How to remove humidity in the apartment. How to get rid of dampness in the apartment: causes of high humidity

Everyone dreams of a cozy and comfortable home. But even the most modern apartments are not immune from the appearance of mold due to too high humidity levels in the premises. You can deal with the problem with the help of effective folk methods and industrial facilities.

Causes of dampness

The normal level of humidity in the apartment is not more than 60%. During a hot summer, this figure can be reduced to 45%. It is under such conditions that a person will feel as comfortable as possible. But if it is high, living quarters are created optimal conditions for the development of dampness, and hence the fungus.

High levels of humidity in the room can cause fungus

The reason for the increased level of humidity in residential premises can be:

• poor ventilation;
• damage water pipes and improperly installed home plumbing;
• regular drying of linen in living quarters;
• frequent bathing;
• the presence in the apartment of aquariums and a large number of indoor plants;
• not insulated interwall seams and cracks.

High humidity is also formed during the cooking process. To eliminate such a problem, it is often enough to ventilate the room well. But if the ceiling is leaking, it will not be so easy to get rid of dampness.

The appearance of condensation in the room in summer and winter is also facilitated by the installation of plastic windows.

Where does mold grow?

Most often, mold can be found on walls and windows, on the ceiling and floor. Sometimes the fungus hides under carpets, in pile, behind wallpaper, furniture and decorative objects on the walls, as well as in cabinets and bookshelves. If mold is found, immediate action must be taken to prevent the growth of the fungus and completely remove it.

Why dampness may appear in the house - video

Instructions for reducing humidity in an apartment or private house

1. One of the most simple ways to effectively deal with dampness in the premises is regular ventilation.

   High-quality ventilation of the premises helps to remove excess moisture

2. It is also necessary to take care of isolation of sources of dampness. If an indoor wall becomes damp due to plumbing or sewer pipes, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate breakdowns, which will eventually dry the wall. But if dampness in a private house occurs due to the proximity ground water, the only way to solve the problem is to isolate the walls and foundation waterproof materials, which can be purchased in specialized construction stores. In some cases, it is advisable to organize additional heating of the room, which will dry the damp corners and prevent the further development of the fungus.

   Additional heating of the room will reduce humidity and dry damp areas of walls and floors

3. To find out the reason why the walls of the dwelling are covered with moisture, you can use this method: attach to inner surface wall duct tape plastic sheet 50 cm long, remove it after a few days and check the condition of the surface underneath. If it is dry, the cause of mold is high level humidity in the room. If wet, then the reason lies in the seepage of water through the wall. You can get rid of this problem with the help of special water-repellent paints or plaster, which includes silicone or synthetic latex. To prevent dampness inside, these products are also applied to external walls. At the same time, in some cases it is advisable to carry out complex repair work.

   Water-repellent paints and plasters will protect walls from fungus

4. Owners of private houses should remember that earthen floors are excellent conductors of moisture. For this reason, it is desirable to cover them polymeric materials or concrete.

   Concrete floor does not allow excessive moisture to pass through

5. Cracks must be removed with solutions that harden on contact with a moist environment. For walls, a plaster solution is used. When sealing defects located at the junctions of walls and floors, epoxy materials are usually used.

   High-quality sealing of cracks will prevent the appearance of fungus in an apartment and a private house

6. Causes of excessive humidity inside wooden buildings- Poorly sealed seams between logs and insufficient ventilation. You can cope with the problem by using special antiseptic preparations and bleaches that effectively remove the fungus, for example, Bioshield, Neomid, Remmers or Prosept.

   Sealing the seams between the logs and treating the wood with special compounds will prevent the appearance of dampness inside the house.

7. In apartments located in houses made of bricks, foam blocks and aerated concrete, with elevated level humidity, it is advisable to use dehumidifiers. Such devices are ideal for destroying excess moisture in bathrooms, toilets and in the kitchen.

   Dehumidifiers will cope with excess moisture in any residential premises

How to get rid of the fungus in the apartment - video

Often unwanted moisture accumulates under linoleum. It is there that all the conditions are created for the development of mold, which is almost impossible to get rid of completely and it is necessary to change the coating. In doing so, it is advisable to follow important recommendations:

• on floors affected by mold, in no case should old materials be laid;
• the fungus often goes to the walls, so it should be cut lower part wallpaper adjacent to the skirting boards;
• when installing a new linoleum, it is desirable to treat it with antifungal drugs.

