How to reduce the air humidity in a room?

Question

The air humidity in my kitchen is sometimes high and there is condensing water on the windows and water drops are falling on the floor. I know I have to install a steam hood over the kitchen stove to take away the steam. I will be able to do this after several months and meanwhile I want to find how to reduce the air humidity.

Similar problem appears when I am drying wet clothes in the living room during the cold winter days.

High humidity not only makes the windows foggy but it is contributing to mold formation. What can I do to reduce the humidity?

Answer 1

Use a dehumidifier. These work very well in damp basements and should serve the same in a kitchen.

You could also consider using the dryer for your clothes or choosing a less humid room in which to dry them.

One final option would be to turn the heat up a bit. Warm air can hold more water, such that it should reduce the amount of dew on the windows; it may also warm up the windows and decrease amount of condensation.

Answer 2

Products such as damp-rid and dries-air pull moisture from the air via a chemical called calcium chloride. They are very effective but a little expensive. That chemical is also the main ingredient in some brands of ice melt crystals, which are a little cheaper but come in big bags. I use the ice melt. I fill a disposable plastic cup abut halfway with it and set it near the windows. Use as many of these as you need to do the job. As the crystals liquefy you will need to replace them. I've heard you can dry it out in a stove or something but have never tried it. You can cover them with a cheese cloth and a rubber band if you are worried about them spilling. Also after you open the bag be sure to seal it. I put it in a bucket with a tight lid.

Answer 3

Ensure you cover your pots with lids when cooking, whenever possible. This can dramatically reduce the amount of steam that escapes into the house.

Also, ventilation is crucial. Modern houses tend to be very well insulated and one of the consequences is higher humidity. Try to at least:

• Open kitchen windows/doors to clear steam after cooking (some will escape, even if you use lids)
• Open bathroom windows after baths or showers
• Consider leaving a window ajar if you dry washing.

In general, consider opening more windows around the house. The downside is you'll need to have your heating on more often to combat the lowered temperature.

Final note: if you get mould, make sure you spray it with mould killer. Simple water/soap will just spread it about.

Answer 4

You can lay out some rice on a plate. This will reduce your humidity.

Answer 5

I've put rice in a dryer sheet to absorb the moisture and put off a fresh smell, I'll be honest I don't know if it works yet, but in theory it sounds reasonable. Of course once you put the rice in the dryer sheet you have to tape up the end to where it kind of looks like a badminton birdie. 👌🏼👌🏼

Answer 6

I live in an offroad truck for much of the year, and in the cold months have the same problems with clothes drying and cooking.

The surefire way is to heat more and keep windows more open. Warm humid air will escape, and cold drier air will come in. In a truck with a wood stove that's ok, but in a house it's expensive. So my other small hacks will probably help you more:

• Use a pressure cooker for most cooking. It keeps the steam inside. And when choosing recipes that call for "natural depressurizing" (letting it sit until pressureless), no steam will come out at the end either. Otherwise, de-pressurize on the balcony or otherwise outdoors. Note, even things like rice and pasta work great in the pressure cooker once you found the exact amounts of water and timings for your setting.

• Vent quickly. When there is a lot of humidity in the air, open the windows / door to the outside fully for 2-4 minutes, just enough to exchange all air inside the room once. This will remove all humidity in the air, and get fresh air in that will be dry after warming up, taking up more humidity. You don't lose much heat this way compared to keeping a window open, as most heat is stored in walls and objects, not the air that you exchange, and will heat up the cold air quickly. Repeat the venting every 30-60 minutes, when the fresh air has taken up enough humidity again.

• Wipe condensation off. Use kitchen paper or toilet paper to wipe off condensed humidity from windows and other cold surfaces. Then throw the wet paper in a closed trash can so it can't get back into the air. Try to avoid condensation, but when it's there (like after cooking), this is the fastest and most energy saving method to get rid of it.

• No curtains. I found that condensation happens a lot more behind curtains that are close (≤6 cm distance) to the window glass, so I just remove these.

• Dry clothing in batches. You can manage the humidity if it's not too much at once. So dry only a few pieces of clothing at a time. If that has to be less than one washing machine load, store the other wet clothing in the fridge or even the freezer to not become smelly before it gets to dry. (Didn't try that yet, though.)