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Green and Clean: Ventilate for a Healthy Bathroom
Ridding your bathroom of excess moisture is vital for indoor air quality. Here's how to do it best
I co-own departure: architecture planning interiors in Portland, Oregon, where I design both new residences and remodels. With a focus on forward-thinking sustainable designs, my preferred palette includes natural materials, simplicity, and playful contrasts.
I co-own departure: architecture planning interiors in Portland, Oregon,... More »
More than a pint of moisture is injected into your home's air during each shower. If not ventilated properly, that moisture and its potential mold and mildew can compromise your home's indoor air quality and structural integrity. Fear not, though — these design tools and techniques can rid that moisture, leaving you breathing easy.
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by BAAN design
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| Natural Ventilation With Operable Windows Ventilating your bath is ideally a two-fold approach of both a bath fan and operable windows. Operable windows not only ventilate, but also provide design value, views and natural daylight and help balance the air pressure in your home. |
You needn't be an extrovert to incorporate windows into your bath. Shutters allow airflow and modesty to coexist. Seek out shutters made of composite materials, rather than wood, that can hold up to the moist environment.
| This bath smartly uses hopper windows placed well above eye level to achieve natural light, ventilation and privacy. |
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| This bath has ample operable windows yet maintains privacy with obscured glass. Obscured glass comes in many different patterns, like etched, reeded or rain. |
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Look (up) to operable skylights for another way to introduce natural light and exhaust moist air. If your skylight is out of arm's reach, consider making its operation motorized to ensure you take advantage of its function.
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| A door from your bath to the exterior is a big design move that also provides lots of fresh air. If you lack access to a walkable surface outside, you can still have doors with a Juliet balcony — a false balcony with a railing mounted just outside the doors. |
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Exhaust Fans
However unsexy, mechanical ventilation via a bath fan is essential (and typically required by building codes) to properly remove moisture from your bath. Seek out Energy Star models, which ensure that the unit is energy efficient, effective and quiet. Panasonic's Whisper series is my go-to for quiet and effective exhaust fans. The WhisperGreen products are up to 871 percent more efficient than Energy Star standards, and they detect both motion and humidity, automatically turning on when someone enters or leaves the room, or when high humidity is sensed.
Consult with a licensed mechanical contractor to be sure your bath fan is sized properly for your bath and that it's properly vented to the exterior.
However unsexy, mechanical ventilation via a bath fan is essential (and typically required by building codes) to properly remove moisture from your bath. Seek out Energy Star models, which ensure that the unit is energy efficient, effective and quiet. Panasonic's Whisper series is my go-to for quiet and effective exhaust fans. The WhisperGreen products are up to 871 percent more efficient than Energy Star standards, and they detect both motion and humidity, automatically turning on when someone enters or leaves the room, or when high humidity is sensed.
Consult with a licensed mechanical contractor to be sure your bath fan is sized properly for your bath and that it's properly vented to the exterior.
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Exhaust Fan Timers
Bath exhaust fans should stay on for at least one hour after baths or showers to effectively remove excess moisture from your bathroom, as moisture lingers in damp towels, bath mats and even in your walls. A fan equipped with a timer will ensure the fan remains on as long as needed to exhaust moisture. Note that many timers have a 30-minute limit, so hit the switch a second time when you leave the room.
Tell us: How do you keep moisture and mildew at bay in your bath?
More:
Your Bath: Good Morning, Sunshine
A Window Above the Bathroom Sink: Feature or Flaw?
Bath exhaust fans should stay on for at least one hour after baths or showers to effectively remove excess moisture from your bathroom, as moisture lingers in damp towels, bath mats and even in your walls. A fan equipped with a timer will ensure the fan remains on as long as needed to exhaust moisture. Note that many timers have a 30-minute limit, so hit the switch a second time when you leave the room.
Tell us: How do you keep moisture and mildew at bay in your bath?
More:
Your Bath: Good Morning, Sunshine
A Window Above the Bathroom Sink: Feature or Flaw?
Ideabook updated on July 27, 2012.
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@happycamper2168: the only thing I could come up with (albeit not an elegant solution) would be similar to a portable air conditioner. A mechanical contractor might be able to rig up a portable exhaust fan that can be inserted into a window opening to draw excess moisture out. Again - more technical than elegant.
@goosefairy: this is partly why mechanical ventilation is required by code - it's not always feasible to open windows. unfortunately, there's really no substitute for an exhaust fan that's properly sized/selected for your space.
@janhank: i know broan makes through-wall exhaust fans, and dampers are available to omit backdrafts. e.g. this model, albeit a larger cfm than a bath needs: http://www.broan.com/products/product/509s8-through-wall-fan-white-plastic-grille-180-cfm-62a9ea5a-31b2-4e50-b5c6-1b43bf6f5629/tab/overview Also, with such a short exhaust distance, it's noisier than its conventional counterparts.
@janet4784: bath exhaust fans are designed to draw excess moisture, and simply *must* be kept on longer to exhaust all that shower steam and moisture on the walls. that moisture is far more detrimental than the extra energy consumed by the fan. it's worth noting too that some newer fans, including HRVs (heat recovery ventilators) and ERVs (energy recovery ventilators) are designed to provide continuous low levels of ventilation (e.g. 20cfm, instead of a conventional exhaust fan at 60 or 80cfm) and recover the energy (heated or chilled) from the exhausted air. HRVs and ERVs are the new 'lungs' for our new tighter and more energy efficient homes.
ps.
@happycamper2168: we have been recommended to use exterior semi-gloss paint for our bathroom. It has been an effective prevention. We have no windows in our small bath.