I live in a very humid area – humidity reaches about 85% on a regular day and during the summer, it gets even worse. This summer has been particularly long and hot, and we’ve seen some scary outcomes to the high humidity levels.
All in all, there are many ways in which humidity helps us, but when it’s excessive our homes and health can suffer greatly. Extremely high humidity can have a negative impact on our breathing and we want to make sure that the family we love is healthy.
With that, we’ve put together a list of reasons why you should consider leveling off the humidity in your home. If you’re dealing with high humidity issues, these best rated dehumidifiers are a great help when trying to get rid of that excess moisture.
Mold And Mildew Growth
When humidity levels are high then mildew and mold have a greater chance of reproducing in your home.
There are a ton of places for these guys to hide from you, including your mattress, your curtains, your walls, your carpets, your furniture, and your clothes.
Tons of moisture is a dream environment for mold and mildew that produces at rapid speed in humidity.
Your Health
Mold and mildew can have serious effects on your family’s health, including skin irritation, itchy eyes, sore throats, coughing and wheezing, and stuffy nasal passages. This is just the beginning.
Prolonged exposure to mold and mildew can have serious implication on your lungs, particularly to those who suffer from mold allergies.
Other Health Problems
Besides these serious reactions to mold and mildew, excessive humidity can bring along a whole mess of other problems that affect your health.
These include dehydration, muscle cramps, heat exhaustion, fainting, and fatigue.
Dust Mites
These little pests are just another visitor in your home that loves the humidity. When the moisture levels are high, dust mites thrive and reproduce like crazy.
They love to make their homes in your mattresses, your comforters, your drapes, and pretty much any furniture that is fabric based.
If you have dust mite allergies then you will suffer greatly in a humid environment.
Of course, there isn’t much you can do about the humidity outside of your four walls. Yet, when it comes to the inside of your living area, the comfort level is completely up to you.
Dehumidifiers can help get rid of dust mites, mold, and mildew in a jiffy.
Your Home
The living creatures in your home might not be the only things that suffer when there is too much humidity in your home.
There are a ton of ways this excessive moisture can affect your belongings as well as your family.
Your Wood
When there is too much moisture in the air, your wooden furniture can suffer. So can your wooden doors, floors, and windows.
Wood gets soft and rots when it’s exposed to too much wetness and, if you’ve been dealing with a lot of humidity for a while, then you should take a good look around your house to see if any damage has already been done.
Adding a dehumidifier to your home can help save the wood in the things you own. It can grab the moisture in the air forcing the wooden legs of your dining room table to shed the water it’s been holding.
A common place for wood to start rotting due to excessive moisture is under the sink and on the window sills.
Your Wallpaper
If your home is wallpapered then you should be extra concerned with humidity. When the room gets too thick with moisture, then your wallpaper can start to peel.
Investing in a dehumidifier can help you save a great deal of repair costs in the long run.
Get Rid Of The Smell
When things like mold, mildew, and dust mites are left to grow rapidly in your home, they leave behind a set of distinct smells that remind us of that wet beach towel we forgot in the trunk for a week.
It’s a musty smell that never really leaves until the moisture is pulled from your home.
A dehumidifier will only take short time to pull that icky smell out of your air. If left too long that mildew smell could penetrate your bed, bedding, and clothing.
Rise In Comfort Level
Once your new dehumidifier has helped relieve your home of that overwhelming humidity, you will find your home to be more comfortable all around and so will your family.
When the humidity is high the rooms are stuffy and thick with moisture, making relaxing and sleeping more difficult.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that you don’t want the rooms too dry either. Strive for a level that is just right.
Dehumidifiers are the best way to pull the humidity out of your home and give your rooms a more balanced level of moisture in the air.
When you do this, you will find that you and your family can sleep better and any allergies suffered will show less symptoms in a dryer home.
Thanks to Freepik for the original version of the featured image and house.
I’ve recently moved to a new flat and it’s unfortunately quite damp with bad windows that collect a lot of condensation. Thank you for raising the health concerns regarding this.
OMG tell me about it! Living in a temperate country like the Philippines where it’s always hot and humid can be very challenging health-wise. 🙁
It’s nice to have a dehumidifier at home especially when winter rolls in and spring too! These are reasons enough to get a dehumidifier for your home.
I totally agree! It can make such a difference in your health and your home.
I have really bad allergies and certain times a year my humidifier keeps me alive. I do work hard to prevent any mold or anything because that is a problem no one needs. Great post!
Interesting! I also suffer from bad allergies and am in the process of moving from Arizona to Oregon, which will be a huge change in environment. These are great points to keep in mind as i start the transition into a more humid day-to-day. We Arizonians take dry heat for granted.