Dehumidifiers are designed to reduce the humidity levels in a room, which makes them useful for spaces that feel excessively humid. Aside from the high humidity levels linked to the summer season, other factors such as water spills and water pipe leaks can also contribute to excess humidity in a room.
Yes. You use a dehumidifier in summer to remove excess humidity from your indoor air. Summer is usually characterized by higher humidity levels when compared to other seasons, which makes using a dehumidifier a great approach for removing the excess humidity from your indoor environment.
A dehumidifier can be useful in getting rid of stuffy, moldy, and musty smells in your home, especially during the summer season when the humidity level is at its highest.
Keep reading to learn about the potential benefits of using a dehumidifier in your home during the summer season and the indications and contraindications that you should consider before using a dehumidifier in your indoor space.
In this post, we will cover the following:
- Do you use a dehumidifier in summer?
- When should I run my dehumidifier in the summer?
- What months should you use a dehumidifier?
- When should you not use a dehumidifier?
- Does a dehumidifier cool a room in summer?
- Do dehumidifiers make your house hotter?
- How do I know if I need a dehumidifier?
Do You Use A Dehumidifier In Summer?
Yes, you do use a dehumidifier in summer. Summer is the most humid season, which means that your home is likely to feel musty and excessively humid, especially if you live in areas that are naturally humid like Hawaii and Texas.
Using a dehumidifier during summer will remove the excess humidity from your indoor air and possibly make your indoor space more comfortable.
If you are struggling with excess humidity during summer and notice that your home smells musty and is excessively humid, you should check the humidity level in your home to determine how high the humidity is and turn on your dehumidifier to eliminate the excess humidity.
A dehumidifier is a great addition to your space during summer because it will help you deal with excess humidity, while at the same time protecting you from the effects of living in an excessively humid indoor environment.
There are instances where not all the rooms in your home will be humid. In such cases, carefully monitor the areas in your home that have high humidity levels before turning on your dehumidifier.
If you are using a whole-house dehumidifier ensure you set the dehumidifier at a relative humidity of not more than 55%. This will ensure that the dehumidifier will regulate your indoor humidity by sucking out excess humidity from the air until the pre-set level is attained.
On the other hand, if you are using a portable dehumidifier, you can place the dehumidifier in the room with the highest humidity. In most cases, the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and laundry areas are usually the most humid rooms during the summer season.
Placing a portable dehumidifier in these rooms, will remove the excess humidity from the air and protect you from excess moisture-related damage.
When Should I Run My Dehumidifier In The Summer?
Run your dehumidifier in summer when you notice that the humidity level in a room or the house is above the recommended level.
A rule of thumb when it comes to indoor humidity is to ensure that the humidity levels in your home do not go beyond 55%.
Most studies that have been conducted regarding the right indoor humidity recommend maintaining the humidity level between 40 to 60% while others suggest that a range of 30 to 50% is perfect for indoor spaces.
Since the humidity level in the air is high during summer, a relative humidity of 60% might feel a bit much for some people and is likely to increase because of constant changes influenced by the movement of more humid air from outdoor spaces and indoor activities that generate more humidity.
Maintaining the humidity level anywhere between 40 to 50% will ensure that your indoor air is not excessively dry while at the same time giving you the comfort of enjoying your indoor space.
What Months Should You Use A Dehumidifier?
You can use a dehumidifier throughout the year or for a few months or even days depending on your indoor air quality and need.
Most people do not need to use their dehumidifier during winter because of the low humidity levels that characterize that season.
If you live in an area that does not experience extreme changes in humidity levels, you should use your dehumidifier during summer, spring, and the early days of fall.
Using your dehumidifier during these three seasons will ensure that you keep the excess humidity at bay, while at the same time keeping you from over-dehumidifying your indoor space.
When Should You Not Use A Dehumidifier?
Winter
Generally, you should not use a dehumidifier in winter. In most cases, a dehumidifier will not benefit you during winter seasons, especially if your house is well-insulated and there are no air leaks or sources of excess humidity in your home that you need to worry about.
If there is a source of excess humidity in your home during winter, you can use the dehumidifier for a few hours or days and then turn it off afterwards.
