Dennis Reed - Page 38 of 53

Bathroom Dehumidifier – What are the Best Options?

Bathrooms are typically one of the most humid rooms in the house. And it’s no mystery why. The shower creates a huge amount of moisture each and every time it is run.

But unchecked humidity in the bathroom will eventually lead to mold growth.

And though mold in the shower is easy to see, it’s all the other mold growing in dark spaces as well as on your towels, toothbrushes, and other items in the bathroom that makes it so disgusting.

Not only disgusting, damaging.

Mold can do a huge amount of damage and in a very short time. Areas like window frames and drywall can experience mold rot very quickly when mold is left to increase.

If you have a bathroom that doesn’t have an exhaust fan or maybe it does but it just can’t keep up with the level of moisture and condensation that you seem to be experiencing,

There is an option that will help reduce the humidity in your bathroom and it’s one that doesn’t carry that high of a price tag.

What I’m talking about is a small bathroom dehumidifier.

Do dehumidifiers work in bathrooms?

Dehumidifiers work well in bathrooms. Not only does a dehumidifier easily reduce the moisture in the bathroom,

Being close to a sink or shower makes the maintenance of emptying a dehumidifier or running a continuous drain hose much easier.

Bathrooms in most houses generally do not come in over 40 square feet.

And the smallest portable compressor dehumidifiers typically cover around 250 square feet.

So a dehumidifier can keep the air in the bathroom very dry.

Will a dehumidifier keep mold from in the bathroom?

A dehumidifier will help keep mold from growing because moisture in the air is essential for mold to take root.

And that is exactly the point of a dehumidifier, to remove moisture from the air.

But If you want to eliminate the chances of mold growing in your bathroom, you will have to address other standing water issues on a regular basis as well as running a dehumidifier.

What is the best dehumidifier for a bathroom?
In our opinion the best bathroom dehumidifier is the Medea 1500.

It is not only small enough to completely dry out a bathroom, it is large enough to use in a laundry room, bedroom, or kitchen.

It also has a built-in pump and a washable air filter. A couple of things hard to find on a small bathroom dehumidifier.

Being such a small room, the bathroom actually has a few good options for what you might consider to be the best bathroom dehumidifier.

The first option

Desiccant Bathroom Dehumidifiers

Desiccant humidifiers come in small mountable units that can be placed on the wall out of the way.

They do not require the typical maintenance of emptying a dehumidifier. Nor do they have to have any type of pump or garden hose ran to them.

The only maintenance is that they are recharged once every couple of months.

These small bathroom dehumidifiers are perfect for helping dry out a medium to a small amount of humidity.

They are all so perfect for closets, pantries, and other small areas

The downside is there is no measurable way to reduce the humidity.

So they will require a separate hygrometer to actually keep tabs on the humidity level inside of the bathroom.

1. Eva-dry E-500 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier

Eva dry dehumidifiers are completely silent, have a 10-year lifespan, and do not require any refills whatsoever.

These are small absorbing dehumidifiers that are designed for small spaces like closets and safes, and might require more than one unit for a bathroom.

These units can absorb up to 8 oz of moisture without any of the maintenance and canister emptying annoyances of compressor dehumidifiers.

2.Pro Breeze Wireless Mini Dehumidifier

Very similar to the Eva dry. These mini dehumidifiers are inexpensive and can make a big difference in a musty bathroom.

Pro breeze can remove moisture in areas of the 333 cubic feet up to 1 month before recharging.

They are safe, space saving, non-toxic devices they can be used in larger areas like a bathroom or much smaller areas as small as a gym bag.

These are very small dehumidifiers that are meant for areas with only mild humidity problems.

3.DampRid

Damprid is a container that comes in various sizes of silica gel. It can also be purchased in hanging bags.

One variety of Damprid contains activated charcoal which is very good at getting rid of musty odors.

Damprid is a good solution for absorbing excess moisture in a bathroom. And it can be placed out of sight very easily.

Desiccant Dehumidifiers will need a hygrometer to be able to measure the humidity in the bathroom

4. Govee WiFi Thermometer and Hygrometer

The Govee is a Wi-Fi thermometer/ hygrometer that can hook up to your Wi-Fi or through the Bluetooth.

It has multiple alert functions that you can set up to keep you aware of any changes in your temperature or humidity and be able to react quickly when one or the other falls out of range.

It also keeps a record of your data up to 2 years and can be exported in CSV format entirely for free.

5. JEDEW 2-Pack Mini Hygrometer Thermometer

If you just need to know the relative humidity and the temperature of the room but you don’t necessarily want or need alerts coming into your phone,

Then JEDEW is a super basic gauge that does just that.

These thermo-hygrometers are very sensitive and measure the humidity every 10 seconds.

They work with temperatures from 32 to 152 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity levels from 10% to 99%.

Option 2

A small portable bathroom dehumidifier

A mini dehumidifier works exactly the same way as a full size portable dehumidifier.

The only difference is that it is much smaller and works in a smaller room.

And even though these dehumidifiers are small, they still can dry out the air in a room that is 250 average square feet.

That means you will not have any problems drying the air out in a room the size of a bathroom.

And it also means that you will have a great small dehumidifier to use in your laundry room, kitchen, or bedroom.

The benefit of using a traditional bathroom dehumidifier is that they or much more exact and can be set to reach a specific humidity level when desired.

They also have features like Auto shut off when the tank is full, and humidistats to shut the machine off when the desired relative humidity is reached.

There is maintenance involved in the form of emptying the bucket when it is required.

But there’s also the option of hooking a continuous drain line in order to avoid ever having to empty the machine.

But just like a humidifier, they have to be cleaned regularly to avoid mold and bacteria from taking root in them.

1.Pro Breeze electric dehumidifier

Pro breeze also has an electric dehumidifier they can cover up to 215 square feet.

It is capable of removing up to 9 oz. of water a day and has a 16 oz/ tank capacity.

Very compact and lightweight, it can easily sit on the bathroom counter.

Downside

It doesn’t have drain hose capacity. But since it is intended to be used in the bathroom, there is very easy access for emptying the canister.

2.Levoair Dehumidifier

A very small dehumidifier that features a drain hose.

This little dehumidifier can work in areas of 333 square feet.

It is whisper quiet. Because it does not feature a standard compressor which is the reason most dehumidifiers are so loud.

It is a portable handle and is leak proof.
Which means you can carry it from room to room without spilling.

Built-in drain hose means you can run it without having to empty it.D

3.Beyn Mini Bathroom dehumidifier

Beyn is an extraordinary very attractive dehumidifier that comes with a removable water tank or an optional drain hose. It covers 269 Sq. Ft.

It is lightweight and portable and comes with automatic shut-off to provide you with the security of knowing that it will not overflow when it is full.

The optional drain hose will allow easy drainage into your sink.

This is a very well reviewed product.

The only downside is that it will require an elevated shelf to sit on because it is gravity-based.

4.Midea 1500 square foot dehumidifier

Portable dehumidifiers can take up very little room in the corner of a midsize bathroom.

But they can reduce a significantly larger amount of moisture. And they can easily be used in other areas besides the bathroom.

The Midea 1500 filters the air as it needs humidifiers and can do so in a room 1500 square feet.

It features:

Auto restart for power disruptions
Optional drain hose capacity.

5.Whirlpool 40 Pint Portable Dehumidifier with Built-in Pump

This dehumidifier covers 3000 sq. ft. and has a

built-in pump
a 24-hour timer

Auto shutoff
Washable air filter
And auto restart for power disruptions

It’s small enough to use in the bathroom and big enough to use in the basement.

It can remove up to 40 pints of moisture per day.

It also filters the air as it extracts the humidity from it.

Built-in pump makes it perfect for continuous drain into the shower or gym shower drain.

6.COLAZE Electric Portable Dehumidifier for 480 Sq.ft

Colaze dehumidifiers for small rooms are perfect for areas up to 500 square feet.

They feature a LED display so that you can monitor your humidity level and know the temperature of your room at a glance.

A drain hose
Humidity setting to dial in the humidity level you want
Timer

Auto shut off so that it can never overfill
And defrost function to keep it from freezing over and stopping.

Q & A

What can happen if you have excess humidity in the bathroom? Mold, damage?

