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5 Ways to Lower Home Humidity Naturally

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Natural Ways to Control Your Indoor Humidity

You might be surprised about how many factors can affect your indoor air consistency. It can change if parts of your house are in direct contact with sunlight, if the outside air is cooler than the air inside, how many people you have in your household, or even what you cooked that day.

These factors can make the temperature inside warmer, and warmer air ‘holds’ moisture, creating humidity. If levels are not properly maintained, your home will not only feel very uncomfortable, but can also cause damage to your home.

1. Ventilate

First and foremost, ventilate. Cooking, showering, and washing clothes all affect the amount of moisture found in the air so it’s vital to vent out their host areas – the kitchen, basement and bathroom.

If you do not have exhaust fans or a ventilation system, crack a window for a few minutes to dry the air out, especially in the areas above that tend to hang onto additional moisture for longer periods.

2. Utilize Fans and Dehumidifiers

Along with vents, use fans, dehumidifiers, and your air conditioning system to get the indoor air circulating. Dehumidifiers are commonly placed in basements since they are underground and do not get a lot of warmth or direct sunlight. They are also placed in bathrooms without windows, or specific areas in the home that require moist removal.

When using a dehumidifier, make sure you keep all the windows and doors closed. This ensures proper circulation.

3. Take Colder, Shorter Showers

Showers are a huge contributor to moisture found in indoor air, especially when family members are taking extended, hot showers.

You can easily reduce the humidity of your home by being mindful of the indoor temperature, reducing the time of showers, and using an energy efficient (low flow) showerhead.

4. Cooking Habits

There’s typically a vent near the stove section of your kitchen. Take advantage of it as you cook, especially when you’re boiling water. Try to cover your food as it’s cooking and use a slow cooker if you have the option (as they contribute less to indoor humidity than ovens and stove-tops.)

5. Plants

Purify your indoor air quality with house plants. Plants release moisture vapor into the air, so when you have lots of plants, they can cause a significant increase in humidity levels. Be sure not to overwater them and if necessary, temporarily move

Also, be sure to schedule a service with us to make sure that you are getting your Killingsworth!

5 Ways to Lower Home Humidity Naturally

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.



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