Living in Florida means living with humidity. You may think that the constant running of your air conditioner will keep the humidty in your home under control but this is often not the case.
First of all, running the AC is a good idea. Leave the thermostat set between 80 to 85 degrees when you know you will be gone for long periods. This should keep the house at a suitable enough temperature to retard the growth of mold and mildew. Newer thermostats allow for the setting of ranges of temperatures enabling the homeowner to keep the temperature constant no matter the weather or time of year. Secondly, check for sources of humidity, i.e., areas where water is entering the home or pooling. The most obvious sources are
plumbing leaks
roof leaks
and poor insulation.
Other items to check are
the venting on your dryer
closets that are stuffed to full allowing no ventilation
too many houseplants causing a jungle atmosphere
bathroom and kitchen vents are clean and work properly
If you cannot check for and repair these items yourself, consider hiring a handyman to do so. Last, but not least, call in an HVAC professional to check your AC unit to make sure it is working properly. He can also check and replace the indoor filters to ensure that the proper amount of air is moving throughout the structure. He can also determine if the system you have is adequate to heat and cool your home. It could be that your system is too old or too small to keep the moisture under control. Don't allow humidity issues to compromise the quality of your air. Air that is too moist allows the growth of damaging mold. It allows odors to linger and fosters pet and cooking smells. Individuals with breathing issues, in particular, require clean, dry air and all of us live and breathe easier when the air around us is at comfortable levels of humidity and temperature.
