5 min read
Humidity is necessary for our bodies to function normally and stay comfortable, especially during Maryland’s snowy winters. Too little moisture can cause various problems, from dry and irritated eyes to chapped lips.
However, you don’t want excessive humidity inside your home. Whether it’s due to using humidifiers or having poor ventilation, the resulting high amounts of moisture lead to foggy windows, musty odors, and even mold growth. If left unchecked, mold remediation in Annapolis may be required to get your home back to normal.
Importance of Maintaining Optimal Indoor Humidity
Controlling humidity levels inside your home is essential for maintaining a healthy and comfortable environment. Too much humidity not only increases your discomfort but also promotes the growth of mold, creating health risks and damaging your home’s contents.
Fortunately, using a dehumidifier is a simple yet effective way to safeguard your home and loved ones.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendation, indoor humidity must be between 30% and 50%. To keep yours within this range, a smart strategy is to measure the amount of water vapor in your home’s atmosphere using a hygrometer. Once you have a reading, take the appropriate action to achieve the ideal amount – whether adding humidity with a humidifier or removing moisture with a dehumidifier.
Higher capacity whole-house dehumidifiers can remove as much as 130 pints in a 24-hour cycle, while lower capacity models can remove 70 to 80 pints per day. Meanwhile, portable dehumidifiers can remove around 25 to 50 pints per day.
5 Benefits of Using Dehumidifiers
If you’ve discovered high indoor humidity levels, it’s crucial to act quickly before the situation worsens and mold remediation in Annapolis becomes necessary. Here are some of the many benefits you can get out of including dehumidifiers in your game plan:
- Improved Indoor Air Quality
Excess humidity in the air can lead to the growth of mold and dust mites, which can increase pollutant concentrations and make respiratory issues more common. Unchecked indoor dampness can also degrade materials in your home over time, worsening air pollution. When this happens, your overall comfort, health, and wellness are also affected.
A dehumidifier helps eliminate the conditions that promote the emergence of pollutants, ultimately making the air cleaner and healthier to breathe.
- Enhanced Comfort
High humidity levels can make you feel clammy and uncomfortable, even when you’re indoors. They can even impede your body’s ability to cool down.
On the contrary, using a dehumidifier along with your air conditioner not only maintains optimal indoor humidity but also helps you feel cooler and more comfortable. In the long run, this may also reduce the need for excessive air conditioning, leading to lower energy consumption and potential savings.
- Preservation of Home Structure and Furniture
Your home’s structure and furnishings can also suffer after prolonged exposure to excessive humidity. Wooden furniture, flooring, and walls are particularly susceptible to warping or fracturing from moisture and condensation, while metal items may rust. Furniture and upholstery can harbor mold and develop a musty smell.
Maintaining an optimal humidity level with a dehumidifier saves your possessions from damage and premature deterioration, consequently prolonging their lifespan.
- Microbial Growth Prevention
As mold thrives in damp environments, humid conditions can allow them to grow and spread throughout your home quickly. What’s problematic about having extensive contamination is that it can release spores into the air, which can cause allergic reactions and other health issues when inhaled.
As such, removing excessive moisture in the air with a dehumidifier helps prevent mold from growing or coming back.
However, remember that a dehumidifier only lessens the air’s moisture. Addressing the underlying cause with professional mold removal in College Park is still recommended to eliminate long-term mold concerns and make your home healthy again.
- Health Benefits
As we’ve mentioned earlier, dehumidifiers can prevent your home from becoming an ideal environment for mold, dust mites, and other pollutants. This spares you and your loved ones from frustrating and debilitating allergic reactions.
But that’s not all – a dehumidifier keeps your indoor atmosphere comfortable, reducing your risks of experiencing heat-related illnesses during Maryland’s hot and humid summers. Ultimately, it allows you to breathe clean and dry air, helping improve your sleep quality and promoting overall well-being.
Looking for a Long-Term Solution for Your Mold Problems?
A dehumidifier is a small investment that can make a significant difference in your home. Used correctly, it can help create a healthier and more comfortable living space for you and your loved ones.
However, while using dehumidifiers is a common strategy for reducing the chances of microbial growth, it may not be as effective if the contamination has already spread in your home. In this case, hiring mold removal professionals is necessary to restore indoor air quality and keep molds from returning.
At Restoration 1, we’re here to help you keep your living spaces comfortable and free of mold. From the basement to the attic, we’re ready to control any contamination in your home and restore all affected structures. Contact us today to learn more about our expert solutions or schedule your mold remediation in Annapolis.
