You might be wondering what are the benefits of a dehumidifier especially if this is your first time to purchase or use one. The primary use for dehumidifiers is to reduce moisture levels in the air, but this function can have a number of benefits for the environment in which the dehumidifiers are placed, and the following are some of the benefits that you and your home are likely to experience by using these machines.
If you are ready to take steps to improve your home environment, then it may be a good idea for you to invest in a dehumidifier. While there are many things that you can do to improve your indoor air quality and ensure that your entire family is as healthy as possible, dehumidifiers are a great option and should be used in every home to help boost health and happiness. If you have been on the fence about whether or not a dehumidifier is right for you, then you are sure to love this list. These 26 benefits of dehumidifiers will help put your mind at ease that buying and running a dehumidifier is likely the right choice for you.
26 Benefits Of Dehumidifiers
- They Can Help Prevent Mold
Mold is something that most homeowners fear, and for good reason, as it can be incredibly dangerous, especially when it is present in larger quantities. Anyone living in your home can be at risk of health problems when you have mold. Some signs of mold problems include asthma attacks, sneezing, skin rashes, eye or throat irritation, and even coughing or itchy throat. Since mold loves to grow in damp air, using a dehumidifier is a great way to make your home inhospitable to mold and to prevent new mold from being able to grow, which can improve everyone’s health.
- Soothe Irritated Skin
Every year more people are diagnosed with eczema. This condition is often triggered because a person is exposed to irritants, including dust mites and detergents, and can be exacerbated when a person is in a very humid environment for a long time. Many experts recommend people who suffer from eczema to keep their homes less humid through the use of a dehumidifier. Using a dehumidifier will help to protect damaged skin from more irritation. Not only will a dehumidifier help to remove excess moisture from the air that can exacerbate eczema, but it can also remove dust mites and other allergens which may act as a trigger.
- Help People with Respiratory Problems Breathe Easier
Anyone who has breathing problems knows how scary it can be when it’s suddenly difficult to catch your breath. Respiratory problems have many different symptoms, including heart palpitations, a fever, airway constriction, and difficulty breathing. Dehumidifiers will be able to remove any triggers that are in the air, which will make breathing a lot easier and remove any stress that you feel when you are unable to breathe. Reducing the triggers for your respiratory problems will give you peace of mind and make it significantly easier for you to breathe without having an attack.
- Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is a hot topic right now as everyone from homeowners to business owners work hard to improve the safety of their buildings by improving the quality of the air inside. Not only will dehumidifiers remove excess moisture from the air in your home, but they can also help to remove potentially dangerous toxins from the air, as well. Relying on a dehumidifier to help remove substances that may be harmful to your family is a great way to improve your indoor air quality and ensure that you have taken steps to better health.
- Help Prevent Gastrointestinal Issues
Everyone knows the importance of avoiding food that has visible mold, but sometimes you can’t see mold with the naked eye and may accidentally ingest it. This can result in severe gastrointestinal problems. When you eat food that is contaminated with mold or simply touch it and then eat without washing your hands or simply touch your mouth you can ingest mold spores. These can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, and even bleeding in the stomach. Running a dehumidifier in your home can decrease the amount of mold that is present in your house.
- Improve Immune Systems
No matter your age, it is important to make sure that you have a strong immune system that can protect you from getting sick. Some factors, such as your age or stress, are difficult to change, but if you run a dehumidifier in your home you can actually help give your immune system a boost. This is because using a dehumidifier is a great way to remove toxins and allergens from the air, which can make it difficult to breathe and actually cause you to become sick on a regular basis. When you are able to remove allergens from the air, then your immune system will become stronger, although it’s up to you to give it additional boosts through exercise, better diet, and reduced stress.
- Get Rid of Dust Mites
Nobody wants to think that they may have dust mites in their home, but most people do, and they can contribute to breathing or allergy problems. Dust mites, like mold, really love living in damp or humid environments, which is why you want to make sure that you remove any excess moisture from the air in your home if you want to combat these pests. It is impossible to get rid of all dust mites in your home, but you can certainly make your home unfavorable for them, which will help to prevent health problems.
- Keep Out Insects And Pests
There are many insects that prefer to live in damp locations of your home and will actively seek out areas to live in your bathrooms, crawl space, laundry room, or basement. When you have a drier environment, then certain insects, such as ants and boxelder beetles can’t as easily survive and travel throughout your home. This means that you can create an inhospitable environment for insects in your home, which will help to prevent them from damaging your furniture, clothing, and carpet, as well as spreading disease. Warm and dry spaces will be less inviting to insects, and using a dehumidifier is the best way to create these spaces in your home.
