In the summer, dealing with the heat is bad enough. You don’t need moisture coming in the air, making the home musty, muggy, and all around unpleasant. If your home is also home too much moisture, not only can it make relaxing hard and sleep impossible. It makes it a lot harder to cool the home, meaning your energy bills are going to go up, too. You might complain about robbery in your bills, but when you’re being held up my moisture in the home, that’s a sign you really need to do something about. So, what’s to be done?

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Peek at those leaks

One of the greatest sources of humidity in the home, as well as a cause of many other dangers besides, are leaking pipes. If you’ve spotted a leak in the home, you need to get it fixed as soon as possible. Not all leaks are quite so easily spotted, however. For that reason, it’s a good idea to make the occasional investigation of hidden leaks, especially if you’re dealing with more humidity than expected or catching a musty smell in the home. Beyond the pipes and faucets, you need to look at things like moisture building between tiles because of deteriorating grout and leaks in the toilet flange, where a poor connection between toilet base and the pipes can eventually cause destruction and floors in the home.

Your best friend

Naturally, when it comes to dehumidifying the home, then a dehumidifier obviously makes sense. There are a lot of varieties you can get, too. For instance, there are one-time use dehumidifiers you can get for relatively cheap to get rid of mugginess after having dealt with an initial use. If it’s a recurring or constant problem, however, then you want a tool that can target the rooms in most need at any time. To that end, you should be looking at portable dehumidifiers. One of these can cost anywhere from $40 to well in the triple digits, so you want to check out the essential features and make sure that any budget brands you choose still carry them.

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AC ASAP

Improving airflow in the home is going to help disperse any moisture in the air, so it’s obvious that your air conditioning has a huge role to play in fighting that humidity. However, moisture can also cause problems to air conditioners. Condensation can build, with leads to more dust and allergens being trapped in it and also dispersed through the home. It also makes it a lot less efficient. But condensation building in air conditioners can also be a serious health risk, leading to respiratory diseases. You also need to dehumidify and clean your AC at regular intervals. That includes changing the air filter every month without fail.

Become a fan of fans

A lot of people have the misconception that fans aren’t as important to airflow as AC. They may not be as powerful as cooling down the entire home. However, they are a lot more efficient and do a great deal at dispersing heat as they rise. When you’re looking to lower energy bills, then relying on a Casablanca ceiling fan and even smaller portable fans can do a great deal in improving the airflow of the home. They’re still great at keeping their local area cool. When you have humidity building up in a single room, then leaving the ceiling fan on can tackle it without the costs of leaving the AC on in the whole home.

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Kill the clutter

Clutter is never your friend. Not only is it visibly messy, it also has a big effect on the environment in the home. For one, air flow is decreased thanks to more objects blocking its path, meaning that any attempts to cool down the home or shift humidity are going to be harder. But clutter also creates a lot of corners and small spaces. In these spaces, dust, and moisture gather, increasing the overall mugginess of the room. Beyond tidying up the home, you should also think of restyling it for the summer. Putting some of your furniture in storage for the moment and changing from things like heavy curtains to slim sun-blockers not only improves chances of getting rid of humidity, it also gives the home a clean, minimalist feel that works well in the summer light. This will be especially useful in the messy bedroom, where that extra mugginess can make it impossible to sleep.

Follow the nose

Never ignore the smell of damp, mold, or mildew. It might be something as simple as a t-shirt that didn’t dry properly, but it can be something a lot worse. It can be a great help in indicating sources of moisture such as leaks, water build-up, the beginnings of drywall rot and more. But even when you solve your muggy problems, you will find that bad smell clinging to the room like a, well, bad smell. Clean any surfaces affected by that smell. Give all fabrics a heavy wash and throw them out if that doesn’t work. After, bleach and water on the hard surfaces can rid you of the smell. Just make sure you open a window so there’s as much ventilation in there as possible to help it dry freshly. After, odor absorbers and your dehumidifier can work their magic.

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Build less moisture

There are also a lot of little changes you can make in your lifestyle to stop the chances of humidity building up and hanging around in the air. As mentioned above, take care of your AC but make sure you’re also cleaning any corners where moisture can build up and any ventilation grates in the house. Summer isn’t the time to dry clothes on radiators or frames indoors, so hang them outside. Perhaps one of the most helpful changes you can make is starting to take shorter showers. Even if you have an extractor and keep the window open after a wash, showers leave a lot of moisture lingering in the air.

Of course, the lengths you need to go to in fighting humidity in a muggy home depends on the weather. But the tips above can make it a lot easier to manage no matter how the day is out there.