Having excess moisture in the bathroom can cause a lot of damage. Specifically mold damage.

When you’re having a problem with excessive moisture in the bathroom, you will eventually discover that you have mold growing.

And when it becomes visible in the shower, you can be sure that it has found a whole host of dark places to take root as well.

High unchecked humidity in the bathroom will eventually lead to mold feeding on your wood surfaces, window frames, baseboards, etc. and can lead to significant damage.

Other areas you may find mold growing:

Ceiling tiles, wall tiles

Carpet and rugs
Gypsum board (drywall) and the insulation inside the walls. Drywall typically bows out when it’s full of moisture and the paper begins to peel.

Once mold has become a problem in the bathroom, the spores from the mold will be everywhere from your towels, toothbrushes, as well as your pillows and bedding if your bedroom is adjacent.

When do you need to use a bathroom dehumidifier? Winter, summer?

The summer months news typically when you find the higher levels of humidity outside and when you have the most problems controlling the humidity inside.

But humidity inside of the bathroom can be an issue in the winter also when the outside air is cold and it is coming in contact with the warm inside air via the window.

You have probably noticed condensation on your windows during the winter.

The condensation will lead to mold just as fast as any other type of moisture.

So controlling the humidity in the bathroom can be a all year endeavor

Where would you put a dehumidifier in the bathroom?

Finding the space in a bathroom for a dehumidifier is not the easiest thing to do, especially if you, like me, live in a house with a lot of females.

The ideal spot for a dehumidifier in a bathroom would be on an elevated spot on the sink countertop.

That way you could run a small hose to the sink from the dehumidifier and not have to continuously empty it.

The same concept would work well for the shower too. An elevated spot next to the shower would give you excellent access to either emptying the dehumidifier we’re running a continuous drain hose to the shower drain.

Desiccant dehumidifiers come in small portable units easily hung on the wall next to the shower.

Desiccant dehumidifiers do not extract nearly the amount of water as a traditional mini compressor humidifier, so using more than one in the bathroom is a good idea.

Does a bathroom dehumidifier use a lot of electricity?

The amount of electricity that a bathroom dehumidifier uses depends on the level of humidity and the runtime of the dehumidifier to extract the humidity everyday,

You can expect a small dehumidifier to use as much as 30 Watts and a larger dehumidifier to pull as much as 70 Watts.

How loud are bathroom dehumidifiers?

Bathrooms are pretty loud spots in my house, it’s not uncommon to hear the radio blasting, shower running, and hair dryer is going at the same time.

Dehumidifiers can be compared to the level of noise you would get from a window air conditioner. Around 65 db.

Pretty loud.

But the bathroom is not exactly in use as much as the living room or a bedroom.

What’s the difference between desiccant bathroom dehumidifiers and mini dehumidifiers?

Desiccant dehumidifiers absorb humidity much like a sponge. They also never have to be emptied or run with a continuous drain hose.

They are also much quieter.

Desiccant dehumidifiers for small spaces like bathrooms and closets, or easily mounted to the wall or hung from a hook.

You probably know “desiccants” as the little silica gel packets that come and everything from shoe boxes to keeping gerbil snacks fresh.

Desiccant dehumidifiers are the same concept in a much larger version.

Traditional compressor dehumidifiers extract moisture from the air exactly the way that a window air conditioner does. It pulls air in with a fan, drags it pass a series of condenser coils that capture the moisture and then releases the air back into the room dry.

A mini compressor dehumidifier can extract moisture from a room as big as 200 or even 300 square feet.

That’s much more then you will be able to achieve with a small desiccant dehumidifier.

But there is also maintenance to be considered with compressor dehumidifiers.

If you do not go the drainage hose method, you ‘ll have to empty the bucket for the dehumidifier to run.

And the potential of having standing water is much higher. Dehumidifiers must be cleaned often to avoid mold growing in the machine.

They can also be quite loud.

But One mini portable dehumidifier is big enough to use in the bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, and kitchen.

Will a dehumidifier soak up water?

A dehumidifier will make it easier for water to dry and is often used to help clothes to dry faster on hangers.

But it is primarily a device to remove moisture out of the air.

Although it will help considerably to reduce the capacity for mold to grow, it will not soak up standing water, nor will it wipe down or squeegee off shower walls, or condensated windows.

Bathroom dehumidifier versus an extractor fan

Installing a dehumidifier is as simple as plugging it in and turning it on. But you will have to empty the bucket on a continual basis and keep the machine clean.

Which to be fair is a much easier endeavor when you are next to a sink or a shower.

On the other hand, a humidity extractor fan just has to have a switch flipped on. No other maintenance involved.

But installing a humidity extractor fan will take much more than plugging it in.

It will require cutting a hole in the ceiling, and hardwiring it into your existing electrical grid.

Recap

Though the bathroom can be one of the most humid rooms in the house

Dehumidifiers are devices that can do a great job of remedying that problem.

Small dehumidifiers that you can benefit from using in your bathroom come in both desiccant and compressor type.

Desiccant dehumidifiers use chemicals to soak up moisture in the air. They are very inexpensive and work well for light to medium humidity.

They are also very safe and require very little maintenance. The only maintenance that you will have to keep up with using a desiccant dehumidifier is keeping it charged.

A small compressor type bathroom dehumidifier uses refrigerator cooling coils to condense the moisture in the air.

The water that is captured through the condensation process either goes into a bucket that has to be emptied or can be drained through a continuous drain line.

Compressor dehumidifiers can extract much more moisture out of the air then desiccant dehumidifiers are capable of.

Traditional bathroom dehumidifiers also I’m more likely to come with bells and whistles like built-in hygrometers, auto shut off when the tank is full, and auto defrost if the temperature is lower.

Desiccant dehumidifiers will require a separate hygrometer in order to be able to keep tabs on your relative humidity.

How Long Should You Run Your Air Purifier?

An air purifier is an essential device that helps to get rid of indoor pollutants such as dust and mold. Some people are concerned about running air purifiers all day, citing energy use.

That’s why people are wondering how long an air purifier should run a day. In general, it depends on numerous things such as filters, CADR, room size, air displacement, and air circulation.

In general, most air purifiers take half an hour to two hours to purify the entire room completely. You can also run the air purifier for at least a few hours with full throttle and then return at a lower speed to maintain indoor air quality.

What Does an Air Purifier Do?

An air purifier uses filters and advanced air cleaning technology to clean indoor air. It helps to remove contaminants like allergens, bacteria, dust, toxins, and odors so that you can breathe easily. Removing particles mainly depends on the filter you use on the air purifier.

Most AC-powered air purifiers use a fan and a set of filters to capture dust mites, while others neutralize airborne particles without filtering. Besides, you will find Battery Operated Air Purifiers that use advanced technology to destroy germs and pathogens that are harmful to your health.

How Do Air Purifiers Work?

Air purifiers work in four principal ways: capture solid particles through HEPA filter, neutralize contaminants with ionizer, trap odor molecules using activated carbon filters, and break pollutants through UV light. Below we have briefly discussed how an air purifier works.

HEPA Filters

This type of filter works by pulling air into a dense, woven filter to trap contaminants, so they do not float in the air. The HEPA filter of an air purifier can capture up to 99.97% particles of 0.3 microns size. It traps microscopic particles that can cause asthma symptoms.

Activated Carbon Filter

An activated carbon filter captures molecules that generate odors inside the room. This filter can easily remove volatile organic compounds ( VOCs) such as gaseous pollutants and chemicals. Besides, an activated carbon filter helps to absorb chemical vapors.

Ionizer

The air purifier uses an electric charge called the ionizer to neutralize the contaminant. This technology creates negative charges on dust particles to fall into subsequent filters that usually have a positive charge surface.

Ultraviolet Light

UV light is kept at the end of purification, which helps to reduce bacteria, viruses from polluted air passing through the system. It breaks down the molecular structure of germs and pathogens so that they don’t harm your health.

How Long Should You Run Your Air Purifier?

As we have said before, the run time of an air purifier mainly depends on several factors such as the quality of the filter, CADR rating, room size, air displacement, and air circulation capacity.

Basically, an air purifier needs an average of thirty minutes to two hours to clean the air in a room. If you have an air purifier in a room of 300 square feet, then it requires an accurate, (CADR) of 195, and an average Air Changes per Hour (ACH) of 4 that need 15 minutes to purify the air in the room.