To remove the fungus under the linoleum, you need to change the flooring

Fungus under the wallpaper

If mold has formed under the wallpaper, it is necessary to clean the surface of black spots using one of the solutions:

• from washing powder and chlorine (1–2 tablespoons of chlorine and 30–50 g of powder) - dilute the dry mixture with 3 liters of cool water, not forgetting to use protective equipment in the form of gloves and a respirator.
• from ½ bar laundry soap, 100 g of soda and 5 liters of water.

Armed with a few clean rags and a sponge, you should clean the walls and dry with domestic heater or an infrared device Then you need to apply an antifungal drug, such as Furacilin or Nystatin.

1. It is good to dissolve 4-6 tablets in 0.5 l of hot water.
2. Add another 3-5 liters of water.
3. Treat the walls of the room with a solution. Instead of these drugs, copper sulfate can also be used.
4. Dry surfaces thoroughly.
5. Apply primer for wallpapering. When choosing suitable composition It is worth paying attention to products containing antifungal substances.

Mold on plastic windows

If mold has formed on plastic windows and slopes, you should act immediately.

1. Remove visible fungus stains using an aqueous solution of bleach in a 5:1 ratio.
2. Treat windows with ready-made antifungal compounds (Vincents, TEX, Polyline, Dufa) or self-made.

At home, you can make remedies according to the following recipes:

• 0.2 l of boric and 70% acetic acid per 1 liter of water;
• 100 g of sodium fluoride and blue vitriol for 1 liter of water;
• 100 ml of copper sulfate and household bleach per 1 liter of water.

The selected composition must be applied to the surface plastic frames and slopes with a brush. To prevent the recurrence of mold, it is recommended to use rubber-based waterproofing mastics. With the help of such means, it is possible to provide surfaces with a waterproof coating.

Do not forget about protective equipment - gloves and a mask. After finishing the treatment, ventilate the room for 40 minutes.

How to get rid of condensation on PVC windows - video

Mold in the bathroom

When mold appears in the bathroom, it is also impossible to do without surface treatment with antifungal compounds. If the fungus has formed on the ceiling, it should be removed along with the plaster, cleaning the affected areas from sealant and paint. After completion of work, it is necessary to make sure that the pipes and mixers are not leaking, to eliminate breakages. Joints plastic parts can be treated with a sealant.

What to do if there is black mold in the bathroom - video

Mold in the basement

If mold has appeared in the basement, but the situation is not yet too advanced, you can use the following method.

1. Dilute 250 ml of formalin 40% in 10 liters of water.
2. Treat the affected areas of the walls with the composition and dry them.
3. Then apply plaster on the walls and whitewash the ceiling. Having provided the premises good ventilation, about reappearance mold will not be a concern.

How to remove dampness from the cellar - video

Home remedies for fighting fungus and indoor dampness

Apart from industrial formulations in the fight against the fungus, you can use effective and inexpensive home-made products.

1. Take 0.5 kg of laundry soap, grate and dissolve in 5 liters of water.
2. Boil the resulting composition, cool it.
3. In warm summer weather, brush a few coats of soapy water onto moldy, bare walls.
4. Then cover them with a composition prepared from 100 g of alum and 6 liters of water.

You can cope with dampness with the help of calcium chloride, placing it in the corners. For reuse it must be dried under the influence high temperatures, and then ceiling. Suitable as a replacement charcoal and quicklime. However, when using this method, care should be taken that these substances are not available to children and pets.

Mold Prevention

1. To prevent mold, monitor the humidity level in the room with a hydrometer.
2. Provide good ventilation and adequate sunlight.
3. Use fans in the bathroom and kitchen, regularly check the draft in the ventilation shafts, monitor the condition plumbing units especially at their junctions.
4. Repair cracks in walls and floors.
5. When conducting overhaul use materials for mineral basis allowing more effective control of indoor humidity levels.
6. Take care of high-quality waterproofing.
7. Inspect regularly plastic seals on the PVC windows, check their suitability, carry out timely replacement.
8. At the first appearance of condensate, promptly eliminate the cause of its formation.

