Editorial policy

Sources

Humidity guidance on this site follows published standards and public health guidance where they exist: the EPA on indoor humidity ranges and mold remediation thresholds, ASHRAE on indoor environmental conditions, and the US Department of Energy test procedure that defines how dehumidifier capacity is rated.

Where no standard exists — running costs, how fast a moisture absorber saturates, how much water a load of laundry releases — we give ranges rather than false precision, and we say what the range depends on.

Numbers

Every quantity on this site is meant to be checkable. Dehumidifier capacities are quoted under the current DOE 2019 test conditions, which is why they look smaller than figures on older charts. Psychrometric values in the calculators use the Magnus-Tetens approximation for saturation vapor pressure, which is accurate to a fraction of a degree across normal indoor conditions.

When a figure is an estimate, we label it as one. The mold risk calculator, for instance, depends on a surface temperature you have to measure or assume, and the result is only as good as that input.

What we will not claim

We do not present folk remedies as effective when the numbers say otherwise, even where that contradicts most of what is published elsewhere. Houseplants raise humidity. Baking soda does not dehumidify a room. Bleach does not fix mold on drywall. Where the popular answer is wrong, we say so and explain why.

Advertising

This site carries advertising. Advertisers have no input into what we publish, no advance sight of it, and no ability to change a recommendation. We do not run affiliate links or take commission on any product, which means there is no version of this site where recommending a purchase pays better than telling you to move your furniture.

Corrections

Errors get fixed on the page. If a correction changes the substance of the advice rather than a detail, we note what changed. Report anything you think is wrong via the contact page.

Not professional advice

This site is general guidance. It is not a substitute for a damp survey, a mold assessment or structural advice on a specific building, and nothing here is medical advice about mold exposure.