Nordhorner II / Wikimedia
Humidity in houses is a recurring problem in Portugal. There are tips we can all follow to combat the situation.
The lack of energy efficiency and poor insulation are chronic problems in housing in Portugal. With the heavy rain that has been felt in Portugal in recent weeks, there are certainly thousands of Portuguese families noticing an increase in humidity at home.
In early January, the relative humidity in the air fluctuated between 90% and 100%, according to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere. High temperatures also aggravate the situation.
“The month of December was classified as extremely hot in terms of air temperature and very rainy in terms of precipitation. It was the Hottest December in 92 years. The average value of the average air temperature, 12.72 °C, was 2.76 °C above the normal value”, clarifies the IPMA.
The European Commission’s energy poverty indicators for 2020 also state that 25.2% of the Portuguese they lived in houses with damp problems, such as mold and leaks.
Tips against humidity
Tânia Martins, architect and creator of the Homestories brand, shared on her Instagram page some tips for those who suffer from damp at home.
One of the most important is open the windows every day for at least one hour. This helps the air to circulate and improves the ventilation of the house, says the Idealistic.
When you are taking a shower and when you leave the bathroom, it is also a good idea to close the door and open the window (if you have one) or turn on the extractor, so that the water vapor does not spread to other rooms in the house.
As tempting as it is given all the rain that has been falling, it should still avoid hanging clothes indoors. If this is not possible, the ideal is to use a dehumidifier and leave the clothes in a room in the house that is closed and isolated from the others.
There are still some tips to get dry clothes faster in winterhow to alternate between lighter and heavier fabrics, plan washes, lay out clothes strategically and place them on hangers.
THE dehumidifier it is not only an ally for drying clothes, in fact, it should be used frequently in places that tend to be more humid and with less ventilation, such as bathrooms or cupboards and closets. When you are cooking, you should also always turn on the exhaust fan and cover the pots.
At wardrobe doors and large cupboards should also stay open longer for air to circulate. It is also important to avoid overstuffing and leaving space between the hangers.
To prevent moisture from damaging your furniture, you should also apply a varnish layer on wooden parts raw. This waterproofs the wood and helps prevent mold from forming on the surface.
Adriana Peixoto, ZAP // 