Simple and available methods will help eliminate excessive levels of moisture in the premises, thereby preventing the development of a harmful fungus. Using a variety of tools and formulations, do not forget about safety measures that can protect your health. Regular preventive measures will minimize the risk of mold recurrence in your home.

One of important indicators estimates environment, in addition to air temperature, is its humidity. It is known that it can have the most direct impact on the state and even health of a person. What is the normal value? And what if the humidity is high?

Normal performance

So what is the humidity level? In the course of the research, it was found that values ​​​​in the range from 40 to 60-65% are considered optimal. It is with such indicators that a person feels normal, and his body functions fully and smoothly.

How to determine humidity?

How to determine the humidity of the air? The most effective and reliable way is to use a special device called a hygrometer. But if you don’t have it at hand, then you can use other more accessible and simpler, but less accurate methods. Here is some of them:

• You will need a glass of water. Put it in the refrigerator for several hours so that the water temperature drops to 3-5 degrees Celsius. Next, take it out and place it in the room where you want to measure the air humidity. Then just watch the glass for five minutes. If during this period the glass walls fog up, but dry fairly quickly, then the humidity is most likely low. If after five minutes the glass remains slightly misted, then the indicator is within the normal range. If trickles of water flow down the walls, then the humidity is probably increased.
• You can use a spruce cone to assess the humidity. It must be put on any surface, but certainly remote from all heating and heating devices. After an hour, carefully examine it. If the scales open, then the air is most likely dry. If, on the contrary, they approached each other, then this indicates an increase in the indicator.
• Estimate the drying speed of the laundry after washing it. So, if it dries for a very long time, then it is obvious that the humidity in the room is greatly increased.

Why is the humidity rising?

The main reasons for the increase in humidity:

• Insufficient ventilation. If the windows are constantly closed, then the moisture simply has nowhere to evaporate, so it will remain in the room.
• Wrong work ventilation system. Carefully inspect all ventilation outlets. If the grates are heavily soiled or covered with something, this will lead to a violation of air circulation, as well as an increase in humidity.
• Bad neighbors upstairs. If they often or constantly flood your apartment, then the humidity in it will certainly be increased.
• Cracks in walls or ceilings, or leaking seams. Through them, moisture can penetrate into the dwelling from the outside, that is, from the street during rain or after it when condensation forms.
• If you live on the first floor, and the basement in your house is flooded, then this may be the reason for the increase in the indicator.
• Poor quality or wrong installed windows. If a wooden windows allow air to pass through even in the closed position, plastic ones prevent normal circulation. And that is why they must be equipped with a micro-ventilation system that allows access to oxygen. If your windows do not have this function, then this can lead to an increase in humidity.
• Plumbing failure. Undetected leaks can also cause an increase in the parameter in question.
• Abundant watering indoor flowers. If there is too much water in the pot, and the plant simply does not have time to absorb it, then it will certainly evaporate.
• Frequent drying of large quantities of laundry.

Is high humidity dangerous?

Is high humidity dangerous? There is no threat to life, but still harm to health is quite possible. So, with high humidity, mold begins to appear. The thing is that fungi are very fond of moisture, heat and the lack of fresh air. Many people think that mold plaque is just an external defect.

But in reality it's not like that. Microscopic spores are easily spread through the air and enter the human skin, as well as into the body through the respiratory system or mucous membranes. In addition, they can not only become more active and multiply, but also release dangerous toxins.

Fungal infections often cause severe allergic reactions(up to bronchial asthma), as well as a variety of skin diseases. Among other things, with a decrease in immunity, diseases of the internal organs can develop.

How to reduce?

