How can we reduce the humidity in our bedroom?

Question

Our bedroom is directly above a store room (not our property) and we have a high level of humidity which has caused damp to form on the underside of our mattress. How can I measure the level of humidty? How much humidity is acceptable? and how can I reduce any excess? There are no other signs of damp other than on the mattress which is placed on a hollow wooden frame with drawers at the sides. If anyone can help, we'd be very garateful!

Answer 1

it can breed mold, rot or pests.

It doesn't stop there.

Damage to wood floors and electronic equipment, increased dust, respiratory problems, throat and skin irritation, rot, pests, mold and mildew, dust mites and allergies are other common problems that result from indoor humidity levels that are either too low or too high.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air and the vapor comes from many places, especially indoors.

Conversely, a home that is too wet — where the humidity is greater than 50% — can be a breeding ground for mold, rot, pests such as termites and cockroaches, and condensation.

Excess humidity can produce enough condensation to stain ceilings and walls and cause flaking paint and peeling wallpaper.
If your home is too wet, you can lower the humidity by installing exhaust fans in the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry and any other space where water vapor is created.

You may also need a dehumidifier, which removes moisture from the air. The usual technique to remove the moisture is to condense it onto a cold surface. Anyone who has poured a cold glass of iced tea on a hot, humid summer day knows that moisture will condense on the glass.

When air cools, it loses its ability to hold moisture. In the case of the cold glass, the moisture in the air condenses right onto the glass. If the glass is left on a table long enough and if the air is very humid, a significant puddle of water will form.

Excessive indoor humidity is removed with a dehumidifier, which is essentially an air conditioner that has both hot and cold coils in the same container. A fan draws humid air over the cold coil of the air conditioner to condense moisture, which then drips into a collection container. Dry air passes over the hot coil to restore it to its original temperature. Air-conditioned space should not need a dehumidifier.

For best indoor comfort and health, a relative humidity of about 45% is ideal.
You can track your home's humidity with an inexpensive hygrometer. )
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/2004-02-01-home-humidity_x.htm

***I went a step further for you and found out you can either purchase or make your own hygrometer using You'll need these materials:
a scrap piece of wood or flat styrofoam (about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide)
a flat piece of plastic (about 3 inches long and 3 inches wide) thin enough that you can cut
2 small nails
3 long strands of human hair (about 8 inches long)
a dime
glue
tape
hammer
scissors (strong enough to cut plastic)
here's the instructions good luck
http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/hygrometer.html

maybe you should change your bed frame to metal? wood rots when wet.

Answer 2

You can buy a pretty basic de-humidifier at your local home-improvement store...anything from a hundred to several thousand dollars. Usually the people there (and reading the box) can tell you what you really need. Just know the cubic area of your room and you can plug in a single room unit, or can have a larger one installed for your entire home (if you have central heat/air.) Wish I could give you a good way to measure how much humidity exists in the space (maybe someone else has a good idea?) but if you have damp surfaces, that's too humid.
Do you have a vent blowing directly on the underside of your mattress? You may be able to deflect that airflow into the room to solve your problem.
I'd be more worried about the wood...mattresses will dry out for a while, but wood tends to soak up moisture and rot. I'd figure out your problem sooner rather than later.

Answer 3

My answer is shorter then GreyRain: You can run a air conditioner, that's what they do, take moisture out of the air or, a dehumidifier. I would take the drawers out of the doors for one, to lessen the smell and the humidity, mold, etc. The mattress if not checked now, will be lost.
Get a barometer, humidity should be about forty percent winter conditions summer ? check local area weather bureau. Spray the underside of the mattress with Lysol to thwart the growth of mold.

Answer 4

open the windows,and clean with fabric freshner on the mattress