Good ventilation in the bathroom is key to avoid humidity and damage to the furniture. Discover the best way to ventilate your toilet in this post.
The bathroom is the room in the house where the most humidity accumulates. The ideal would be to open the windows to ventilate, during a good part of the day, avoiding bad smells and that humidity caused by condensation, but it is common to find interior bathrooms. How can we ventilate our bathroom? We give you some tips and ventilation systems for the bathroom.
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Consequences of poor ventilation in the bathroom
How many times have you taken a somewhat long shower and when you left, the mirror was foggy and the walls were dripping water or your towels did not quite dry overnight. In the long term, the bad ventilation of the bathroom causes problems even in our health.
- Unhealthy air. An environment that is too loaded with humidity generates fungus and mold on the joints of the tiles and even on the towels when they dry poorly. If we also use strong chemicals to clean the bathroom, toxic gases are difficult to remove and are harmful.
- Malodor. The bad smells of the bath remain longer and the moisture together with an overall feeling unpleasant.
- Humidity. Moisture is the worst enemy, it causes fungus and mold that spoil furniture, curtains, towels, accessories and cause serious consequences on our health.
- Failure in electrical appliances. Excess humidity, steam, and heat can cause failures or breakdowns in any electrical appliance that we have in the bathroom.
Regulations on ventilation in the bathroom
The current regulation of the Technical Building Code (CTE) on health does not specify that the bathroom must have extractors for ventilation. What it does say is that air must circulate from dry to wet areas and that kitchens, toilets, and bathrooms must have exhaust openings.
Main ventilation systems for the bathroom
Bath grids
The bathroom ventilation grille, connected to the extraction tubes, fulfills the function of eliminating steam, humidity, and bad odors. In the market, you can find several types of grates in materials such as PVC, aluminum, or stainless steel, suitable for the bathroom. Normally these grids for the bathroom are recessed and can have adjustable or fixed slats, some even have a system of non-return of the air that is extracted. Sometimes this ventilation through bathroom vents is insufficient to remove all condensation, and the bathroom ceiling and walls become moldy.
Bath extractor
The best solution to a poor ventilation problem is to install a bathroom exhaust fan. This system to ventilate the bathroom is more effective than the grid and you can install it yourself. The best place to place the extractor is usually in the upper part of the wall or on the ceiling, avoiding the proximity to the bathtub or shower – for safety, It is also not a good place to place the extractor near the vents or doors since it would lessen its effect.
There are different types, the square meters, the type of drive or the noise they produce are key to choosing the most suitable bathroom extractor for our needs.
Depending on the size of your bathroom, the recommendation is :
- Bathrooms up to 7 square meters, 100 mm diameter extractors are recommended.
- Bathrooms between 5 and 12 square meters, 120 mm diameter extractors are recommended.
- Bathrooms of more than 9 square meters, 150 mm diameter extractors are recommended.
Depending on the type of drive we find these models:
- Manual, connected to a switch we turn it on to our liking.
- With a timer, like the manual, it is turned on through the switch but it has a certain duration and when it is finished it turns off by itself.
- With presence sensors, when it detects our presence, it automatically turns on for a certain time.
- Hydrostatic, the most effective since they turn on when moisture is detected.
Read More: Cleaning the Bathroom: A Quick Step-by-Step Plan
Tips for ventilating a bathroom without windows
In addition to the two ventilation systems that we have discussed above, there are some tips to ventilate a bathroom without a window that helps maintain a good smell and a pleasant environment.
Grille on the door
A good idea so that the humidity in the bathroom disappears soon is to put a metal or plastic grill on the bathroom door. Choose a model of the same color or paint it to your liking so that it is concealed.
Air ionizer
These devices are very innovative, they transform stale air into pure air, through the generation of negative ions. Its function is to renew and purify the air, improving the ventilation of the bathroom. The advantage they have is that they do not need installation, they are mobile and you can use them in any room in the house.
Dehumidifier
Another solution that helps ventilation in the bathroom if you don’t want to do any installation is a dehumidifier. They come in many sizes and are effective in removing condensation. Its operation is simple, they suck in the humid air that once cooled is condensed with the water, this is eliminated towards a tank that we will empty when it is full.
Plants are your allies
Having plants in the bathroom is not just a matter of decoration, they improve bathroom ventilation by absorbing moisture and purifying the air. A decoration with dried flowers such as lavender that in addition to eliminating humidity gives a good smell.
Sodium bicarbonate
Use a nice bathroom accessory to place baking soda, it is an excellent absorber of moisture and bad odors.
Other recommendations
To prevent the humid environment from remaining, it is necessary to dry the walls with a cloth, clean the fogged mirror and clean the bathroom screen every time you use it. So that your towels are always dry, installing an electric towel rail is a good solution, when you finish you plug it in and the heat will also dry out the humid environment.
If we find that we have a bathroom without a window or with little ventilation, the problem of humidity will generate mold and bacteria that spoil the bathroom furniture, stain the joints of the walls and floors, and are also harmful to health. The most appropriate for bathroom ventilation depends on our needs and the use we give it, but the option of putting a bathroom extractor or a dehumidifier solves many problems and is cheap and simple.