So, how to remove strong humidity in the apartment? There are several ways:

1. The easiest way is to use an air conditioner or split system. Such a device will provide an influx of air from the outside and reduce humidity. So just turn on the air conditioner every day for at least an hour to gradually normalize the performance.
2. Exist special devices- so-called dehumidifiers. The air is forced through the evaporator, where condensate forms due to the temperature difference. The water flows into the container. Such a device can absorb about 10-200 liters per day.
3. Use a moisture absorber. It is also a special device, but its principle of operation differs from the essence of the dehumidifier. A special tablet is placed in the body of such a device, which absorbs water from the air. Such a device is much cheaper than a dehumidifier. But its performance is less, so it is hardly suitable for large rooms. In addition, the tablets will have to be changed frequently.
4. It is known that the humidity of the air decreases markedly during the period heating season. So if you notice its increase, then you can turn on the heater.
5. Try to use folk remedies. Many powdered compositions, such as starch, flour, sugar, crushed chalk, talc, semolina, and so on, have good absorbent, that is, absorbent properties. You can pour one of these products into bowls and place them around the perimeter of the room. But efficient this method hard to name.

Most effective method control is the elimination of the main cause of the increase in humidity.

Prevention

What can I do to keep the humidity from rising? Basic preventive measures:

• Closely monitor the operation of the ventilation system.
• Constantly evaluate the performance of the pipeline.
• Every day (and preferably several times a day) ventilate the apartment or house.
• If you are drying clothes in the room, then open the windows. In addition, a spin function can be selected in the washing machine to remove most of the moisture from the material. And if you have a balcony, then it is best to dry washed things on it.
• Watering houseplants follows correctly. Avoid standing water.
• If plastic windows are installed in your apartment or house, then place their shutters in the micro-ventilation position.
• At the stage of building a house or overhaul, eliminate all cracks in the ceiling, floor and walls.

Let the humidity in your home always be normal!

Increased humidity in the house can cause different reasons. Almost every second owner of an apartment and a private house faces this phenomenon. Moisture causes mold.

Therefore, excess moisture in the house must be dealt with. The source that causes this phenomenon should be found and appropriate measures should be taken. It is worth saying that the fungus and mold in the house appear just because of the high humidity. In addition, dampness worsens the health of all residents living in the house. Therefore, today the portal will tell you about how to get rid of dampness in the house with folk remedies?

high humidity in the house: how to fight

Why is there dampness in the house?

The cause of dampness is directly sought on the territory of the house itself. To quickly get rid of dampness in the house, you need to find a place where mold accumulates, and only then think about what can be done in such a situation. If a wall facing the street is exposed to increased dampness, then it must be lined with a reliable insulating material. Mold does not only appear in private homes. Quite often, mold occurs in modern apartments. Very seriously, this problem worries the owners of apartments on the ground floor. Usually in such rooms, mold forms in the lower part of the walls. contributes to this whole line unpleasant reasons. It could be:

• Poor insulation of the foundation with the wall.
• Damp basement with pipes leaking all the time.
• Bad ventilation.

It is worth saying that it is much easier to eliminate dampness in a private house. After all, you just need to organize proper ventilation or install thermal insulation materials. AT apartment buildings it is very difficult to deal with this phenomenon. Here, the main reasons for the appearance of this factor are hidden in the first stages of construction. And if the developer misses important points, then the apartment will always deliver unpleasant problems to its owners. Moreover, being in this room will adversely affect the health of all household members. People who are constantly in an apartment with high humidity can get sick: asthma, tuberculosis and other more serious diseases.

What ways will help get rid of dampness in a private house

Now it's time to understand what to do with dampness at home and how to get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon in your home. Dampness in the house must be dealt with without fail.

In this case, you need to use all modern methods.

