11 Easy Ways to Dehumidify Your House without a Dehumidifier

An excess of moisture in the air promotes the growth of mildew and mold, which can damage the structure of your home.

The best way to dehumidify your home is to find the source which is creating the humidity and eliminate or reduce it if possible.

For this, most of us plan to use a dehumidifier as a quick solution. However, do remember that running a dehumidifier can jack up your electricity bill.

This is why you may need to find the source of the humidity and use simple, less expensive alternative methods to reduce the amount of moisture in the air.

Dehumidifying Your House without a Dehumidifier

What follows are eleven simple, inexpensive methods for keeping the humidity down in your home without actually using a dehumidifier.

1- Open a Window

If the outside air has less humidity than the inside air, open a window. You’ll need a humidity meter to check the moisture levels, but this is the most straightforward system for keeping the humidity down.

Such methods work best in rooms with an excess of water vapor, such as the bathrooms and kitchen.

2- Ventilation

The easiest way to reduce the amount of water vapor in the air is to make it move. Proper ventilation reduces water vapor and helps to dry out the air.

This can be as simple as using a window fan to bring in the outside air. Be sure to get one with an exhaust setting so it can remove the humid air from home.

But if it is too hot or cold outside to use a window fan, then running a regular fan in a room will at least move the air around while reducing the water vapor that is present.

3- Heat to Dry

You may not want to open a window or run a fan during the cold winter months. In that case, you’ll want to dry the air by heating it.

Use a space heat or wood stove to dry the air as a gas stove will have the opposite effect.

Place the heater or stove in a room that has excessive humidity but be sure not to allow the temperature of the room to exceed 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Otherwise, the walls and ceiling might be subject to steam damage as a result.

You can improve the effectiveness of the space heater or wood stove by running a fan.

This will circulate the dryer air to better effect. You should use a fan for larger rooms such as the basement or garage.

4- Calcium Chloride Absorption

If moving the air is not an option, you can absorb the moisture by placing desiccant containers in the room.

Desiccant is calcium chloride that can pull the moisture from the air. You can use ordinary table salt or other desiccants such as rice and silica gel.

Start with one desiccant container per room and judge the results.

The water that is collected can be poured out regularly. You’ll need to check the containers a couple of times each week to see when they will need to be drained.

5- Use a Basket of Charcoal

This is one you may not have heard about. Studies have proven the excellent absorption qualities of charcoal.

To make your home less humid, dump a bit of charcoal into a basket and place it in the corner of the room. The charcoal will absorb the moisture and create an evener balance in the air.

The best part is that this charcoal can last anywhere from two to three months, making it a cheap way to get your house feeling more pleasant in the summertime (or whenever it’s humid).

6- Hang Your Clothes Outside

Building on this, you’ll want to make sure to dry your clothes outside. A dryer can heat your house up like an old-fashioned oven, but hang-drying your clothes inside can be just as bad.

That’s because the excess water in the clothes will collect in the air and add unnecessary moisture to your house. This can make your home extremely humid and uncomfortable.

For this reason, you’ll want to be sure to dry your clothes outside. By drying your clothes outside, you can keep the moisture where it’s supposed to be while giving your clothes the quality dry they need.

Do this simple trick to give your house the humidity reduction you’ve been looking for.

7- Dry Any Excess Water

You may be surprised by how much excess water exists in your house.

We like to think of our homes as warm and dry places, but the truth of the matter is that there’s often much more water lying around the house than we may realize.

Think about it this way: you’ve just finished washing the dishes, and now you’re ready to relax.

You don’t realize that you’ve left small amounts of water in the sink and on the countertops. The bathroom sink, as well, is dotted with water, as is your bathtub.

All this excess water can contribute to heightened moisture and humidity in your house.

For this reason, you’ll want to ensure that you keep your surfaces dry and that you keep water use to a minimum.

Doing so will allow you to make your home less humid and more pleasant, no matter how humid it is where you live.

8- Clean Your Rugs Regularly

Did you know that your rugs retain moisture?

If you find that your home is too humid, it may be because your rugs are getting too moist. For this reason, consider having your rugs dry cleaned or even replacing them altogether.

This will help you keep your home feeling suitable, no matter how humid it gets outside.

Remember that the same can be said for all your surfaces, so be sure to clean your sheets, covers, and couch cushions, as well.

Doing so will give you an easy way to reduce humidity in your home.

9- Remove Plants

We get it—your plants take your home décor to the next level.

