Hannah Whittenly
Moving Air
The higher the humidity when it is hot, the less evaporation is occurring. This applies to your own skin as well as your home itself. Moving air by using fans helps boost evaporation of moisture, and this will make you feel cooler as well as help your home to stay drier. Mold spores are everywhere, and they take heat, moisture and food to grow. Anything organic is food for mold. That includes everything from the wood in your floors and walls to the fibers in natural fabrics. Keeping things as dry as possible helps keep mold in check and from any further damage from happening to your home.
Keep the Landscaping Plants in Check
Shade is your best friend in the heat, but it can be your enemy when it is hot and humid. This is because the shady side of a home can easily begin to grow algae on the walls and roof surfaces. Tall trees closely surrounding a home where it gets hot and humid can lower the internal temperature of the house, which may feel really good to you, but they can also invite unwanted algal and mold growth on exterior surfaces of your home. However, a good daily dose of bright sunlight can prevent this from happening. So, cut back the trees and plants to expose the outdoor surfaces of your home to more sunlight throughout the day to prevent the discoloration and rot that algae and mold can cause. Having rotting wood in your home is definitely not something that you want as it can also lead to the infestation of termites and cockroaches.
Central Air Conditioning
Human beings have discovered innovative ways to keep their dwellings cool and habitable in hot and humid locations throughout the ages. Luckily, though, we live in a day of technology where certain amenities are available to us. Although some people do use evaporative coolers, or swamp coolers, they do nothing to control humidity levels. So-called swamp coolers are better suited to hot, dry climates as they can make hot and humid living even worse. Air conditioning systems, such as those you can get from Neil Hewitt Electrical & Air Conditioning, do more than just refrigerate the air to cool it. They dehumidify it. Lowering the moisture level in indoor air using a central air conditioning system brings comfort through cooling as well as drying the air. Dry air feels cooler as the dryness permits your body’s sweat to evaporate quickly, and that takes away that moist sticky feeling. Plus, fabrics, surfaces and even the air you breathe indoors feel better when the air is drier when it is hot outside. If your AC system does not adequately dehumidify the air, consider adding a separate dehumidifier.
Outdoor Comfort
Most homeowners have an outdoor living space to enjoy. If you live where it is hot and humid, it can be uncomfortable to be outdoors. Humidity makes even breathing oppressive, and it is very conducive to establishing huge insect populations. If you are going to live where the heat and humidity compete, make sure any outdoor living space is screened in and has ceiling fans to keep the air moving. The screens keep the bugs out, and the moving air discourages ones that do make it in. Plus, a continual breeze helps you and your guests to be more comfortable to enjoy your outdoor living space.
When it gets really miserable outdoors, being able to retreat to an indoor environment that has cooled and dehumidified air can bring much comfort and relief. The best way to fight the oppressive feeling that humidity can cause when it is hot out is to lower the relative humidity. A good AC system and even adding a dehumidifier can really help. Do not be afraid to run the ceiling fans with the AC on too as the moving air makes it even more comfortable, and it can reduce your need to run the AC system.
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