How to Reduce Indoor Humidity in Your Home

Choosing the Right Size and Placement

First, you need a dehumidifier that fits your space. They are rated by how many pints of moisture they can remove from the air in 24 hours. A small 30-pint model might work for a bedroom. But a big, damp basement could need a 50-pint or even a 70-pint unit. If the machine is too small, it will run all the time and never get the humidity under control.

Once you have the right size, where you put it is very important. A dehumidifier needs space to work.

• Avoid corners: Give the machine at least six inches of space from walls and furniture. This lets air flow freely into and out of the machine.
• Go to the source: If the basement is the main problem, that’s where the dehumidifier should be. For general humidity throughout the house, a central spot on your main floor is a good choice.
• Seal the area: Close the doors and windows in the room where it's running. You want it to work on the air inside the room, not try to dry out the whole neighborhood. This makes it work much better.

Setting and Maintaining Your Machine

The goal is to get the humidity into that sweet spot: between 40% and 60%. Luckily, most new dehumidifiers have a built-in tool that lets you set your target level. Setting it to around 50% is usually perfect. The machine will then turn on and off as needed, which saves a lot of energy.

A little care goes a long way. You'll need to empty the water bucket often, sometimes every day when it's very humid outside. Many models also have a spot to attach a hose, which lets the water drain out on its own. This is a great feature that lets you set it and forget it.

Most importantly, clean the filter. A filter clogged with dust makes the machine work harder. This raises your energy bill and makes it less effective. Try to check it every couple of weeks. A quick wash with soap and water is all it takes to keep the air flowing and your machine working well.

This is about more than just comfort. A 2022 study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that the energy used for dehumidifying buildings in the U.S. creates 599 million tons of greenhouse gases each year. That’s even more than the 531 million tons from heating and cooling. This shows that using your dehumidifier well can make a real difference for the environment.

Everyday Habits That Lower Humidity

Besides big things like dehumidifiers and fans, the small choices you make every day can have a big effect on your home's moisture levels.

It’s easy to add moisture to our homes without even knowing it. But small changes to your daily routines can make a huge difference in your fight against indoor humidity.

For example, your kitchen is a major source of steam. When you boil pasta or let a soup simmer, all that water vapor goes into the air, making the room feel stuffy. An easy fix? Just cover your pots and pans with lids while cooking. This simple step traps a lot of steam, keeping it from raising the humidity in your home.

Rethink Your Laundry Routine

Another common cause of humidity is drying laundry indoors. Hanging wet clothes on an indoor rack might seem easy, but it releases a huge amount of water into the air.

In fact, one load of laundry can release more than two liters of water. This can turn your living room into a temporary sauna.

Whenever you can, dry your clothes outside on a line. If you can't, make sure you're using a clothes dryer that has a vent connected to the outside. This sends all that moisture straight outdoors where it belongs.

Manage Your Houseplants

Your leafy plants bring life and color to your home, but they also add to indoor humidity. They release water vapor through their leaves. While a few plants won't cause trouble, a large collection in a small room with poor airflow can raise moisture levels.

You don't need to get rid of your plants, but managing them can help.

• Group them together. Putting plants in a cluster can create a small humid area just around them, instead of raising it for the whole room.
• Make sure they drain well. Don't let your plants sit in trays full of water. This is bad for the plant and also adds standing water that will evaporate into the air.
• Wipe down the leaves. Dust can slow down the plant's breathing process. A gentle wipe now and then keeps them healthy.

By thinking about these everyday activities—from cooking and laundry to plant care—you gain more control over your home's air. These small changes all work together to make your home drier and more comfortable. This makes the question of how to reduce indoor humidity much easier to answer.

Finding and Fixing Hidden Moisture Leaks

So you’ve tried to improve your airflow and you have a dehumidifier running, but the air in your house still feels damp. What's going on?

When the usual fixes don't work, it's time to be a detective. The real problem might be a hidden leak somewhere that is constantly adding moisture to your home. Finding and fixing these sneaky water sources is the only way to really learn how to reduce indoor humidity for good.

We're not always talking about a big flood. These problems can be small—a tiny crack around a window or a slow drip under a sink that you don't notice. But they add up. They create a damp feeling that leads to musty smells, peeling paint, and even serious damage to your house over time.

Checking for Sneaky Air Leaks

Humid air from outside loves to get indoors through tiny gaps around your windows and doors. An easy way to find them is to feel for drafts with your hand on a windy day. Sealing these small openings is a simple but very effective way to keep that unwanted moisture out.

• Weatherstripping: Get some self-stick foam or rubber stripping and put it around the frames of your doors and windows. This creates a much tighter seal.
• Caulking: Use a tube of caulk to fill any clear gaps between your window or door frames and the walls. It’s a cheap fix that makes a big difference.

Bonus: Sealing these air leaks doesn't just lower humidity. It also makes your home more energy-efficient, which means lower heating and cooling bills.

Making Sure Water Flows Away

This is a big one that many homeowners forget. Look at the ground around your house's foundation. Does the dirt slope towards your house? If it does, rainwater will collect against your foundation. It will eventually seep into your basement or crawl space. This is a common cause of high humidity in the lower levels of a home.

The ground should slope away from your house for at least five feet. This slope is key for moving water away from your foundation, not into it.

It might not seem connected to your indoor air, but proper drainage is one of the most important steps in controlling moisture.

Hunting for Plumbing Drips

Even the tiniest water leak can quietly add a surprising amount of moisture to the air. That slow drip under the bathroom sink or behind the toilet can go unnoticed for weeks. It creates a damp, musty space that mold loves.

Make it a habit to check these common trouble spots:

1. Under every sink in your kitchen and bathrooms.
2. Around the base of all your toilets.
3. Near your water heater and washing machine hoses.

Look for water stains, damp spots, or that musty smell. Catching a small leak early will save you from a lot of trouble, preventing both water damage and a stubborn humidity problem.

It really comes down to this: while good airflow helps, you have to stop moisture at its source. An international study in 2023 found that many buildings struggle to keep healthy humidity levels, even with good ventilation systems. You can read more about these humidity control challenges in temperate climates and see why it’s so important to find and fix those leaks first.

Common Questions About Home Humidity

Even after you've started to fix the dampness in your home, you might still have a few questions. Let's go over some of the most common ones we hear from homeowners learning how to reduce indoor humidity.

Think of this as a quick guide to help you handle certain situations and feel more sure about your plan.