Despite this, they release large amounts of excess water that make your home more humid than it needs to be.

Think about it this way: you water your plants at least every other day, but where does that water go?

When plants take in carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment, they release that water into the air.

This means that rooms with plants become moister and more humid than other rooms in your house. This can be a problem if you’ve got plants in your living room or bedroom.

What this means for you is that you should invest in outdoor plants if you wish to reduce the humidity in your home.

In this way, you’ll be able to boost the aesthetic value of your home without having to suffer from unnecessarily large amounts of humidity.

10- Clean Your Gutters

Nobody likes cleaning their gutters. Unfortunately, clogged gutters are a major cause of indoor water leaks, meaning your home could suffer if you go too long between cleanings.

Leaks in your house will invariably boost the amount of moisture in your home, causing your humidity levels to rise.

Knowing this, you’ll want to ensure that you regularly clean your gutters so that you don’t suffer from any leaks that make your home uncomfortable.

11- Turn on the Air Conditioner

This one may seem like common sense, but it’s worth stating.

Leaving your air conditioner on for just a few hours a day can significantly reduce the amount of humidity in your house.

While keeping the system on for too long can raise your bills, it’s a great device to use when the heat and humidity get unbearable.

That’s because the system will remove warm and humid air from your house and replace it with cooler air.

Also Read: Is Water from Dehumidifier Safe to Drink?

Why is Humidity High in Summers?

One primary reason why humidity gets higher in summers at certain places is high temperature.

It’s a fact that warmer air can hold more moisture than colder air. Hence, it is the high temperature that makes all the difference to the air and its moisture content.

For this reason, it’s essential to know what steps you can take to fight off this humidity and make your home cool and refreshing, no matter how swampy it gets outside.

You’ll find that the damp rooms in your house (bathroom, kitchen, and basement, for example) will always tend to have a higher humidity reading.

This is to be expected and also shows that you may have to do more to get the humidity levels down in these rooms.

Cold air in winters (even when completely saturated) contains far less water/moisture than warmer air in summers.

Studies showed that air at higher temperatures (above 20°C) could contain up to 10 times more moisture content than air at 0°C.

And for this reason, you feel stickier in summer.

Besides the obvious signs (moist air, excessive sweating, and a stuffier atmosphere), you can check the humidity levels professionally by getting a reading.

Hygrometers are available for cheap and will give you an accurate reading of the humidity levels in your house.

So, what’s a good hygrometer rating?

Science reveals that the most comfortable levels come between the range of 30 to 50, with the ideal humidity level resting at 45.

Anything below this range is too dry, while anything 50 and above is excessively humid.

If your hygrometer reveals a reading of 50 or above, you’ll know it’s time to try out the helpful tips contained in this guide.

Can You Use Cat Litter As a Dehumidifier – How?

If you have a cat, you probably have a lot of cat litter around. And if you’re looking for a way to get rid of some of that litter, you may wonder if you can use it as a dehumidifier.

It turns out that cat litter can be a great dehumidifier, and there are a few different ways to use it.

One way is to simply place a bowl of cat litter in the room you want to dehumidify. The cat litter will absorb moisture from the air, and over time, this can help to reduce the overall humidity level in the room.

Another way to use cat litter as a dehumidifier is to make your own “dehumidifier bags.” To do this, you’ll need some clear plastic bags (like the ones you get at the grocery store), and some cat litter.

Fill each bag about halfway full with cat litter, and then seal the bag closed. Place these bags around the room, and they’ll work to absorb moisture from the air, helping to reduce the overall humidity level.

You can also use these DIY cat litter dehumidifiers in other places where you need to reduce moisture, like in closets, shoe racks, or storage areas.

Overall, using cat litter as a dehumidifier is a great way to help reduce the humidity in your home, and it’s a great way to use up some of that extra cat litter!

So, if you’re looking for a way to get rid of some excess cat litter, or you just want to try out a new way to dehumidify your home, give these methods a try!

If you cannot locate an exact source that is causing your home to be more humid, then applying one or more of these methods will help dry out the air inside and to decrease the humidity naturally.

The Bottom Line

Getting rid of intense humidity doesn’t have to be complicated—even in the summertime.

By following the information in this guide, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of humidity in your home without a dehumidifier.

All the tips in this piece have been tested and give you the chance to indeed have your home feeling better.

So don’t wait!

If you find your home too humid, go out and try any combination of these tips today.

We know this for sure: if done correctly, these tips will have your home feeling more livable in no time!