Finding the Right Humidity for Your Nursery

If you’re the parent of an infant, you may wonder what level of humidity is best in the nursery. It turns out that the proper baby room humidity level is the same for all of us — between 30 and 60 percent. Keeping the humidity below 60 percent is of particular consequence for controlling mold.

Maintaining Proper Humidity Levels

To find out the humidity level in your home, or in particular rooms such as the nursery, buy a hygrometer from the home store. It’s fairly unlikely your humidity will register in the low range, but if it’s higher than 60 percent, don’t be surprised.

Ideally, your home humidity should be around 50 percent in summer, to keep occupants from feeling muggy and sticky, and maybe 40 percent in the winter, when the air may be a little drier, and we might need a little more moisture to soothe our skin and nasal passages.

But if your home is chronically high in humidity all year round, you might first check for any trouble spots: plumbing leaks, leaks in the foundation, leaks in the roof or the need for better exhaust ventilation to get rid of moisture from showers and cooking.

Dehumidifying the Home

Your HVAC system is designed to remove a certain amount of moisture from the air as it cools and heats. It can do this job better if the coils are clean, and if you change the air filter regularly. A dirty air filter slows down air flow, as the unit will not be able to dehumidify as well.

If your home is still far too high in humidity, you might look into installing a dehumidifier in the HVAC system. Whole-house dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air, and send it away through your home’s plumbing.

Portable units are available, but aren’t nearly as effective. Plus, you have to empty them and move them from room to room.

To learn more about baby room humidity, or to schedule repairs, maintenance or installation, call CCAC of Corpus Christi.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about your HVAC system, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.