For instance, while the humidity levels in winter are low, you might still need to use a dehumidifier to dry your laundry during winter. The dehumidifier will help get rid of the musty smell that clings to damp clothes or that might be present in your dryer.
Understanding the considerations for using your dehumidifier in winter will help you improve your indoor air quality.
Dry Air
You should not use a dehumidifier when the air in your home is excessively dry. You can notice that the air in your home is dry if you wake up with a dry throat and nose.
Other tell-tell signs for dry indoor air include dry skin, eczema flare-up, chapped lips, difficulty breathing at night, allergies flare, chipped wood, and increased static electricity.
While some of these signs might also be associated with other conditions or other factors, they are commonly linked to dry air.
You should stop using your dehumidifier if the air in your home is dry because the dehumidifier will continue to absorb the little amount of humidity that is still left in the air, especially if you do not have a specific humidity level setting for your dehumidifier.
RH Levels of Below 40%
If you notice that the hygrometer reading is below 40%, you should not use your dehumidifier because it will lower the humidity level in your room even further. On the other hand, if the humidity level is slightly high, you can use your dehumidifier for a few hours before switching it off.
NOTE: In general, if any of these factors apply to you or your home and you still want to use your dehumidifier because a specific area or room in your home has excess humidity, you should use a portable dehumidifier in that specific room/space.
A portable dehumidifier limits its humidity removal functionality to the area. For instance, if your bathroom or wardrobe/closet smells musty because of hanging wet towels in there, using a dehumidifier in the specific room will address the problem.
Monitor the indoor air in your home before making a final decision on whether or not to use your dehumidifier.
Does A Dehumidifier Cool A Room In Summer?
A dehumidifier does not directly cool the room in summer but can reduce the overall room temperature in the room by reducing the humidity in the room.
During summer, humid air can make a room feel excessively warm. When the relative humidity is high in a room or an environment, the air in the area becomes saturated with moisture/humidity.
The body’s natural cooling process relies on sweating and evaporation of the sweat that accumulates on your skin. If the humidity is high in a room, it means that the air in that room is also saturated by the high humidity.
This means that the sweat accumulating on your skin cannot evaporate. Since the sweat has nowhere to go and the air has high humidity levels, it usually feels like the air is excessively warm.
This explains why using a dehumidifier during summer can promote indoor cooling. It is also important to note that the air released by the dehumidifier is usually slightly warmer than the air in your room because of the processing that the humid air undergoes in the dehumidifier to remove the excess humidity from that air.
You cannot necessarily rely on the dehumidifier to cool your room, because its cooling functionality is limited to the amount of moisture it will be able to remove from the air in your room.
Do Dehumidifiers Make Your House Hotter?
Dehumidifiers do not make your house hotter, rather they release air that might be slightly warmer than your indoor room temperature.
If you are using a portable dehumidifier, you are less likely to notice any temperature changes because of the rate at which the dehumidifier is removing excess humidity from the air.
Note that, by the time the dry air released from the dehumidifier circulates in the room, it losses the additional warmness obtained from the dehumidifier.
Less air is released from the dehumidifier when compared to the overall volume of air in your indoor space. This means that the temperature of the air in your indoor space cannot be easily adjusted by the small amount of air released by the dehumidifier.
How Do I Know If I Need A Dehumidifier?
You will know if you need a dehumidifier by checking the overall humidity in your indoor space. For instance, if the humidity level in your home is below 40%, you do not need to use a dehumidifier because that humidity level is relatively low humidity for indoor spaces.
You need to use your dehumidifier when your indoor humidity is over 55% or over 60% depending on your preferences. Generally, a humidity level of over 60% is uncomfortable, especially during summer when the temperatures are high.
Not everyone will need a dehumidifier during summer. Some people live in areas with relatively low humidity levels, which means that using a dehumidifier in their homes will only lower their humidity levels further.
The best trick is to invest in a hygrometer or a dehumidifier with a humidistat and monitor your indoor humidity levels regularly to determine when you need to use your dehumidifier.
You might notice that there are instances where a humidifier might be a better option for you, especially if you live in a low-humidity environment.
Related: Correct settings for a dehumidifier in winter
