My friends don’t think that indoor moisture control is important, but we live in the subtropics where it gets up to 100% humidity even when the sun is shining.
- It’s hard to dry off while you’re sweating when the air is full of so much water.
Compared to the feeling of dry heat in desert climates, our heat feels like a literal blanket on the skin. In lower temperatures it can be a source of comfort, but once you’re reaching the 80s during a day of full sunlight, that blanket feels like a straight jacket. Naturally this moistures gets into your home from outside, whenever doors and windows are opened or in your roof vents. I like to use a dehumidifier in my home to address the moisture that gets in from outside. Out of the few people I know who own dehumidifiers, almost all of these people only use them for their basements and not their kitchen or living room. In general, it’s more common to find people who only rely on their air conditioners for regulating their home’s moisture levels. I tell my friends that they should at least run their air conditioners in the summer if they won’t use dehumidifiers, otherwise they’re letting their homes get over 70% humidity inside. Mold is no joke and can poison you, sometimes requiring hospitalization. It ruins everything you own that is porous, from books and paperwork to furniture, drywall, and clothing. An air conditioner coil will also get dirtier faster in a home with an existing mold problem. Since evaporator coils are always wet by nature of their role in the refrigeration cycle, they are always prone to microbial buildup.