• Installing tight-fitting windows can help prevent dampness in a home.window image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
  
  Moisture in the home can cause a series of problems from mold to dangerous, slippery floors to the deterioration of flooring and woodwork. This sort of dampness occurs when humid air condenses on cool surfaces, leaving behind a layer of water. Dealing with dampness requires a combination of preventative measures and active steps once it begins to occur.
  
  

Insulation

• Insulating a home properly is one of the best ways to control dampness. Cold air can cause the floors and walls of a home to become a prime place for moisture to accumulate. Sealing the gaps around windows and doors will keep this cool air out and prevent one of the root causes of dampness. In addition, insulation in the walls and ceiling of a home will keep warm air in and make the surfaces too warm for humid air to settle on.
  
  

Remove Sources

• Household activities that cause moisture, like showering, cooking and washing laundry, can add as much as three gallons of water to the air each day, according to the University of Georgia. Limiting the use of water in these activities can help keep a home dry. Drying laundry in a dryer or hanging it outdoors is a better option than hanging it in a basement, where the cool walls have a tendency to collect moisture. Limiting the length and temperature of baths and showers, or switching an automatic dishwasher from "hot" to "warm" can also contribute to curing dampness.
  
  

Ventilation

• Some activities, like bathing and cooking, are a necessary part of life and cannot be done away with. This is where ventilation is important to remove as much damp air as possible from the home. Bathroom and kitchen fans should be on whenever someone performs an activity that causes steam, like running a hot shower or bath or boiling water. Even tasks like running a dishwasher or shaving can produce steam, but flipping on a ventilation fan can keep the room reasonably dry.
  
  

Dehumidifiers

• When all else fails, an electric dehumidifier can remove dampness from a home using the same principles that caused it in the first place. A dehumidifier uses a fan to cool a condenser coil where humidity in the air turns into large amounts of condensation. This water then drips into a reservoir that the homeowner can remove to dump the water down a drain or outdoors. Dehumidifiers can remove many gallons of water from the air each day and keep even a damp basement dry enough to work and play in comfortably.