So, it’s best to run the purifier longer strictly than required, especially when you have pets or allergies. In addition, you need to keep your air purifier constantly running to maintain fresh air in your room.

Things That Influence the Run Time of an Air Purifier

Here we have explained what factors influence the time you need to run your air purifiers. Let’s see what these are:

Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)

This is one of the essential factors of an air purifier that helps to determine how much time the air purifier needs to run to clean all the air in a room through its filters.
Basically, ACH means the speed of an air purifier. For example, 1 ACH of an air purifier means it will take 1 hour to clean all the air. Also, 4 ACH means the purifier will be required in 15 minutes to clean the entire room.

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)

CADR determines how much air will be cleaned by your air purifier at a time. This parameter mainly depends on the room size. For a 100 square feet room, the minimum required CADR is 65, according to the EPA. However, a higher ceiling room will need an air purifier with a larger Clean Air Delivery Rating.

Types of Filters

Nowadays, most air purifiers come with HEPA filters, but some have activated carbon filters. If the number of filters is much, the airflow on the air purifier will be much more resistant. As a result, the air purifier will require more time to clean all the air in a room. In general, air purifiers with various filters may need 2 hours extra to clean the air.

Is it Safe to Run an Air Purifier All the Time?

Running your air purifier all the time will be safe as the device is built to serve nonstop without any damage. You can even leave your air purifier on all night without having any concerns.

HEPA filters of the air purifiers do not get hot or damaged when the purifier runs for a long time. Besides, some air purifiers have a self-adjusting feature that can sense the air quality and turn on only when it’s required.

When the air quality becomes standard, the purifier returns to a super low-power or in standby mode. This type of air purifier is the most cost-effective to get clean air.

Conclusion

Most people have a misconception that running an air purifier all day is enough to get clean air. But leaving the purifier running continuously will increase utility bills, and the filters will be worn out quicker.

So, you should run the purifier for a certain period that could be best for your room to remove the indoor pollutants. However, through this article, we have provided adequate information on how long you should run your air purifier.

Basically, most air purifiers require 30 minutes to two hours to completely improve the air quality in your room. The run time of an air purifier can be varied according to the factors that we discussed above.

What Do the Numbers on a Dehumidifier Mean?-11 Question Set

What do the numbers on a dehumidifier mean?

Dehumidifiers can be a mysterious thing when you first begin to mess with one.
The different settings and symbols and not to mention the numbers can be confusing.

The main number that appears illuminated on a dehumidifier is the relative humidity inside of the room where you have the device.

It’s the number that you are attempting to lower by using a dehumidifier.

According to the national library of medicine-PubMed, 40 to 60% relative humidity is the Ideal moisture level to avoid problems with either high or low humidity.

BLACK+DECKER 4500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier for Extra Large Spaces

Are dehumidifiers safe to leave on?

Dehumidifiers are safe to leave on because they almost exclusively come with an auto shut-off that turns the machine off when the bucket or the basin is full of water.

That means you’re not going to come home to a floor full of water if you happen to leave the house with your humidifier running.

Should I run a fan with a dehumidifier?

Running a fan and a dehumidifier at the same time can be advantageous because both the fan and a dehumidifier have a drying effect on the air.

After all, if you have done a recent painting project that you need to dry faster you would probably put a fan blowing on it to help it do so.

The same goes for drying your hair, if you want to dry it faster, you can sit in front of a fan or better yet use a hair dryer. Which is essentially a hot fan.

A fan will also help move the humid air in a room towards the dehumidifier where it can do its job better.

And the entire purpose of a dehumidifier is to extract moisture from the air to dry it.

Not to mention that the two can be purchased together in one unit.

So there is no conflict in using a fan and a humidifier at the same time.

Should I run a dehumidifier with an air conditioner?

Using a dehumidifier at the same time as an air conditioner can actually help reduce the wear and tear on your air conditioner because even though an air conditioner dehumidifies as it cools,
It has to work harder when the air is extra humid.

Running a dehumidifier can’t take the strain off of an air conditioner and help it cool easier.

But, remember dehumidifiers operate much like a window air conditioner that exhaust heat out of the rear. Which helps with the humidification process but tends to make the room feel a little swampy.

So if you’re using a portable dehumidifier, the room that you place the dehumidifier on is not exactly going to feel cooler even though the air conditioning may be working better.

How to know if you need a humidifier or dehumidifier?

If you live in an area that is typically dry, then higher humidity is easy to identify. Your skin is clammy and your hair is frizzy.

But if you’re used to living in an area where high humidity is part of the climate, you may not even be aware that your humidity is spiking.

A hygrometer is a gauge that is designed to tell you what the relative humidity is inside of a room or your house.

If the humidity inside your home is above 60%, then running a dehumidifier is needed to bring that number down below the 60% mark.

Honeywell Small Room Dehumidifier

Is it okay to sleep in a room with a dehumidifier?

Sleeping in the same room as a dehumidifier doesn’t have any adverse effects health wise, there is no threat of dehydration or anything that will harm you but..

Dehumidifiers can be compared to running a window air conditioner. If you’ve ever walked behind a window air conditioner, you probably remember feeling the heat coming off of the rear of the machine.

Dehumidifier works much the same only the heat that comes off the rear of it does not expel outside but inside of the room.

Dehumidifiers are also not the quietest of devices.

Technically there’s no problem with sleeping with a dehumidifier in the same room,

But you may be looking at a swampy feeling, loud night.

What’s better: a dehumidifier or an air purifier?

Dehumidifiers and air purifiers both reduce allergens.

Dehumidifiers reduce humidity problems like high dust mite populations and mold growth which results in high populations of mold spores.

These devices, by reducing the humidity, reduce the allergens caused by the humidity.

Air purifiers reduce allergens by filtering them out of the air.

And they do so regardless of whether the humidity is high or low.

Air purifiers are not dependent on the humidity being at a certain level for them to do their job whereas a dehumidifier is useless when the air is dry. Which is about half the year.

Which is better? A dehumidifier or an air purifier? An air purifier is more useful throughout the year than a dehumidifier.

But it is definitely better to own both and use a dehumidifier when needed.

When should you not use a dehumidifier?

Dehumidifiers or devices meant to extract moisture out of the air when the humidity level is too high inside of a house.

If the humidity in the home is already at the optimal level of between 40 and 60%, then you should not use a dehumidifier.

Another issue that can interfere with a dehumidifier that can keep you from using it is lower temperatures.

As you probably will know if you have read the rest of this article, dehumidifiers run very similarly to window air conditioners that use refrigerant to condense the humidity out of the air.

Just like on an air conditioner, if the temperature is too cold, the condenser coils on a dehumidifier will freeze over.

There are many dehumidifiers that come with a defrost setting for this very problem.

There are also dehumidifiers called desiccant dehumidifiers that do not use a compressor at all. Though not as powerful at removing moisture from the air, it can be a good alternative if your primary issue with humidity is during the cold season.

How long should you leave a dehumidifier on?

40 to 60% humidity is the optimal humidity inside of a home or building according to the national library of medicine.

If you are using a dehumidifier to bring down the moisture level inside of your house, then you should be prepared to leave it on till you have reached the relative humidity of 60% and below.

ThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer

Do humidifiers make the room colder?

Dehumidifiers can have a cooling effect on a room when the temperature is not too hot and humidity is the main thing that is making the room uncomfortable.

But unlike an air conditioner or a fan, the dehumidifier is better left to run before you are planning on using the room.

Even though in theory, you are lowering the humidity which is the main threat to your comfort, The heat that expels from a dehumidifier will have the opposite effect of making a room cold while the dehumidifier is running.

Should a dehumidifier run constantly?

There are times when the humidity is so high that a dehumidifier may seem like it constantly runs and never turns off.

For instance, running a dehumidifier in a crawl space or a humid basement will require a humidifier to run much longer to reduce which is essentially an everlasting problem.

On the other hand, if the humidity level in a room does not warrant the use of a dehumidifier, then the dehumidifier may run constantly because it can’t extract enough humidity to ever reach the point where it shuts off.

That also answers the question of why your dehumidifier may not be collecting any water. There is simply not enough humidity for it to do so.

