Guides, 2 min read
How to Control Moisture Level in Your House
Short and helpful guide on indoor moisture level and how to figure the level of moisture in your home.
About Humidity Level
You’ve probably heard of outdoors relative humidity levels. Likewise, there is an indoors relative humidity, which is a measure of moisture content in the air in your home.
The relative humidity on a given day is the measure of how close the air is to 100% humidity. For example, if your basement has a 30% relative humidity, then 30% of the available water vapor can be present in air, and 70% cannot because of the presence of some type of absolute barrier, such as windows or walls.
Some research has been done on the humidity of indoor air. Julius Hyman, et al., measured the relative humidity inside homes in different parts of the country over several decades. On average inside a home, the relative humidity was 53%, varying from 15% to 70% over the period of measurements. Energy Star has established a range for indoor relative humidity: 20-60% – over 60% is usually considered a high humidity.
When this is the case, your nose feels stuffy, you have to mop and dust more often, and it might affect the look of your houseplants. The higher the humidity inside your house, the greater the chance of mold and other health problems.
Checking Humidity Level
There are a couple of methods out there but some of the most trusted methods involve using a hygrometer or a psychrometer. A hygrometer measures relative humidity while a psychrometer measures both temperature and humidity.
However, if you don’t own either, have no fear because we have a simple and effective solution that does not require any fancy equipment at all. And the most importantly, it’s very accurate as well.
The method is called the “Soap and Squeeze” method. It’s very easy and inexpensive to perform. Here’s how:
Take a bar of soap from the dish soap or shower and squeeze it for 30 seconds. When you let go the water will want to bead on the surface of the soap, and not soak through. If it does soak through quickly there is a high level of moisture in your home.
If there are high levels of moisture in your home, you may start seeing signs of mold presence. If this is the case, you should immediately call a mold inspection company.
Conclusion
Checking indoor humidity level is the first step to figuring out if you have mold in your home. If you’re concerned about possibly having mold problem in Sarasota, call us immediately and perform a mold inspection.
If you need more help, feel free to call us!
Our number: 941-271-0599
Here, at Sarasota Mold Pros, we help the entire Sarasota county resolve its mold issues. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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