Hot and steamy showers may be a great way to wake up in the morning or to relax before bed, but all that humidity can cause problems in your bathroom, such as damp, mold, and mildew. When multiple people are showering throughout the day, or perhaps one after each other in the morning, that steam and humidity can linger for a long time.

It’s important to properly ventilate your bathroom, especially after a hot bath or shower, in order to prevent problems like mold and moisture damage. Here are some tips on how to improve the ventilation in your bathroom.

Regularly open windows

If your bathroom has a window, then it’s fairly easy to get good ventilation in the room. Always open the window after having a hot bath or shower so let the steam and humidity dissipate. Leave it open for at least 15 minutes after showering, but longer is better if you can. Leaving the bathroom door open at the same time can also help to get air through the space.

Add a fan

If you don’t have a bathroom window, then an extractor fan is a necessity. But even if you do have a window, adding a fan can still make your ventilation more efficient. Fans can often be set to automatically start running when you switch the bathroom light on to assist ventilation. Running a fan in addition to an open window helps to draw fresh air into the room, aiding ventilation.

Clean your bathroom fan regularly

If your fan seems to be operating less efficiently than usual, it may just need a quick clean. Dust and dirt in the air can collect on the cover of the fan and inside of it, which can start to partially block the air passing through. You should clean your bathroom fan at least twice a year to keep it operating properly.

Leave a gap underneath your bathroom door

The more sealed off your bathroom is, the more humid it’s going to be. Bathroom doors should have at least a half-inch gap underneath them to let some air in while you shower and any other time you leave the bathroom door open. If your door doesn’t have this gap, then you can use spacers to lift your door and create the gap. If you do have a gap, then make sure you don’t block it with a towel while you shower.

If you’re having any plumbing problems in your home around Clemmons, Winston Salem, and Lewisville, NC, then contact us at D.S. Brandon Plumbing for a local plumber to fix your problems.