Managing Indoor Humidity
This winter has been really wet so far, and with sunny days few and far between, everything’s feeling damp. Normally, this wouldn’t be such a big problem here. On most winter days, you can open the windows, hang the towels out in the sun, and things more or less dry. But lately, with endless rain and humidity levels above 90%, that just hasn’t been the case.
So naturally, I’ve been thinking through ideas to make our home easier to manage during this kind of weather, specifically how to keep indoor humidity down and maintain a healthier living environment.
Humidity in the home
In my late twenties, I lived in a tiny apartment in the centre of Madrid. It had big windows on two sides and had recently been renovated with a simple IKEA kitchen and a cute bathroom covered in blue mosaic tiles. In summer it was great, but in winter, humidity became a real issue.
I still wasn’t used to living through the cold European winters, and I struggled with the idea of opening windows for hours in the cold mornings to air the place out (that’s the view from our window below). The bathroom had no extraction fan and the kitchen had a recirculating rangehood, so by morning the windows would be streaming with condensation, dripping onto the plaster walls. By the end of winter, mould had formed under the windows, and nothing I tried could get rid of it, creating a really unhealthy living environment.
Managing indoor humidity is so important to avoid mould and mildew, which can negatively impact our health. In winter, the ideal indoor relative humidity should be keep below 60%, ideally between 30–50% *. This has been on my mind during our recent run of wet weather. Looking back, the solution in Madrid would have been a dehumidifier. But at the time, I didn’t even know they existed.
So, what can we do to keep humidity levels in check?
Reduce the amount of water vapour released into the home (e.g. by drying clothes/towels outside & having shorter showers)
Ventilate regularly, even in winter, by opening windows for at least an hour a day
Ensure your bathroom and kitchen fans are effective
Consider investing in a good-quality dehumidifier
Getting Washing Dry
In our home, the winter laundry routine usually involves hanging clothes under the covered area outside the laundry, then finishing them off either in the dryer or inside overnight. But at the moment, nothing is drying. Everything is staying damp, and our dryer is getting a real workout.
We use a vented dryer that releases water vapour straight into the laundry. To manage this, we keep the laundry door closed, the window open, and the extraction fan running. This has worked well enough in the past because we rarely used the dryer, but lately, it’s been running constantly, which is really energy-intensive.
A better option would be a heat pump dryer with an 8–10 star energy rating. These are much more efficient and don’t vent steam into your home, which, in weather like this, is a huge bonus.**
Keeping the Bathroom Dry (and the Towels Too)
It’s impossible to eliminate humidity from the bathroom entirely, but reducing it where we can helps prevent mould and lowers overall moisture in the home.
Your extraction fan plays an important role here but it’s often an afterthought during a renovation. I’ve made that mistake before, assuming our electrician would be on top of which was the best fan to choose, but that was not necessarily the case.
If you’re renovating, it’s worth investing in a high-performance fan that’s energy efficient, quiet, and ideally ducted to the roof (much like a quality rangehood in the kitchen). These systems are far more effective at removing steam during showers.
Something else worth considering are heated towel rails. These can dry towels in 1.5–3 hours and can be set on a timer, then you will have lovely dry towels even if you forget to put them in the dryer. Having dry towels also helps with the humidity levels in the bathroom.
Minimising Kitchen Humidity
The same principle applies to the kitchen, a good extraction fan is essential. Avoid recirculating rangehoods as they don’t remove water vapour. Instead, look for a ducted rangehood, ideally with the motor mounted on the roof to reduce noise***. That way, you can use it to its full speed without the slightly stressful background fan noise.
Living through a very wet and cold winter can be challenging, but small, thoughtful selections made durning the design stage can make a real difference. By improving ventilation, choosing efficient appliances, and keeping moisture levels in check, you’re not only protecting your home from mould, but also supporting your family’s health and wellbeing.
Do you have any winter habits that help manage indoor humidity levels? I’d love to hear your tips.
Post Script Notes
*
I’ve recently purchased a digital weather station from Bunnings. I’m not sure how accurate it is (it was not expensive) but our house goes between 55%-70% humidity. I open the windows up when it’s sunny and also use a dehumidifier if it’s been really wet, but we still get mildew here and there. It does seem worse in the uninsulated areas of the home, which are also the rooms closest to the bathroom.
**
Choice is currently recommending Samsung DV80T5420AB, LG DVH5-08W, LG DVH9-09W, Westinghouse WDH804N7WA & Electrolux EDH804U5WB. As I mentioned above I don’t have a heat pump dryer (yet) but I usually start with Choice’s reviews to help me narrow down the options. At this stage I haven’t looked any further into these.
***
For our home we selected the Fisher & Paykel HP90IDCHX3, which rated really well on choice.com.au at the time. In hindsight I would choose a Schweigen Silent Undermount Rangehood with an externally mounted motor and the same for the extraction fan in the bathroom. This is a bigger investment but in the long run I think it is worth it.
References
RACV - Best type of clothes dryer: Heat pump, vented or condenser?
National Asthma Council Australia - Indoor humidity and your family's health