How to reduce mold and fungus caused by humidity in home & office

Humidity cannot be seen or felt by us unless it reaches very high or low levels. Humidity is one of the main reasons for the formation of mould and fungus inside living areas. However, it can cause a lot of damages in your home, apartment or office. We briefly explain the adverse effects of humidity and also how to reduce the humidity.

Effects of high humidity inside your home

The adverse effects of high humidity in a living environment are briefed below:

1. Formation of mould and fungus on all type of shoes, sandals etc. Especially the formation of mould us faster on leather shoes
2. Mould and fungus on all leather items such as bags, belts, wallets etc.
3. The moisture formation on walls, causing gradual degradation of paint and clear signs of colour change due to mould
4. Damage to artefacts, paintings, carpets etc. due to the accumulation of moisture.
5. Mould formation on clothes, especially visible in suits, Abhaya etc.
6. Formation of dust mites is one of the worst effects of humid walls caused by high humidity.
7. Health effects such as respiratory infections, Asthma (when humidity is high, more moisture particles are entering the lungs).
8. Decolourization and mould on wooden cupboards and wardrobes.
9. Bacteria formation on the mould formed on walls, cupboards etc.
10. A humid environment is unhealthy for us but is very healthy for microorganisms.
11. The wooden frame of musical instruments such as guitar, violin etc. will be affected slowly causing distortion. By the time you realize it will be too late.

What are the causes of mould and fungus inside your home or office?

High humidity inside living space is caused by few reasons:

1. High humidity environmental conditions of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain etc. (or any other city you are living in)
2. Problems with your HVAC system (Once the AC is installed and commissioned, it is very difficult to rectify for correction of humidity).
3. Stagnant water in bathrooms or any other parts of the house which slowly evaporates into moisture.
4. Drying of clothes inside your home. If you don’t have any other option, use a dehumidifier when you are drying clothes.
5. You might have seen humidity formation after a shower which you will see as a mist formation on your walls and mirrors. Part of this moisture definitely escapes into your bedroom. But this is a small amount and will not cause high humidity (Unless there are a lot of people taking shower one after the other!).

How to check your current humidity? What are the recommended levels of humidity?

Unlike temperature generally, you will not feel high humidity until it is very high. As an example, you can feel the difference in temperature when the temperature is 20 and when it is 25 Deg Centigrade. However, you cannot tell the difference when the humidity is 65% and when it is 70%. But 70% is very damaging to your paintings, leather items etc. Also, the way we feel humidity at a different temperature is different. You may feel high humidity when it is hot, but if you are in a cooler environment, the same humidity may not be as much uncomfortable.

Hence if you suspect high humidity it is better to check the humidity levels at various times of the day using a hygrometer. A Hygrometer is a display unit which shows present temperature and humidity. Also, it will show the maximum and minimum humidity recorded during the day. So if you observe for a couple of days, you can understand the maximum and minimum levels inside your house. You can try the same in different rooms.

As per the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the recommended humidity levels in a living environment is between 40 to 60%.

Are you in a seaside apartment or villa in UAE?

The environment near to the seaside of any country is prone to have higher humidity and hence will cause higher humidity inside your rooms as well. This is not a major concern and is definitely controllable. If you are in a seaside villa, it is better to monitor the humidity using a hygrometer

How to reduce humidity inside your apartments or villa using a dehumidifier?

You can comfortably reduce the humidity inside your villa, apartment or office using a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier is a machine which processes the surrounding air and absorbs moisture. The moisture is converted into water continuously and the water is collected in a tray inside the machine.  There are different types of dehumidifiers, but for the atmospheric conditions of UAE, it is ideal to use a condensation dehumidifier only.

The water collected in the tray has to be drained out periodically once the tray is full. Alternatively, you can connect a drain hose to the dehumidifier which will drain out the water continuously.

If you have an indoor swimming pool, you will need a pool dehumidifier. Swimming pools produce a huge amount of humidity. Apart from health problems, it will cause damage to nearby walls, rooms etc.

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5. Recommended guidelines for humidity levels (For information only)
6. Dehumidifiers for Hotels
7. Are you searching for selecting the right Dehumidifier?

We supply humidity control solutions across the world. We supply home and office dehumidifiers and warehouse humidifiers in UAE, KSA, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan etc.

Also, we supply home and office dehumidifiers in African countries covering Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Djibouti, Tanzania, Ethiopia etc.