The humidity in your home can affect your comfort and your health. When the humidity is too high, you may not realize it, but it can still make respiratory conditions and allergies worse. It might also make your home feel warmer and undermine the condition of your fabrics and wood. Here’s how you can notice if you have high humidity and what you can do to fix the problem.
Signs of High Humidity
If the humidity in your home is too high, you will probably see at least one of these symptoms:
- Mold: Mold needs humid conditions to grow, so if your home is too humid it may become home to some mold. Mold can damage your home and can lead to unpleasant mildew smells. If you notice mold or the smell you may have humidity problems.
- Swollen wood, wet fabrics: Condensation on wood, including furniture and flooring, and fabrics can damage them. The condensation may be caused by high humidity.
- Windows: Windows may also get foggy when humidity is too high in your home. This won’t harm the glass but may be inconvenient and harm the frame.
- Dehydration: High humidity can actually dehydrate you by making you feel warmer and triggering you to sweat.
- Infections: In high humidity conditions you are more likely to get infections and skin problems. Moisture feeds the bacteria and fungi that can infect your skin. You may also find eczema, asthma, allergies and breathing conditions are harder to deal with in high humidity.
Are you experiencing symptoms related to humidity in your home? It is time to act quick, call the experts at Dows ClimateCare to schedule your appointment today.
Test Your Humidity Yourself
Only seeing one or two of these signs? You don’t need to buy a fancy tool to get a sense of the humidity in your house. You can ask your HVAC professional to check, or you can use the ice cubes test. Take three ice cubes and put them in a glass with some water. Stir it a bit and, in any room in your home except the kitchen, leave the glass for four minutes. If water has condensed on the outside of the glass, the humidity in your home is high.
Potential Fixes for High Humidity
There are a few different ways that you can get your humidity situation under control. Your HVAC professional can help you choose which is right for you, but your options are:
- Air conditioners: If you have high humidity in the summer, your air conditioner may be to blame. Air conditioners should remove humidity, but some develop problems that cause them to add it or worsen your air quality.
- Dehumidifier: Of course, a dedicated dehumidifier is a great solution to high humidity. It will draw moisture directly out of the air, but not more than is necessary.
- Ventilation: Sometimes your humidity is created in one or two problem areas of the house, often bathrooms and kitchens. Adding a dedicated local ventilator can help significantly.
Do you suspect the humidity in your home may be too high for your liking or your health? Contact HVAC Experts at Dows ClimateCare today for assessing your home and offer the best solutions available.
Sources:
https://blog.getawair.com/6-health-symptoms-associated-with-humidity
https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/what-causes-high-humidity-in-a-house/
https://www.sansone-ac.com/homes-not-hot-just-humid/