But if the relative humidity is high, and your dehumidifier is not collecting any water, you have definitely ruled out the relative humidity being a problem, and can focus on the issue being a mechanical problem with the device.

Negatives to Crawl Space Encapsulation

Crawl space encapsulation is a broad term that includes the entire gamut of things you can do to weatherize the space underneath your house.

The main items that make up the encapsulation process are:
placing a plastic barrier on the ground and beams underneath the house , sealing any openings, insulating the walls, and installing a dehumidifier.

This can be quite a big list considering we’re talking about that space underneath the house then no one really ever thinks about it in the first place.

That’s until you’re forced to get under the house to repair your foundation or plumbing and find out that you’re going to have to pump the water out first to be able to do so.

Or if you have recently found out that the air quality in your house is as much as 50% dependent on the air quality underneath your house.

And that the air quality underneath the house is coming from a place where the formation of mold is very high.

It’s at that point you began to realize this is a project you’re going to have to tackle.

Negatives to crawl space encapsulation

1. Expense

Easily the biggest negative to encapsulating the crawl space beneath the house is the expense.

Experts say that you can expect to spend about $5,500 to adequately weatherize and protect your crawl space.

Not only is the project going to cost you the materials and labor to have it done,

There is the upfront cost of a dehumidifier that can carry the load of practically running day and night and the added energy that it will require to do so.

And running a dehumidifier is basically the same as running a refrigerated air conditioner.
Which unfortunately falls at the top of the list of appliances that use the most energy.

Aprilaire Dehumidifiers Whole Homes up to 5,200 sq. ft

2. No Room to Work.

Crawl spaces are tight. If you’re lucky, you have an area that is big enough for you to walk or to hunch over and get around, but if you’re not, you’re probably looking at crawling around on your hands and knees or even scooting along on your belly or your back.

As you can imagine putting a plastic barrier on the ground underneath your house, and doing so that there are no leaks, is a huge undertaking whether you plan on doing it yourself or paying someone.

3. Muddy

The ground underneath the house in the best of circumstances is going to be moist. After all, moisture underneath the house is one of the main reasons that people consider encapsulation.

If you have moisture under the house, then you are probably having an issue with water rivering from the yard under the house, or pipes that are leaking somewhere beneath the house.

Which adds up to having a muddy surface beneath the house in which to work.
Standing water under the house is going to have to be pumped out before you can do any work.

Which circles back to the original problem of bad air quality coming from your crawl space.

Standing water in a dark muddy place is the ideal environment for mold and bacteria to grow.

Mosquitoes may well be an issue also.

4. Nasty

You probably don’t want to think about it, but the area beneath the house is providing shelter for a whole lot of pests.

Pest like rodents that can basically get in through a crack in the wall or if there hasn’t been properly blocked entry access the area,

You’ve probably provided a living environment for stray cats, possum, foxes, you name it.

That means a lot of excrement. And it could mean clearing out some dead animals.

5. HVAC Zoning

If you have your central heat and air installed in the crawl space, sealing off the area can interfere with the airflow originally figured into the design of your HVAC venting.

If that is the case, it would be well worth your time and money to have a HVAC tech involved before starting your encapsulation process.

Crawl space encapsulation is definitely not something you want to have to do twice or go back and fix because of something like HVAC zoning that you did not think of in the first place.

Advantages of Crawl Space Encapsulation

Fortunately the advantages of encapsulating a crawl space can be worth the effort and expense.

1. Improved Air quality

The air quality in a crawl space can be responsible for as much as 50% of what is being breathed inside of your home.

And because the air quality inside of the crawl space is more likely being tainted by mold and bacteria growing in standing water,

It’s not that hard to add two and two together and realize that many of the issues that stem from bad air quality like allergies and headaches and so forth, could be originating from the bad air that you are breathing.

Encapsulating the crawl space is a huge step to creating a healthy breathing environment.

2. Reduce Pest and insects

Most insects including termites need moisture to survive. Not only does the crawl space provide shelter for pests and insects, it supplies nutrition for them to populate.

Encapsulating the crawl space will dry out the area which in turn will start out insects.

Termite damage will be reduced significantly when the source of nutrition and moisture that termites need to live is removed or greatly hampered.

3. Minimized Mold Damage

Mold damage beneath the home will cause rotting wood. Rotting wood will eventually cause your foundation to start falling.

Which can cause everything from the floor rotting out to the walls cracking.

Encapsulation is a small expense compared to fixing the foundation of your house.

4. Extra Storage

By drying up and sealing space under your house you will be creating extra storage space.

However large your home, as time elapses, you quickly realize how little storage space you actually have.

Depending on the size of the crawl space beneath the house, you could be sitting on a big chunk of real estate that could be easily used for storage if it were sealed up properly.

Even a small crawl space can make a good storage area for non-perishables or holiday decorations, etc.

5. Energy saver

Though it is easy to see the expense it takes to encapsulate the crawl space,

The result of encapsulation will be closing off open windows and leaks that can cause your central heat and air to work much harder and cause your bill to spike much higher.

Encapsulating the crawl space is like shutting the door that’s letting the air out.

And in turn making your home much more energy efficient and the amount of money it takes to heat and cool your home.

Recap

Encapsulating the crawl space beneath your home is definitely not a desirable task.

The expense and the less than favorable conditions to work in make the disadvantages stand out and loom large.

But when you measure the disadvantages against the advantages of crawl space encapsulation,

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages for most people.

The improvement in air quality and the additional savings in energy, plus the protection of your home from mold rot make encapsulation well worth it.

And the additional storage real estate is a big plus.

Are Space Heaters Expensive to Run?

Heating and cooling are easily the most expensive items on your utility bill.

If you have central heat and air in your home, you don’t have to wonder what’s eating your lunch and raising your payment.

That being the case, it is no wonder that many people try to find a way to supplement their heating and cooling to lower their bill.

Vornado VH2 Whole Room Space Heater

Space heaters tend to be the first thing you think about when you’re trying to find a way to get the heating bill down.

And even though central heat is meant to warm a whole house, you may know by experience that there are plenty of areas in the home that don’t quite get as warm as you would like them.

So using a space heater to supplement the heat in those areas may be needed.

Space heaters are generally small mobile heaters that run off of electricity.

Heaters that use gas are not used inside of a house unless they are properly vented. Which makes them not useful as mobile space heaters.

Not to mention the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning that is present with gas heating.

Are space heaters expensive to run?

Space heaters are expensive to run, yes.

Space heaters use a lot of Watts. 1500 w on high is the standard for all space heaters.
As a point of reference, 1500 w is the most that any outlet can handle.

That means that if you plug anything else into the same outlet with your space heater, you are most likely going to blow a circuit.

(Space heaters most usually come with a auto shut off safety precaution feature that shut the heater off before the circuit blows, but hopefully that illustrates the point)

Supplementing the heat in a room that is not getting enough heat from your HVAC with a space heater is definitely not going to be a money saver.

But if you only need heat in a specific room and are not going to run the heating in the rest of the house, then running a space heater will cost you less.

In other words it costs less to run a space heater rather than a whole house system.

But one space heater is definitely not going to warm up the entire house.

And putting a space heater in every room will use more energy than running the whole house HVAC system.

Obviously not everyone is trying to supplement their utility bill using space heaters.

There’s plenty of times you’re just trying to find a way to heat a space without breaking the bank.

Space heaters are not intended to heat up a whole house.

They’re more geared to keeping the bathroom warm while you’re taking a shower or warming your legs and feet while you’re sitting at your desk, doing your work.

The best way to spend less with the space heater is to find one that is more efficient at heating a room.

The space heater that can heat a room well on a medium temperature is going to cost less to run in a space heater that has to be turned on all the way to do the job.

The amount of time you plan on using a space heater everyday plays a big part on what type of space heater to buy also.

Ceramic type space heaters warm up fast and can get pretty hot. A good type of heater if you need a way to warm your hands or feet.

But if you’re planning on using a room for an entire day, an oil heater takes longer to heat up a room but it will do it more consistently.

But the heat that comes off of an oil heater is not the type of heat that you will be able to warm your hands by.

Suggested Space heaters

Vornado is a very good brand of heater that outweighs the competition in just about every capacity.

