Opening up the windows and doors is one of the easiest ways to dehumidify rooms. This will not only let in the fresh air but it will also improve the air circulation in the room. You should turn the ceiling fans on as the breeze from the fans remove excess moisture in the air and bring down the humidity levels.
Get a Dehumidifier
The most surefire way to reduce indoor humidity is to get a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers fit right inside your furnace air handler, and removes moisture from the air as it passes through.
Place baking soda around your home.
Baking soda absorbs moisture, so it can help dehumidify your house. As a bonus, it's very cheap. Pour it into bowls, and cover them each with a thin cloth. Put them in various rooms around your house.
When it is warm, and you are looking for an effective yet inexpensive way to reduce humidity, ceiling fans are a straightforward solution. When you turn on a ceiling fan, the breeze evaporates excess moisture, which makes you feel cooler.
Baking Soda as a Moisture Absorber
Remove dampness by filling a small bowl with baking soda and placing it in the room you'd like to dehumidify. Although it's not as effective as rock salt in combating humidity, it's good for enclosed spaces where moisture is an issue.
Open windows to enable airflow. Making the most of any natural sunlight can help to warm houses and dry out any damp air. Opening curtains and blinds in the day prevents moisture from being trapped around the windows and using rugs and mats on wooden and stone floors can make rooms feel warmer too.
During the winter, if you open the window when the outside air is colder than the air indoors, the cold air will come into contact with the warmer air and the level of humidity will fall automatically.
According to Energy Star, the ideal indoor relative humidity should be between 30 and 50 percent—anything higher than 50 percent is considered high. High humidity levels can cause discomfort and health issues, and excessive humidity can even cause damage in a home.
Increase air circulation by using fans and by moving furniture from wall corners to promote air and heat circulation. Be sure that your house has a source of fresh air and can expel excessive moisture from the home. Pay special attention to carpet on concrete floors.
While air conditioners do dehumidify, their primary purpose is to remove hot air and add cool air to a space. In its hot air removal process, moisture from the air is also removed as a consequence. On the other hand, dehumidifiers excel in removing moisture from the air.
Keep Your Windows Open (sparingly)
Stagnant air can also make humidity feel worse as there is no release of air. You may also consider investing in a ceiling or portable fan. Increasing airflow is good but leaving windows open for too long, can potentially increase indoor moisture.
If the system is sized correctly the constant fan may make humidity a few % higher but it should still be fine. On the other hand if the system is over sized it will not run long enough to properly dehumidify then adding the evaporating of condensate just makes the problem worse.
Most people enjoy the cooling and comfortable breeze of a fan. But excess wind makes the air dry. When you sleep, this dry air may affect your breathing, causing sleep disruptions. Using a fan at night can even aggravate your allergies, making you uncomfortable throughout the night.
A fan can help a little with humidity. The breeze encourages moisture to evaporate, so your home does not feel damp and soggy all the time. The drying effect of a ceiling fan is not quite as powerful as an air conditioner. Unlike an air conditioner, a ceiling fan cannot physically remove moisture from the air.
How long will it take to get the moisture under control? As long as the dehumidifier you choose is large enough for the area it is working in, and there are no specific damp problems, then a dehumidifier will normally reduce the humidity to the chosen level within a few days to a week.
AC System Is Too Small
Rooms that are located farther from the AC system will typically experience warmer temperatures. To add insult to injury, your home will become more humid since the AC lacks the capacity to absorb enough moisture inside the structure.
Plants are natural dehumidifiers because they absorb water from their surroundings through their leaves and release moisture back out through transpiration. This process helps regulate humidity levels and create fresh air in any space! And some plants are better than others.
Does DampRid work? Yes. CHOICE household products expert Chris Barnes says, "We put a DampRid container in a sealed test chamber about the size of a closet with 80% humidity and a fan for air movement. Within three days, DampRid reduced humidity to 43% and collected almost half a cup of water."