Your bathroom can easily become a humid area from the daily hot showers that produces excess steam if not ventilated correctly. The extra moisture not only ruins your décor and walls but also promotes mold and bacterial growth.
The trapped steam inside the warm room, dampens the walls and surrounding surfaces which if not dried quickly, will allow bacteria to grow and thrive on these areas. Thus, it poses a significant health risk especially to those with respiratory diseases. So then how do we dehumidify a bathroom?
By following the tips below, dehumidifying a bathroom can be an easy task and can keep you and your loved ones safe.
Table of Contents
How To Dehumidify A Bathroom
1. Leave Windows and Doors Open
After a bath/shower, make sure to leave the bathroom window open. Effectively, you could also leave it open while you are taking a shower. This helps to reduce humidity by recycling the warm air out of the bathroom and letting cool, fresh air in.
In the case you do not have access to a bathroom window, you can leave the door open after the shower. This allows the warm, humid air to flow out to the rest of the house and allows cooler, dryer air to enter the bathroom, like opening a window.
2. Turn on the Exhaust Fan
If you have an exhaust fan in your bathroom, then make sure to switch it on during your shower. Even after you finished your shower, make sure to keep the fan on for 15-20 minutes. This will help to circulate the air and eliminate the humid air in the room.
Using the exhaust fan helps to dehumidify the bathroom faster. When the exhaust fan is on after showering, it allows for any excess steam or moist air to be removed from the room. Exhaust fans are quite useful and also critical for bathrooms without windows so make sure to install an exhaust fan in your bathroom if it does not have one.
3. Use a Bathroom Dehumidifier
Using a bathroom dehumidifier is the most effective way to reduce humidity in your bathroom. A dehumidifier is an appliance that is used to reduce the humidity level of the room. It works by drawing moist air in which condenses into water and then pushes back dry air into the room. The moisture will be stored in the dehumidifier and will need to be emptied regularly.
There are various sizes and shapes of dehumidifiers to use which fits all types of bathrooms. It is safe to use dehumidifiers in the bathroom, but make sure to install them away from the shower to prevent the possibility of an electric shock. Since it is not necessary to turn on the humidifier all the time, it can be turned on after the shower to reduce the humidity.
Related article: Difference Between Air Purifier and Humidifier
4. Use your Heater
If you do not have access to a dehumidifier or exhaust fan, then a heater may come in handy as a temporary solution. Before taking a shower, turn on the heater to the bathroom as heating the room will allow the walls and surfaces to become warm. The warm room will reduce the amount of condensation on the surfaces and allow the humid air to be recycled quicker.
The heater is very helpful as a substitute for a dehumidifier. It is easy to use and also cost-effective. It can also reduce potential mold and bacterial growth.
5. Keep your Bathroom Dry
Another way to control and even prevent some humidity in the room is by maintaining dryness in your bathroom. After a shower, use a towel to wipe down windows, doors, walls, vanity, and your bathroom shower. Also, use a mop to wipe the floor dry. By keeping the bathroom dry when not used and even after use, you will prevent the surfaces from condensing any moisture.
You can also take different measures to prevent condensation like double glazing your bathroom windows. Single glazed windows tend allow more cooler air into the room which creates condensation. When double glazing windows, it prevents the cooler air from entering the room and reducing the amount of condensation in the room. Another way to stop condensation on the bathroom mirror is using a mirror defogger. You can either buy a mirror with a built-in defogger, or buy a mirror defogger separately.
6. Remove Damp Items
Immediately take out any damp items like towels and mats, outside the bathroom and let them dry outdoors. Reducing the dampness of the bathroom requires all surfaces to be dry otherwise the air will absorb the damp objects and the humidity will linger.
Avoid hanging wet clothes and towels in the bathroom. This can cause the humidity to rise and increase the humidity of your bathroom. These damp items can prolong the moist air in small and confined rooms as such as most bathrooms.
7. Take Shorter and Cooler Shower
After a tiring day, a hot shower is quite comforting. Once you are in the shower, it is very hard to leave. But the longer you stay in the shower, the more humid your bathroom will be. So then how do we reduce the humidity in the bathroom?
A smart way would be to try to have shorter showers. You can reduce the humidity by reducing the time you spend in the shower. Also, try to take cool showers whenever it is possible. Cooler showers release less moisture in the air which reduces humidity. On the bright side, taking shorter and cooler showers can also save your energy bills.
FAQs
Do dehumidifiers work in bathrooms?
Dehumidifiers work very well in bathrooms. The most effective way to clear out humidity from your bathroom is to use a dehumidifier. Since it keeps the air and surface of the bathroom dry and clean, it also removes any germs and bacteria present in the environment. When looking for Dehumidifiers, they come in all shapes and sizes with many different features, so it is best to look for one suitable for your bathroom.
Dehumidifiers are safe to use if installed properly. It also does not need to be turned on all the time. Using it for 20 minutes after the shower will be enough to clear out humidity. Also, the moisture in the air is stored in the dehumidifier reservoir so the water can be repurposed for some other activities such as water plants. Essentially, dehumidifiers are cost effective and can possibly save your water bill too.
Why is there so much moisture in my bathroom?
Moisture in your bathroom is mainly caused by the water vapor from warm water sources such as hot showers or steam baths, etc. Touching cooler surfaces such as the walls and mirrors of the room, which turns the gas water vapors into liquid water hence condensation. Since the bathroom is a small and confined space, the moisture is easily built up into humidity and the condensed water already on the walls, don’t have room to allow the excess humidity to condense which causes the air to become very humid.
If the bathroom is not well ventilated with cool air circulating, then the moisture in the bathroom will increase. If the moisture is not cleared out, then it will cause damage to the wallpaper and room décor, such as the wall paint may peel off over time. So, you find that there is excessive moisture in your bathroom, it is critical to dehumidify your bathroom as quickly as possible.
Nobody wants their bathroom to be very humid and especially not moldy. Not only does it ruin the appearance of the bathroom but can also pose a health risk if not addressed quickly. While the task may seem difficult, you do not have to worry about how to dehumidify a bathroom anymore. Follow the tips mentioned and you can easily clear out humidity from your bathroom and make it safer for your loved ones.
