The humidity level inside your home is a critical element for your overall comfort. Hence we should know the ideal humidity in these seasons. Generally speaking, the ideal indoor humidity level should be somewhere between 30% to 50%. During winters, the indoor humidity level should be between 30% to 40%, while in summers, it should be around 40% to 50% as per the surrounding temperature.
Both the summer and winter seasons differ in humid levels. Higher humidity levels can lead to issues like mildew and mold, while low humidity can bring in dry skin and damage your furniture. Hence it is vital to know the ideal indoor humidity so you can make the required changes.
During summers, you want to remain cool, while in winters, you want to remain warm. Here the humidity plays a vital role in the comfort level in your home. This article will discuss the humidity levels during the two seasons and how to maintain them to the ideal level.
Indoor Humidity in Winter vs Summer
The outdoor temperature has an important role to play in indoor humidity levels. The air quality and the health of people living inside are affected by the presence of moisture in your home’s walls, roof and foundations. The lower the outside temperature, the higher the moisture content that will remain inside your home.
We can find cold and moisture-rich air easily entering the indoor area of your home with drafty windows, doors and wall cracks. For instance, if you find the outside temperature to be between 25 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, then the humidity levels inside your home will be somewhere close to 40%.
Winter Humidity :
During the winter season, the indoor humidity goes down to remain between 25% to 35%. However, maintaining the moisture on the higher side is a daunting task since the outside temperature is low. The furnace inside your home does not dry out with humidity. We know cold air to be dry; hence, it dries down, entering your home through windows and doors and even cracks.
During the winters, we have the challenge of maintaining a low humidity level only to prevent condensation inside the home. You have to keep the humidity high to get rid of static electricity and dry skin. Also, dry air cause discomfort and promotes the spread of viruses. You need to keep the cold and dry air outside to avoid anyone falling sick and even impacting the heating bills. If the indoor air is extremely dry, you can use a home humidifier for effective humidity control.
How to Increase Humidity Indoors during the winters?
One of the simplest ways to add moisture content to the air is to use a best humidifier. However, there are some other ways of doing it. If you are willing to add moisture to the dry air inside your home, you need to do the following:
- Keeping a houseplant inside your home not only adds to your home’s aesthetic value but also helps purify the inside air by adding to the humidity level.
- Use a stovetop for cooking and boiling water. It will help release the steam into your home’s inside air.
- Keep a vase or pan of water close to the heating vents
- Hang a dry laundry; it will add moisture content to the air, reducing energy costs and decreasing dryer usage.
- You can release the shower steam inside your home from your bathroom.
- Leave the bathwater inside the tub to cool before draining down the pipe.
- Keep your doors and windows upgraded so that it remains foolproof against issues like leakage. You can install modern doors and windows to keep them tight. It also helps in saving the home energy bills.
Summer Humidity:
A high humidity level (more than 45%) can make the room sticky and clammy, making it unbearable for you and your family. If it increases to 50%, it is not only unbearable but can cause health issues and increase the HVAC system bills. Heat is good for killing the viruses inside your home, but excessive humidity can lead to problems like mold, mildew, and bacteria.
You can find them happening when the cold air blows against the moist interior walls, against the other walls leading to issues like condensation. This then blends the moisture with the mold spores. Mold spores reach inside your lungs when you breathe inside such spaces. It can lead to allergies causing respiratory conditions like asthma.
Apart from causing health issues and discomfort inside your home, high humidity can create problems for your house. The high moisture content can rot the frame and affect the floor and roof. Thus it is essential to maintain the humidity level at the ideal level.
How to Reduce Humidity Indoors in the Summer?
Using your floor, ceiling and exhaust fans is one of the most effective and affordable solutions to reduce indoor humidity and temperature. The breeze helps evaporate the extra moisture inside your home and drop the room temperature.
For better results, move your ceiling fans counterclockwise as it will pull the warm air down and maximize the effectiveness of the air. Also, ensure you get rid of the warm air inside your kitchen using exhaust fans.
Installing new AC or servicing your HVAC system can help in getting away with the malfunction and overwork. This will help dehumidify the air during hot summer while adding moisture in the winter.
