Exploring easy ways to reduce humidity levels throughout the home
Humidity is something that all home owners have to contend with, but relatively few people actually know how to do anything about.
That’s worrying, because humidity is an important issue. Excessive humidity can promote the growth of mould, attract pests, cause damp, and make the air in homes harmful to breathe. Too little can cause skin to become dry, make heating less efficient, and make it harder to stay warm in cool weather.
In this article, we’re going to be concerned with excessive humidity, as it has a more damaging effect on the fabric of homes. So what can be done to lower humidity, and what changes to home owners need to make to the way their homes are organised?
Deploy dehumidifiers to alter the moisture content of air around the home
Firstly, if the air in your home has a really high moisture content, it’s probably a good idea to position a couple of dehumidifiers in strategic locations. These devices suck in moist air, and use coolant systems to condense that moisture, which will then reduce condensation on windows, ceilings, and walls.
Generally speaking, you’ll need a dehumidifier if the humidity rating of your home is above 60%. Placing one on each floor should be sufficient.
Ensure proper ventilation and use house plants to engineer the atmosphere
Rooms like bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens will need to be properly ventilated to remove moist air efficiently. This especially applies to bathrooms, which usually have exhaust fans attached to the walls. Ensure that these fans are unblocked and turned on for at least 30 minutes after any bath or shower.
House plants can also help to remove excessive moisture from internal spaces. How? The leaves of plants like Peace Lillies have enough surface area to suck in water from the air, which they use in respiration. A few plants will have a noticeable impact on anyone’s living room.
Learn how to turn your kitchen into a humidity free zone
Kitchens are one of the rooms in the home that are most vulnerable to excess humidity. Fortunately, there are some easy remedies that all home owners can employ.
Most importantly, kitchens should include an effective extractor unit, to remove steam and fumes from cooking. Faber offers a variety of state of the art extractor hoods with Steam Off System, which will deal with whatever moisture levels your cookery creates.
Adding a dehumidifier in the kitchen can help as well, while opening windows on warmer days, and using covered pans when boiling can also limit moisture levels. In any case, drier, healthier air is within reach across the home with a few easy fixes.