- Keep Your Home Structurally Sound
Everyone knows the damaging effects that water can have on wood, but most homeowners don’t realize that damp or humid air in their home can be very damaging to the structure of their home and can actually destroy the integrity of their house. Moisture in the air of your home can cause the wood in your house to split, warp, or crack. This creates a wonderful environment for mold to grow, can cause metal to rust, and may eventually cause your entire home to deteriorate if there is enough moisture in the air and the problem is left unchecked.
- Keep Industrial Locations Safe
If you have an industrial location, then you already know that a lot of moisture in the area can severely damage equipment, inventory, and even the interior structure of the building. Dehumidifiers are a wonderful way to make sure that your warehouse or factory is clean, they will prevent the AC unit from overworking, and they can make the environment a lot safer for employees. A healthy work environment is important and will prevent people from becoming injured while they are on the job and will also help prevent people from getting sick at work.
- Help to Prevent Rust
Any type of tools, electronics, and even computer equipment are at risk of rusting if there is too much moisture in the air. When this occurs, your equipment is not as likely to work as well. The best way to combat rust and prevent it from occurring in the first place is to make sure that you have a dehumidifier running in your space. This will ensure that you are able to protect not only your electronics, but also items such as your door hinges and frames, vehicles, and other metal in your home or garage.
- They Can Be Used Anywhere
One great thing about dehumidifiers is that they can be used in any room of your home, no matter its size or its use. While you can buy dehumidifiers that are designed for use in a specific room in your home, there are others that can be used in any room. Some even have a feature that allows them to be used in climates that are as cold as -4°F, making them ideal to be used all year long, and come with casters so you can relocate them as needed.
- You’ll be More Comfortable
Removing the excess moisture or humidity from your home will not only make your home drier and healthier for all of the members of your family, but it will also make the air much more comfortable. When you are in humid conditions, your home will feel much warmer than it actually is, which can cause you to run your air conditioning to try to cool it down. Instead of doing this, you can rely on a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture, which will help you feel much cooler while making your home even more energy efficient.
- You Can Choose the Perfect Size
Gone are the days of buying a dehumidifier and hoping that it is the right size for your space. Choosing the right size is important to ensure that you get the best results in your home, and you can easily choose from ones that are designed for use in small, medium, or large rooms. There are also even larger dehumidifiers that are ideal for use in basements, crawlspaces, or garages, and they will help remove damaging moisture from the air in these places, without you having to empty their canister on a regular basis.
- They’re Conveniently Portable
It’s normal to worry about how you will move your dehumidifier from one location to another, but modern options are much more easily moved than ones in the past. While your dehumidifier may come on casters, this is not nearly as common as others that have handles. Being able to choose just one unit and move it to the area in your home that is feeling damp is a great way to save money. When you opt for a dehumidifier that is easier to move, then you won’t have to worry about how difficult it will be to relocate the unit.
- You Can Save Money
It’s a good idea, when you are buying a dehumidifier, to opt for one that has an Energy Star rating. This means that you can use your dehumidifier without using too much energy, which isn’t just expensive, but can be very bad for the environment. You will enjoy a healthier home while also keeping more of your money in your pocket. Because products have to meet very strict guidelines to become Energy Star Rated, you can rest easy knowing that your new dehumidifier will help you save money each time you use it, which is great, as it will keep your home clean and safe at the same time.
- Some Are Budget Friendly
It’s a really good idea to research the dehumidifier that you want to buy before you go shopping, as there are many different brands and types available on the market, and some are much more budget friendly than others. In general, you will pay more for a larger unit, as they can store more water in them, and certain brands are going to be more expensive. However, you can pay attention to the features offered, the size of the dehumidifier, and the brand to easily find one that will meet your needs without causing you to go over budget.
- They’re Easy to Maintain
If you want to get a dehumidifier that won’t take a lot of maintenance or work for you to keep it running the best that it can, then you need to look for one that has a top-loading filter. This feature makes it incredibly easy to change or to clean the filter so that your dehumidifier is not only removing moisture from the air, but also any toxins. When you can simply pull out the filter to clean or change it and don’t have to remove the internal reservoir, you will find that maintaining your dehumidifier is not only fast and easy, but also something that you don’t mind doing on a regular basis.
