Humidity Indoors
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
From: Letitia (2/99)
We had the cool mist type of humidifier for a while; it's safer than hot steam for obvious reasons. I bought it at some standard five-&-dime like Walgreen's. However, when I realized that it was time to clean it, I discovered that it was absolutely impossible to get into the works to do so. Even using a screwdriver to separate as much of the parts as I could (without actually taking the motor apart) and using pipe cleaners, there was still a horrible guckiness that I couldn't reach. This guck was being transformed into the mist that was supposedly keeping us all moist and healthy! Yuck!! I threw it away. Whatever you buy, make sure it can be cleaned.
From: Diane (2/99)
We bought our humidifier from Cotsco. It's a Kaz brand. It's a cool mist humidifier and it works great. It's easy to clean and change filters. I can also add some essential oil into the water and it doesn't affect the humidifier at all. The best thing is, it's quiet!! We had originally bought another brand for my son's small room. It was really cheap, less than $10. But it was so noisy so we finally gave in and threw it out and got the Kaz from Costco again. They sell it in the pharmacy for around $30. But I noticed they were selling another brand in the main warehouse for around $50. It's by the air filters
I had Cheryl from Mold Busters come to our old house to check out the lower level. She takes measurements in the rooms and lets you know if there is enough mold to have to do something about it. She was great! https://moldbusters.net/
We had the same 60% humidity on average in our bungalow (not on a hillside) along with general moldiness in the house. Years ago, we installed a vapor barrier over the dirt in our crawlspace and sealed at the sides of the foundation. We also added an energy efficient small "low sone" bathroom fan in the basement wall to run 24 hours a day and gently pull fresh air thru the space. You might also look into creating bigger air openings in your crawlspace if they are too small, as is the case in some older houses.
That combo has been effective at getting our humidity reading down to 50% on average. We also installed HEPA filters inside house that help with any residual mold.
You can research vapor barriers online -- people who are up to crawling in the crawlspace can do it themselves; otherwise hire a contractor. There is a small ongoing energy cost to adding a fan to keep the air moving, but for us it is worth it. If you buy HEPA filters, check on their power draw as it will also add to your electric bill and get an energy efficient model (we went with BlueAir).
Over the years, we've also used the SF firm Healthy Building Science to do some mold and indoor air testing, which was informative in our case (they are one of several health building consultants around in the bay area). They could probably recommend contractors to do crawlspace work.
There are also contractors who advise enclosing and sealing the whole basement. While that might be required in some situations, it is super expensive. Good luck with your decision.
possible solutions
- Depending on the amount of stuff in the area...downsize items?