Dehumidifier

To lower your home’s humidity level overnight, you can open your windows when the air is less damp. This tactic allows air to circulate around the window, preventing condensation from forming. However, you should consider the disadvantages of leaving your windows open overnight, including safety risks and pest intrusions.

No, musty odors in your basement likely won’t go away on their own, and they’re likely to get worse if the problem isn’t addressed. To fix the issue, you need to remove materials that have harbored mold or mildew and fix the underlying moisture issue, which is usually either an interior plumbing leak or a foundation leak from water in the soil outside. Once you address these problems, the musty odor should fade with time.

No, your basement dehumidifier doesn’t need to be on 24/7. While it’s an excellent tool for tackling damp, musty air, especially in humid seasons, leaving it running nonstop can backfire. Over-drying the space can mess with your sinuses, warp wood, and even crack certain materials. Instead, only use your humidifier when moisture levels rise above 50%, and then give it a break when the humidity levels drop.

You don’t always need to install a dehumidifier in your encapsulated crawl space, but it might be a good idea in certain instances. If you notice obvious signs of condensation, mold, or musty smells permeating from your crawl space, a dehumidifier can help. It’s ideal for homes in humid areas.

In a worst case scenario, structural damage like rust on metal beams, rotting wood, and swelling on doors and windows can signal moisture problems that would benefit from a dehumidifier.

Once again, contact with moisture is the culprit here, though water-resistant varieties of wallpaper are less likely to become wet and develop mold. Using a high-quality exhaust fan or dehumidifier and leaving the doors or windows cracked after bathing will keep this issue at bay.