How to: Ventilate & Protect Your Bathroom From Moisture
One of the most important things when it comes to bathrooms is ventilation, especially if you have a bathroom without windows. Windowless bathrooms are quite common in smaller terraced homes and flats, and can cause big issues with excess moisture in the air. But did you know that even if your bathroom has windows you can still get big issues with excessive moisture? You’ll know when you have excess moisture in the air by the sudden presence of mold in any location of the bathroom. Mould can cause health issues, ruin the appearance of your bathroom's aesthetics and decrease the life-span of your bathroom and its contents. Ventilation is therefore crucial in every home. Especially in wet rooms where high levels of moisture are created. But if you ventilate your bathroom properly then you'll never need to deal mould or excessive moisture ever again!
Did you know that just 1 shower can create up to 2 pints of moisture in the air and on the surfaces of your bathroom? Neither did we! An additional 20 pints of water can be also created in your home from drying clothes indoors, cooking, boiling the kettle and even breathing! You can’t see it, but it’s certainly there and it can cause issues in any room of your home.Air needs to circulate in order to stop the build-up of moisture (caused by baths, showers and even toilets) which can then lead to the presence of mould. But many of us have issues with this, even if we think we have the right products in-place which supposedly help to extract moisture in the bathroom. We’re now going to look at certain ventilation (and moisture protection) steps which will reduce the amount of moisture found in your bathroom and extend the life-span of your bathroom for years to come!
EXTRACTOR FANS
You’ll be asked if you have an extractor fan, or told to buy an extractor fan. Many of us have them and somehow they don’t always work. There are thousands on the market and the cheap ones won’t do a very good job, some don’t help at all. So the number one tip is (and it’s the most important tip) don’t cheap out on a good extractor fan, it will cost you in the long-run. It’s worth buying a super duper fan that’s going to look after your bathroom’s lifespan and not just sit there making loads of noise with little extraction effort. If you're buying an extractor fan online then watch out, loads of bathroom websites sell extractor fans at different price points, from the best fans to the worst fans. They'll be positive and informative about them all but that doesn't mean they're any good. Look for the facts and the specs, and go from there.Choose an extractor fan which can detect moisture in the air. The extractor will kick in as soon as it detects a higher level of moisture in the air which can then cause damp issues. Quality extractor fans do come at a higher cost price with all the bells and whistles (like timers, lights, moisture and humidity detectors, and silent motors) but they will look after your bathroom in the long-run, so they’re definitely worth investing in.If you’re installing the fan yourself remember to fit it the right way round, even if you’re not fitting it yourself make sure it’s been fitted the right way round (I had this issue in our flat where the builders; the supposed to be ‘experts’ installed the ventilation fan the wrong way round, so it ended up being useless). Check that the experts you’ve got in are actually experts and do know how to install common bathroom products.We highly recommend choosing an extractor fan such as Zehnders CV2 extractor fan. It’s a pretty amazing fan and it’s brand new to the wonderful world of bathrooms. This ultra low energy fan has a beautiful 100 mm diameter design, and it’s completely silent. I went to test one in our showroom and had to lean into the fan after taking off the external fascia off to able to hear anything, and even then I had to listen very carefully. It offers continuous low level ventilation, and has a smart humidity and timer control. But the best part is, it costs approximately £1.50 to run each year! The continuous low level ventilation will eliminate any issues with mould and condensation, while the smart humidity and timer controls help to eliminate nuisance running. This fantastic fan is available to buy from Island Bathrooms in-store and you can of course try it out in the showroom. We're really impressed with what it can do.
A Breakdown of the New Zehnder CV2 Fan:
— HumidiSMART Continuously monitors the environment and only reacts to man-made humidity increases, reducing energy waste, heat loss and eliminates nuisance night time running
— TimerSMART uses duration of occupancy to determine overrun period and control of ventillation, reducing energy waste, heat loss and eliminates nuisance night time running
— Boost mode activated sensor or light switch when required
— Ultra low energy and noise performance
— Annual running costs approx. £1.50
DEHUMIDIFIERS
Another solution is a dehumidifier, which is what I bought when our extractor fan was installed the wrong way and we got a build-up of excess moisture. Dehumidifiers can be really cheap (the throw away dehumidifiers) and you can place them in a hidden location (such as behind the toilet). You’ll be surprised how much water the throw away ones collect after a week or so. If you want something more permanent and extra effective you can go all out and buy a refrigerant bathroom dehumidifier. Refrigerant dehumidifiers extract humidity from moist and hot bathroom air. Get a silent one on a timer so it can run while you go out, or go to sleep. But seriously, just buy a really good extractor fan, then you won’t need to buy a dehumidifier!
WINDOWS
You’ll be told to leave your window open, or think that you should leave your window open more. We always hear ‘I have a window in my bathroom, so I don’t need an extractor fan’. Well this isn’t correct... You will still need an extractor fan regardless of if you have a window or not. Plus, it's not a practical solution to leave your window open day and night.If you need to, and if you haven’t got a great extractor fan, open the window when you take a shower or bath. If you don’t have a window (or a great extractor fan) then leave your bathroom door open when it’s not being used. Also, take out any damp towels and hang them elsewhere so they don’t add to the moisture already in the bathroom.
BATHROOM & SURFACE PROTECTION
We’re regularly asked how to protect bathroom furniture and surfaces from moisture. If you’ve got an issue with ventilation in your bathroom the chances are the furniture in your bathroom are being affected too. Even if you’ve not got ventilation issues, certain surfaces and products such as radiators and wooden units can be affected by everyday bathroom moisture and should be protected against the elements in-order to have a long lease of life. Surface protection: We recommend using furniture polish on wooden units and even on radiators to protect them against moisture and oxidation. Furniture polish provides a protective film coating to prevent the effects of moisture. It also works a treat on shower screens offering a protective coating to prevent moisture and grim build-up during future use, which will help to keep the glass clearer for longer, so you won't have to clean it as much. Another product you can use on your radiator to clean it and prevent it from rusting is Peek Polish. Peek polish cleans and protects metals, ceramics and fiberglass, helping to remove oxidation, tarnish, lime deposits, corrosion, crayon, grease and sale water stains. So if your ceramic sink needs some added shine and protection, peek polish should do the trick. Further protection from moisture: This may seem obvious but what many people don’t do is close the toilet lid before flushing. Ever seen a rusty toilet brush holder by the toilet? This often occurs when there’s too much moisture nearby, and yes you guessed it, nearby moisture which is produced from flushing the toilet... Not only does this cause extra moisture to sit in the air, it’s also quite a big health hazard, allowing bacteria from the toilet to sit in the air! 
If you're still having issues with excess moisture in your bathroom and need further advice just come and talk to us...We'll see how we can help to offer you personalised advice suited to your particular environment!