Why Is My Apartment So Humid?

Living in Chico, California we already know that summers are hot, but luckily we don’t have to deal with humidity. It’s because of this fact that walking into your apartment to find it humid is a big no-no.  

Humidity occurs when there is an increase in moisture and it has nowhere to go. When the moisture gets trapped in your apartment the air will get thicker and wetter making it feel sticky and hot.

Two reasons your apartment could be humid:

• Poor ventilation – Stale air is one of the main contributors to humidity in your apartment. Air circulation is key to preventing your apartment from getting humid. Make sure that your air conditioner is properly working to circulate the air to remove excess moisture.
• Apartment activities – Your daily activities like cooking, doing laundry, washing dishes, and showering can contribute to the excess moisture in the air causing it to feel humid. To help prevent this, open your windows and have fans going when completing these daily activities.

To help you reduce the humidity in your apartment, we found this article that gives you 10 different ideas. See which one will work best for you!

10 Tips to Reduce Humidity in Your Apartment

Posted by Rent.com
Written by Michael Hochman

What you can do about excess humidity

While newer apartments may have a type of humidity-control system, there are simple steps you can take on your own to lower humidity if you don't have the luxury of central air. The next time the humidity in your apartment starts getting to you, use these easy tips to remedy the situation:

1. Install an air conditioner

If you want to take care of heat and humidity problems in one fell swoop, consider installing a window or wall-mounted air conditioner unit. While they can be a little pricey — even the cheap ones cost around $200 — if you plan on living in an apartment without air conditioning for some time, it may be a good investment.

Just be prepared for your electric bill to go up as well. A/C units also require maintenance to keep them running efficiently and working to reduce that humidity, so be sure to clean the vents and replace filters regularly to maintain good airflow.

2. Open windows

Areas of your home where you use lots of water and heat like the bathroom or kitchen are prone to retaining moisture. That's why your mirror fogs up after you take a hot shower.

If you have a window in your bathroom, open it the next time you take a shower in order to prevent the resulting humidity from becoming trapped in your apartment. If your bathroom is equipped with some sort of fan or ventilation system, be sure to turn it on each time you hop in the shower or run hot water for a bath so that wet air can be removed from the room.

3. Use a dehumidifier

Another way to regulate indoor humidity is by using a dehumidifier. It's best to use this device when the humidity in your home is more than 50 percent (anywhere between 30 and 50 percent is considered normal). Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air into a receptacle well but they don't cool it down, so don't confuse dehumidifiers with air conditioners. You can generally find portable units for sale at hardware or department stores and they can even run in the bedroom relatively quietly while you sleep.

4. Reduce moisture

To prevent humidity from becoming a problem in your apartment in the first place, you can take simple steps to reduce the amount of moisture that you allow into the air. Wash dishes manually in the sink and turn off the water while you're not rinsing rather than running the dishwasher which creates all that steam.

When you're cooking or boiling water, cover the pots and use your kitchen exhaust fans. Or, take cooler, shorter showers in the summer, which can also help reduce your energy bill.

[Click to read the 6 remaining ways to reduce humidity!]

There you go! Simple and easy fixes for too much humidity in your apartment even without the help of an air conditioner.