CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – You might be walking around your house or sitting on your couch and all of a sudden, you hear a weird noise. It’s not a ghost, it’s actually just the cold weather.

“Extreme cold temperatures reduce moisture content in the building. The differences in building material all create popping sounds that you normally would hear with extreme temperatures,” said Brian Hill, of Hill Home Inspection, LLC.

Hill says furnaces can drop indoor humidity 20 points below the outdoor humidity, causing creaks to happen. A snowy roof can also create noise.

Hill says a home’s age does not affect the creaks. Old or new, a house can still make strange sounds.

“A lot of the older homes are made with better building material and they can have some creaking noises too. But also, some of the newer homes are not built so well sometimes or are a building with material that is not as durable as the older material,” Hill said.

The noise becomes a bigger issue when creaking happens regardless of temperature. However, there is a relatively simple fix.

“Put construction adhesive or screws to tighten down the floorboards,” Hill said.

To fix the creaking in the winter months…

“It’s always suggested to add a humidifier to the home to help breathe a little easier in the house,” Hill said.

Hill says it’s also important to keep house entrances and windows properly sealed, which keeps warmth in the home and reduces creaks.