Dehumidifier Placement – Where To Place A Dehumidifier

Have you ever considered where should a dehumidifier be placed? Well, there happen to be many considerations to be made for dehumidifier placement that can help you to effectively remove excess moisture from the air in different living spaces around your home.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of dehumidifier placement and then review examples of where to place a dehumidifier based on the room you wish to control the humidity within.

Factors In Determining Where To Place A Dehumidifier

There are three key components to deciding the best location for a dehumidifier. They include where the humidity is coming from, the size of the room requiring humidity control, and if there are any restrictions to airflow that may come into play.

Let’s look at each of these factors a little closer.

Where Is The Humidity Coming From?

There are two main sources of humidity. They fall under the categories of internal sources and external sources. Examples of the internal source are an oven, stovetop, or shower. External sources can be a door or window that is open or has leaks around them. By placing the dehumidifier near the source of moisture, you will be able to regulate the RH (relative humidity) more efficiently as the appliance will be able to capture the moisture before it can fill a room or living space.

The Size Of The Room

The amount of space to be covered with a dehumidifier will differ depending on the size of the room. For large spaces like a basement or living room, the dehumidifier should be placed in a central location. Smaller spaces such as a bedroom won’t require a central location for dehumidifier placement.

Any Restrictions Of Airflow

One important factor is that for dehumidifiers to function properly, they need to have proper clearance from any objects that could restrict airflow. This would mean that the appliance has to be away from walls, furniture, and other objects that can impact airflow.

Where Should A Dehumidifier Be Placed In The Different Rooms In Your Home?

Let’s take a look at your home from top to bottom and reveal the best location on where to place a dehumidifier in each.

The Bathroom

Humidity in the bathroom will increase from hot showers. You will be able to identify this situation just by looking at how much condensation forms on the bathroom mirror and the inside of the bathroom window if there is one. Also, the bathroom creates the perfect conditions for mold and mildew to develop, so it is imperative to control the humidity in that space.

The best solution is to vent the excess moisture (ie. Steam) by opening a window as well as using a bathroom exhaust fan. To assist with this, you can also use a small dehumidifier and locate it somewhere in the center of the room when it is not in use. Run it for at least 20-minutes after a hot shower which should keep the moisture level down.

In The Crawl Space

This is a little on the tricky side simply because the crawl space is a place that you don’t visit regularly. As a result, humidity can become a problem that goes unnoticed. When this happens, damage may have already occurred, so it is important to be proactive.

High humidity is common in crawl spaces during the warmer months allowing condensation to form which can lead to mold and mildew development. Compounding these conditions are plumbing leaks and poor insulation.

The best place to put a dehumidifier in a crawl space is as central as possible ensuring that there are enough clearance and no obstacles to restrict airflow.

The Basement

Because basements are underground, seepage from walls and poor ventilation result in high humidity levels. Plus, with washing machines and water heaters usually occupying part of the space of a basement, the likelihood of a humidity problem is a very real situation that demands attention.

A dehumidifier can go just about anywhere in a basement and can be drained easily by running a hose to the washing machine drain in the basement floor. The only consideration to keep in mind is that a basement dehumidifier will require regular operation to completely control moisture in that space.

The Kitchen

The kitchen produces almost as much humidity as a basement because of the appliances located there. Stovetop cooking, a refrigerator, dishwasher, and kitchen sink all contribute to high humidity in the kitchen. A stovetop extractor fan (vented outside) and window over the sink are excellent at helping to control excessive moisture in the kitchen. A small dehumidifier that you can place near the source of humidity to regulate the moisture content in the air can also help.

With a small dehumidifier that can be moved around, you can target humidity sources and still move around in the kitchen to get tasks done.

In The Bedroom

Did you know that proper dehumidifier placement in the bedroom can help improve your sleep? Fortunately, bedrooms don’t normally suffer from high humidity but leaks around windows and house plants can contribute to increased moisture levels in the bedroom.

Considering that the average bedroom is not a large room, a dehumidifier placed somewhere where it can have proper airflow without things in the way like the bed or a dresser can regulate humidity rather easily.

In Living Rooms

Living rooms are just about the complete opposite of bathrooms and bedrooms. That is because a living room is often the largest room in a house.

In normal circumstances, a dehumidifier in the central part of the room will do the job however, in a living room, that could eat up a lot of valuable space. So, to keep the humidity level under control in a living room, try to place a dehumidifier in as central a location as possible.

In Conclusion

It is not so difficult to regulate the humidity inside your home if you follow the tips noted above. By using extractor fans, opening a window or 2, and using a good dehumidifier should do the trick.

So if you were wondering where should a dehumidifier be placed, follow the tips above and you will be able to keep your home comfortable for family and guests all year long.