Table of Content
High or low levels can also exacerbate existing respiratory symptoms, allergies, asthma and increase your chances of catching a common cold or flu. Additionally, air that is too dry or too humid is just generally uncomfortable to live in. When indoor humidity falls below 40%, it is considered a low humidity level. Low indoor humidity is more common during the winter season, particularly in regions that regularly experience freezing temperatures and snowfall.

A simple tool can help you avoid the home and health challenges that arise from too much or too little humidity. Take a look at the table below to better understand the pros and cons of each atmosphere! And see which conditions, symptoms and organisms thrive in different indoor humidity levels. Remember that in the summer time the air will naturally be humid, so you can safely store away the humidifier for those dry winter months. Keeping your home at the perfect humidity level is going to do wonders for your family’s comfort. Consequently, keeping an ideal home humidity level is also crucial to the health of your home and it’s structure.
A Quick Reference Guide
Very soon, the extra moisture will start to collect along the wall and cavities of your attic — leading to serious problems. That’s why lower outdoor temperatures will require a home with lower humidity levels. Right humidity levels will help you and your home feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This indoor relative humidity level also helps to prevent the growth of microorganisms in your house — therefore, impacting your overall health.
If the relative humidity is 50 percent, the air is only holding about half the amount of moisture it’s capable of holding at that temperature. Seasonal changes and the climate where you live will play a role in your home’s humidity level, but the ideal atmosphere is below 50% humidity. While humidity levels require a formula for accurate measurement, a hygrometer will automatically measure the humidity level of your home . High humidity has a terrible effect on your home’s structural integrity as well. It creates condensation on windows, promotes mold growth, produces a foul or muggy odor, draws in insects and gives the air an overall moist, sticky feel.
Try a Humidifier – You will Love the Outcome
A humidifier will enable you to manage the humidity in your room at any given time. Always use distilled water to operate it and ensure the machine is always clean. Symptoms of sleeping in a dry room also includes irritation in your eyes. Discomfort in breathing can contribute to infections of the respiratory system. It can lead to diseases like common cold, asthma, bronchitis and regular nosebleeds.
However, letting a reasonable replacement period elapse, going beyond that expected effective period of an HVAC system can mean that its parts begin to degrade. As the system ages, it becomes less able to remove humidity from the air. The expected useful life for air conditioning window units is 8 to 10 years, while the same for a central AC system is 12 to 15 years, again per BobVila.com.
Measure indoor humidity
The right temperature for comfortable sleeping should be about 19 to 22 degrees. Some people are even more comfortable sleep in lows of between 17 and 18 degrees. In the children’s bedroom, set the temperature at 20 to 23 degrees.

Keeping track of the humidity levels of your basement isn’t only crucial to the overall condition of your home but essential for your health and well-being. There are several reasons why your basement might have slightly higher than average levels of moisture. While it’s normal for your basement to be the most humid part of your house, you still want to ensure it stays at a good humidity level. And, if your area is prone to flooding, having a sump pump, or a portable pump, on hand is a good idea. But even if your basement isn’t wet from flooding, a good fan to circulate the air will also decrease the humidity levels.
How to measure a home’s humidity level?
If your laundry room happens to be in the basement, make sure the dryer is properly vented to the outside. Exhaust fans should also always be used in bathrooms and kitchens to keep humidity at bay. Or, before doing that, you might get a dehumidifier to help dry it out. The ideal moisture range for your basement is anywhere between 30-50%, although there’s some wiggle room with this average.

If possible, install double hung windows that don’t need any additional insulation. If you have a humidifier, try lowering it or turning it off altogether. This link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Where you store your food can impact how long it stays fresh and reduce your risk of cross contamination.
For those with existing conditions, asthma or allergies, humidity control is particularly important. Most indoor air quality experts believe that the ideal humidity for a home in winter is 35% to 50%. Any humidity level that’s in excess of 60 percent has the potential to give you certain health issues — apart from making your living space uncomfortable. Having air that is too humid can encourage dust mites and pest infestations and can make your home a breeding grounds for mold and mildew. Conversely, when the air is too dry, you’re more susceptible to colds, respiratory illnesses, dry skin, dry hair, and even cracked furniture. The happy medium for relative indoor humidity is 40–60%.

This will give you plenty of moisture in the air, so it’s not too dry or too moist. The summer months bring increased humidity levels because the air is warm. We talked about how the right humidity levels are between 30 to 50 percent. If it only has half of the water vapor that it’s capable of holding, your relative humidity level is 50 percent. The hot season causes increased humidity levels both indoors and out. High humidity is anything above 50, and the temperature increases.
During winter months or the cool season, use a humidifier for dry air. During summer or warmer climates, use a dehumidifier to carry out moisture. Water leaks follow gravity and gradually make their way down into the basement when left unrepaired. The havoc that a neglected water leak can have on humidity levels is tremendous, not to mention providing an environment for mold and mildew to feast upon.
When indoor humidity levels are too high, asthma and allergy sufferers may experience worse or more frequent symptoms. The reason dehumidifiers fill up fast could be because there is excess water in the air. This could be due to factors like a rise in humidity level, water leak in the crawl space or basement from a cracked pipe, excess moisture in the laundry room, etc. Keep humidity levels at 40% when the air temperature is between 20 and 40 degrees outside.