Moisture can be one of the biggest threats to your entire home’s structure. When you notice that the humidity levels inside your home are extravagantly high, it’s imperative that you work to lower them before adverse conditions create mold, mildew, and other problems. Here are our top tips for helping to deal with high humidity inside your home so that you can get rid of it quickly.
Start With Identifying Leaks
One of the best things you can do is check to see if there’s any sort of water seepage coming into your home. If you constantly get water in your basement, that moisture can be sucked into the air and travel throughout your home. If you identify any areas where leaks are present, you need to get them handled. For example, if you’re taking on water in the basement when it rains, you’ll need to install a French drain to provide the excess water with a route away from your home.
Cover Crawlspaces
If you live in a region of the country where crawl spaces are a lot more common than basements, you may be getting some of that moisture directly from the ground. It’s a good idea to cover the dirt in your crawl space with some sort of plastic cover to prevent moisture from coming up through the ground. Simply using a tarp is a great solution to help limit that moisture from penetrating the floors of your home.
Use Exhaust Fans
Every home should have exhaust fans installed in the kitchen and throughout all the bathrooms. In the kitchen, you should use your exhaust fan whenever you’re steaming or boiling something on the stove. This helps to direct the excess moisture in the air to be directed outside before it starts going throughout your home. In your bathroom, you want exhaust fans that help remove moisture from showers and tubs.
Insulate Your Piping
One situation that can cause a lot of excess moisture in your home that is commonly overlooked is your pipe. First, any pipes or faucets that are currently leaking will add moisture to the air. Fixing these is an absolute necessity. However, the difference between the temperature inside your pipes and the temperature inside your home can create condensation on the exterior of your piping. It’s highly recommended that you apply insulation to the exterior of your piping to help maintain adequate temperature and keep condensation from forming.
Hang Clothes Outside or Use a Dryer Vent
It’s common for some homeowners who try to save money in the wintertime to hang their wet clothes out to dry. The problem with doing this indoors is that it allows the moisture from your clothes to enter the air and increase your indoor humidity level. Instead of hanging your clothes inside, consider hanging them outside in the cold weather. Alternatively, you want a dryer with a proper vent to direct the moisture outdoors.
Use a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
A great way to help deal with high humidity levels inside any home is to have a dehumidifier installed. Nowadays, you can have a whole home dehumidifier installed as compared to running multiple dehumidifiers throughout your home. For those who are unfamiliar, dehumidifiers work to pull moisture out of the air and dispose of it down a drainpipe. This is one very direct way to make a drastic difference in the relative humidity level inside your home.
Seal Up Air Leaks
Anywhere where you have warm air inside of your home that encounters cold air from outside, condensation will form. One of the best things you can do to help prevent that from happening is to seal up any known air leaks in your home. These typically are found near your doors and windows and can be covered with weather stripping or caulking. You’ll be able to tell that you have an air leak if you hold your hand up around your windows and doors and feel a cold breeze coming in.
Reliable Air Quality Services
Climate Control offers reliable air quality services for the entire Portland, OR, and surrounding areas. We can assist with all of your heating, cooling, water heater, commercial, heat pump, ductless mini-split, and duct cleaning needs. Contact us today to get the help that you need from our highly qualified technicians.