Not only rated the highest for efficiency, they are rated the highest for safety precautions also.

And for style, they have a heater that can fit in most any decor.

The Vornado VH2 is widely reviewed as one of the best small heaters you can buy. It uses what they call Vortex air circulation.

The heat that it produces is not as intensely hot but it moves a lot of air which warms up a room nicely..

Vornado VMH500 Whole Room Metal Heater with Auto Climate

One of Vornado’s Cadillac models is the vmh500.

It features a thermostat that controls your climate on auto and has a 12-hour timer.

The construction is metal so that you do not have to worry about any plastic parts melting.

It also features advanced safety features like cool to the touch exterior, a two-stage auto shut off, and tip over protection.

It also has a remote.

Vornadobaby Sensa Nursery Heater

Vornado also carries a heater that is specifically made for the baby’s room.

Vornadobaby Sensa

This heater is designed to shut off when any excessive heat is detected.

It is cool to the touch and delivers a heat that adjusts to ensure that the crib stays warm but never gets hot to the touch.

The controls are all lockable to ensure that children cannot tamper with them. It also has no sharp edges and shuts off immediately if tipped whatsoever.

Wi-Fi Space Heaters

This year’s heaters are finally starting to catch on to the Wi-Fi trend.

Almost every appliance has a Wi-Fi version these days. So make a lot of sense, some not so much.

Space heaters are an appliance that actually makes sense to be incorporated with smart technology.

Being able to schedule a heater to come on to warm a room before you get in there is a pretty great feature.

And think about the fact that if you’re already in bed or comfortable on the couch, you can simply tell your heater to turn up or turn down without having to get up. Nice.

Atomi has a nice Wi-Fi Incorporated space heater that oscillates. Also a great feature for a space heater.

The heater is not meant to be in the children’s room.

Though it has the standard safety features required for space heaters it can get hot to the touch.

Whether you’re trying to supplement your home’s heating system or if you are just trying to find a space heater that you can use to warm your office.

You should know beforehand that space heaters are one of the more energy consuming appliances that you can buy.

That’s why finding a space heater that is more efficient and can be very effective on a low setting is important.

Atomi Smart WiFi Portable Tower Space Heater

Do You Put Water in a Dehumidifier?

It can be a little confusing deciphering all the different types of devices on the market that do something to your air.

For instance, You got air conditioners, air purifiers, air humidifiers, air compressors, just to name a few.

And trying to understand what each one does compared to one another is a pretty big demand to place on the consumer.

Humidifiers and dehumidifiers are a couple of devices that people seemingly confuse with one another quite often.

And why not, they practically sound like they’re the same machine.

But the similarity in name is where it ends.

Do you put water in a dehumidifier?

You do not add water to a dehumidifier like you do to a humidifier.
Dehumidifiers are the opposite of a humidifier. They are a device that removes moisture from the air.

Compared to a humidifier that effectively adds moisture to the air.

Dehumidifiers pull the moisture out of the air by reducing it to condensation and funnel it into a container which is built-in as part of the machine.

When the container gets full, you dump it out. Dehumidifiers often come with a garden hose hook up to drain the water from the machine rather than dump the container when it fills.

Humidifiers on the other hand, are made to add moisture back into the air.

So they do require you to add water to them before they can perform their function.

Dehumidifiers – remove moisture from the air and require you to dump it out of the machine.

Humidifiers- add moisture to the air and require you to add water to the machine.

What is the purpose of a dehumidifier?

The purpose of a dehumidifier is to remove excess moisture out of the air.

One of the most popular ways of using a dehumidifier is to help dry out a basement.

Basements, being carved underground and basically sitting in moist soil, tend to be very moist inside as well.

The air in the basement can be very humid compared to the rest of the house.

And where there is excess moisture in a home, there is the high possibility of mold growth in that region.

Areas like basements that have high humidity also tend to have a lot of bugs because moisture provides a source of nutrition for them.

High populations of dust mites are another symptom of having high humidity that often occurs in a basement.

Using a dehumidifier to reduce the moisture inside of a humid room like a basement helps cut down on the amount of mold and allergens caused by mold and dust mites, making it easier to breathe, and protecting the area from mold damage.

In short, it means getting an overall better use out of the room.

Do I need a dehumidifier?

For a lot of people, the dry mode (dehumidifier mode) on their air conditioning may be plenty to keep the high humidity inside of their home in check.

But there are many times when the temperature does not warrant running an air conditioner but the humidity is still high.

The basement for instance.

So if you have above normal humidity but the temperature does not warrant using an air conditioner, then you do need a humidifier to reduce the excess moisture from the air.

What is the purpose of a humidifier?

Humidifiers are machines that intentionally add moisture into the air.

Humidity is fickle and in order to maintain optimal health and environment, a relative humidity of between 40 and 60% is required.

While dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air when the humidity is too high, humidifiers add moisture when the air is too dry.

Dry air is usually associated with winter for a couple of reasons.

One, the climate produces less humidity, and two, heaters are used regularly. And heaters have a drying effect on the air.

Dry air is air that has a relative humidity of 40% and below.

The symptoms of dry air are many.

1.Dried and cracked nasal passages and skin top the list.

2.Low humidity also aids in the spread of colds and viruses.

3. Sinuses and allergies are also symptoms of low humidity.

How does a humidifier help with so many of these everyday problems?
Simple.

Moisture droplets are heavier than dust.

Without enough humidity in the air, dust, including dust particles like pollen, viruses, and bacteria,

are free to float and travel further through your air and eventually come in contact with your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Humidified air causes dust to be too heavy to float and out of the ambient air that you breathe.

Most of us have no idea how impactful the relative humidity is on our health.

Hygrometer

You may be thinking, that’s all fine, but how do I know what my relative humidity is or how would I track it?

Fortunately, there is a handy device that you can purchase cheaply at your local hardware store that measures humidity.

It’s called a hygrometer.

They are usually paired with a thermometer. Called a thermohygrometer.

How do you read a hygrometer to know when to run a humidifier?

A hygrometer gives you your relative humidity in the form of a percentage.

If the hygrometer reads 40% or below, you need to run a humidifier to raise your humidity to about 50%.

If the hygrometer reads 60% or more, reducing the humidity is necessary.

That may mean using a dehumidifier unless the temperature is high and the dehumidification process of the AC can handle the humidity.

Recap

It’s easy to get confused between what a humidifier is and a dehumidifier is.

There are so many air related devices that sound similar, and knowing which device does what is not always intuitive.

Dehumidifiers are appliances that remove moisture water from the air and do not require any water to be added to them.

Humidifiers add moisture to the air and do require water to be put in them.

One is for removing moisture. One is for adding moisture.

How to Get Rid of Dust in the Air? – The Lucky 13

Dust is a particularly nasty recipe of ingredients when you get down to it.

Everything from insect skeletons, rodent feces, dead skin flakes, mites, and not to mention pollen and spores.

All floating through the air, ready to come in contact with your eyes, nose and mouth,

And create havoc in your sinuses.

So what can you do?

How to get rid of dust in the air?

Here is a list of suggestions that we have compiled to help you do just that.

1. Use a humidifier

Low humidity or dry air as it’s more commonly referred to, can play a huge part in how much dust is floating and how far it can travel through the air.

The reason is that humidity has a “mudding” effect that weighs down dust and causes it to fall out of the air that you breathe.

The result of keeping a higher relative humidity when it comes to dusty surfaces is similar in that it congeals dust particles and keeps them from being kicked into the air.

A Humidifier is a device that adds moisture back into the air when the relative humidity has dropped.

It’s the first thing on our list because if the climate is extra dry then there is little chance of controlling dust in the air until you do something to balance the relative humidity.

LEVOIT Humidifiers

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2. Air purifier

Filtering is another way of getting dust out of the air.

Most air purifiers use HEPA filters that are able to remove dust particles as small as .003 parts per million.

HEPA Air purifiers work best in small spaces. HIPAA air purifiers are usually combined with carbon filters that are able to adsorb gases and odors as well.

Other air purifiers called Ionizer air purifiers use ions to connect dust particles together through polarity.

The result is that they become too heavy to float and fall out of the air.

The main disadvantage for ionizers for removing dust from the air is though it falls out of the air it collects on the surface. Which will undoubtedly be kicked up again.
Another disadvantage with them is that they smell a bit like ozone.

