Healthy homes, “sick building syndrome”, and humidity levels all have something in common – the presence, or need to eliminate mold and mildew. This is often done with a dehumidifier. As an asthmatic, this author knows all too well just how important it is to ensure mold and mildew don’t get a chance to grow. Wetter climates face this problem more often than dryer climates. This is because mold and mildew spores thrive in higher humidity and tend to die in dryer humidity.
While a dehumidifier won’t eliminate existing growth of mold and mildew already on walls or under carpeting, it will greatly contribute to preventing such growth from happening in the first place. It does this by removing moisture from the air. Warmer, moist air is drawn into the the said appliance and passed over cold coils. Any moisture in the air drops out of the cold air, landing in water buckets that must be emptied periodically. Some units come with hose connections so that the owner doesn’t have to manually empty the water bucket every day. If you have a unit where you never empty the bucket, check the operation of the cold coils, or get a new unit.
Generally accepted moisture/humidity levels in a home range from 10% – 50%. Those of us who are asthmatics appreciate the dryer the better, but too little humidity can result in sinuses over-creating mucous to keep themselves moist enough to clean the air as you breathe. So a balance needs to be struck between your body’s health, and the health of your home or business. A decent dehumidifying device will have a readout showing you the humidity level of the room where you have placed it.
Homeowners often place these units in basements, where moisture is known to collect and cause problems. But there is another room in the home that could benefit from lowered moisture content, and that is your bathroom
You just do not know it, but your home can breed microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and germs, among others. Therefore, it would be best to engage in active prevention with a decent dehumidifier.
*This is a partnered post.
You know, I had no clue what a dehumidifier was, LOL… but I definitely have to look into it now.
When we moved from the desert to the bay area, we bought a humidifier and it was a life saver. We weren’t used to the humidity and we laugh remember how it would pump out over a gallon of water a day.
We use one in the winter daily because of a previous mold problem in our house and the way our heating is set-up.
I am using this in my basement which has a tendency to get moist and dank during the rainy season. This unit works great! I empty the pan once a day or sometimes every other day and it has completely taken out the musty smell. The air is much fresher and the room seems warmer. My electric bill has barely budged so the unit is very energy efficient. The fan seems a little louder than the compressor so the noise is very tolerable. I’d buy another.