IT ISN’T THE HEAT...
Moisture-busting dehumidifiers can freshen your home and improve the air quality
If you live in an area with damp, humid, summer weather, you probably could use a dehumidifier — and so could many homeowners who may not realize this small machine’s power to create a more comfortable atmosphere in their homes.
Dehumidifiers take excessive moisture out of the air. This can have a huge impact on the environment in your home during the summer, a rainy spell or any time a temperature of more than 15 C combines with high humidity. The most common place to install one is in the basement, which tends to be one of the dampest places in the house.
Despite their usefulness, dehumidifiers are a puzzle to some consumers, says Elvin Bautista, a Kenmore product manager at Sears. “Everyone knows what air conditioners or humidifiers do, but not so much dehumidifiers.”
The lesser-known benefits of dehumidifiers include preventing the peeling of wallpaper, protecting home electronics and music equipment, preserving documents, and keeping sofas, chairs and curtains from smelling.
Eliminating those unpleasant odours is one of the top benefits of running a dehumidifier.
“Dehumidifiers help make a room feel less damp. Otherwise the humidity can bring on a musty smell that reminds me of an old house,” says Eric Ball, a spokesman for Lowe’s.
Shopping for a dehumidifier isn’t too complicated. Models are generally sized at 30 to 100 pints (14 to 47 litres), with prices ranging from $229 to $500. (The pint per litre number indicates the amount of water the dehumidifier can remove in 24 hours.)
Pros recommend getting one with wheels so you can move it around. There are three basic styles, Ball says. Some models require you to empty the bucket daily; others are equipped with an attachment that allows you to hook it up to a drain through a hose; a third style has a pump that moves water out. If you plan to empty it yourself, consider a larger bucket so you don’t have to empty it so frequently. Ball recommends setting the control panel to 50 per cent humidity.
Check the model description so you can buy one with the appropriate capacity for the size and dampness of the room where you’ll be placing it. And don’t forget to clean the filter every few weeks.
“A lot of people ask what a dehumidifier can do for them,” Ball says.
Following are some reasons you might want to get one.
1 There’s a musty smell in your home
When you walk into your home, you want it to smell clean and fresh. Moisture in the air tends to hold and trap odour, Bautista says. A dehumidifier will dry out the air and take away this mouldy scent. (Another personal note: We use our fireplace a lot in the cold weather, so when it’s hot and damp, we can smell the fires of last winter unless we have our dehumidifier on.)
2 There is condensation on your windows
Bautista says this could indicate the humidity in your home is too high. If you continue to let the condensation occur and have water dripping onto your sills, it can deteriorate the wood framing around your windows.
3 Leaks in your basement are a common occurrence
After a heavy rain, if you have water dripping on your floors, sweating walls or rings of what look like mould spores, you probably will want to set up a dehumidifier to let the area dry out and help keep it dry. If you have a regularly damp basement, Ball says, it’s a good idea to keep one running throughout the summer.
4 You like to hang laundry to air-dry in your basement
A dehumidifier can hasten the time it takes to dry those bathing suits or cotton tops that you don’t put in the dryer. As a bonus, if you are painting, a dehumidifier can speed up your drying time, Bautista says.
5 You or a family member has lots of allergies
A dehumidifier can provide some relief from allergies stemming from mould, mildew and dust mites. The dampness is what creates the environment for them to thrive in. “A dehumidifier can improve your air quality,” Ball says. Look for one with antimicrobial technology, which discourages the growth of bacteria on the unit’s water collection bucket.
6 Foods go stale or get mouldy quickly
Ball says running his dehumidifier makes his boxes of dry cereal taste fresh longer. (He swears his favourite Honey Nut Cheerios are crunchier.) It can also keep bread from developing mould.