Ideal Home Humidity

How Humid Should I Keep my House?

Humidity can destroy a home. Mold, mildew, dust mites and dank smells are only a few of the annoyances with which you'll have to deal if you allow your home to linger in high humidity. If you keep the humidity too low though, you'll irritate the soft tissue of your respiratory tract. Nobody will want to come to your house and your friends will all talk about you behind your back.

Keep your living areas between 30% and 50% relative humidity. 40% to 45% is the ideal home humidity range. Use a low power dehumidifier. Thermoelectric or Peltier dehumidifiers use a tiny fraction of the power used by typical compressor based models. They're also quieter and run much cooler. On the down side, they work slower than their power-hungry, noisy compressor-laden competition.

If you want a beast with a compressor, at least spend a couple of extra bucks to get a dehumidifier with the Energy Star rating to stay within the ideal home humidity range. You'll be happier and your friends will stop talking about your musty-ass apartment behind your back.

Dan Dreifort is a writer, consultant, musician and an IT/marketing/SEO geek. He enjoys international travel and his house stays at right around 44% humidity. He wears size 10.5 shoes and has a 32" waist. Friends called him 'Duck' in high school. His mother calls him 'wonderful.'