What does a dehumidifier do?

A dehumidifier does exactly what the name implies; it makes the air less humid. It is able to accomplish this by removing moisture from the air. This helps avoid the build-up of musty smells, condensation, mold, mildew, and dust mites in the most humid places in a home, such as a damp basement. 

In this short article, we’ll be answering the question “what does a dehumidifier do?” as well as many other questions based around dehumidifiers, such as “how does a dehumidifier work?” and many others as well!

Dehumidifiers: The basics

If you find yourself asking the question “what is a dehumidifier?” then fear not, it’s not that complicated of a machine. 

The basic function of a dehumidifier is exactly what it sounds like, to make the air around it less humid by taking moisture out of the air. This, in turn, makes the air less dry in order to prevent an environment that fosters harmful things like mold and dust mites. 

Easy enough, right? So how does a dehumidifier work? Well, it’s actually pretty interesting! A dehumidifier takes moisture out of the air by taking in the warm, humid air currents around it with a fan. After the warm, humid air is inside the machine, it is filtered through refrigerated coils, where it retracts due to the drop in temperature. 

Condensation is left inside the dehumidifier, while cool dry air is released, leaving you with dryer, cooler, healthier air in your home. 

You might be asking yourself, what does a dehumidifier do that makes it so important for you to buy? Well, it avoids mold, dust mites, musty smells, and other unpleasant things that come from having damp, hot air in places in your home. 

However, it isn’t just for the sake of having a more comfortable home. Dehumidifiers make the air in your home healthier to breathe. After all, breathing in mold can be incredibly bad for you, depending on the type of mold. It is always best to avoid having mold in the first place, and a dehumidifier is a great place to start. 

Portable Dehumidifiers

So, that’s great. We know the answer to “what does a dehumidifier do?”, why they’re important, and how they work. But buying a household appliance can be a lot. After all, not only are they expensive, they take up a ton of space.

Don’t worry, though! These days, it seems like everything is smaller, more lightweight, more compact, and portable. This, of course, is also the case for household appliances such as dehumidifiers. 

But do smaller dehumidifiers actually do the trick? How does a portable dehumidifier work when compared to a full-sized one? Well, it works in pretty much the exact same way, using electricity to draw air in via a fan, pushing it through cooled coils to draw out the moisture. The only difference is that it is smaller so that it can be moved easily and takes up little space. 

You may think a portable dehumidifier might take a ton of electricity, but it only takes about 300W. This is less than an air conditioner and even hair dryers! So don’t freak out about the amount of power it’s using up to do such an important job, because it’s no big deal. 

There are a number of benefits to this. Firstly, it means you can put it away during cooler months in which you may not need it, and take it back out again for warmer months when it becomes a necessity. It also means you can move it around the house at will, dehumidifying one room at a time. 

But can a portable dehumidifier work for a whole house? Well, it depends. Unlike regular dehumidifiers, they can only dehumidify one room at a time. If your whole house has humidity issues, your portable dehumidifier won’t solve the problem. However, if you move it around, you can dehumidify every room, just one at a time.

It all comes down to whether or not you have a general humidity issue in your home, and what the cause of that is. Some of these problems can’t be solved by humidifiers at all, as they’re more of a band-aid solution. In any case, portable dehumidifiers are mostly focused on one room of the house.

Dehumidifiers are generally pretty easy to upkeep, but they do have a few problems. Namely, icing up. So if you’re asking yourself “why is my portable dehumidifier icing up?” the answer is probably the fan inside.

Make sure the fan motor is working well and the blades are not being stopped in any way. If the fan isn’t working, the refrigerated coils won’t stop cooling by having the warmer air pushed through them, and they will freeze up. 

Portable AC as a Dehumidifier

“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking to yourself, “taking warm air in and pushing cool air out sounds awfully like an air conditioner.” Well, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. After all, what does a dehumidifier do? It cools down warm air, right? They aren’t exactly the same thing, but there are some portable AC units that can double function as a dehumidifier. 

It would be super convenient to be able to use a portable AC unit as a dehumidifier, wouldn’t it? After all, humidity issues mostly happen in the warmer places of your house in the summer, such as the basement and attic. Do any of these actually exist?

Yes! One of these is the Blast Portable AC, which not only boasts a compact size and robust power but the ability to dehumidify and humidity rooms as well, making it an awesome multi-functional tool. You can find this and other products. 

Recap

Hopefully, now you know the answer to your question: “what does a dehumidifier do?” Dehumidifiers are not just an accessory, but an important household appliance. Keeping mold, mildew, musty smells, and dust mites out of your home not only makes it a pleasant and comfortable place to live but can be crucial for the respiratory health of you and your family. 

However, it doesn’t have to be a massive project to have a dehumidifier installed. You can focus on the problem areas in your home with a portable dehumidifier. In fact, you can even use a portable AC unit such as the Blast Portable AC to do the job for you!