According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the best indoor relative humidity falls between 30% and 50%, and it should never exceed 60%. Other studies suggest 40% to 60% is a better range. Regardless, 60% seems to be the agreed-upon threshold for indoor humidity. A humidistat.
Most people find that a relative humidity between 30 to 60 percent is the most comfortable, with indoor humidity ideally between 30 to 50 percent.
That's why experts recommend you keep humidity levels in your home at 55% or lower. Mold needs 55% or higher humidity in order to grow. Also, remember that reducing humidity below 30% isn't a good idea, either. This can cause health problems, making your eyes nose and skin dry, and exasperate lung and skin conditions.
When the house humidity level rises above 60%, it's considered high. High indoor humidity levels are common during summer, particularly in regions like the South that experience high outdoor humidity. When the air in your home is too humid, it poses serious health risks for you and your family.
While there's no set humidity threshold above which general comfort level begins to deteriorate, NOAA typically considers relative humidity (RH) levels of 50% or more, and dewpoints (a more direct measure of humidity) above 65 F (18 C) to be uncomfortably high.
If there is a reading of 100%, it means that the air is 100% saturated with water vapor. It is incapable of holding any more water vapor. To explain it even further, if the air is at 100% humidity, it is not going to allow for sweat to evaporate into the air. This makes it feel as though it is hotter than it really is.
Use dehumidifiers and air conditioners, especially in hot, humid climates, to reduce moisture in the air, but be sure that the appliances themselves don't become sources of biological pollutants. Raise the temperature of cold surfaces where moisture condenses. Use insulation or storm windows.
If hydration levels are not replenished quickly, it can lead to dehydration and symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, and confusion. Skin irritation: Humid conditions can cause skin irritation, such as heat rashes and even fungal infections, when there's prolonged exposure to both heat and moisture, according to Lanza.
Well, according to Isaac Newton, in his book Opticks, (and USA Today) humid air is actually LESS dense than dry air. It makes sense. If humid air didn't rise, why would rain fall from the sky when the temperature drops? So, in a home, humid air rises up, not down.
Appropriate Ventilation
Ensure your house has enough airflow by opening doors and windows to allow a cross-breeze, installing ceiling fans, or employing exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens to reduce dampness. This maintains ideal humidity levels by letting damp air escape and allowing fresh air to flow.
Sometimes, humidity or dampness (water vapor) in the air can supply enough moisture for mold growth. Indoor relative humidity (RH) should be kept below 60 percent -- ideally between 30 percent and 50 percent, if possible. Low humidity may also discourage pests (such as cockroaches) and dust mites.
The temperature in your home
Keep doors of unheated rooms open to allow some heat into them. Ideally your home should be heated between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius, but older people, babies and people who are less mobile may need it to be warmer.
How Does Your Air Conditioner Reduce the Humidity in Your Home? Air conditioners reduce the humidity in the air in your home through its regular processing to cool the air. Refrigerant pumps through the evaporator coils making the temperature of the coils drop below the dew point.
The ideal bedroom humidity is between 30% and 50%. This is the recommended indoor humidity for your entire home, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
At night, the atmosphere typically stabilizes with less wind and turbulence. This stable layer prevents the mixing of air layers, causing moisture to accumulate near the surface. The result is a noticeable rise in humidity as the air near the ground becomes more saturated.
According to the EPA, a healthy indoor climate should maintain a humidity level between 30% and 60%. These levels vary because outdoor temperatures fluctuate throughout the year. Nonetheless, there are a number of reasons why they make this recommendation.
Ultrasonic humidifiers create humidity in a small space, concentrating the moisture where you need it the most. Ultrasonic humidifiers, like the AURORA and AURORAmini, are perfect in any bedroom. Locate them near the bed but at least two feet from the floor and each wall and at least five feet from the ceiling.
The reason basements get humid
And there are a few reasons why. Your basement is underground and surrounded by dirt, a notorious bad conductor of heat. Because of that, the basement is naturally cooler than the rest of your house. And sometimes, warm, moist air from outside or upstairs comes into your cool basement.
Heat and humidity can affect your breathing, especially if you have asthma or COPD. On very hot, humid days, especially days that have high levels of air pollution or smog, stay indoors. Find an indoor place that's cool. Make sure the place you choose has clean air – this means no tobacco smoke or harsh scents.
In humid conditions, the air becomes populated by hydrogen and nitrogen as well as oxygen, and our lungs have to work harder to get oxygen from the air. This is part of the reason why we feel so lethargic in humidity, and why physical activity can be especially taxing.
On the other hand, if humidity is up at 100% already (i.e. the air is as saturated as it can possibly be with water - think of a steam room) it's basically impossible for sweat to evaporate so it merely pools on the skin and drips off, taking very little heat with it in the process.
Ceiling fans can be extremely beneficial in reducing humidity in a home because they are able to keep air circulating across an entire room and from the top down. Even a fan spinning at a low speed can help drastically with air circulation and lowering humidity.
While air purifiers do not remove moisture from the air, the movement of air can increase evaporation from surfaces in a room–including your skin and mucous membranes. This increased evaporation can make the air feel drier than it is.