• So, a special tool that can be purchased at any supermarket will help get rid of mold and dampness in the house. However, this remedy may seem ineffective if the cause of the mold lies in other factors. For example, the use of special tools will be useless if there are problems with ventilation or ventilation in the house. If the wrong construction of the building was carried out, then the remedy also cannot bring an effect. After all, you need to fight the main causes of mold.
• Mold on the walls in the house can form due to poor heating. Indeed, the walls of the blocks are able to pass the cold. In addition, they are crowded with bulky furniture that does not allow heat to pass through. All these reasons contribute to the formation of mold, which releases dampness and unpleasant substances into the air for years. Some people think that such problems are very easy to solve with special means from the supermarket. However, it is not. Here drastic methods are required. Even an air conditioner that will simply drive damp air around the apartment will not bring the desired effect. But there is no need to despair! After all, if the house is constantly damp, you just need to install plastic windows that will not have partitions. The window will allow natural light to constantly enter the house. In addition, with such an item it is possible to carry out high-quality and constant ventilation of the room.
• Fighting mold is very difficult. And this should be remembered by every homeowner with such an unpleasant problem. In this case, you will need not only patience, but also a lot of effort. To make your family nest comfortable and cozy, you need to remove fungus and mold from the walls of the house. For such work, you will need to purchase a high-quality antiseptic that will clean the walls of the fungus and make them aesthetic again.
• If the walls of the house are covered with wallpaper, then they are removed. In addition, the plaster affected by the fungus is removed. In order not to harm your health, all work must be done in a mask. Walls before treatment with an antiseptic must be cleaned of fungus and mold. Only after that they can be treated with an antiseptic and creosote. For the treatment of walls, other compositions are also allowed. For example, you can dilute stationery glue with water in a ratio of 1:4. It is allowed to treat the walls with urea. All of the above funds should be applied only to the affected areas of the walls. Before applying, the affected areas on the walls must be heated to 50 degrees. After finishing work, the walls must dry completely.

How to get rid of dampness in the apartment and in the house? This question will be relevant at any time. As mentioned above, this process is difficult and painstaking. In addition, after removing the mold in the room, it is necessary to create special conditions, which will prevent the formation of mold and increased dampness.

So, to prevent the appearance of mold and dampness in the apartment will help sunlight and Fresh air. In addition, you need not to force all the walls in the room with furniture. Some plants can increase the humidity in rooms. Therefore, it is necessary to remove from the room where there is high humidity: geraniums and violets. If a normal level of humidity is observed in the dwelling, then mold and fungus can be forgotten on for a long time. Experts do not recommend drying wet clothes in the apartment and house. In addition, for repairs, you need to purchase dry building mixes.

A good effect can give the insulation of facades with a heater or foam. Dampness in an apartment is quite common. Therefore, everyone should know how to get rid of this phenomenon. In a room with high humidity, normal air circulation should occur.

That's why interior doors better to keep it open. But the doors to the kitchen should be closed during cooking. In this case, it is recommended to use a hood and vents to ventilate the kitchen.

For high-quality ventilation of the bathroom and the bathroom, you need to equip good ventilation. There is no need to invent something new and look for expensive solutions.

conclusions

To save good health and excellent health must be removed from the rooms: mold, fungus and high humidity. In addition, you need to monitor the condition of your home and prevent this problem from occurring. For example, if an apartment or house is equipped low-quality heating, then you need to purchase a heating convector that will dry the walls warm air. During wet cleaning you should wipe the floor well and monitor the condition of the walls on which the appearance of the fungus has already been recorded.

If all methods to combat the fungus have already been tried, if not observed good result, or there is no time at all to deal with such problems, you need to contact special company which will send competent employees to deal with this problem.

Hello dear readers! The other day I was talking with a friend who started a grandiose renovation. It turned out that everything is not so simple: they have mold in their apartment, so they decided to get rid of it in the most categorical way. This gave me the idea to tell you about the terrible dampness in the apartment, how to get rid of it.

When the apartment is constantly high humidity, dampness will certainly appear sooner or later.

It negatively affects your home: it worsens the condition wooden furniture or leather products, plaster becomes loose and crumbles, wallpaper falls off and can lead to floors, books, magazines and documents deteriorate, products quickly become unusable. And, of course, the worst thing is that mold and fungus appear.

In addition, the condition of the household is deteriorating. Such a microclimate can cause oily skin and increased greasiness of hair, provokes skin rashes and allergic reactions, and also disrupts the functioning of the respiratory organs.

Raw air is simply adored by microbes, and therefore your loved ones get sick more often. And of course, dampness accompanies an unpleasant smell.

Where did this trouble come from?

The causes of dampness can be different. First you need to check where it came from in your apartment: outside or inside.

To do this, you need to conduct a small experiment: attach glass to a wall that borders the street for several hours. Then look at the result: if moisture appeared on the wall, then dampness entered the room from the outside.

