Do you keep tabs on the moisture level of your home? It’s so simple and inexpensive. I’ll walk you through it and I’m here if you have questions, just drop them in the comments.
Staying below 50% is good in terms of fighting against indoor mold growth. Yes, did you know that some molds can grow from humidity alone, and not from an active leak like we always assume?
Let me start by saying something like 85% of homes have mold at some level. No need to panic here, just get informed and start keeping track of where your humidity sits and think about if you need to add a dehumidifier to your space, or if you need to run your bathroom fan a little longer after a shower.
If you have a mold allergy, you know how important this is. Even if you don’t though, the health of your home is important to your own health.
You’ve maybe SEEN mold in a bathroom or kitchen, but did you know mold can be hidden behind walls as well? So true. That will be a post for another day, but start thinking about it because mold can cause a host of health problems in some people (like me, who are poor detoxers), even in small amounts. These leaks can be found around doors, windows, pinhole leaks in plumbing covered by sheetrock, or anywhere that a hole has been put through the exterior of the home and not sealed properly (HVAC systems, radon fans, electrical connections, etc).
As far as humidity, 35%-40% is my target range for our home.
To keep tabs on this I started with a four-pack of hygrometers from Amazon and placed them in our:
1. Kitchen. It’s interesting to note the increase in humidity while cooking. Simply opening a window a few inches, or running the exhaust fan over the range helps (ours doesn’t vent outside so the window is a better option for our home).
2. Bathroom. We learned that one child’s 5 minute HOT HOT HOT shower was regularly increasing the humidity to 80%+, and staying high as we weren’t disciplined about running the vent fan. Friends, RUN THAT FAN. I’ve heard from a few people that it should run for about 30 minutes post-shower. I set a timer so we don’t leave it on too long (“Alexa, set a 30-minute shower fan timer”). Some of the newer models have a built-in timer.
3. Mr. Awesome’s Office. His home office is at the end of the house away from our HVAC system (so less air flow) and full of wall-to-wall bookshelves. Paper can hold moisture so keeping this room’s humidity low is important to me. You know that “old book smell”? Yeah, that’s not a good thing! I actually get an allergic/inflammatory response to that odor when we borrow or get used books, so I have to be careful that the books on our personal shelves don’t become “stale”.
4. Basement. Whether you use your basement or not, keep tabs on the humidity, as it will affect the rest of your home. We run a dehumidifier in our basement. If you do this make sure you are wiping it down/cleaning it regularly.
You’ll see me sharing simple + important health tips like this more often on the blog because I believe we are in such a time where health is more important than ever. For the past year, medical care has been primarily based on sick care, and I want you to all stay (OR GET) well, so that you don’t need sick care.
It is in our power to create healthy homes and lives.
I will make sure that these will be things that you can absolutely implement on your own to create a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. No worries, I’m not creating any workout routines (although I’m a fan of the new vibration plate I just got). Ha!
Okay, now go grab your own hygrometer 4 pack for less than $15 using this Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2Q8Aehk
I have two packs now as I wanted to monitor a couple more places.
Bonus Tip: A waterproof shower timer is a must with littles. I hung ours with command strips. To be totally real, I like the challenge and reminder to not waste water as well. This comes from a place of conserving the resources of our beautiful Earth. I rock a 4-minute shower almost every evening. Full disclosure, on high-stress days every few months I may take a full 10 minutes or better. I’m not the actual water-meter-police, so I don’t get too hung up on this, but it helps. haha! The timer we use also has a clock display which is helpful.
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