Humidity makes us think about mosquitos, frizzy hair, and a blanket of sweat as if we were camping out near a swamp. No home should feel like that, especially not yours! It’s time to take control of humidity. It already does enough when you’re out in the world, so we’re on a mission to create the most comfortable, moisture-balanced environment possible for you.
The Sweaty Truth
You might only know humidity as the moisture outside, but all homes have a certain amount of humidity inside too. Think about your bathroom after a shower. Turning on your bathroom fan helps dissipate some of the collected moisture, but what about the rest of your home?
The truth is the humidity isn’t all that bad. The ideal level of humidity lies between 35% and 50%. You wouldn’t want your home’s moisture level to be less than 35% because then everything would feel stuffy and dry. Plus, dry conditions are optimal for the spread of viruses. Over 50% can lead to worse effects such as the following:
- Mold growth
- Increased asthma-related side effects
- Heatstroke when combined with too high temperatures
- Warped floorboards and walls
- Mildew growth
Ways to Get Your Humidity Under Control
Luckily, your air conditioner does an excellent job of dehumidifying your home. Since the refrigerant is so cold as it passes through the coil, the air around it gets condensed and eventually drained. Of course, in climates like ours, your AC isn’t enough to temper the excessive discomfort of humidity.
We suggest specialized equipment in severe cases. A whole-home dehumidifier and humidifier system makes it almost convenient to take care of your indoor climate. Our team has installed these in homes across DFW for years.
Other suggestions we’ll add include the following:
Dry clothes on low heat
This is a great way to save energy and ensure moisture doesn’t build up in your home. For smaller spaces, running the dryer on high heat reduces the chance that your wet clothes will cause a problem for you while they’re drying. If you’re able to dry them outside, even better.
Use exhaust vents and fans
We mentioned the fan in your bathroom for hot showers, but the fan above your stove and oven also does the trick when you have steam coming off your food. You can run these when you need to exhaust a little moisture from time to time but running fans longer than 20 minutes will start costing you money in energy.
Re-locate plants
Plants can add moisture to a home that needs humidity, like in the winter. If you’re having trouble mitigating humidity levels during the hotter months, try moving some plants outdoors.
Open windows
If the air outside isn’t too damp, you can simply open a few windows to balance the moisture level inside.
Homemade dehumidifier
What are some surprising tools you can use to dehumidify your home? Charcoal and road salt. Your local home improvement store will carry both. Then, all you need is a sealed container with some holes in it, and you’ve got yourself a self-absorbing dehumidifier!
The Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric team prides itself on maximizing the comfort of homes across North Texas. Our specialized technology isn’t there just to take up space! We can install the next comfort system for your space to ensure you never have to deal with indoor humidity again.