It happens so often corner apartments, as well as if mistakes were made during the construction of the house. But don't worry, even such flaws can be dealt with.

If the wall section is dry, then the reasons must be sought indoors. It's usually one of these:

1. basement flooding;
2. there is no ventilation in the apartment, or it is dirty and does not work well;
3. flood from neighbors above (or from the roof, in the case of the upper floor);
4. improper installation of kitchen appliances (blocked ventilation);
5. they closed the pipes during the repair, and now the leak is not visible;
6. poor-quality installation of plumbing (the bath does not fit snugly against the wall, which is why there are constant puddles under it);
7. constant drying of laundry in large quantities at home;
8. greenhouse of flowers (yes, no matter how surprised you are, but sometimes they are too zealous with flowers, and they create a too humid climate in the apartment).

How to deal with the problem

First of all, check the ventilation and pipes: is it all working properly. If the cause is in them, then you will have to resort to the help of specialists who will help fix the problems.

If this is not the reason, then the following tips will definitely help you.

Fresh air

One of better ways combating excessive humidity and dampness is the regular ventilation of the apartment.

Open windows all the way to allow air to circulate in the rooms. This is especially true of the bathroom: leave it open at least for a couple of hours (or, for example, at night), then excess moisture will leave.

If you live in a metropolis and are afraid of gas pollution, then air conditioning will help: it will support not only desired temperature but also to dry the air.

You can install an alpine window: it will perfectly help to cope with drafts in the cold season.

Heating rooms

Heat is the main way to combat dampness and moisture.

And it doesn't matter if it will heating appliances or sunlight. The second, by the way, is more desirable: batteries run the risk of drying out the air. Therefore, be sure to open the curtains during the day.

In the bathroom, a heated towel rail will do just fine. If the problem is still in the basement, then you will have to purchase a heater and additionally turn it on in the off-season: the humidity in the basements increases in autumn and spring.

About household chores

While cooking, the ideal friend will be kitchen hood: it will not only eliminate odors, but also excess moisture.

Cleaning in a room where dampness is best done with “drying” agents: aqueous solutions with bleach, potassium permanganate or vinegar. They can wipe both floors and furniture. And the final step should be cleaning excess water with a dry cloth.

And, of course, try not to dry things daily in the apartment. If, nevertheless, there is no balcony or loggia, then try washing less often (for example, 2 times a week, not daily). And the ideal option for you would be washing machine with laundry drying function!

We eliminate dampness in the closet

Dampness in the closet is also an unpleasant phenomenon. Things can be wet and even have bad smell. Good drying after washing and ironing with a hot steam iron will help to cope with this. And in no case should things be put in the closet when wet.

Dampness and repair

If you have to repair, then think over all the details of this grand event. After all, if the apartment is prone to dampness, then at this stage the problem can be prevented.

1. Treat the walls with antifungal products (but remember that they are toxic, so follow the instructions).
2. If you have dampness from the street, then it is necessary to insulate the walls, thanks to this you will avoid condensation due to temperature changes.
3. Give preference natural materials because they breathe. For example, now there is a great alternative plastic windows, whose air permeability is doubtful - wooden windows with double-glazed windows.

Your assistants in the fight against dampness

In addition, you can eliminate dampness with folk remedies.

One of these methods is the arrangement of sugar, salt or coffee in rooms. You probably imagined a bag of salt in the middle of the room? Well, of course, this is a last resort. Try to play with the details: coffee beans can be placed in a beautiful glass vase or a large glass.

Another one of the best sinks moisture is considered silica gel. It is actively used even in industry. Remember those little paper balloon bags in shoeboxes? This is what he is.

These envelopes can be put in a closet with linen or in a sports bag that you carry with you to workouts. And, of course, shoes! And yes, it is even poured into a container and placed under the bath. In such large volumes, you can buy it at the pet store, because it is used for cat litter.

This method is best used when you are sure that small children or pets will not eat it.

If you love flowers, choose plants that don't need to be watered often when damp. Cacti are perfect as ever. There are also flowers that absorb moisture from the air: these are fern, syngonium, geranium.

Improve the microclimate in the apartment and essential oils that freshen the air and kill harmful microorganisms: tea tree, eucalyptus, fir, grapefruit.

