Moisture indoors is almost always caused by water vapor. People, pets and plants produce moisture. But moisture is also released during cooking, washing dishes, showering and drying laundry. On average this produces about ten to fifteen Liters of fluid per day. Moisture indoors can cause all kinds of issues. What can you do about it? Ventilate well!
Ventilate well every day
You will notice too much moisture in your home by an ‘oppressive’ feeling, foggy windows or (in the worst case) damp walls and/or moldy ceilings. You can prevent moisture issues by ventilating well via top-hung windows, ventilation grills or (if present) mechanical ventilation. Open the vents in the shower and kitchen. This way, enough fresh air comes in while the air containing water vapor and odour is removed. Ventilation is necessary in every home and for a healthy indoor climate you should ventilate daily.
Tips for a healthy indoor climate
- Don’t turn the heating down too far. Make sure that the temperature is never lower than 15/16 degrees, even when no one is home.
- Ventilate during cooking (and certainly for fifteen minutes afterwards) to get moisture out of the home. If you have an extractor hood, set it to the highest setting while cooking and then to a low setting for at least fifteen minutes after done cooking. With mechanical ventilation like a kitchen chimney, best results are achieved if you turn it on fifteen minutes before cooking and have a supply of fresh air. eg. by opening a window.
- Ventilate whilst showering and (at least) half an hour afterwards. A finger width opening of the window (even in winter) is essential to remove the moisture and allow for air circulation. Additionally, wiping the walls and floor down after showering will reduce the amount of moisture in the house by one to two Liters.
- If your house is humid do not place furniture against an outside wall. Always allow for a few centimetres between the furniture and the wall so that there is sufficient air circulation. This prevents moisture from precipitating on the wall.
- Dry laundry outside or purchase a tumble dryer that immediately drains the moisture or allows it to condense out.
- Ventilation grills should not be allowed to get clogged and should be cleaned regularly.