5 Ways Humidity and Moisture Can Damage Your Home

As a duct cleaning company, we understand how important it is for your home to be clean and your air quality to be healthy. In addition to changing your HVAC filters on a regular basis, we recommend installing a dehumidifier in the areas of your home that contain too much moisture and humidity. If these areas are constantly damp, it can lead to damages like:

Mold and Mildew

If you have a crawl space or basement, you increase your chances of having moisture in your home. These spaces draw moisture from the ground and because they’re often not well-ventilated, they can also trap humidity in the air. When the moisture and humidity combine, it can lead to mildew. It can also lead to your wood absorbing moisture and as a result, growing mold. The more mold wood has, the weaker it will become and eventually it will collapse, which can cause damage to your home.

Health Hazards

While it’s not a direct effect on your home, humidity and moisture can cause health problems in you and/or your family members. When mold or mildew grows in your home, its airborne spores can travel through your air ducts and be inhaled. These spores can cause allergies, infections, skin irritation, and more.

Mechanical Problems

When humidity settles on toilet tanks, water pipes, HVAC systems, and other mechanical objects, it can slowly cause rust or fungus and lead to failed parts and mechanisms. Failed parts can prevent proper operation and may mean costly fixes.

Floor and Wall Issues

Excess humidity and moisture in the air can actually lead to mold or mildew in your carpeting. This can be very hard to get rid of and not only cause an odor, but even cause you to have to replace your carpet entirely. Too much humidity can also create pockets of moisture in your walls. As these pockets spread, they make your wallpaper, paint and/or drywall soggy and will cause them to flake away and need replacing.

Damaged Goods

If you have clothing, food, wood instruments, or other goods stored in the basement or attic of your home, they may become damaged from excess humidity. In humid spaces, dry foods can go stale, cans can rust, wooden instruments can warp, and clothing can take on a musty smell.

Talk to our duct cleaning company about dehumidifiers and how to choose one for your needs.