LEVOIT Air Purifiers

Click Here

3. Vacuuming

Most dust is brought into the house with your feet. Tracking dust in your shoes is easily one of the biggest ways that it collects in your house.

Walking is all it takes to kick the dust that you brought in with your shoes in the first place up into the air.

Vacuuming the carpet more often is a way of reducing dust in the air.

4. Sweeping and mopping

Along the same lines as vacuuming, dirty floors supply dust that is easily kicked up into the air when walking over them.

Sweeping and mopping more frequently is another way of keeping dust from becoming a problem in your airstream.

5. Take your shoes off at the door

Just like we mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, dust coming in on the bottom of your shoes is one of the biggest ways that dirt gets into your home.

Kicking your shoes off before you walk through the house is a great way of keeping the dust from traveling in on your shoes.

Another option is to change shoes, when you come in the door to a pair that doesn’t go outside with you.

6. Dusting and wiping

If your countertops, shelves and tables are dusty, then you have another supply of dust that can easily make it into your ambient air simply by turning on a ceiling fan or letting a breeze in.

Keeping dust out of the air is as easy as keeping your surfaces wiped down sometimes.

7. Shut the doors and windows

Keeping the doors and windows open is inviting dust to come into the house and float through your air.

As a source for dust, there’s not much bigger of a reservoir than the dust blowing in from outside.

7. Seal up Windows and doors

Leaving the doors and windows open intentionally is not the only way the dust comes in through your doors and windows.

When your windows and doors are not sealed properly, then dust can gather around the unsealed areas of your home and become part of the dustiness of your air.

Sealing up your doors and windows will help keep dust from coming when they are closed.

8. Keep the dogs and cats outside

If you have pets that could come in and out of the house, you are going to have a lot of dust.

Not only are dogs running around in the yard collecting dirt, they are shedding, and spreading dander throughout your air stream.

Cat hair is particularly covered in bacteria and dander as well.

Without keeping the animals outside, there’s no real chance of keeping dust out of the house and the air.

9. Plant some grass

If you have ground in your yard that doesn’t have any grass on it or is overgrown with weeds, then you have a big supply of dust waiting to be blown into the house.

Planting some grass seed on your bare ground areas and keeping the yard trimmed will help lessen the supply of dust available to get into your home.

10. HVAC filters

The filters in your central heat and air conditioning help filter out dust so that it does not circulate through your house via the vent work of your HVAC system.

Keeping the filters replaced helps them filter more dust and allergens from your air when the unit is on.

It also keeps your unit working much more efficiently.

11. Change your bedding more often

It’s a disgusting fact that your mattress and sheets can be covered with dead skin and dust mites.

The longer you let your bedding go without proper washing, the more dust you’re going to have coming off of your own bed.

Also many of the allergies that you assume are entering into your airways through the dustiness of your air,

might just be hanging out on your pillow and in your blankets waiting for you to bury your face in them.

12. House plants

If you haven’t heard about it, there’s a big list of houseplants that nasa say are all natural air purifiers.

Some house plants like the rubber plant actually draw dust to themselves and have to be washed off.

Other plants like Aloe Vera and snake plants create oxygen which naturally makes your air easier to breathe.

House plants are a novel and excellent way of creating less dust in your air.

If you want to see NASA’s big list, and pick some plants that you know will do the job, you can click here.

13. Dehumidifier / Air conditioner

The humidifier was at the top of our list to help deal with dust in the air when the relative humidity is low.

But dustiness can be an issue when the humidity is high as well.

One of the big issues with excessive humidity is that it becomes a source of nutrition for dust mites.

Dust mite populations explode in high humidity.

Another problem with high humidity is that it supplies moisture for mold to take root. Once you have mold growing in your house, then you have mold spores traveling through your air.

A dehumidifier is a device that works the opposite of a humidifier.

Instead of adding humidity, it reduces the humidity in the air. Thereby reducing mold spores and dust mites.

Refrigerated air conditioners like window air conditioners and central heat and air (HVAC) dehumidify the air as they cool also.

Post air conditioners have a dehumidifier setting called “dry mode” on them.

If the temperatures are very hot with high humidity, running the air conditioner is a way to reduce dust in your air.
If the humidity is very high but the temperatures are not so much,
A dehumidifier or using the dry mode on your air conditioner is the way to go.

We hope you liked our Dusty list.

We hope you’ll get some relief from the dust floating through your air by applying some of these suggestions.

Diffuser vs Humidifier vs Combining Them

One thing I’ve noticed while shopping at the local Walmart is that they have a huge selection of diffusers and fragrance plug in devices and whatnot,

But when it comes to the humidifiers, they basically have the cheapest plastic thing you can buy.

A lot of that stuff is crammed together with the incense and candles without much explanation of what goes with what.

Diffusers vs humidifiers for instance. What is what?

The diffuser primarily is used to disperse essential oils into the air.

The humidifier’s primary job is to add moisture to the air.

Yes they both use water.

But the volume of water they use is vastly different.

Can you use a diffuser as a humidifier?

One thing that a lot of people ask is that if they can use their diffuser as a humidifier since it has water in it?

The answer is yes, technically you will get a small amount of humidity coming off of your diffuser.

Is it enough to humidify an entire room?

No, it’s probably not enough to make a noticeable difference in the relative humidity.

The reason is, it takes about a half a glass of water to fill up a diffuser.

And most humidifiers go through a gallon of water or so every 24 hours.

But that’s not to say it won’t do anything at all to add moisture to the air.

After all, placing glasses of water around the house is an old trick for humidifying.

Have you ever left a glass of water on a nightstand or table, etc, and come back to it, only to find that it had evaporated away?

It’s the same concept.

The difference is, it is the job of a humidifier to evaporate and disperse large amounts of moisture into the air.

It’s a machine that will accelerate what happens naturally by leaving glasses of water out.

So even though a diffuser and a humidifier may operate basically the same,

And a diffuser may add a small amount of moisture into the air,

A humidifier will do much more to remedy the effects of dry air.

And a diffuser is best at diffusing essential oils.

LEVOIT Humidifier – Click Here

Elechomes SH8820 Humidifier –Click Here

Are there any devices that combine a diffuser and humidifier?

The answer is definitely.

There are many brands of humidifiers that have a tray to put essential oils in, to get a diffuser effect out of them.

The difference is that you’re starting from the point of view of a humidifier that can be used as a diffuser.

Rather than a diffuser that can be used as a humidifier.

And the price point is going to be quite a bit sharper for a humidifier that does it all, compared to the standard diffuser.

Is it worth it to spend the money on a humidifier that diffuses essential oils?

I think it is. Here’s why.

Essential oils and aromatherapy are something that most people just dabble in.

I’m not saying there’s not some excellent benefits to using essential oils, or that they are not important.

But I am saying that I view a humidifier as being a more essential device then an essential oil diffuser is.

And if you can get a fully functional diffuser in a humidifier, what’s not the love?

( Believe me, there’s a couple of things about a humidifier / diffuser combination that are not to love, I’m about to spout those off, so stick around a second)

But maintaining a proper relative humidity between 40 and 60% has numerous benefits to your health.

Humidity aids in the reduction of sick days because it keeps viruses and germs from being able to travel as well.

By the same token, asthma triggers as well as airborne allergens are far less invasive into your life when the humidity level is kept between 40 and 60% in your home.

Skin health also relies heavily on an optimal relative humidity.

Not only does Humidity moisturize the skin, it helps keep conditions like acne and psoriasis from being able to burrow deeper into the skin because of cracks caused by dry air.

And one of the most painful and noticeable results of low humidity and dry air is the drying of the nasal cavities which can lead to bloody noses and painful nostril clearing.

And this is just a few of the benefits you get from the humidifier.

Like I said, there is definitely some therapeutic and medicinal benefits to using different essential oils,

But at the end of the day, the humidifier is a much more needed device.

Humidifier with aromatherapy tray downsides ( back to the not so lovely)

There is nothing dangerous about combining a humidifier and a diffuser but there are a couple of things that make it a little bit inconvenient.

One is, a humidifier is not anywhere nearly as mobile as a diffuser.

