With summer dew points near 72 degrees and humidity topping 78 percent, Savannah houses dry slowly. Here is where mildew tends to show up and what keeps it under control.
Moving here from a drier place, you may be surprised how quickly a shower curtain or a closet starts to smell. That is not a sign of a bad house. It is what the air does for a large part of the year.
This guide covers what the weather numbers say, the places in a home to watch, simple daily habits and the point at which a problem stops being a cleaning issue and needs a different kind of help.
NOAA figures cited for the city put average relative humidity at 78.6 percent in August and 77.7 percent in September, the most humid months, with dew points near 72 degrees in summer. Normal lows in July and August sit around 73 degrees, so the air barely cools overnight. The climate is humid subtropical, and about half of the year's rain falls from June through September.
A dew point near 72 means that any surface cooler than that can collect condensation. In an air conditioned home, that includes supply vents, the back of a closet on an outside wall and cold water pipes. Moisture left on those surfaces, along with dust and soap film, is what mildew feeds on.
Mildew usually announces itself in the same handful of places. Knowing them makes a quick monthly walk through more useful than a big cleanup later.
Drying is the whole game. Run the bath fan during a shower and well after it. Squeegee glass and tile, then leave the door or curtain open. Hang wet towels spread out instead of bunched up. Keep closet doors cracked and leave space between stored items. A small dehumidifier in a closed off room or a closet can do a lot, as long as somebody empties it.
Let the air conditioner do its share. It removes moisture as it cools, so setting the thermostat very high while you are away for a week in August may invite problems. Change filters on schedule and keep supply vents clean. If a room always feels damp while the AC is running, ask an HVAC technician to take a look.
About 59 percent of the city's homes were built before 1980, and many older houses have small bathrooms without strong fans, wood floors over crawl spaces and plaster walls. Ardsley Park's mostly wood frame homes date from 1909 and 1910. Those buildings have made it through a lot of damp summers, but they usually need steady airflow and prompt attention to leaks.
Tighter newer homes, such as the many built since 2000 in Pooler, have a different issue. With 78 percent of homes there built in 2000 or later, a house can hold on to shower moisture unless the fans are used. In both cases the fix is airflow and a dry surface.
Regular cleaning removes the film of soap and dust that surface mildew grows on. A One-Time Deep Clean goes further, reaching baseboards, window tracks, vents and fan blades that gather sticky dust. Then a bi-weekly Recurring House Clean through the wet months keeps bathrooms from drifting. The recurring guide compares the schedules.
Cleaning has limits, and they matter. If mildew keeps returning in the same place, covers a large patch, or comes with a musty smell inside walls or floors, that points to a moisture source such as a leak. Mold and water damage remediation is a specialist job, and TotalCare Cleaning will not offer it. Tell your landlord in writing if you rent, or call a contractor if you own.
Water that comes in from outside is a different category. The city warns that local flooding can come from heavy rain, storm surge and high tide, and Savannah sits just above sea level, relying on canals and pumping stations to move stormwater. If floodwater touches your floors or walls, wet materials need to be dealt with quickly by qualified people. Follow guidance from Chatham Emergency Management, document everything for your insurer and wait until the home is dry before arranging any ordinary cleaning.
The questions Savannah homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Savannah and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
