Is A Dehumidifier Good For Allergies

Air Purifier Vs Dehumidifier

Air purifiers and dehumidifiers minimize allergens in the room, making it easier for those suffering from allergies and asthma. An air purifier circulates air through a filter that traps air-borne pollutants and irritants like dust, smoke and pollen. A dehumidifier sucks in moisture and reduces the humidity levels in the air, killing mold and microbes that thrive in moisture.

Signs You Need A Dehumidifier

In addition to suffering from constant symptoms of allergies, you may want to consider a dehumidifier if you have some obvious signs of high humidity in certain rooms or areas of your home, including:

• Water stains on the walls or ceilings of your home
• High humidity rooms with poor ventilation or no ventilation
• Frequent condensation on the windows in certain areas of your home
• Small black spots growing on the walls or in areas with high humidity, such as the bathtub or shower
• Must or mildew smells

You may also want to consider a dehumidifier if you live in an apartment building, since mold and mildew spores can travel through ventilation systems, and can build up in the walls between apartments. Even if you keep your living area clean, these allergens from other areas of the building can be harmful to yours and your familys health.

Can A Dehumidifier Be A Solution To Help Those Suffering With Allergies

Living with allergies can be a struggle as it is. What if those allergies are being triggered by something in your own home. Not cool.

If youre starting to notice those subtle signs of suffering or have been affected by them in your home for a while now, theres a chance its connected to either mold, mildew, dust mites, or all three.

There are a few different ways you can deal with allergies at home, and even though mold and dust mites are very different organisms, they share one strong trait: they both thrive in a humid environment.

All hope is not lost, as an air dehumidifier can be the solution to your problems. But first lets look at allergies, why they happen, what role humidity plays, and how you can prevent their effects in your household.

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How A Dehumidifier Works

A dehumidifier works by drawing warm air currents into its coils via a fan. The warm air contracts as its fed through the refrigerated coils of the machine, and condensation is left inside the dehumidifier.

As this condensation collects, one droplet of water at a time, it falls into a storage tank attached to the dehumidifier. Cooler, drier air is then released back into your home through the other side of the machine.

Your dehumidifier should be able to bring the moisture in the air down to a relative humidity of 30 to 50 percent. Many dehumidifiers come with a meter that measures the relative humidity where its placed in your home, and you can set the humidity to the percentage you desire.

Types Of Air Purifiers

The types of air purifiers include:

• Filter air purifiers, which use a HEPA filter or an ULPA filter to circulate air and trap dust particles.
• Ionizing purifiers use corona discharge, a small but powerful electrical field which creates and uses oppositely charged particles to collect together and settle out of the air.
• Ozone generators which work like ionizing purifiers by changing the oxygen molecules in the air into ozone.
• Adsorbents use an adsorbent material to take care of odors, fumes and chemicals in the air.
• UV Light which renders some micro-organisms sterile through ultraviolet radiation.

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Dehumidifier Stops Mold And Mildew Growth

By destroying their living habitat through dehumidification. There are very high chances that your allergies are triggered by mold and mildew. Fungus like black mold produces mycotoxins that can even do further harm to your health. So instead of letting yourself exposed to mold, mildew and other microbes, a dehumidifier will come into play. It absorbs all the excess moisture in the air making it impossible for mold to thrive. With low humidity environment, you will breathe much healthier as the air is free from irritants.

Where Should You Put Your Dehumidifier For Allergy Relief

For allergy relief, you should put your dehumidifier in the same room you sleep in or spend most of your time in.

Ensure the dehumidifier is as far away from you as possible to prevent dryness. It should be slightly elevated on a desk, nightstand, or table.

Many people keep dehumidifiers in their bathrooms to eliminate moisture and prevent black mold.

A dehumidifier should never be closer than a foot away from furniture, walls, fabrics, and other obstacles. They pose an overheating risk, not to mention that they could dry these materials and cause structural damage.

Furthermore, ensure the dehumidifier is on a stable, level surface.

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Health Hazards Of Air Purifiers

Ozone production is typical for air ionizing purifiers. Ionic air purifiers can produce ozone as an additional feature to eliminate odor. Although high concentration of ozone is dangerous, most air ionizers produce low amounts . Many air purifiers generate some ozone, and in the presence of humidity, small amounts of nitrogen oxide.

The noise level of a purifier can be obtained through a customer service department

Best Dehumidifiers For Dust Mite And Mold Allergies In 2022

Today were discussing the best dehumidifier for allergies in 2022 . Well even mention the best crawl space dehumidifier for allergies!

Humidity, weve all experienced it. Some people hate the feeling of moist air and others welcome it. Humidity can help keep our skin supple and moist, but when theres too much it can be uncomfortable.

When it rains there is an increase in humidity and we also experience humidity during hot, muggy summers. In the East, South, and Mid-West of the U.S. humidity is something we have to live with.