You can pick up a diffuser with one hand and carry a baby around with the other. Not a problem.

A Humidifier on the other hand, is much bulkier and weighs a good 10 lb with a gallon of water in it. And that is a small humidifier.

So combining your diffuser with your humidifier means your diffuser is going to weigh as much as the humidifier.

But that’s a pretty small trade off I think.

The other thing is that some humidifiers require you to buy their special essential oils that are made to work with their machine to ensure that the equipment doesn’t get gummed up.

That’s pretty limiting, being stuck with purchasing one brand of essential oils and not even a full essential oil product.

Some humidifiers combine not only a diffuser function, but air purification also.

The top brand is called a Revitalizer. And any essential oils that you put in it have to be their brand because they go directly into the water.

But let me see that that is not the way most humidifier makers do it and definitely not one that I would recommend.

Usually they will have an aromatherapy tray as a separate compartment to put the essential oils.

OliveTech Smart WiFi Essential Oil Diffuser

Click Here

Takeaway

Even though diffusers and humidifiers both use water as part of the way they work,

Diffusers are made to disperse essential oils and even though they may add a small amount of humidity to the air in the process, it’s not nearly enough to qualify as a humidifier.

Humidifiers are made to add large deposits of moisture into your Air.

Can you use a diffuser as a humidifier?

Technically a diffuser will humidify but not enough to make a real difference.

If you want to combine a diffuser and a humidifier, there are humidifiers that have aromatherapy trays so that you can use your humidifier as a diffuser.

And you can argue, like I did in the article above, that maintaining the proper relative humidity in your home is more important than dispersing essential oils.

My opinion is that buying a humidifier that has the capability of functioning as a diffuser also is a much better idea than trying to get a diffuser to humidify effectively.

Do Humidifiers Help With Dry Eyes?

This has been the weather year from hell.

Record blizzards. Record rainfall. And record heat all in one year.

It seems like we have been trapped in the house all year.

And the utility bill has shot to record highs too.

Can Low Humidity Cause Dry Eyes?

There’s a couple of times a year when dry eyes are more of a problem than usual.

The winter, especially this past year, can be so cold that you can’t get outside for much of anything.

The dry air outside and the heater going non-stop inside create a super dry environment where it feels like your eyeballs can’t make any tears.

But it’s not just the winter, summer can have you stuck in the house also, with the air conditioner running continuously, and ceiling fans blowing and drying the air throughout the house.

Refrigerated air conditioners like window ACS, and central heat and air units, dehumidify as they cool.

That means they are actually sucking the humidity out of the air, which can cause extra dry conditions.

Once again making the air so dry that your eyes get dry and burn.

Do humidifiers help with dry eyes?

Humidifiers are devices that add moisture into the air. Relative indoor humidity has more to do with having and maintaining good health than most people are aware of. And that includes eye health.

There are a couple of ways that a humidifier can help with dry eyes.

1.Reduce dust and allergies

One of the biggest problems with low humidity dry air is the amount of dust that can accumulate and float through the air.

Dust has an absorbing nature to it that tends to dry out your skin and in this case your eyes.

One benefit of using a humidifier when you have dry eyes is that humidity has a type of “mudding” effect on dust, which causes it to be too heavy to float.

And the particles that make up dust are not just dirt.

Dust can be comprised all types of particulates including allergens like pollen, the exoskeletons of insects, feces, dried skin, germs, bacteria, and honestly just about everything you can think of.

And without enough moisture in the air to wash and weigh down this nasty airborne recipe,

They are free to come in contact with your eyes, mouth, and skin.

Humidifiers not only emit moisture back into the air to balance out the relative humidity when the air is dry, they also have a washing effect on the air.

Which can be a big relief when you suffer from dry eyes.

2. Reduce the evaporation of tears

Dry eyes are not just symptomatic of dry air. There are many reasons a person or pet can have dry eyes.

I have a dog, for instance, that is a distemper survivor.

Distemper is a debilitating canine disease that leaves the dog with a nerve disorder that causes them to bob their head continually. And that’s if they survive at all.

Another one of the effects of distemper is that it causes a dog to lose their ability to create tears.

One of the things we do to help our dog deal with his condition besides using tear drops and washing his eyes with a wet rag, is to run a humidifier for him to help soothe his eyes.

Dryness in your eyes can be due to your tears evaporating too quickly.

And if you are already having a problem with producing tears or having them evaporate too quickly,

Best Humidity Level for Dry Eyes

Dry air caused by low humidity only makes the problem worse.

Maintaining a relative humidity between 40 and 60% is a must if you already have this type of condition.

Adding moisture back into the air can provide extra moisture that can help prevent the tears in your eyes from evaporating as quickly.

Humidifier Problems

But it wouldn’t be right to espouse the use of a humidifier as a remedy for dry eyes without going into a little detail on the problems a humidifier can cause if they are not maintained properly.

The nature of the humidifier is that you have to add water to it for it to do its job.

The water that you use in a humidifier, especially when you’re talking about using it for helping with dry eye syndrome, is very important.

Unfortunately tap water can be full of all types of chemicals and debris that is not good for your eyes.

If you are considering a humidifier to help with your dry eyes, you should also consider using distilled water in the humidifier to keep anything that is foreign in tap water from getting into your eyeballs.

Another issue with humidifiers is that they must be cleaned often and never used when they have old standing water in them.

The issue is that bacteria and mold can begin to grow very quickly in the water of a humidifier. As well as all the connecting points that the water moves through.
Bacteria can emerge in as little as 48 hours in standing water.

Running a humidifier with germy standing water means you will be emitting all the bacteria from the water into the air and essentially turning your humidifier into an allergy spouting machine.

Fortunately the humidifier world is beginning to catch up with the need for a humidifier that does not have the chance of getting contaminated nearly as easily as they were once known for.

Some companies like Pure Guardian have begun to put UV lamps pointing at the water in the humidifiers as a way to kill any type of bacteria that is growing in the basin.

Others include germ resistant plastics in their construction that keeps mold and bacteria from having anything to feed on inside of the basin of a humidifier.

Hopefully if this trend continues, the humidifier industry as a whole will follow suit and germ-free humidifiers will be the norm instead of the exception.

Low Humidity Symptoms – Benefits of a Humidifier

Low Humidity Symptoms

The effects of humidity and the lack thereof can have a lot of symptoms on your body that you may have not considered before.

Some of them are very logical and make complete sense straight away, while other symptoms may not be as obvious.

Low relative humidity is at the heart of many issues that you face every day.

But it is one of the last places most people look when they are looking for solutions for a variety of different problems.

Here’s a small list of low humidity symptoms:

1.Static electricity

You reach out for your wife’s hand or to give your daughter a hug and suddenly you get zapped. Static shock! And it seems like everything you touch is a live wire for the next few weeks.

Static electricity is an indication that the humidity is low.

Static electricity is essentially an imbalance of negative and positive ions in the air.

The shock you feel is the balancing of the ions jumping from one object to another.

But when the air is keeping a relative humidity of 40% or more, the moisture in the air absorbs the shock instead of you and your next victim.

If you notice you’re getting zapped with static electricity around the house more than usual, you can be certain that your humidity is low.

A humidifier is a device that adds moisture back to the air which is beneficial for reducing the amount of static electrical shock around the house.

Check out the Levoit Warm and Cool mist Humidifier Here.

Humidifier Benefit # 1

Reduce Static Electricity

2. Dry Nose/ Bloody Nose

Another symptom of low humidity that is easier to identify than some others is having a dry nose.

When you blow your nose and it feels brittle and painful to do so, or worse, you have a baby that has a sore brittle nose, the relative humidity in your house has more than certainly dropped.

Nosebleeds go hand in hand with dried nasal passages. If you notice blood on the tissue that you have used to clear your nose or worse, you flat out have a crack on the inner walls of your nose and blood is beginning to drip,

You will more than likely find that the relative humidity in your home has dropped below the 40% mark.

A cool mist humidifier can add the depleted humidity back into your air and give you some cool relief inside of your nasal passages.

Humidifier Benefit # 2

Soothe and Hydrate the linings in your nose

3.Dry skin

Following the same logic as having a dry nose is the low humidity symptom of dried and cracking skin.

The moisture in a person’s skin is absorbed primarily through the humidity in the air.

