5 Ways to Get the Humidity Out of Your House
Humidity is the bane of many people’s existence – especially during the height of the summer. When the moisture level in the air climbs, the air is said to be very humid. You’ll likely see humidity reports on the local weather forecast, which can range from normal and comfortable to a downright high frizz factor. When the moisture level climbs above 60 percent, your sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly as it typically does, leaving you feeling run down and weak.
Humidity doesn’t just make your hair go crazy and make you feel hotter than you really are, it can pose some health problems as well. High humidity can:
- Cause sleep problems
- Trigger asthma and allergy symptoms
- Irritate the eyes, nose and throat
- Release mold into the air you breathe, which can lead to a host of other health problems, such as upper respiratory infections and illnesses
That’s why you need to keep humidity at bay. While you can’t do much about the humidity outdoors, you can take some steps to control it indoors. Here are a few tips:
- Keep the humidity in your home under 55 percent to keep mold at bay. Use your AC to help, turn on fans to keep air circulated, and use exhaust fans when cooking or taking a steamy shower.
- Ventilate your home. Open windows, run fans and keep common household chores to a minimum during high-humidity days, such as the laundry and dishwasher.
- In summer when it is HOT and 100% humidity, run the AC, which gives off dry air. In fall, after days of heavy rain, even at 70 degrees (21 C), we recommend running the AC just to drop the house temp one degree to lower the humidity.
- When the humidity is high outside, it's better to leave the window closed and run the AC rather than risk the humidity from outside getting inside.
- Fix leaks right away within pipes, walls and roofs to keep your home’s temperature within a desirable range.
- Get a whole-house dehumidifier or at least place a stand-alone unit in rooms like the basement that get a lot of moisture.
- Change the pads in your dehumidifier regularly, as indicated on the manufacturer’s label. Failure to do so will lead to inefficiency that can actually work against you.
In the opposite effect, humidifier pads in conjunction with your furnace work to REPLACE the humidity in your home throughout the winter – when much of your home’s natural moisture levels are dried out. Here at Filtration Montreal, we sell 3-pack Honeywell humidifier filters with FREE shipping through Canada Post. You save big bucks by buying in bulk. Learn more about our humidifier pads here.
For optimal air quality, it’s best to install a new humidifier pad in the fall before using the furnace, replace it once during the winter, then turn it off during spring and summer to remove the filter and clean the unit. So, happy customers, that’s your task this summer – clean those humidifiers now and stock up on new filters today !