All homes need some level of humidity to keep them comfortable. After all, dry air leads to chapped skin and, sometimes, sore throats. Occasionally, though, moisture levels can go too high, necessitating remedial action.
In this post, we take a look at some of the ways you can get rid of moisture and prevent problems like mold and dampness.
Fix Your Bad Plumbing
Bad plumbing is one of the most common causes of annoying moisture problems in your home. Leaking pipes in your crawl spaces slowly release water over time, creating permanently damp patches under your floorboards.
A company that deals with these types of issues regularly called Crawlspace Medic says that there are multiple ways to solve the problem. One is to simply wrap sweating pipes in insulating material and foam. These additions prevent condensation and all the problems that come with it.
The other solution is to simply replace cracked or leaking sections of pipe with new hardware. The chances that if one part of your pipe has worn out due to old age, the rest will need replacing.
Use A Dehumidifier
Some climates are naturally more humid than others. Usually, it doesn’t create a problem. However, it can be an issue if temperatures go up and down dramatically, while moisture levels in the air remain high.
Again, the problem is condensation. Water cools and condenses on all your interior surfaces, providing an opportunity for mold and bacteria to thrive.
Dehumidifiers, however, provide a solution. These clever devices have condensation chambers that extract and collect water from the air direction, preventing it from settling on other surfaces and causing problems. Once you collect it in a container, you can just pour it down the sink and be done with it.
Add More Ventilation
Have you ever noticed that your kitchen and bathroom can get a little steamy after you use them for cooking or bathing. That’s because of increased quantities of water vapor in the air and lack of ventilation.
Modern bathrooms and kitchen both come with extractor fans. These devices help to circulate the air, taking out water-rich gas and replacing it with dry air from outside.
Sometimes, though, your ventilation measures aren’t sufficient to keep humidity levels down. Occasionally, you might not have any ventilation in a room at all. Ventilation, though, is necessary. Without it, all that moisture in the air will eventually find its way into your surfaces, degrading your materials.
Please note that not all humidity is bad. Most experts recommend keeping levels between 30 and 50 percent if you can.
The reason they suggest keeping it high is that some wooden furniture can dry out and crack if your humidity levels fall too low. You can also develop health and skin problems.
Fortunately, taking the necessary steps to control humidity in your home is easy. Just one or two of the methods outlined above can allow you to keep moisture levels in the tolerable range. Use humidity to keep your family safe and healthy.
