5 Tips for Controlling Moisture in Your Home

Guest Blogger #918, Entry #2159, April 1, 2013

Excessive moisture in your home can be extremely problematic, often leading to such issues as mold, degradation of air quality, offensive odors and even structural damage. If you feel that your home is taking on too much moisture, it’s important to take action right away, before small issues become serious problems. Remember these tips for controlling moisture to keep your home solid and healthy for years to come.

Ensure your gutters are installed properly and are not in disrepair

Image via: Rustic Brick and Stone

1. Clean and Maintain the Gutters

Gutters are extremely important for controlling moisture levels in any home. A clogged gutter can cause water to accumulate on your roof, leading to water damage and a buildup of moisture. Likewise, if your gutters are not properly diverting rainwater away from your home, you may find water seeping into your basement. Make sure that all of your homes gutters are clean, well maintained, and optimized to divert rain away from your home. This small effort can go a long way in controlling moisture.

2. Install Exhaust Fans

Not every source of moisture comes from the outside. Very often, bathrooms and kitchens that are not properly ventilated can cause moisture to build up inside your home. Whether you’re boiling water or enjoying a hot shower, lots of water vapor is getting into the air in your home. If that vapor can’t be directed outside, it will hang around indefinitely. Installing exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom will help you keep that moisture under control, so don’t hesitate to make this investment for your home.

3. Vent Your Dryer to the Outside

Drying clothes has become much easier and faster than it was in the past, thanks to electric dryers. However, if your dryer isn’t vented so that it blows off steam outside, you could be pumping lots of moisture into your home air every time you dry your clothes. Be sure to run your dryer’s exhaust vent outdoors, and if you hang any clothing to dry, do that outside as well. This easy tip will help you cut out one of the biggest sources of indoor moisture in your home.

4. Build Yourself a Hill

Landscaping can be great for beautifying a home, but it can also be very damaging if you’re not careful. When you start landscaping, be sure to avoid putting your home in a valley. Plan your projects so that your home comes out on top, so that ground water won’t rush up to your walls and seep into your home. The house on the hill will always control moisture better than the house in the valley.

Upgrade your heating and cooling systems

Image via: My House Design Build Team

5. Upgrade Your Heating and Cooling Systems

The importance of indoor ventilation should never be underestimated. Making a small investment in air conditioning and heating repair air conditioning and heating repair can be a great help in your struggle to control indoor moisture. Aside from appliances and plumbing, you and your family members also release moisture into the air every time you breathe. It may not seem significant, but a home without good ventilation and air circulation quickly becomes moist and musty. Make sure that the air in your home is circulating, and your moisture control issues will be much easier to handle.

For more maintenance tips on Stagetecture, click here.