However, protecting our homes from humidity by using dehumidifiers might be a smart decision to reduce allergies from dust mites and mold. In this article, Ill share the best humidifiers for dust mite and mold allergies. These should put you on the right track to improve your indoor air humidity.

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What Type Of Dehumidifier Is Best For Allergies

The best type of dehumidifier for allergies is one with a controllable hygrometer. You should preferably be able to check the temperature, too.

Full-house dehumidifiers should always have fresh filters to remove unwanted particles from the air. If you have a portable dehumidifier, consider getting one thats the proper square footage for the room.

Very Well Health suggests getting a dehumidifier with a hydrostat. Youll be able to measure the humidity and temperature in the air while having the choice to change it if necessary.

Program the dehumidifier between 30% to 50%, depending on your preferences and the humidity outside your home.

Keep these tips in mind when choosing a dehumidifier to alleviate your allergies:

• Check the water tanks size. It should be big enough only to need to be emptied once every three or four days. You shouldnt have to empty it daily, which would be a waste of time and an extra job you could do without.
• Figure out how to drain the dehumidifier. All dehumidifiers need to be drained. Some have a removable water tank, while others use drain hoses to drain the water elsewhere.
• Look for the dehumidifiers optimal operating range. If it doesnt work in freezing climates or the extreme heat you deal with, its time to look for another dehumidifier. You can upgrade a home dehumidifier, but portable models are much easier to replace.

Do You Have Excess Moisture In Your Crawl Space

A crawl space dehumidifier might be your best bet if you have a moist crawl space under the house. If a crawl space is wet and damp, it can be the perfect place for mold growth and it could slowly start to rot your house foundation.

The great thing about a crawl space dehumidifier is it tucked under the house, unseen, and quiet enough that it wont bother people while running all night.

Remember, a crawl space dehumidifier will reduce moisture from the area and stop mold growth in its tracks, however it wont totally kill the mold. You may have to go down there with a spray bottle of water/bleach to zap the existing mold.

Too much moisture in the crawl space is often an allergy-causing problem that homeowners dont realize. If you own a house with a crawl space, its wise to occasionally look under the house to see the conditions.

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Best Overall: Frigidaire High Efficiency Dehumidifier With Built

• Covers medium to large bedrooms

• May be noisier than expected

• Outlet drains may leak if not tightly closed

Who else recommends it? Good Housekeeping also picked the Frigidaire High Efficiency Dehumidifier.

What do buyers say? 9,900+ Wayfair reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

When choosing a dehumidifier for your home, its important to consider the size of the reservoir and the recommended room size that it can manage, especially if you have a large room. That’s why we recommend the Frigidaire High Efficiency Dehumidifier, which can hold up to 50 pints of water and covers medium to large-sized bedrooms. The water reservoir even has a handle and splash guard to help make dumping even easier. Plus, if you have access to a drain, this dehumidifier can be set up to empty right into a drainmeaning you wont need to worry and dumping out the water ever again.

While this humidifier is on the heavier side, weighing 44 pounds, it comes with wheeled casters and lift handles, so you can take it from room to room. It also features an automatic shut-off feature in case the reservoir gets too full as well as humidity controls so you can get the room just the way you like it.

Reservoir Size: 50 pints | Charge Type: Electrical charge | Number of Filters Included: 1 washable filter

Signs Of Excess Humidity

There can be a variety of causes of excess moisture in your space. In some cases, you may not be able to tell you have humidity issues until the damage has been done. Some common signs of high humidity are the following:

• Condensation on windows, mirrors, or metallic surfaces
• Heavy or stuffy air
• A musty or moldy odor
• Water stains or damp spots on walls, floor, or ceiling
• Peeling of paint or wallpaper
• Mold and mildew growth in furniture or wall corners
• Rot and decay of wood

If you notice any of these symptoms along with frequent allergic reactions, it may be time to install a dehumidifier in your home.

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Can Dehumidifiers Worsen Allergies

Dehumidifiers can worsen allergies if they remove too much moisture from the air.

A little humidity is necessary because it keeps your nasal passages and sinuses from getting too dry. Furthermore, it limits eye and throat irritation.

Leaving moldy water in a dehumidifier can also cause allergic reactions.

Heres a detailed breakdown of each of these issues:

Your dehumidifier should never go below 30%. Some people prefer up to 50% humidity, but anything too much higher can have adverse effects.

If you experience any of these symptoms, consider increasing the humidity in the room by 5% to 10% to see if it makes a difference.

How To Choose A Home Dehumidifier

We test our dehumidifiers in real world conditions and the specs and design are the basis for our dehumidifier ratings and reviews. If you have a larger dehumidification problem using commercial or industrial dehumidifiers, additional and different criteria will apply. You might consider these Commercial Dehumidifiers for your home if you have a very large basement and it is unusually moist.

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Frigidaire Dehumidifier With Effortless Humidity Control $222 Original Price: $239

• Capacity: 4.4 gallons
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 16 x 24.5 inches

This Frigidaire dehumidifier is one of the best on the market, notably for its easy-to-use features and pull-out pint tank. Not to mention, this model has an easy-to-clean washable filter and custom humidity control to adjust, depending on the size of your space.

