With summer well under way in Indiana, you should be well aware of whether your home has a humidity problem. You feel clammy and uncomfortable, you see condensation forming on windows and walls, and your air conditioner has to work harder to cool the home. Excessive humidity is not only uncomfortable; it can threaten your health, especially if mold is forming on walls or other surfaces.
Plenty of mechanical options are available for lowering humidity in the home, including whole-house, portable or room dehumidifiers. But what if you can’t afford mechanical dehumidification, or would just rather go the natural route? Or perhaps you want to supplement your dehumidifier with other steps.
Try the following natural strategies for lowering humidity in your home:
- Take short showers. You’d be surprised by how much humidity can be generated by a lengthy shower, especially in a bathroom without an effective exhaust fan.
- On muggy or rainy days, close the windows and doors. If it’s humid outside, it will be humid inside unless your home is effectively sealed against the outside. (This also will save energy and enable your A/C to work more effectively.)
- Cover the soil in which house plants are growing. A layer of rocks over the soil will help retain the moisture where it’s needed, around the plant.
- Make sure your home is properly ventilated. An effective exchange of inside air with outside air will prevent stale, muggy air from concentrating in the home. An Energy Recovery Ventilator also will remove moisture from incoming air. As mentioned before, effective bathroom exhaust fans are imperative.
- Place cat litter or calcium chloride in bowls around the house (provided you don’t have a cat!). These substances will draw moisture from the air.
If all else fails, buy a dehumidifier for your home, ideally a whole-house model that will work in tandem with your cooling system to keep the air dry and comfortable.
For more advice on drying out the humid air in your Indianapolis area home and other issues related to home comfort and energy efficiency, please contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “coyot/Pixabay”
