Bedroom Dehumidifier: The Guide

Customer’s asking for a dehumidifier for their bedroom is a common request, but how do you know if you need a bedroom dehumidifier?

The top 5 problems
1. Condensation forming on windows overnight especially during the winter months. This condensation might need to be mopped up each morning, can create puddles on the window sill and will damage any wooden parts of the window.

2. If you have condensation then mold is likely to form around the edge of the window, the black spots of mold can be difficult to remove once it has established itself. In extreme cases mold will also form on the walls bordering the windows and if you are really unlucky on north facing outside walls.

3. Dust Mites live in our beds and for many trigger an allergic reaction that causes us to sneeze when we are in the bedroom or if we are really unlikely have an asthma attack or other serious reaction. This happens when we inhale their droppings. You can have a similar reaction to mold spores as well.

4. The bedroom has a cold chill about it and is hard to heat in the winter.

5. Built in wardrobes carry a musty smell and clothes become moldy.

Why do we get these damp problems in our bedrooms?
1. Condensation forms when moisture in the air hits a cold surface. In the winter our bedrooms will be centrally heated to around 68°F/72°C but the surface of the windows will be cooled overnight as the outside temperature drops. Warm damp air hitting a colder surface creates condensation.

2. Mold forms when water gets into a surface, i.e. condensation getting into the gaps around a window or moisture in the air getting into the fabric of the walls.

3. Dust Mites reproduce faster when the relative humidity is above 60%rh. Mold grows and creates mold spores when the relative humidity goes above 68%rh.

4. The higher the relative humidity in your bedroom the harder and more costly it will be to heat because the more water molecules there are in the air that have to be heated up before you can start to feel warm.

5. Built in wardrobes, especially those on north facing outside walls, suffer because the damp air from the bedroom enters the wardrobes, hits the cold surface at the back of the wardrobe and then mold forms. The musty smell comes from the mold.

Is this damp damaging to our health?
Dust Mites and mold spores can create serious allergic reactions when we breathe them in, whether that is asthma, other respiratory reactions or eczema.

I did have one customer who rang up once and said that water dribbled out of her bed when she got in (it was not a water bed) and another who had a mushroom growing on her mattress! You don’t need to be a doctor to work out that this is not good.

Is this damaging for our wealth?
Having a high humidity in your home pushes up your heating bill because you need to use more energy to achieve your desired room temperature.

Treating mold means buying mold remover, dealing with dust mites might mean buying an expensive vacuum cleaner or cleaning your sheets on a more regular basis at high temperatures.

Musty wardrobes and mold growing on clothes results in clothes and shoes being thrown away or washed on a more regular basis.

So what is the solution?
You could open your windows more but you have no way of knowing if the air outside is damper or dryer than the air inside and in the winter the air will be cold, which is not pleasant, and it will need to be heated up – which costs more money (and then this cycles repeats itself all day long).
Turning up your heating will just cost you more on your energy bills and will not remove any moisture from the air.

Buying and using a dehumidifier will solve all of these issues.

Why will a dehumidifier make my bedroom better?
1. A dehumidifier removes the excess moisture from the air which reduces the relative humidity. If the relative humidity is lower then condensation should not form on the windows.

2. Mold spores will not be created and you should get less mold around the windows and on the walls.

3. The dust mites will slow down their reproduction rate so there will be less droppings in the air for you to breathe in.

4. The air will be easier to heat because their will be less water molecules in the air and your heating bills will drop.

5. Built in wardrobes will dry out so mold will not grow and the musty smell will go. Your clothes should become mold free.

Where do I put the dehumidifier, do I have to sleep with it?!
To dry your bedroom you do not need a dehumidifier in your bedroom. We put ours onto the landing and leave the bedroom doors open during the day.

To start off with it might be a good idea to put it into the bedroom during the day and to leave the wardrobe open to let the dry air circulate.

Which dehumidifier should I buy?
You want a quiet dehumidifier which is why the desiccant dehumidifiers like the Keystone DD7L Junior are so popular because they are so much quieter than most compressor dehumidifiers and are therefore nicer to have around a bedroom.