When that season of the year comes when your hands get clammy and the air around is full of the smell of mildew, you know that humidity is inching closer to being a threat. Dump spots and mold are one of the greatest concerns and a huge driving factor towards homeowners investing in dehumidifiers. Few people know that even without this appliance, you can reduce your indoor humidity.

How to Tell Your Home is Humid

Among the most obvious inconveniences of humidity are negative effects on your sleep, health, and home. Mold can develop quite fast and within 24 to 48 hours, it will have covered your home. Use the following methods to find out if your home has mold and to what extent.

• Get a Humidistat – This will help you measure your indoor humidity level. Relative humidity levels of 70% are optimum for mold and dust mites to grow. Strive to maintain your indoor humidity at 40 to 60% relative humidity.
• Mold Spots – Spaces such as the kitchen and bathroom are susceptible to mold growth. Check whether the walls and ceilings in these rooms have little duct mold spots.
• Condensation – The moment you see beads of water on the glass of your windows, it is enough a sign that your room has too much moisture and hence high humidity levels.
• Other signs of mold include musty odors, water damage and stains, allergies, and rotting wood.

Dealing with Indoor Humidity

There are several ways you can minimize indoor humidity without even investing in a dehumidifier. These methods are not just fairly easy but use equipment which you may be having at your disposal at home.

Ventilate Your Room

Ensure your home is sufficiently ventilated by opening doors and windows where possible as you keep the fans on for longer. Proper ventilation in moisture prone spaces in your home can reduce indoor humidity.

Air Conditioning

When you turn on your AC, it cools down the room. During humid weather, turning on your AC can help in reducing indoor humidity.

Fans

From time past, fans have been known to be excellent in moving warm stale air within your room. With a fan, the air flow in your indoor spaces will increase and this will remove excess moisture by way of evaporation.

Replace AC Filters

Your filters play a crucial role in trapping particles thereby protecting your system from getting clogged. The filters also require cleaning and replacement because the same dust and dirt they are filtering can way heavily on them, making them clogged and this may slow down air flow leading to inefficient humidity reduction.

Line Dry Your Clothes

If you hang wet clothes inside your home, you are creating conditions for increased humidity levels. This is especially true in rooms with bad ventilation. The best option is to hang your clothes outside particularly in humid seasons. Alternatively, you may use a clothes dryer which vents outside.

Other measures to minimize humidity include placing house plants outside, using kitchen exhaust fans, repairing your walls, and replacing your rug.