Americans spend roughly 90% of their time indoors each day, thus the significance of our interior environment cannot be overstated (especially if you live in Florida). We must keep a healthy interior atmosphere, without sacrificing comfort.
Inside relative humidity typically exceeds outside relative humidity, mostly due to indoor activities such as washing, cooking, drying, and bathing. However, if the humidity in your house is too high or too low, it can make living circumstances uncomfortable and cause long-term harm to the house.
According to Building Science Corporation research, humidity levels of 70% or greater may cause substantial damage to homes.
The Health and Safety Executive suggests keeping relative humidity inside between 40 and 70 percent, while other experts suggest keeping it between 30 and 60 percent. Most people are the most relaxed in the 30-60% range.
If the threshold is exceeded, bacteria, viruses, fungus, ozone generation, and enhanced chemical off-gassing are favored.
This might all sound a little scary, but don’t worry, I have some top tricks and pro tips to keep humidity under control naturally without spending your hard-earned money on a dehumidifier.
6 ways to naturally dehumidify your home
Humidity is unavoidable, but there are several natural ways to lessen indoor moisture without investing in a dehumidifier.
1. Get the right plants
Plants are excellent dehumidifiers because their leaves collect water from their environment and expel it through transpiration.
| Plant | Why it works |
| Baby rubberplant (Peperomia) | It helps decrease the humidity inside due to its thick and tiny leaves. Its enormous surface area aids in gathering moisture in the air |
| Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) | Often used for medicinal purposes, this cactus-like plant will reduce moisture indoors all year round, requiring very little attention |
| Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) | Lilac not only brings a wonderful scent to your room but is great at reducing humidity. It also has flowers bringing extra color to your home |
| English ivy (Hedera helix) | This evergreen perennial is one of the best dehumidifying plants for your home. Perfect for your bathroom, it can survive in low light levels |
| Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) | Lilac brings a wonderful scent to your room and reduces humidity. It also has flowers, bringing extra color to your home |
| Windmill Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) | If you have a bit more room, this larger houseplant is a natural dehumidifier, thrives in poor soil conditions, and requires very little maintenance |
| Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) | If you’re looking for something a bit more tropical, these will get to work on absorbing moisture whilst giving your room that extra charm |
| Air Plant (Tillandsia) | This ornamental plant is not only attractive to look at, but it also lowers humidity by absorbing nutrients and moisture from the air |
2. Open doors and windows regularly
Ventilation is essential. Period. It is the easiest and most common solution to high humidity issues. Let the fresh air in, let the stagnant, humid air out. Having your windows and doors open during the day (where possible) will allow fresh air to circulate throughout the room and will let excess moisture escape. Even if you can only crack a small window, every little bit helps.
If the weather doesn’t permit exterior doors to be open, leave your internal doors open so excess moisture can disperse between rooms.
3. Target problem areas with baking soda
Baking soda is a wonderful compound that every home should have. Not only can baking soda help remove unwanted odors from your home, but it also has a high water absorption capacity, removing moisture in wet air.
Simply leave a bowl of baking soda in a room with excess humidity. Remember that the bigger the room, the more baking soda you’ll need.
Try this tip in smaller spaces first, like a cupboard or wardrobe, to gauge how much baking soda you’ll need to help dry the moisture in your problem room.
4. Fix leaks and repair pipes
A typical cause of humidity in the house is a leak. A leaky or leaking faucet can raise the moisture levels in your house. As the water evaporates, it contributes to the moisture in your house. Repairing leaks as soon as they appear will aid in reducing moisture and humidity in the building.
Start by looking for the source of humidity. If the air feels damper around some pipes, it will most likely be a leak. Repair or replace leaky pipes as needed.
If the job looks beyond you, call in a professional. If you’re handy at DIY you can use foam pipe insulation tubes to cover sweating pipes.
5. Take shorter showers
Having shorter showers may significantly decrease the humidity in your bathroom. By taking shorter showers, you save water, electricity, labor, and money. A lengthy hot water shower generates a lot of steam, raising humidity levels. If you can, try to shower for no more than 10-15 minutes on average.
If you can’t wash up in under 15 minutes, take cooler showers to create less humidity. And, of course, open a door and/or window when you can. There are also bathroom dehumidifiers designed specially for this room of the house.
6. Dry clothes outside
This isn’t always possible (especially in winter), but dry your wet clothes outside when you can. When you hang up your freshly washed clothes indoors or use a dryer, all that moisture is sent back into the air in your home. Use the natural method, and you’ll also save on energy. Plus, your clothes will have that wonderful outdoor smell.
If the weather isn’t good enough to hang your clothes outside, try installing a washing line in your car garage.
What causes humidity in the home?
Simple daily activities, such as cooking and running the dishwasher, can increase the amount of water vapor and moisture in the air in the kitchen.
Indoor humidity develops owing to a variety of building-related factors, such as:
- Porous walls, increasing dampness, leakage, and splits in the structure are all indicators of structural dampness caused by high humidity levels.
- The building’s structure can also cause humidity and undesired moisture inside.
Humidity in dwellings may be caused by a variety of factors including:
- Broken or leaking pipes, a broken roof tile, or a weak zinc joint or connection.
- Capillary breaks for footings, correct roof flashing design and installation.
The Institute of Air Quality Management’s Indoor Air Quality Guidance states that “Good practice Relative Humidity is between 40% and 60%” meaning anything below or above translates to a poorly constructed home.
It’s not only too much moisture that can cause issues in the home and to your health. Too little moisture can have just the same effect. You have to make sure the humidity in your home is at that level.
Scientific data indicates that maintaining air relative humidity around 40 and 60 percent offers considerable health advantages. This humidity range is optimal for maintaining the efficacy of our immune defenses while also limiting the transmission of viruses in the air.
A humidity disparity in your house can cause destruction of property and health difficulties, and you may well not be the source of your troubles.
Several studies have revealed that microbes prefer situations with extremely low or extremely high humidity levels for growth.
This is due to three factors:
- Molds flourish in high humidity, and in order to live, they release seeds (the characteristic “damp smell”) to stop others from sprouting.
- As humidity rises, the amount of debris in the atmosphere decreases.
- Finally, with low humidity levels, the mucous membranes that keep hazardous substances from entering our bodies do not execute their protective function.
Common questions about dehumidifying a room
There are several methods for determining whether your space’s relative humidity is low or excessive. If you feel your skin and lips becoming progressively dry as you stay home and you become readily dehydrated, this is a warning indication. Also, if you have difficulty breathing in your room, this suggests that the air is excessively dry.
The Hygrometer app is a virtual relative humidity meter that monitors the relative humidity of the atmosphere. It has direct reading in % as well as a digital display readout. Please remember that this app needs a smartphone with a humidity sensor. Barometer & Altimeter is a free Android application that uses built-in sensors to detect the temperature and humidity of your space.
The optimal indoor relative humidity, per the Environmental Protection Agency, is between 30 and 50 percent, and should never exceed 60 percent. You can read more about in our article about the levels of comfort associated with humidity.
Your dehumidifier should operate for 10 – 12 hours each day on average. Even though this is the suggested time, the longer the better. However, keep in mind your electricity prices and attempt to divide the dehumidifying procedure into shorter periods to save power.
Final thoughts
Humidity is an issue that many households face. Whether there’s too much or too little, it needs to be corrected before it starts having an effect on your home and your health. It’s better for your home and the planet if you can solve this issue naturally, but if these tips don’t have an effect, then it might be time to invest in a dehumidifier.
