How to reduce humidity in house without dehumidifier [2023 Guide]

Excess humidity can be brutal and can do a lot of damage to the interior (Especially wooden furniture) of any home, even though it can be tough for a person to work, live or sleep in high humidity. Not only this, but it can also cause mold, dust mites, or fungus in homes.

To prevent all of these issues, you will need a desiccant or compressor dehumidifier, because with the help of a dehumidifier you can easily improve the air low or keep the moisture in the air under control.

However, if you don’t have a dehumidifier and thinking about some other ways to keep the moisture in the air under control then I believe we can help you with that, cause there are lots of ways you can reduce the humidity in your home without a dehumidifier.

In this article, I am gonna tell you about How to reduce humidity in house without dehumidifier, And in case if you have a dehumidifier then read this article to find out the best place to put your dehumidifier in a home.

9 ways to reduce humidity in house without dehumidifier

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1. Open Windows or Improve the Ventilation of your home:

By keeping the windows open you can prevent humid air from settling in your home because it will help you to keep the fresh air moving inside your house.

In simple words, if I say then keeping the windows open can help the humid air escape from the house.

It is always better to have fresh air in the room/house all time than stagnant air, especially when it comes to humidity.

Here are some proven strategic ways to maximize the effectiveness of an open window:

First, You don’t have to open all the windows of your house/room all the way, a simple open window will be enough for a room. After all, privacy matters too..so when it comes to this all you have to do is open a single window.

Second, It may be difficult for you but I suggest you to keep the window open in the direction of the blowing wind.

Third, Always try to prioritize the windows in areas of your house that are more likely to be humid, such as kitchens or bathrooms.

2. Use your Air conditioner:

Air conditioners can be one of the best ways to reduce humidity out of the room/house, after all both Ac and dehumidifier has the same kind of mechanism. While cooling down your house and air conditioner can also reduce the humidity of the air.

Note: If you are worrying that every time when you will turn on the AC,  you will have to set it to super cold, then you don’t have to worry because it will still have a dehumidifying effect on the air in normal mode.

I do understand that air conditioners can be expensive to run in hot and humid climates, but you should also have to accept the fact that with this you won’t have to waste any money for buying a separate dehumidifier.

Just in case you don’t want to have an air conditioner then you can skip this point and have a look at the others cause there are still many ways out there 😉

3. Use Different fans:

Just like opening a window to let the room’s humidity air outside of the room, you can also use fans to reduce humidity. By using a fan you can easily keep the air moving and prevent it from sitting stagnant in your home.

Now the question is which fans should you use at which place? Well, there are many different types of fans that can be used to reduce the humidity of different places.

Ceiling Fans:

I do believe that most of you know about Ceiling fans so without wasting any time with the details of ceiling fans let me tell you how it can help.

A ceiling fan can get air moving across an entire room from top to down, and this helps to reduce the humidity in any living room/Bedroom or wherever you used it by refreshing the air.

Even if you just set the fan at its lowest setting, it can keep the airflow of the room more refreshing than before.

Exhaust Fans:

Exhaust fans can be used in your appliances and installed in your kitchens/bathrooms as well, and as you know that the reason is just to pull air out of the room they are placed.

This means that they will not only pull all the humidity air from the place but also the fresh air will be replaced to maintain the airflow.

Standing Fans:

Well for places where you can’t use ceiling or exhaust fans, you can use standing fans to get the same output that you got from other fans. However, it can not only be used in areas of the home where there are no other fans, but it can also help with the general airflow of the home.

4. Dry Your Laundry Outside or using a dryer:

To reduce humidity you can simply line dry your laundry outside instead of doing it inside of your House. With this, I can assure you that you will notice a huge difference in your air.

Actually, whenever you line dry your clothes inside, the water from the clothes goes into the air. However, for dry places, it can be normal or even good but when it comes to a place where the air is humid then it just adds a good amount of water to the air.

So this is why you should always try to hang your clothes outside for drying.

If drying your clothes outside is not possible then you can also use a dryer that is able to channel hot humid air outdoors might be better choice.

5. Keep Surfaces DRy:

Just like other options…this is also one of the most proven ways to reduce the humidity of your house. Basically, if you will wipe down your kitchen and bathroom after every use then you can prevent evaporating water from accumulating in the air.

The same goes for wet mats and towels since these items can increase moisture levels during drying…so it’s always best to wash them and dry them outside.

6. Use house plants:

By placing plants around your house and in rooms you can easily reduce humidity. But before planting anything you must have to know the right plants that can help you to reduce humidity. 

Because most plants receive water from their roots and we will have to place those which can simply absorb water from the air.

Don’t worry these plants won’t dry out your complete room, these plants will simply reduce the overall humidity levels. With this, you will not only get rid of humidity but also you can breathe freely.

Now without further ado let me tell you the plants that can be helpful…

• Reed palm:

Reed palms grow very well in tropical climates and also in those places where the humidity level is a bit high. And just as we wanted…these plants can easily absorb the moisture from the air and refresh the air.

However, you must have to keep in mind that such plants require some maintenance like watering them twice a week.

“The same goes for the Bosten fern. It’s also a plant that can reduce humidity levels like Reed palms with the same maintenance.”

• English Ivy:

English ivy is a plant that can absorb moisture from the air while removing mold particles. It is basically a hanging plant that can be placed anywhere you want, But most people like to have it in their garden or balcony, rather than indoor rooms.

