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Having too much (or really any) moisture in your home is a bad thing. Moisture inside makes the air damp, and that can lead to many problems, including mold, some of which can be harmful to health. On top of this, a damp or moldy house will ruin your belongings. Plus, it’s just not a comfortable way to live. So you’ll want to do all you can to keep moisture out of your home or at least to minimize what gets in. With this in mind, read on for some useful ideas to help you decide what you need to do. 

Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto

Update Your Drainage

If your house feels damp or you can see evidence of mold, the issue could lie with your drainage. This is highly likely to be the case if you have a basement, even if you don’t use it. It might be that your drainage is not doing its job, and rather than removing water from the pipework in your home, it’s leaving it there to become stagnant. When this happens, the water will smell and could be unhealthy. 

By updating your drainage and installing a perimeter drain system, you can much more easily control the amount of water in and around your home, and you can ensure that it drains away in the right way. This will make it less likely that you’ll develop mold, and it will keep your basement and other areas free of moisture. 

Cover Your Pans 

Do you like to cook? Many people do, and it’s an excellent skill to have. But there could be a problem; when you cook, you may well be releasing additional moisture into your home. If you’re cooking on a stovetop and you’re heating a sauce or boiling vegetables – among many other things – you’ll know that plenty of steam is released. This is all moisture and could be damaging.

If you’re cooking, make sure you use your pan lids as far as possible; this will contain the steam and cause less of a problem. You’ll also want to turn on your extractor fan in the kitchen (perhaps on the oven hood itself) and use that while you’re cooking; keep it on even when you’ve finished, just for ten minutes or so, to ensure all the moisture is whisked away. 

Dry Clothes Outside 

Drying clothes is a necessity, but it’s also something that can lead to a lot of moisture in the house. When you possibly can, make sure you dry your clothes outside rather than hanging them on a clothes horse or radiator. This won’t be possible all year round, but in the spring and summer and even into the fall some years, it is something to try. When you can only dry your clothes inside, use a tumble dryer to produce less moisture. If this is out of your budget or there’s no space, make sure you only dry clothes when you can also open your windows and have a humidifier running. It might sound like a lot to do just to dry some clothes, but it’s better to do all this than to run the risk of mold in your property.