And yes, technology will help you: now you can buy an air dryer in any store. Their prices are quite reasonable, you can find options for any budget.

When choosing, pay attention to power: the higher it is, the better it is. There are automatic models, they monitor the level of humidity and turn on themselves. This, by the way, can even save electricity.

I hope my advice will help you cope with such an unpleasant problem and get rid of dampness in the apartment. All the best to you, my dears!

Bye Bye,

Anastasia Smolinets

Not every one of us pays attention to the level of humidity in the home, but it is this indicator, along with air temperature and light, that is involved in creating a microclimate and directly affects well-being. Both low and high humidity are harmful.

Optimal values. If you focus on sanitary norms, then the normal level relative humidity for residential premises varies from 40 to 60%. In winter, when hot radiators dry up the air, the humidity “drops” to 15-20%, air humidifiers come to the rescue. But in the warm season, the indicators often “go off scale” in reverse side, which leads to unpleasant consequences.

Effects. Negative influence high humidity on the human body is not exaggerated. Firstly, heavy humid air is contraindicated for people with cardiovascular diseases, hypertensive patients and asthmatics. Secondly, in combination with elevated temperature air (more than 25 ° C), high humidity provokes overheating of the body, and if the temperature is lowered - hypothermia.

In such conditions, harmful microorganisms and bacteria multiply with amazing speed. Even in healthy adults, breathing is disturbed, efficiency decreases, allergic reactions occur, to say nothing of the “risk zone” - the elderly and young children.

In addition, high humidity in the apartment contributes to the appearance of mold and fungus on any surface, it can ruin furniture, books, bedding and mattresses, food (cereals, flour, vegetables). A persistent "swampy" smell appears in the house.

How to measure humidity level

At home, a hygrometer is useful. This device, more like a digital alarm clock, controls the increase or decrease in humidity.

However, you can find out whether the humidity is increased or not using ordinary water. Fill a transparent glass halfway and place it in the refrigerator for several hours (“outlet” water temperature should be no more than 5 ° C). Place the vessel in the “tested” room, away from household appliances and radiators, watch for 5-10 minutes. Large drops of condensate appearing on the walls of the container indicate that the humidity in the room is high.

How to deal with high humidity

First of all, you need to find and fix the problem. The following options are possible:

1. Non-working ventilation. Hoods tend to break, and ventilation shafts- get dirty. And if in the warm season you can open the window to ventilate a room or kitchen, then in winter it is problematic to do so. Be sure to check the ventilation of the apartment or house. If necessary, install a hood in the kitchen, a more powerful fan or deflector in the bathroom.

2. Insufficient insulation or waterproofing. Poorly insulated and waterproofed walls and the floor, like a sponge, absorb moisture from the outside, becoming covered with condensate and "giving out" all this into the room. Constantly wet wallpaper or "chunking" linoleum - a reason to do repairs.

3. Lack of heating. The rooms that are heated to a minimum dampen most quickly. Installing an additional radiator or buying oil heater solve this problem.

4. The presence of sources of moisture. Perhaps the most common reason for high humidity in an apartment: poor quality installed double-glazed windows collecting condensate, errors when connecting a washing or dishwasher, leaking pipes or plumbing. "Walk" through all nodes and connections, if necessary, replace or repair problem areas.

If windows “fog” in the apartment, treat the glass special composition: 5 parts clear dishwashing gel or liquid soap, 3 parts glycerin, 1 part turpentine, and then rub them to a shine with a clean rag.

Prevention of high humidity

Basic but effective preventive actions will not be superfluous even when everything is in order in the house with humidity.

• Be sure to ventilate the apartment (even in winter) at least half an hour a day.
• Heat the rooms evenly, preventing already heated air from entering the "cold" room, creating a sharp temperature drop.
• Do not dry clothes in the living quarters and bathroom, it is best to do it on the balcony or loggia.
• Use simple but effective absorbents. Arrange in cabinets, on shelves in the toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bags with table salt, rice, coffee beans.
• Run the dehumidifier periodically. This unit passes excessively humid air through filters, which helps in maintaining a natural and healthy microclimate.