Summer = Moisture in Your Home
Summer = Moisture in Your Home
With the extremely high heat index temps that we have been graced with lately, it is very easy for the humidity levels in your home to also increase.
During summer months the Hampton Road climate can lead to a lot of moisture in your home, which can cause damaging mildew. To control this moisture, you should think about getting a dehumidifier, which helps to remove unwanted humidity. How your home deals with humidity depends heavily on the design and construction; a building that is more energy-efficient and airtight will have a higher chance of increased humidity problems. This happens because the tighter your house is, the less air is exchanged.
When this becomes an issue is when you are trying to cool your house. The air conditioning can cause your house to cool down to a level where moisture condenses. One way to think of it is what typically happens to a can of soda when you take it out of the refrigerator on a hot summer day…it begins to “sweat.”
If there’s too much moisture in your home, that moist air gets trapped in corners, basements, laundry rooms and other closed areas. Bedrooms and rooms closer to these areas will have a higher humidity level than ones further away. Often in bathrooms for example moisture tends to gather in the corners, in your bathtub and on tile, creating a mildew that takes some effort to remove. Be careful to not have condensation accumulate in your windows because that dripping water will cause your wood frames to begin to crack and eventually rot.
Humidity that is too high will also stain ceilings and walls, cause paint and wallpaper to peel, and hardwood floors...