However, this is a temporary solution, but an efficient one.
The other option is to boil some water in a pot and then place the pot in a room where you want to have a little more moisture.
Buy house plants
If you don’t have any plants in your home, consider getting some as they can help increase humidity in your home. Plants release moisture in the air through evaporation, and this is how they increase humidity.
Plants with large leaves work better than plants with small leaves, so remember that when you decide to buy house plants to deal with your humidity problem.
Some good tricks you can apply with house plants to increase moisture in your home b misting them regularly and grouping them together.
Hang your clothes indoors
Use a drying rack to hang your clothes indoors. Not only will your clothes dry more quickly because of the dry air, but the water from the clothes will also release moisture in your home.
Place bowls of water over your vent
Placing bowls filled with water over your vent, believe it or not, will increase humidity in the air. However, it is a slow process. Alternatively, you can place the bowls in front of a window, which will release moisture in the air a little faster, especially if it’s sunny outside.
Invest in a humidifier
A humidifier can help you maintain the appropriate moisture in your home. But before you buy one, there are some factors you need to consider, and they are as follows.
- Size of the room you want to place the humidifier. If it’s a large room, its best to buy a large humidifier as it will be more effective compared to a small one
- Ease of use and maintenance
There are different types of humidifiers. Some are more advanced than others, so when choosing one will depends on your needs and budget.
How to reduce home humidity
Excessive moisture in the home can cause poor sleep, poor quality air, and excessive sweating. It can also aggravate asthma and other respiratory issues, and it can even aggravate arthritis.
High humidity can also cause structural problems in your home. It can damage furniture, floors, and fabrics. It can also cause mildew, mold, and bacterial growth, which are harmful to your health.
To deal with high humidity, here are some tips on how you can reduce it.
Use your exhaust fans
Open a window and switch on your exhaust fans; this should help reduce the humidity. It would be best to do this when cooking or showering, as these activities can increase moisture in the air.
Invest in a dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers are helpful devices that help reduce moisture in the air, and they come in varying sizes. You can install a dehumidification system that connects to your air conditioning to help reduce the humidity in your entire house. These systems are quite efficient, but they are also expensive.
A cheaper option is to buy a dehumidifier for every room or the most used rooms. Dehumidifiers are not expensive, so you can afford to buy more than one.
Shift your house plants
House plants are great. They are decorative and beneficial to our health. But if you are dealing with high humidity in your home and have many house plants, you move some of them outside to help reduce the humidity since plants release moisture.
Fix leaking faucets and pipes
If you have a leaking problem anywhere in your home, get it fixed as soon as possible to avoid moisture from forming and to prevent your water bill from skyrocketing.
Don’t dry your clothes indoors
Hang your clothes outside to reduce moisture in your home. If you have to hang them indoors, make sure that you have a dehumidifier.
The importance of managing home humidity
When the climate changes, so will the humidity. When it’s cold, it reduces, and when it’s hot, it increases. If you don’t take measures to balance the humidity in your home, it can lead to serious health issues and even cause damage to your beautiful furniture, among other things.
So consider purchasing a humidifier and a dehumidifier. Add plants in your home if you don’t have any, and use the tips we have discussed above to help you deal with humidity problems.
You should also use your air conditioning system to help manage the humidity in your home.
Conclusion
High and low humidities can cause serious health issues, irreparable damage to the structure of your home and the items in your home. Fortunately, there are simple solutions to these problems.
It does not hurt, though, to buy devices designed to manage humidity as they are efficient, convenient, and easy to use. You would rather spend money on a quality device to help protect your family’s health and your home.