You may have heard people talking about how daunting is your house to experience fluctuating humidity levels, but you cannot understand how this factor can influence the state of the property. First comes first, if moisture has installed in your house then your carpets will soon become the house of mildew and mould, the paint of the walls will start to peel and the drywall will get soggy.And this is not the end, the effects of humidity on your house are more complex than these. The persons who have a house in the desert area are happy homeowners because they do not have to deal with this situation. But, if you live in a space where the air is humid the greatest part of the year, then you should pay attention to some signs because they will help you understand if you have to adjust the humidity levels in your house.
You should not have the misconception that you should dry out your house, and you should eliminate the moisture in the air. In case the humidity levels are too low, your house will slowly get damaged. Specialists state that the optimal range of humidity levels are between 40 to 60 percent.
The best way to protect your house and belongings is to carefully keep an eye on the fluctuations of the humidity levels over time. Here you will find a list with the items that will show signs of air moisture damage.
Your wine collection will lose its value
Nowadays people lose to collect things, and if you are a wine collector, then you may already know that you have to preserve it in certain conditions, to maintain its properties. You will have to monitor the moisture levels not only in the room where you keep your wine collection, but also in the other rooms of the house. The wine corks are predisposed to cracking, drying out and shrinking if they are placed in a space where the humidity levels are too low. The corks have a crucial role in preserving your wine
collection, because they protect the wine from improper oxygen exposure.
If the cork is placed in a space with a high humidity level, it can warp and crack to the point of exposing the wine in the bottles and affecting its quality and taste.
The walls of the house will get damaged
If the humidity levels in your house will be too high for a long period of time, then the water can have a damaging effect on the paint. It can make the paint dissolve and the walls will feature cracks, stretches, peels and bubbles. What is worse, humidity is often creating pockets of moisture in the walls of your house, and in time, you will notice that the drywall will flake away. When it comes to mould it is quite difficult to notice it, if it is hidden behind the paint of the walls. It will grow and expand, and the damage, it creates can be repaired only by a professional.
The main sign that the humidity levels in your house are too high is the condensation from your windows. Another signs that your house is exposed to moisture are cracked wallpaper, peeling walls, and separated drywall.
Your furniture items become wobbly
If you have furniture made from wood in your house, then you already know that it absorbs and desorbs the moisture from the air, and it is influenced by the fluctuations of the humidity. When the changes happen, the furniture items shrink and swell. Depending on how rapidly the fluctuations happen, the furniture items you have in your house will experience the changes in form gradually or in a dramatic way. In case you notice that your wardrobe doors are wobbly, you should check the humidity level in that particular room.
Humidity can affect your health state
Humidity is the amount of water present in the air inside your house, or outdoors. The higher the water quantity is, the higher the humidity will be. Different people feel the humidity effects differently.
But there are some common symptoms people experience if the air is too dry:
- they are constantly waking up coughing
- they have dry eyes
- their skin is dry
- they have chapped lips
- they experience an itchy throat
- sometimes they have a bloody nose
- and if they are suffering from asthma their symptoms will accentuate, and they will experience sinus problems and allergies.
Dry air can negatively influence even the health state of the persons who are perfectly healthy. Dry air has negative effects on your lungs, nasal passages and skin. Another sign that the air in your house is too dry is increased static electricity on your carpet, hair and clothes.
If the air in your house is too humid, then you will state noticing signs like:
- sinus problems
- allergies
- asthma symptoms
- frizzy hair
- sweaty or hot feelings
- the sensation that the air in the house is not circulating properly, or it is stuffy
- you will start noticing dust mites
- your ceilings, walls and floors will feature wet spots
- mildew and mould presence
Mould itself is one of the most dangerous factors to people’s health. If you live in a house where mould is hidden behind the walls, then you will involuntarily inhale or touch mould spores, and they can easily cause you an asthma attack. Some symptoms associated with mould presence are rash, red eyes and sneezing. In case you find mould spores in your house, or if you consider that this fungus may cause your health problems, you should first check the humidity levels of the space. Clean up the fungus and then prevent the humidity levels from getting too high.
High humidity in a house can trick the human body, and it will make it feel like the temperature in the space has increased, even if it hasn’t. Your body will have difficulties in sweating and evaporating it.