Tip: To make sure that the plant will grow properly, you will have to moisten the soil evenly.

• Peace Lily:

These lilies are so beautiful and can easily reduce humidity in your room. Also, this plant is not so sensitive, so you don’t have to care too much about it…just some water every third day and it will be enough.

However, you must keep the plant out of the reach of children and pets cause this plant is slightly toxic(Not too dangerous so don’t worry).

Watch this video to know more about plants that can reduce humidity in your room:

7. Silica gel or Cat Litter:

In every packet of shoes, you will probably find a silica gel packet in the Box. Now if you are wondering why silica gel and what’s the point of using it then let me tell you…

Silica gel can easily absorb and remove humidity from any place without any second thought. Even Big places like art showrooms and museums use silica gel to control the Humidity level.

Not to mention but you should know that silica gel is also very cheap and reusable, to use it again you will have to just heat it up for some hours and then it will be ready to use again.

Tip: In case, if your phone gets wet by water then you can also use silica gel to dry off the water quickly without any harm.

You can also try silica-based cat litter since it is very good at pulling humidity out of the air. Cat litter can act in a very similar way as baking soda does so you can say that cat litter can be very useful too.

8. make a die dehumidifier at home:

As a normal person, I understand that most of us prefer saving money by using the things that we already have in our house. Since a dehumidifier can be a bit costly product so why don’t we just make one with the things that we have in our house?

To be honest it will not take even 10 minutes to create a die dehumidifier at home. So without further ado let me tell you the ways to make your own dehumidifier at home 😉

• Charcoal Briquettes:

Charcoal Briquettes are one of those things that most of us never paid attention to it but sometimes it turns out to be the best thing that can help you.

Such as…if you don’t know then let me tell you that Charcoal Briquettes are one of the best things that can absorb moisture from the air so easily. So in other words you can make your own homemade dehumidifier by using this.

Here’s what you will need to make the dehumidifier:

• Charcoal Briquettes.
• A large can with a lid.
• A screwdriver.

First, to create a dehumidifier you will have to poke some holes in the side of the can by using the screwdriver. After that, all you have to do is put the Charcoal inside of the can and close it.

Now just put the can in the room or place where you feel like the air is humid.

9. Check Your Rugs

Surprisingly, rugs can be a good source of moisture in your home because they can easily hold more moisture in them than any other clothing or anything else.

Sometimes a carpet can even be responsible for the growth of mold and mildew which can subsequently lead to a musty smell in your home.

However, by doing some simple sniff tests you can easily know if you have any moisture issues on a rug or not. After that give it a smell to know if the smell is musty or damp. Later on, you can either get it dry-cleaned or simply replace it.

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What causes High humidity in a Room?

Humidity is the amount or percentage of water vapor/moisture that you have in the air of any room/place. In other words when a good amount of moisture can’t get out of the room/place and stays inside of it then humidity occurs.

It is very important to be able to understand the symptoms of high humidity so that you can take some major precautions to prevent damage.  The level of humidity always depends on the place/local climate where you live in.

That’s also one of the reasons why some people claim different percentages of ideal humidity. In a room/house there are some small things/daily works that can cause high humidity…such as

• Showering
• Cooking or Boiling water
• Drying laundry inside
• Gas heaters
• Leaks in the house
• Renovations

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HEALTH REASONS FOR LOWERING HUMIDITY

If you still want to know more reasons about why you should control the humidity in a room then you should know all the worst side effects of too much humidity in the home fall under a person’s general health and well-being.

Along with home appliances damages, smells, and other issues…high humidity can also cause serious health problems like allergic and asthma issues. 

People who suffer from allergies and asthma may suffer more due to high humidity because humidity can also be responsible for the growth of dust mites and mold, which trigger both asthma attacks and allergic reactions.

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FAQs

– Will turning up the heat reduce humidity?

Well turning up the heat can decrease the relative humidity since relative humidity depends on temperature, however, absolute humidity won’t change.

– What naturally absorbs moisture? / What absorbs humidity in a house?

There are many things that can absorb moisture from the air naturally such as Rock Salt, charcoal Briquettes, Baking Soda, Silica Gel, etc.

– Does opening windows increase humidity?

If you will open windows in the summertime then you may face high humidity levels in your room, which could also make your home much warmer in the long run. Otherwise, by opening windows you can reduce humidity in your room.

– What is normal indoor humidity?

Most people find that a relative humidity between 30 to 60 percent is the most comfortable, with indoor humidity ideally between 30 to 50 percent.

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Final Thoughts

As i mentioned earlier, having a high humidity level in a room can cause a lot of damage to the interior (Especially wooden furniture) of any home. Even it can be tough for a person to work, live or sleep in high humidity.

But still, there’s nothing to worry about since there are a lot of possible ways to reduce humidity levels in a room/house. Also, it’s not just you who face high humidity levels in the rooms/house so don’t worry.

Since I already told you everything that you should know about How to handle humidity on your own without any dehumidifier. One thing I must tell you that…in order to get instant results it will be always better to use Air conditioners.

However, you shouldn’t ignore other points too after all every way has its own benefits such as if you will place plants then you will also get the benefits of fresh air.

Still, no matter what method you will choose in the end all the results will be the same.