There is a saying that “dry skin equals dehydrated skin”.

Winter is the time of year that is known for having drier air consistently.

It is also the time of the year when the air is continually dried out further but running the heater continually.

So it is not a coincidence that people experience drier than usual skin during this time of year.

But dry skin is not exclusive to colder seasons,

The climate indoors can suffer from low humidity in the summer as well.

Tightly sealed rooms running air conditioners that are dehumidifying as they cool and having fans blowing can also have an effect on the relative humidity inside.

Humidifier Benefit # 3

Return Moisture to your skin

4.Extra Dusty house

Have you noticed the surfaces in your home or office seem particularly dusty?

A dusty room is a symptom of low humidity.

When the airborne particles in a room don’t have enough moisture to weigh them down or give them that ” mud” like texture,

they are free to float further and longer and essentially make the room extra Dusty.

Dustiness is also a major issue when dealing with dry skin.

Your skin is not the only thing absorbing the moisture from the air.

Dust and dry skin.

Dust is also absorbing the moisture, not only out of the air, but out of your skin as well.

You have probably been in a old room where dust has settled for years,

Or maybe you have been around a wood shop where there are mountains of dust everywhere and in the air.

If you have then you probably noticed how dried out your skin felt afterwards.

It’s the same concept, being in a dusty room with low humidity.

The combination of dust and dry air will suck the moisture right out of your skin.

Humidifier Benefit #4

Reduce dust and dry skin caused by dust

5. Acne

Acne can be a symptom of low humidity. As surprising as that may sound, the effect that dry air has on your skin can facilitate the spread of acne.

Dried cracked skin can allow the bacteria it causes acne to burrow down deeper into the epidermis.

Dry skin can also flake and clog your pores even more.

And finally the imbalance of humidity can cause your skin overcompensate in the creation of oils.

If you are struggling with acne, dry air may be one of your issues. A humidifier can restore the balance of relative moisture back into your air and produce a positive result in your fight against acne.

Humidifier Benefit #5

Help inhibit the spread of Acne

6. Allergies / Asthma triggers

When the air is dry and there is little moisture to cling to the dust particles in the air.

The particulates such as pollen, insect remains, feces, and the other 1000 particles that make up dust, are free to float further through your home than if there was adequate moisture to weigh them down.

Allergies and asthma attacks can result from the lack of moisture that is responsible for reducing household allergens and triggers.

Elechomes SH8820 is a humidifier that does everything you need and more. It also has a carrying handle that puts it above the fray. Pretty sweet.

Humidifier Benefit #6

Reduce the travel of allergens in the air

7. Dry eyes

Dry eyes can be described as eyes that have dried out tears.

Hello there are many causes that can cause the tear ducts to produce less tears than they should,

The dry air caused by a lack of humidity can also cause the tears in your eyes to evaporate quickly and leave you with dry burning eyes.

Running a cool mist humidifier will add moisture back into the air and help create an environment where your eyes don’t dry out nearly as bad.

Humidifier Benefit #7

Sooth Dry Eyes

8. Cold and flu viruses

One of the most fascinating symptoms of low humidity is the easy spread of colds, flus and viruses.

Not only does the lack of moisture in the air create conditions that are conducive to viruses and bacteria traveling further and staying airborne longer,

Low relative humidity has a drying effect on the linings of your airways.
The result of dry mucus linings is they are not able to ward off foreign substances as easily. source

And creates a type of docking effect where viruses and germs can remain longer causing an increased risk of infection.

The National Library of Medicine has stated that the majority of adverse health effects caused by relative humidity would be minimized by maintaining indoor levels between 40 and 60%.

If the flu and cold bug is going through your house, the chances are that your relative humidity is lower than the 40 to 60% optimal range.

The humidifier may help reduce the spread of cold and flu germs, and it can also have a cooling effect on your sinuses when you are struggling with congestion and a raw nose and throat brought on by being sick.

What I’m talking about is a small bathroom dehumidifier.

Do dehumidifiers work in bathrooms?

Will a dehumidifier keep mold from in the bathroom?

What is the best dehumidifier for a bathroom?In our opinion the best bathroom dehumidifier is the Medea 1500.

Desiccant Bathroom Dehumidifiers

1. Eva-dry E-500 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier

2.Pro Breeze Wireless Mini Dehumidifier

3.DampRid

4. Govee WiFi Thermometer and Hygrometer

5. JEDEW 2-Pack Mini Hygrometer Thermometer

A small portable bathroom dehumidifier

1.Pro Breeze electric dehumidifier

2.Levoair Dehumidifier

3.Beyn Mini Bathroom dehumidifier

4.Midea 1500 square foot dehumidifier

5.Whirlpool 40 Pint Portable Dehumidifier with Built-in Pump

6.COLAZE Electric Portable Dehumidifier for 480 Sq.ft

What can happen if you have excess humidity in the bathroom? Mold, damage?

When do you need to use a bathroom dehumidifier? Winter, summer?

Where would you put a dehumidifier in the bathroom?

Does a bathroom dehumidifier use a lot of electricity?

How loud are bathroom dehumidifiers?

What’s the difference between desiccant bathroom dehumidifiers and mini dehumidifiers?

Will a dehumidifier soak up water?

Bathroom dehumidifier versus an extractor fan

How Do Air Purifiers Work?

HEPA Filters

Activated Carbon Filter

Ionizer

Ultraviolet Light

How Long Should You Run Your Air Purifier?

Things That Influence the Run Time of an Air Purifier

Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)

Types of Filters

Is it Safe to Run an Air Purifier All the Time?

Conclusion

What do the numbers on a dehumidifier mean?

BLACK+DECKER 4500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier for Extra Large Spaces

Are dehumidifiers safe to leave on?

Should I run a fan with a dehumidifier?

Should I run a dehumidifier with an air conditioner?

How to know if you need a humidifier or dehumidifier?

Honeywell Small Room Dehumidifier

Is it okay to sleep in a room with a dehumidifier?

What’s better: a dehumidifier or an air purifier?

When should you not use a dehumidifier?

How long should you leave a dehumidifier on?

ThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer

Do humidifiers make the room colder?

Should a dehumidifier run constantly?

Negatives to crawl space encapsulation

1. Expense

Aprilaire Dehumidifiers Whole Homes up to 5,200 sq. ft

2. No Room to Work.

3. Muddy

4. Nasty

5. HVAC Zoning

Advantages of Crawl Space Encapsulation

1. Improved Air quality

2. Reduce Pest and insects

3. Minimized Mold Damage

4. Extra Storage

5. Energy saver

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages for most people.

Vornado VH2 Whole Room Space Heater

Are space heaters expensive to run?

Space heaters use a lot of Watts. 1500 w on high is the standard for all space heaters.As a point of reference, 1500 w is the most that any outlet can handle.

The best way to spend less with the space heater is to find one that is more efficient at heating a room.

Suggested Space heaters

Vornado VMH500 Whole Room Metal Heater with Auto Climate

Vornadobaby Sensa Nursery Heater

Vornadobaby Sensa

Wi-Fi Space Heaters

Atomi Smart WiFi Portable Tower Space Heater

Humidifiers and dehumidifiers are a couple of devices that people seemingly confuse with one another quite often.

Do you put water in a dehumidifier?

You do not add water to a dehumidifier like you do to a humidifier.Dehumidifiers are the opposite of a humidifier. They are a device that removes moisture from the air.

Dehumidifiers – remove moisture from the air and require you to dump it out of the machine.Humidifiers- add moisture to the air and require you to add water to the machine.

What is the purpose of a dehumidifier?

What is the best dehumidifier for a bathroom?
In our opinion the best bathroom dehumidifier is the Medea 1500.

Space heaters use a lot of Watts. 1500 w on high is the standard for all space heaters.
As a point of reference, 1500 w is the most that any outlet can handle.

You do not add water to a dehumidifier like you do to a humidifier.
Dehumidifiers are the opposite of a humidifier. They are a device that removes moisture from the air.

Dehumidifiers – remove moisture from the air and require you to dump it out of the machine.

Humidifiers- add moisture to the air and require you to add water to the machine.

How does a humidifier help with so many of these everyday problems?
Simple.

OliveTech Smart WiFi Essential Oil Diffuser

Click Here