Which Is The Best Dehumidifier In Reducing Allergies At Home

If you are on the lookout for the best house dehumidifier, you can look into Tenergy Sorbi 1000ml Air Dehumidifier. This portable dehumidifier uses Peltier technology and HEPA filtration to improve the quality of the air that you breathe in. It is a silent small dehumidifier, that has 35-42db for its noise level and can cover an area of up to 200 square feet. Its small size makes it easy to be taken into any room in need of moisture removal. The 1-liter water tank can absorb 750 ml per day when it is working in environments with 80% humidity and 86º Fahrenheit.

Other features and benefits of this small room dehumidifier are LED indicator, auto-shutoff, water level sensor, simple plug design, energy efficiency, ETL, and CARB certified for safety and quality. Moreover, the company offers a 2 year extended warranty on registering your unit with Tenergy Life. If your concern is to keep away allergy symptoms and asthma along with excess water removal from the air, you should try Tenergy Sorbi Air Dehumidifier to control humidity in every room in your house.

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Why Is Indoor Humidity A Problem

Indoor humidity isnt always a bad thing. In fact, without humidity the air would be extremely dry. The dry air would also affect our skin moisture.

When humidity increases inside our home it can cause all kinds of problems, especially if ventilation is poor. High humidity can cause:

• Food to become soggy and ruined
• Problems with electronics
• Increase health issues by promoting bacteria and virus growth as well as mites that rely on humidity to survive

There is a recommended relative humidity level that is perfect for indoors and it is 40-60%.

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Best For Dry Skin: Waykar Dehumidifier

Courtesy of Amazon

• 360 degrees swivel wheels for easy transport

• Variety of programming options

• May not cover large, open spaces

If you have dry skin, a strong dehumidifier can remove too much moisture from the air and make dry skin symptoms even worse. Thats why a humidifier that is intuitive and programmable is a must to make sure you dont dry out your room too much. This Waykar Dehumidifier not only lets you set the digital humidistat, but you can also program the timer for automatic shut-offs, customize your use options, and change the fan speeds.

This humidifier covers 2000 square feet and can daily pull about 34 pints of moisture out of the air that can either be drained from the 2.5-liter capacity reservoir or can be auto-drained with the included 6.5-foot hose.

Reservoir Size: 2.5 liters | Charge Type: Electrical charge | Number of Filters Included: 1 washable filter

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In Your Basement And Crawlspace

Homeowners often overlook the basement and crawlspace when trying to tackle humidity. These rooms are in direct contact with the soil, which is usually wetter than the outside air. So, they tend to be more humid than the rest of the house.

The moisture in your basement and crawlspace rises and saturates the rest of your home. When you tackle the source of the humidity, you can avoid introducing this excess moisture into your living spaces. This means less chance for allergens to establish.

Basement dehumidifiers should be rated for large spaces and powerful enough to tackle consistent high humidity levels. Even units for crawl spaces should carry a higher room rating because theyll need to run more or less constantly to counteract the moisture being introduced by the soil.

What Else Can Help Relieve Allergies In The Home

There are a couple of things you can do in your home that would help remove allergies.

These tips work in almost all climates and for nearly every room in the house, whether its the basement, bathroom, living room, kitchen, or bedroom.

• Use plastic to store stuff. When you use plastic, the mold and dust wont get inside the plastic containers/boxes. Keep childrens toys, books, and magazines in these containers and seal the lids on them.
• Use an air filter. An air filtration system can help remove allergens from the room. Air purifiers with HEPA filters trap allergens and particles such as pollen, dust mites, and odors.
• Vacuum carpets whenever you can. Carpets tend to hold things in them so its better to vacuum them as often as possible.
• Wash your bedding often. You should wash your bedding quite often and do it at higher temperatures. Dust mites love beddings since they grow in humid environments and can eat the remaining shedding of your skin .

No pets in the house. Pets like cats and dogs tend to shed dander all around the house which is a big no-no when it comes to allergies. Try to keep the pets out of the house, but if you cant, at least keep them out of the bedroom.

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Low Purchase Price Or Low Running Cost

When choosing the best dehumidifier to protect your home from condensation and dampness you need to consider the total long term cost not just the purchase price.

The cost of electricity consumed is an important consideration. Dehumidifiers with ordinary humidistats are inefficient and costly to run. A large capacity dehumidifier with an ordinary humidistat will need to adjusted several times a day or it will run unnecessarily wasting electricity.

Dehumidifiers with intelligent control technology are up to 50% more efficient saving between £30 and £55 every year. The compressor Dehumidifiers from Ebac have this feature, known as Smart Control. Choosing a dehumidifier with a larger capacity than you need will also save money in the longer term because it will need to run less often than a lower capacity dehumidifier. This means itll last longer too.