- Rely on Auto Defrost for Faster Operation
If you are going to use your dehumidifier in a cold region, then you can rest easy knowing that it won’t freeze and stop running. An automatic defrost feature is a great option for anyone who wants to be able to use their dehumidifier in colder areas without worrying about frost damage. There are many dehumidifiers that you can use in lower temperatures, but ones that are specifically designed to withstand extremely cold weather and frost can be run without worrying about the units’ coils icing over, which can cause the unit to fail and even cause damage.
- Enjoy Automatic Shut Off
Running a dehumidifier will take energy, but if you opt for a model that features an automatic shut off, then you can rely on it to prevent the dehumidifier from running longer than necessary. This feature will not only keep track of the humidity level in the home and shut off the unit when it has reached the desired level, but it will also cause the unit to shut off when the internal reservoir has been filled. This will prevent the dehumidifier from making a mess if you do not have the time to go and empty it on a regular basis.
- Continuous Draining
There are some dehumidifiers that have a much larger internal reservoir, which means that you don’t have to empty them as often, but you still do have to empty them on a regular basis. The other great option is to choose one that has continuous drainage. These dehumidifiers have drainage hoses inside them that connect to the reservoir and will use gravity to help feed the moisture to the closest drain in your home. This allows them to continually drain without you having to be present to empty them, which can be time consuming and can interrupt your day.
- Automatic Restart
Anytime that you lose power you will be happy that you have an automatic restart function on your dehumidifier. This will cause the dehumidifier to operate at the settings that you chose before the power went out, which means that your space will continue to get the treatment that it needs. While this feature may not be as important to people who are at home a lot and can monitor their dehumidifier, if you travel a lot, then you will want to invest in a unit that offers this feature so that your home gets the treatment it needs.
- Help Keep Dry Foods Fresh
Dry foods, such as cake mix, bread, grains, and cereal will all mold or go bad when they become damp. This can cause you to waste money throwing out food or may make you sick if you accidentally eat something that is spoiled. When you have dry foods in your home, you can protect them and make sure that they last longer by running a dehumidifier near them, especially in the pantry or the kitchen. Any excess moisture will be quickly removed from the air, which will prevent mold from forming on food or from food getting damp and going bad.
- Prevent Your Belongings from Becoming Damp
Linens, clothing, upholstery, carpet, and curtains can all become damp when there is excess moisture in the air, and getting your home dry can seem like an uphill battle. Any excess water in the air will make your home feel wet and uncomfortable. Not only are damp conditions going to ruin dry food in your pantry and cause mold to grow in your bathroom or kitchen, but they can also ruin any fabric in your home. It can be very difficult to remove a damp or moldy smell from your clothing, which can result in you either throwing away your linens or having to pay an expensive cleaning bill. Running a dehumidifier is the best way to tackle this problem and prevent your linens from getting damp or moldy in the first place.
- Minimize Condensation
Condensation is not only unsightly, but is a leading cause of mold growth inside a home. Ventilation is the best way to deal with condensation, but opening a window and then heating the home is wasteful and will quickly raise your energy bills. Instead, by running a dehumidifier in your home, you can easily combat condensation by removing any damp from your home. This, in turn, actually makes your home dryer and warmer, which means that it is more comfortable and you are less likely to deal with condensation. By reducing condensation, you reduce the possibility of mold growth and also keep your home much more comfortable.
26. Eliminates Some Smells
Humid environments can generate some undesirable odors in certain fabrics, carpets, furniture, and other materials, and smells can be both a good thing and a bad thing. When certain items absorb moisture, they can put off some unpleasant smells that can be difficult to get out, and smells that arise from mold and mildew can even be dangerous. On the other hand, smells let you know that there is a problem so that you can act. Since dehumidifiers remove the moisture from the air, they can eliminate smells associated with dampness and mold.
As you can see, using a dehumidifier in your home and in commercial locations has a number of benefits. Thanks to the advent of more advanced dehumidifiers, they are easier than ever to operate, which makes them a great option for many people. Deciding to invest in a dehumidifier and running it in your home or in your office is a wonderful way to boost the health of everyone in the space and ensure that you are taking steps to protect the building and its contents from being damaged due to excess moisture in the air, which can cause a lot of problems.
It’s important, when choosing a dehumidifier, that you pick one that has the best features for you so that it will be easy to use and that you choose one that is the right size for the room where you will have it set up. This will ensure that you get all of the above benefits from your new dehumidifier and that it works the way that you want it to. Consider the size, the reservoir size, and how easily you can empty it when looking for a dehumidifier and you are much more likely to get the benefits that you need.