During the summer months, high humidity can cause several issues for your home including mold inside the home and green algae growing on the side of your home.
Mold develops, depending on the type of mold, can cause allergies and even illness in children and older adults. Mold forms on surfaces that become damp due to the high humidity. Bathrooms and basements are the normal locations for mold to form, but mold can also form in the kitchen and just about any room that is not well ventilated.
The telltale sign of mold environment is a musty smell. If that smell persists, it may mean mold is growing in the room.
Humidity
To understand humidity and what it means. The dew point temperature is the absolute measure of the amount of moisture in the air. If the air temperature falls to the dew point temperature, the atmosphere becomes saturated and fog or dew can form.
The relative humidity is the relative measure of the amount of moisture in the air. It’s relative to the air temperature and dew point temperature. When the air temperature and dew point are equal the relative humidity is 100%. When the temperature rises, the relative humidity falls because at higher temperatures, more water molecules can evaporate into the air.
For your home, you want to focus more on the dew point because that will give you the absolute reading of moisture in the air. When the dew point gets above 60, that’s when the humidity will increase in your home. A 70-degree dew point and higher is very humid and means that homes not ventilated could have mold issues.
To mitigate the mold problems, make sure your home is well ventilated in the summer. That could mean running the air conditioner or fans to have air movement. Using a dehumidifier is the best protection from mold development.
Green Algae
Outside your home, watch for green algae building up on your siding, especially on the non-sunny side of your homes. If you see the green algae forming, wash you home or power wash immediately so the siding does not become stained. There are plenty of preventive chemical solutions available at your home stores.
