DIY guideHumidifier

Read and manage the indoor humidity

Read a humidity gauge, watch the windows, and turn the humidifier or dehumidifier up or down to keep the air comfortable and the house dry.

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Put a small humidity gauge in a main room, away from the kitchen, the bathroom and the vents.
Read it a few times a day. About 30 to 50 percent is comfortable for people and for wood floors.
Water on the inside of the windows in winter means the air is too damp for the cold outside.
Below about 30 percent in winter: turn the furnace humidifier up a step, or run a portable one.
Above about 50 percent: run the bath and kitchen fans longer, and a dehumidifier in the basement.
On the coldest days, set the humidifier lower, so the windows stay clear.
Mould, wet window frames or peeling paint that keep coming back: ask Handyman for a heating and cooling tech to look at the ventilation.

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