Humidity Sensors: Why You Need One for Your Home
Last Updated: Apr 9, 2025Every homeowner knows that excessive humidity is not something you want inside your home. Besides leading a "sticky" feeling that makes our homes feel uncomfortable, it can also quickly lead to mold and mildew growth. Mold is among the leading causes of unhealthy indoor air quality. They can exacerbate asthma and other potentially dangerous respiratory diseases and can damage wood floors, wall panels, and even structural elements of the house. Few people also realize that maintaining optimum humidity levels in your home is also a way to reduce the spread of bacteria and virus-related infections. According to one recent study published in Science Daily, "a relative humidity of 40 to 60 percent could reduce the spread of the viruses and their absorption through the nasal mucous membrane."
Deficient humidity levels of around 5 to 10 percent can also cause discomfort, both for our bodies and our homes. At relative humidity levels of about 5 percent, many people may experience uncomfortably dry skin and sinus issues. Persistent low humidity levels can also cause the wood in our homes to quickly dry out, leading to warping and cracking. This problem can compromise the home's building envelope's tightness, leading to air leaks that reduce thermal performance and energy efficiency.
Table of Contents
- What Is Humidity?
- How Does Humidity Affect Our Homes?
- What Is a Humidity Sensor?
- Why Would You Use a Humidity Sensor?
- What Types of Humidity Sensors Exist?
- What Is a Whole-Home Humidity System?
- What Is a Point Source Humidity Sensor?
- What Is a Smart Home Humidity Sensor System?
- What Can Humidity Sensors Control?
- What Are The Best Brands of Humidity Sensors?
So how exactly do you know if your home is maintaining an optimum humidity level? According to most home building experts and healthcare professionals, relative humidity levels of anywhere between 30 and 50 percent is ideal for interior environments. But is it necessary to wait until you have blue or green mold growing on your baseboards to find out that your humidity levels are too high? Humidity sensors offer a simple, pragmatic solution to help homeowners determine their homes' relative humidity and take practical steps to increase or lower the humidity levels accordingly. This short article explains how humidity sensors work, when you should consider using one, the types of humidity sensors you can find on the market, and the best brands to consider.
What Is Humidity?
Humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air. For example, when the relative humidity in exterior environments reaches 100 percent, the air is so saturated with water vapor that rainfall occurs. In general, relative humidity is affected by the temperature, with higher temperatures allowing the air to hold more water. Air's ability to hold water is why high humidity levels are a problem homeowners experience during the summer months, while low humidity levels tend to affect our homes during the drier and colder winter months.
How Does Humidity Affect Our Homes?
Inside the buildings we live in, several different building elements, appliances, and other aspects can affect the total amount of water vapor in the air. For example, a laundry dryer gives off moisture as it dries our clothes. Suppose the dryer or the laundry room is not adequately vented. In that case, this could lead to higher humidity levels in our home. Similarly, a long, hot shower, a busy kitchen, gas heaters, and improper home ventilation can all lead to high humidity levels, even during colder months of the year.
What Is a Whole-Home Humidity System?
These types of humidity measurement systems come with several individual humidity sensors placed strategically throughout the home. The individual sensors connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or another mechanism to record the house's relative humidity levels. These systems are best for homeowners who want a thorough and comprehensive measurement of humidity throughout the home.
What Is a Point Source Humidity Sensor?
These individual humidity sensors are designed for placement in certain areas, where humidity levels tend to be highest. For example, suppose your master bathroom tends to accumulate high levels of humidity due to water evaporation. In that case, a humidity sensor can help you measure whether a new exhaust fan is effectively removing sufficient levels of water vapor from that part of your home.
What Is a Smart Home Humidity Sensor System?
Smart home technology is expanding into virtually every aspect of our home. Today, homeowners can find humidity sensor systems that come with smart technology. The top smart home humidity sensors can connect to your home Wi-Fi system and allow you to view live data from your smartphone or personal computer. Some of these systems will also record logs of fluctuations in-home humidity levels over time. They can send alert emails or text messages if your home humidity levels pass certain thresholds.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
