How much moisture is in the air in your home, how does it get there,
and why is it a bad thing? Crucially, what can you do about moisture and humidity to improve the air quality and prevent moisture from damaging your home and your health? These nine facts about moisture will give you the answers you need to know.
1. Moisture in the Air Affects Your Health
Moist, humid air in your home can cause and/or exacerbate allergies and asthmatic conditions.
2. Mould Loves Moist Air
Mould is much more likely to appear when the air in your house is constantly filled with moisture. When mould does appear, it releases spores that can affect your health and the health of your children, particularly in relation to asthma and allergies.
3. Bugs Love Moisture Too
As if mould wasn’t bad enough, bugs love homes that are humid. Many of them are too small to see, but they are unhealthy and horrible.
4. Moisture Can Damage Electrical Equipment
Too much moisture in your home can also cause damage to electrical equipment. When it is really bad, moisture can corrode contacts and cause electrical equipment to short circuit.
5. You Produce Moisture
Every time you breathe when inside your home, you release moisture into the air. This happens when you are asleep as much as it does when you are awake. You can’t do anything about this, of course, although you can take steps to remove this moisture from the air.
6. Cooking Adds Lots of Moisture
Cooking can release as much as three litres of moisture into the air in your home every day. You can reduce the effects of this with good ventilation.
7. Showers Add a Lot of Moisture Too
You have to take showers, but they do add lots of moisture to your home. The first thing you need to do is contain that moisture in the bathroom by keeping the door closed when you shower. You then need to ventilate the room. The best way to do this is with a ventilation system but if you don’t have one you should open the window every time you have a shower, whatever the weather outside.
8. There is More Moisture in Your Home in Winter Months
There are a number of reasons for this including the fact you reduce natural ventilation (opening windows and doors) during winter to keep your house warm. The temperature difference between surfaces inside your home and the colder surfaces outside worsens the problem.
9. You Can Control Moisture in the Air
In simple terms, you can open the doors and windows in your home to increase the flow of air. A much more efficient and effective solution, however, is to install a ventilation system. It will work even when you are not there, removing the moist air from inside and replacing it with fresher, dryer air from outside.
Daily living produces moisture – showering, cooking, keeping the house warm in winter, and even breathing. The solution is to prevent any unnecessary build-up of moisture while also ensuring your house is properly ventilated throughout the year.