Can Humidity Cause Water Damage?

11/3/2022 (Permalink)

Moisture on the window of the master bedroom.

Can Humidity Cause Water Damage?

If you've ever had a mold problem or experienced water damage in your Hollywood, FL, home, you know the devastating effects it can have on your property. You may have also wondered if high indoor humidity was the cause—and if so, what you can do about it. In this guide, I'll explain how high humidity leads to water damage and why sometimes it takes a while for damage to be visible. We'll also look at ways to fix that damage if it happens in your home.

How high humidity can lead to water damage

The dangers of humidity are not limited to the structural degradation of your home, either. As mold is a common byproduct of high humidity, it can cause problems if you are sensitive to this type of fungus.

The types of damage caused by high indoor humidity

High indoor humidity can cause several problems, including stains on walls and ceilings, mildew and mold growth, warping of wood floors, fungus growth and damage to building materials.

• Stains: High humidity increases the likelihood that water will evaporate from your home's surfaces quickly. When moisture evaporates too quickly it leaves behind salt deposits which can leave unsightly stains on walls and ceilings.
• Mildew/Mold: High indoor humidity allows mold spores to thrive. These spores can then grow silently in dark areas without being detected until they have grown into visible patches on walls or furniture surfaces.
• Warping Wood Floors: In extreme cases high indoor humidity has been known to cause solid wood floors to warp due to excessive moisture content within the air.

How high humidity causes mold to grow

Mold spores are everywhere, but they need a moist environment to grow. If you have ever seen mold growing on the edges of your bathroom tiles or in the corner of your shower, you know that it can thrive in damp places like bathrooms and kitchens. This is because these areas are warm, dark and often humid — all conditions that encourage mold growth.

The longer the mold spores are allowed to grow, the more damage they cause. As moisture levels rise throughout your house and increase humidity levels, so does the chance that those pesky little spores will multiply into full-blown molds that will make their way into every nook and cranny of your home — even if there isn't visible moisture or condensation on windows or walls!

You can take steps to keep your home from becoming too humid

For some people, humidity can be a major problem. If yours is one of those homes, you can take steps to keep your home from becoming too humid.

First and foremost, avoid using a humidifier in your home. Humidifiers are meant to add moisture to the air in order to make it more comfortable for people with respiratory problems like allergies or asthma. But when used improperly or too often by someone who isn't aware of their own sensitivity level (or lack thereof), they can do more harm than good by increasing water damage risk in homes with already high humidity levels due to climate conditions outside your walls. 

Instead of always using these appliances throughout the day, opt instead for dehumidifiers—this will help remove excess moisture from inside your walls so that mold won't grow as easily there either!

Water damage can be very expensive to repair and is a major cause of home insurance claims. The good news is that there are steps you can take to keep your home from becoming too humid and avoid the damage that results.