4 Tips For Effective Bathroom Ventilation

A bathroom needs to be properly ventilated in any house. Without proper ventilation, a bathroom is bound to develop unpleasant odors. The air inside it may also become unbearably humid. With time, a bathroom that lacks proper ventilation may even attract mold and mildew – which besides being unsightly can also be capable of causing illnesses. And in any event, a bathroom without effective ventilation is simply not a comfortable place to shower in.

The question that then comes up is as to what you need to do, to ensure that your bathroom is properly ventilated. And to answer that question, here are some 4 practical tips you can implement in order to end up with an effectively ventilated bathroom:

1. Ensure that the bathroom fan you use has adequate capacity (and is properly positioned)

If you use a bathroom fan of inadequate capacity, it won’t be fully capable of removing all humidity and moisture from the bathroom. That will inevitably create problems.

So you need to know how big your bathroom is. Then get a bathroom fan whose capacity is adequate for that size of bathroom. For instance, if your bathroom is more than 50 square feet (but less than 75 square feet), you will find that a 50 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) fan is inadequate for it. So what you would need is something bigger – like a 70 cubic feet per minute fan. Similarly, for a bathroom whose size is more than 110 square feet, a standard 110 cubic feet per minute fan may be inadequate. So what would be adequate is a 150 cubic feet per minute (CFM) fan… All in all, if you have to err, it is best to buy a bathroom fan with excess capacity than you need, rather than one whose capacity is below your bathroom’s need.

Related to this is the aspect of seeing to it that once your shower session is over, you allow the bathroom fan to continue running for at least a few extra minutes thereafter. Otherwise, you may end up with the effects of improper ventilation, despite having a bathroom fan whose capacity is adequate.

Another key thing to do with the bathroom fan is to be cleaning it regularly. Otherwise, the accumulation of dust and other types of debris in it may hamper its effectiveness, despite it having adequate capacity.

Further, you need to be very careful about where you install the fan. Most experts recommend installing it somewhere high on the wall. This should ideally be opposite the bathroom’s inner door.

2. Avoid leaving the bathroom’s door closed

After you are done using the bathroom, it is best to leave the door open, at least for a while: to let the surface water in it dry naturally and avoid condensation of the hot air.

While at it, also ensure that the bathroom’s window remains open for as long as is practically possible. This is very important for natural ventilation.

3. Ensure there is no water stagnating in the bathroom

You need to let any water in the sink and tub flow away into the respective drains. Also, rid the floor of any standing water.

Wipe whatever puddles you are capable of wiping. Don’t assume that the bathroom fan will help you in mitigating the effects of these sorts of stagnating waters in your bathroom. You need to remove what you can manually, then the bathroom fan can help you get rid of the invisible droplets…

4. Only use strong and inflexible ductwork that is not capable of being crushed

If the ductwork gets crushed, you may end up suffering the adverse effects that come with ineffective bathroom ventilation in spite of doing everything else right. Therefore soft/flexible ductwork, though sometimes cheaper, is not always effective. Strong, rigid ductwork is what works better.

By inference, if you feel that you are doing everything right with regard to attaining good bathroom ventilation, yet you are still seeing things like mold, mildew, foul odors, and excess humidity, you may need to consider checking out the ductwork.

Conclusion

So those are the 4 simple things you can do to enhance your bathroom’s ventilation. If you are seeing signs of ineffective ventilation in your bathroom, you need to use these tips in diagnosing the cause and subsequently mitigate it.

You can always start by asking yourself whether the bathroom fan you are using is of adequate capacity and if it is properly positioned. Then ask yourself whether you allow it to continue running for long enough after you shower. Also, consider whether it may have become clogged up with dust and other debris.

If you have done all that, and signs of ineffective bathroom ventilation persist, you can go a step further, and check whether the problem may be due to always leaving the bathroom’s door/window closed or on account of stagnating waters in the bathroom.

Finally, check the ductwork, and be sure that it has not gotten crushed somewhere, thus hampering proper ventilation.