When humidity averages 60-80%...

[taylorman22]

Where I live in Oregon, we average humidity between 60-80%, with the highs in the winter. Today was 90% and we’re heading into the mo this where we will average 80. I obviously don’t need to have a humidifier in my case, but is there something I can do, or should do, to reduce humidity in my guitar case?

I’ve been here in Oregon for 3 years and spent the precious 20 in southern Idaho. I’ve never paid attention to humidity levels and I’ve never noticed any problems with my guitars, so maybe I don’t need to do anything?

[taylorman22]

Ugh...as soon as I posted this, I saw another thread where someone has humidity at 50-60. Sorry for the pretty much duplicate post.

[jrs146]

I use a mid-size room dehumidifier. It brings my humidity down from the low 70’s to a steady 45-50%. It was inexpensive and works well. Only downside is because it’s not too large I have to empty the bucket frequently.

[N+1]

Originally Posted by taylorman22

is there something I can do, or should do, to reduce humidity in my guitar case?

I used to have the same problem, and here's my solution, simple and easy to maintain:

A simple homemade in-case dehumidifier

The only thing I'd add to that is that if you don't want the bother of making my little jute bags, the Bovida pouches work pretty well instead - they're just a bit slower to respond to changes.

[Dru Edwards]

As mentioned above, a dehumidifier works well. I keep mine in my guitar room and keep the door closed.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by taylorman22

Where I live in Oregon, we average humidity between 60-80%, with the highs in the winter.

Is that the outdoor humidity?

If so, and you heat where you live, it won't be that high indoors. It might be too low.

Depending upon one's climate, humidify in the winter and dehumidify in the summer. Humidifying is the more important for not having woods split.

[taylorman22]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Is that the outdoor humidity?

If so, and you heat where you live, it won't be that high indoors. It might be too low.

Depending upon one's climate, humidify in the winter and dehumidify in the summer. Humidifying is the more important for not having woods split.

Yeah, outdoors is around 60 in the summer and 80 in the winter months. Spring and summer is somewhere in between. My guitars stay in their cases, so I should probably get hygrometers for each case and then either humidify or dehumidify based on the need.

[cmd612]

Originally Posted by taylorman22

My guitars stay in their cases, so I should probably get hygrometers for each case and then either humidify or dehumidify based on the need.

At least get one hygrometer so you know what the relative humidity is inside your house.

Ignore the outdoor RH unless your guitars are outside.

[Truckjohn]

In your house - your #1 weapon is your central heat/AC system. Humidity control is a big part of comfort and indoor air quality. And the AC/heating companies know this and have worked a lot of this out.

Too much humidity puts your house at significant risk for termites, various mites, and wood beetle attacks. It also puts you at risk for mold and mildew problems. If you aren't having trouble with any of these things - then hour humidity indoors is likely not a problem

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by taylorman22

Where I live in Oregon, we average humidity between 60-80%, with the highs in the winter. Today was 90% and we’re heading into the mo this where we will average 80. I obviously don’t need to have a humidifier in my case, but is there something I can do, or should do, to reduce humidity in my guitar case?

I’ve been here in Oregon for 3 years and spent the precious 20 in southern Idaho. I’ve never paid attention to humidity levels and I’ve never noticed any problems with my guitars, so maybe I don’t need to do anything?

I think you are using the outside humidity measurement. The inside measurement is what counts.

[N+1]

Originally Posted by taylorman22

My guitars stay in their cases, so I should probably get hygrometers for each case and then either humidify or dehumidify based on the need.

Given this, the crucial thing, regardless of outdoor or indoor conditions, is what's going on in the cases.

I have five guitars in cases stacked alongside each other. Each case has its little wallet of about 4 10g silica gel packs between the strings (as described above, #4), but I find I don't need more than two hygrometers. They always agree closely - I just switch them around between cases. There is never any need to humidify, I've discovered. This is a very humid place!

Every couple of weeks I replace the gel packs with dry ones (takes about 10 minutes), and pop the wet ones in the oven for 90 minutes, then wrap them in polythene bags ready for the next swap over in two weeks time. The RH stays between 40 and 55% regardless of what's going on in the room, or outside.

I tried the alternative of dehumidifying the room, but (a) it's a big room, so the dehumidifier was working nearly all the time; (b) the noise drove us crazy; and (c) we found it irritated our noses and throats. Altogether, far more bother - unless I'd wanted to hang the guitars on the wall.

[Shades of Blue]

I live in SC and have been in my new house for about 9 months. We have extremely hot and humid summers, and the house pretty much maintains 50-60% humidity indoors. When we moved in back in February, the lowest it got was 45%.

Now, at my previous house the winters could product about a 30-40% humidity when the heat in the house ran all day. I haven't used a humidifier since winter last year.

All that said, my guitars sound best at about 45-55%. When the humidity gets much above 55%, I don't feel like my guitars' tone is quite as responsive.

[Gordon Currie]

Up here in Puget Sound we have the same conditions. Outside humidity is not a concern, but HVAC systems may dehumidify the air drastically.

My guitars are stored in a basement studio. Many are on hanging wall holders for easy access (and space saving). I assumed for many years that if there was a problem, it would be with dampness and high humidity. I was wrong. With the AC system we installed came a dehumidifier that is so effective that I discovered that my enemy is LOW humidity in the wintertime.

Last year I noted RH dipping into the high twenties which can be destructive to guitars if left unchecked. I purchased a room humidifier to run 24/7 during the 3-4 weeks when RH gets into the high thirties.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by jrs146

I use a mid-size room dehumidifier. It brings my humidity down from the low 70’s to a steady 45-50%. It was inexpensive and works well. Only downside is because it’s not too large I have to empty the bucket frequently.

What model?

[jrs146]

Originally Posted by JackB1

What model?

Frigidaire 30 pint. I got it on amazon.