A dehumidifier is an excellent tool for removing excess humidity in your home or environment – perfect for if you live in a damp house!
Air dehumidifier pros and cons are the first thing to search for, so that you know what you are looking for and can get the right thing for your personal circumstances.
Air Dehumidifier Pros And Cons
A dehumidifier, which removes moisture from the air, has both beneficial and not so great elements… Let’s find out more!
Pros:
- Can reduce allergy symptoms. Eye irritation, sneezing and a wheezy throat can all be caused by dust mites and other allergens.
- Helps with asthma. Humid, moist air can cause the breathing to feel “heavy”, which is not great for someone who suffers with breathing difficulties.
- Reduces pests. When you remove moisture from the air, you are making it harder for mould and mites to thrive – and it is also an environment that spiders don’t like!
Cons:
- Can exacerbate skin conditions. Those who suffer with dry skin and eczema may not wish to use a dehumidifier as the dry air can make these conditions worse.
- Does not help a dry cough. Removing moisture in the air can also remove moisture from your body, so you may find that the tickle in your throat gets worse if you use a dehumidifier.
- You will need to make more effort to drink. When the air gets more arid, you will need to take on more effort to stay hydrated (and no, that fourth cup of coffee is not what we’re talking about!)
A dehumidifier works wonders at tackling damp, and the problems that can come with this. However, you will have to be careful how dry you let your home get, to avoid any potential problems.
If you want to know more, have a look at this video that shows you how dehumidifiers work:
Are Air Dehumidifiers Worth It?
If you feel that your home is damp, a dehumidifier will definitely help, by removing the excess moisture from the air.
Reducing the humidity can help greatly if your house has a problem with damp or mould, or you are noticing a lot of extra pests and creepy crawlies.
They are also extremely useful if you have had a leak in your home, or even a flood – these little units will work overdrive to remove the moisture from the surroundings.
If you have to dry your laundry inside, you may have noticed extra condensation or humidity – a dehumidifier can help to improve this.
Dehumidifiers are great for those who suffer from allergies caused by mould – removing the allergens removes the problem!
Those who live in an older house, or one that has a damp cellar, may find that a dehumidifier works wonders to help with damp problems.
Keeping the damp away not only helps your own health, but it will also prevent structural damage to your house over the years too.
If you like peace and quiet, a dehumidifier may not be worth it – they can be quite noisy, and some people really don’t like the background humming noise they make.
Here is a good article explaining in a little more detail how a dehumidifier can benefit your health.
Do Air Dehumidifiers Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Anything that you have to plug in will use electricity – the amount will vary depending on the appliance and what it is doing.
Larger dehumidifiers will definitely use more power than a smaller version, so you will have to factor this in when you are deciding what size to get.
Assuming you don’t live in a swamp, you will not be using your dehumidifier all day, so the added costs shouldn’t be too high.
Do remember though, the more you use it the more the costs will mount up, so take care how often you switch it on.
Your dehumidifier does not need to be running all day and all night; in fact you may only wish to use it on days where the humidity is high.
Who Should Not Use A Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier is great for a lot of things, but there are some instances when it might do more harm than good:
- If you suffer from eczema, drying out the air can dry out your skin too, and can cause unpleasant flare-ups.
- People with a dry cough should avoid using a dehumidifier, as the lack of moisture in the air can make that tickle even worse.
- When you have a blocked up nose, you should definitely turn off the dehumidifier as drying out the air can dry out your nose still further too.
- People who are incredibly forgetful or averse to cleaning should definitely not use a dehumidifier! They need to be maintained, the water tank emptied, and they need to be kept clean in order to be effective.
As you can see, there are not many contraindications to using a dehumidifier – just avoid them if you have issues because of the air being too dry.
Do Dehumidifiers Make A Room Warmer?
Any item that uses electricity to run will generate a small amount of warmth; it’s just inevitable.
However, the temperature difference caused by your dehumidifier won’t be very noticeable – and no, you can’t use it in place of a heater!
A dehumidifier will remove the moisture from a room and replace it with air that has been warmed, it’s true.
However, removing the moisture from the air will actually make the air feel cooler, so what it adds to the temperature by running, it will also remove again because of how it works.
This being said, if you are running your dehumidifier in a small room, you may notice that the temperature increases, because the warmed air has a smaller space in which to dissipate.
A larger room with a dehumidifier in it will probably not feel any different at all – or at least, very minimally.
Using a dehumidifier can help enormously with problems such as damp, mould and other breathable allergens.
Obviously some people with certain health conditions should avoid an air dehumidifier – but know you know the air dehumidifier pros and cons, you can be fully informed!
