The Power of Humidity
Every winter I have a conversation with at least one person in my life about the “amazing benefits of properly humidifying” during those dry cold months. This is something I am so overly passionate about, that my one friend jokingly asked if I sold humidifiers to which I answered, “no but I sell houses and homeowners have no idea what humidity or the lack thereof it can do to their home.”
So I decided to write this blog to let my clients and every other homeowner who reads this know about the power of humidity.
It’s All About Moderation
Like everything in life, if you don’t have enough it can create issues, and having it in excess can create havoc. The ideal indoor humidity is 40%. I can tell you from experience, keeping your humidity at 40% is not like keeping the heat at 70°F, so try to keep the level between 30-50%.
Humidity is measured via a hygrometer. You can get a simple hydrometer/thermometer for under $10, it’s worth the investment. However, if the humidity in your home is too low in the winter or too high in the summer you are going to feel it because just like our homes our bodies feel the impact of humidity as well.
Technically there is a whole ratio of what your indoor humidity level should be compared to the temperature outside. I have included a chart below, but I have found that when it’s really cold out and you crank up the heat, it sucks moisture from the air and essentially balances itself.
Luckily we can control humidity. We can use humidifiers to increase it as well as air conditioners and dehumidifiers to reduce it. Some HVAC systems have humidifiers built-in, but especially in older systems they can be finicky and sometimes leak. As a result home owners either choose not to use them or have them removed. If that’s the situation you find yourself in, no worries, you can purchase a stand-alone humidifier. They’re not overly large but can make a huge difference.
It is important to regulate humidity according to mold expert and environmental specialist Otto Katechis, owner of Jigsaw Property Management and Restoration, who says “the ideal growing condition for mold is 62% humidity in 70°F”.
HOW HUMIDITY/ LACK OF HUMIDITY HARMS YOUR HOME
LET’S START AT THE BOTTOM: BASEMENTS
Basements are notorious for extra moisture. The Bergen County area is known to be extremely wet, and even though 99.9% of the homes I show are NOT in flood zones about half have at least one sump pump. “Mold loves dark wet spaces, like basements” Katechis warns and highly suggests dehumidifiers.
“I tell my clients running your humidifier is like changing the batteries in your smoke detectors, it centers around daylight savings time. When you spring ahead, the temperature is warming up, put your humidifier on. When you fall back, it’s cooling down, turn it off for the season”, says Katechis.
Photo of Aspergillus on Rafters Courtesy of Jigsaw RPM
He also informed me about a common item we all have in our homes, cardboard, which I never imagined could cause health issues due to a little moisture. “Most people don’t realize that even if you don’t have a water problem, but have excessive humidity, a yellow-whitish mold that looks like a powder, called aspergillus can form on cardboard.” Although aspergillus is found in nature when confined in a home it can cause sneezing, fevers, and aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma. According to an article in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal Volume 27, Number 1 , aspergillosis (the infection caused by the mold) is complicating the already difficult task of treating COVID patients.
FROM THE GROUND UP: HARDWOOD FLOORS
“Your home’s humidity has a big impact on your wood floors. During the winter if it’s too dry the boards will contract cause gaps. In extreme cases, wood can dry and become brittle causing cracks and splintering along the grain” according to Sebastian Angel owner of Supreme Improvements.
He goes on to warn, “In the summer if the humidity is too high it can cause cupping (when a board’s edges are higher than its center) or crowning (when the center of the board rises above the rest of it). Excessive moisture or flooding can cause the wood to expand more than there is room to do so, causing buckling where the wood actually separates from the subflooring.”
This may be surprising to those of us who aren’t contractors, but the pros know to plan for this. In fact, when hardwood floors are first being laid the materials have to be delivered at least 72 hours in advance. They are left out so they can adjust to the temperature and humidity of the home before being installed.
CLIMBING THE WALLS: AND BEHIND
As a Realtor, I attend a lot of home inspections, and I have noticed that my go-to inspector, Peter Calderon, owner of A+ Home Inspections, always looks for bathroom vents. “When you take a shower you are generating all this heat and humidity, you don’t want that to linger. A simple bathroom fan can vent that out. At the very least open a window when you are finished with your shower” Calderon explains. “Overtime the humidity will not only cause paint and wallpaper to peel but can create mold conditions.”
Katechis agrees, “You will see it on the paint first,” he says, “it’s usually on the ceiling or the top of walls, you’ll see a little black spot. By the time you see that spot on paint, there is an 85% chance it is growing behind the paint, spreading, since drywall is such a porous material.”
WORKS ITS WAY TO THE TOP: ATTIC
Both Calderon and Katechis warned not to forget the attic.
“Sometimes in home inspections, I will find bathroom fans improperly vented into the attic” Calderon explains. “You want the humidity to escape the house and be vented outside otherwise everything that you’re taking out of your bathroom is being dumped into the attic where it can create the same issues but you are up there less often so you won’t notice an issue as quickly.”
“Unfinished attics can create some of the same issues as basements, especially during the summer when it is hot and humid. If you are storing clothes up there take a look every now and then and make sure there are no spots on them. If you see that white powder looking aspergillus on cardboard boxes, that’s another indicator that you’re getting too much humidity.”
It’s Not Just The Home
According to medical experts, both low and high humidity can have a harmful effect on our bodies.
HIGH HUMIDITY
Overheating
Excessive sweating
Muscle cramps
Altered blood circulation
Trouble breathing
Worsen asthma & allergies
Increased exposure to mold, dust, and airborne chemicals
LOW HUMIDITY
Cause dehydration & headaches
Dry out skin, hair & lips
Nose bleeds
Dry eyes/impact blinking
Worsen asthma & allergies
Throat irritation
Increase vulnerability to infection
Interfere with sleep