How to Manage Your Home's Humidity Levels

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Managing your home's humidity levels isn't just about comfort; it's about safeguarding your health and protecting your space.

Humidity can be downright damaging. When it's high, it can swell and warm hardwood floors, causing unsightly buckling and gaps. If it's low, humidity can cause wood to shrink and crack.

Your indoor air quality also plays a role with illnesses. Whether you realize it or not, viruses stay airborne longer when the indoor relative humidity is low. That problem is compounded by the fact that our biological defenses (specifically, those mucous membranes) are at their strongest when relative humidity is between 30-60%, which is, coincidentally, the perfect range for hardwood floors.

Taking care of your home and your health is easier than you think, but it does require extra consideration and monitoring.

Take steps to improve your space with these tips:

Step 1. Measure and Monitor Humidity Levels

Start by understanding your home's natural humidity levels. Ideally, indoor humidity should fall between 30% and 60%. Levels above or below this range can lead to problems like mold growth or dry, cracked wooden surfaces.
Regularly monitor humidity levels in different areas of your home, especially those prone to moisture buildup such as bathrooms, basements, and kitchens. This allows you to identify areas that may require additional humidity control measures.
Get a reliable hygrometer (they're cheap). This tool helps you monitor indoor humidity accurately. You might also upgrade to a smart home air purification systems or smart indoor air monitors because they usually monitor your home's humidity while in use, displaying stats via app.

Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse Bedroom with KILZ paint color. — Indoor air quality plays a role in your health. Credit: KILZ, Magnolia Home

Step 2. Ventilation Is Vital

Make sure your home is well-ventilated. Use exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms to expel excess moisture.
Consider installing a whole-house ventilation system to circulate fresh air throughout your home, reducing humidity and improving air quality.
During mild weather, open windows and doors to allow natural airflow, but be mindful of outdoor humidity levels. Close windows and doors during periods of high humidity to prevent moist outdoor air from affecting your home.

A basement living room with rolling cabinets and a dehumidifier.

How to Manage Humidity Levels in the Basement

Excess moisture through foundation walls or from poor ventilation can quickly become the perfect space for mold, wood rot, and a really musty smell.

Find and seal any air leaks in your home, especially around windows, doors, and vents. Leaky seals allow humid outdoor air to infiltrate your home, raising indoor humidity levels.
Add insulation if you need it. Proper insulation helps maintain consistent temperatures, preventing condensation and indoor moisture buildup inside your walls. Pay particular attention to areas such as attics, crawl spaces, and basements where insulation stabilizes humidity levels.
Bonus: Proper insulation can make your home an overall more comfortable environment and save you a lot of money in heating and cooling costs.

Moss air indoor air purifier sits on a bedside table. — Moss Air is a portable unit that helps purify the air indoors. Credit: Moss Air

Step 4. Humidifiers for Dry Environments

Humidifiers work! In dry climates or during cold weather when indoor air tends to be dry, consider using humidifiers to add extra moisture to the air. This helps prevent issues like dry skin, respiratory problems, and damage to wooden furniture and flooring.
Choose a humidifier appropriate for the size of your space. Consider features such as adjustable settings and automatic shut-off for convenience and energy efficiency.
Remember: Regularly clean and maintain your humidifier to prevent creating a breeding ground for mold, and to ensure optimal performance.

Step 5. Use Dehumidifiers for Humid Environments

Dehumidifiers work, too! In humid climates or during moist seasons, a dehumidifier can be a lifesaver during bouts of excessive humidity. These appliances extract excess humidity from the air, helping to maintain optimal moisture levels indoors and reduce musty odors. Place dehumidifiers in areas prone to high humidity, such as basements, crawl spaces, or laundry rooms.
Choose a dehumidifier with the appropriate capacity for the size of the space you need to treat. Consider features such as automatic shut-off and adjustable humidity settings for convenience and energy efficiency.

“Whole home dehumidifiers are the most efficient and fastest way to remove excess moisture from your home given their continuous operation and high-capacity removal rates," shares Jennie Bergman, Senior Product Manager of Indoor Environmental Air Quality at Trane Residential. "[Trane's] dehumidifiers come with an added benefit of being able to draw in fresh outdoor air into the home, helping to improve indoor air quality. Whole home dehumidifiers are more expensive than portable units and require a professional contractor to assist with the install, but they avoid the tedious task of continuously dumping buckets of water and the nuisance of that loud fan and compressor noise in the living space.”

How to Choose the Right Size Dehumidifier

The size of your dehumidifier plays a huge role in its effectiveness—get it wrong, and you might still have a damp space on your hands.

Fix leaks promptly, whether from plumbing fixtures, basement walls or floors, roofs, or windows, to prevent water infiltration.
Use waterproof materials in moisture-prone areas like bathrooms and kitchens, and regularly check for signs of water damage or mold growth.
Address drainage in and around your home. Focus on grading, gutters, or trenched systems.
Improve ventilation in moisture-generating areas such as bathrooms and kitchens by using exhaust fans, avoiding too-hot showers, or opening windows when cooking or showering.
Wipe down surfaces prone to moisture buildup to prevent a buildup of mold and mildew growth.

A basement with leaky cinderblock wall. — Basement moisture can affect your home in many different ways. Credit: Cunaplus_M.Faba / Getty Images

Step 7. Maintain Your HVAC System

Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system plays a significant role in managing indoor humidity issues. Also, a well-functioning HVAC system helps control proper humidity levels while also improving indoor air quality. Keep your HVAC system well-maintained by replacing filters regularly and scheduling annual inspections.
In addition to routine maintenance, consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat or a smart HVAC system that allows you to monitor and adjust levels of humidity remotely. This gives you more control over indoor humidity levels and helps your home become more energy efficient.

Step 8. Monitor Outdoor Conditions

When there's high humidity outside, take extra precautions to minimize moisture intrusion into your home.
Close windows and doors during humid weather and consider using air conditioning or dehumidifiers to maintain comfortable indoor conditions.
"Cold winter air is often dry, which can make homes feel cooler even when the heat is running," explained Dan Bereiter, Senior Product Manager at Resideo. "Maintaining balanced indoor humidity can help air feel more comfortable at lower temperatures, allowing some households to avoid turning the thermostat up as often while still feeling warm." A whole-home or room-sized humidifiers to add moisture to the air indoors. This helps prevent issues like dry skin, respiratory problems, and damage to wooden furniture and flooring caused by excessively dry air.