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How to manage bathroom condensation

How to manage bathroom condensation

By Benjamin Clarke | Published on 29th June 2021

Your bathroom tends to be he most humid room in your home, due to the amount of baths, showers and washing that goes on in there. For this reason the vast majority of bathrooms are going to experience some form of condensation.

In some instances, condensation can be quite mild, forming a thin layer of moisture and watermarks on surfaces. At the other end of the scale, condensation can lead to serious damp and mould problems that are bad for the health of you and your home.

What is condensation?

When warm air comes into contact with a surface that is at a cooler temperature, the water vapour turns into droplets and settles on the surface.

Bathrooms suffer particularly from condensation because the water emitted from showers and baths tends to be very hot, while there are lots of cold surfaces in the form of things like tiles and mirrors. When the two combine, you get a thin layer of water on everything - great for those of us who like drawing something in the moisture, not so great for those who pride themselves on a spotless bathroom.

What can you do about it?

Because of the nature of condensation, you're never going to be able to eradicate it completely. However, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that you minimise the build up of and problems associated with condensation.

Open a window
Get some air circulating around the room and allow the warm air to dissipate, which will help to stop condensation from forming. Even in winter, simply leaving the window open for 10 - 15 mins after your shower will make a difference.

Fit an extractor fan
If you have a windowless bathroom, ensure your extractor fan is clean and fully functional, so that it can whisk away as much warm air as possible. Extractor fans connected to the light switch will often stay on for a while even after you've switched it off, to help with this process. If you have a separate switch for your extractor fan, remember to leave it running for 10 - 15 mins after your shower.

Use a squeegee
Keep one in your shower or somewhere in your bathroom to wipe down any surfaces that get moisture on them. This is quick, cost-effective and will go a long way to reducing your condensation problem.

Have a cooler shower
If you have a warm shower, rather than a hot shower, you'll reduce the temperature difference between the warm air and cold surfaces, thus reducing condensation.

Leave heating on
if you have an electric or dual fuel heated towel rail in your bathroom, then consider leaving it on. The raised temperature in the room will warm up the surfaces, stopping as much condensation forming when warm air comes into contact with them. Alternatively, ensure your radiator is on to get the same effect.

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