The humidity levels in your home aren’t something you think about all too often. For many people, humidity is an invisible thing that you don’t pay attention to. If you can’t see it, then it won’t cause any problems…right?
Not necessarily! Humidity is way more important than you think, and every household should have some sort of humidity reader. It will basically tell you how much moisture is in the air – a higher humidity reading means the air is full of moisture while a lower one tells you that it’s relatively dry.
Why does this matter? Because the humidity levels impact the air around you, which can have a profound effect on your home and the people in it. This will make more sense if we look at the problems caused by high or low humidity in the house.
The Problems With Low Humidity Levels
Get a humidity reader and check what it says. Ideally, you should look for readings between 40-60%. That’s the humidity sweet spot, but if you’re seeing a percentage of 30 or below, then the indoor humidity is far too low.
As a result, the air is excessively dry, which can lead to a host of health issues:
- Dry skin
- Dry and inflamed nasal passages
- An increased risk of catching colds or other viruses
Not only that, but low humidity levels can cause damage to indoor plants by drying up their soil. It may also shrink timber and other wooden structures on your property because wood needs some moisture to keep it healthy.
Therefore, you need to boost your humidity levels back up – a humidifier is the easiest way to do this. Or, you can simply run the shower and leave the bathroom door open, allowing steam to moisturize the air.
The Problems With High Humidity Levels
Low humidity is bad, but high humidity can be just as problematic – if not worse. This is when the levels consistently sit above 60%. Sometimes this isn’t always bad, but if your home is always at 60% or 70% humidity, then there is far too much moisture in the air.
Compared to low humidity levels and dry air, extra moist air causes a different set of issues. These aren’t health-based but have more to do with your property. Excess moisture will create dampness and generate the best conditions for mold growth. That’s why areas like your kitchen or bathroom often have mold growing – they’re the most humid parts of your house. If you can’t tell if that black spot on the ceiling is mold or not, then you could always contact someone like this company offering mold testing in Baltimore, MD to come out and give you a definitive answer so that you can then take the next steps, if necessary.
Mold is a big problem as it can lead to respiratory problems – but it also damages your home. You’ll need a mold remediation company to come in and remove the affected areas then prevent further growth. It can be a costly and invasive process, so you need to focus on stopping mold growth in the beginning.
As such, you must lower the humidity to a more reasonable level. This can be done by opening windows or getting a dehumidifier – which does the opposite of a humidifier and removes moisture from the air.
On that note, this should explain why humidity is such a crucial part of your home. If it gets too low, you can damage parts of the property and cause health issues. When it gets too high, there’s a massive risk of mold and damp growth. So, always focus on maintaining an indoor humidity of between 40-60%. It’s not as difficult as it sounds – open/close windows, use humidifiers/dehumidifiers and you will be fine.
