• Keep humidity low to guard against molds and other allergens and bugs that prefer damp conditions.
• Start your basement dehumidifier as soon as your furnace is turned off for the season. Don't wait until humidity levels rise too high.
• Buy a hygrometer ($10 to $25) from a hardware store to measure humidity levels.
• Don't run a dehumidifier unless the room temperature is 60 degrees or higher. Otherwise, the coils may freeze up.
• Skip DampRid. Consumer Reports said the product, which claims to lower humidity levels to 50 percent with calcium chloride crystals, worked very slowly, even in a closet.
• Put dehumidifier water on houseplants or outdoor plants, but not vegetable plants, due to copper and zinc residue from the coils.
JOHN EWOLDT
