Ventilation is the key to great air quality and a healthy indoor climate. Additionally, it will help keep the structure free from mold and other moisture-related problems. When we moved into our country-home we did not have any kind of ventilation in our bathroom. After two months of no ventilation, the attic started to show signs of black mold. After that we immideatly installed an exhaust fan and that solved all our problems.
Mold in the attic is just one of the reasons why having no ventilation in the bathroom is a horrible idea. I will list 8 more reasons why having some form of ventilation is absolutely vital.
1. No Ventilation Means Misty Bathroom Mirror
Your mirrors and panes will always be full of mist if you don’t ventilate your bathroom. Misty mirrors are not only annoying, but they can cause significant discomforts such as headaches or eyestrain. Ventilating the bathroom will reduce the humidity that causing your mirrors and other glasses to clear out.
Make sure your bathroom fan has sufficient airflow(CFM). A low-capacity fan can’t exhaust the moisture fast enough and the mirror will fog up.
You can also buy bathroom mirrors that have been specifically designed with anti-fog technology.
2. Unventilated Bathrooms Incubate Bacteria
The level of humidity in your unventilated bathroom will be constantly high. This creates a conducive environment for all types of bacteria to grow. Some of the bacteria that most commonly take advantage of this environment include staphylococcus and streptococcus.
Staphylococcus is a relatively harmless bacteria that is usually found in the human skin and nose. However, the bacteria stops being so benign and causes a life-threatening condition if it gets into the bloodstream and internal organs such as lungs and joints.
Studies show that you spend at least 30 minutes in the bathroom every day. It is unlikely that staphylococcus won’t get into your lungs and the rest of the critical organs with this much time spent inhaling it.
Streptococcus causes sore throat. If your bathroom isn’t well ventilated, it is probably the reason you have a persistent sore throat. When undertreated, streptococcus gets into your bloodstream and reaches other parts of the body, including the heart. It damages heart valves which is a life-threatening condition. Increased susceptibility to these diseases is why failing to ventilate your business is an awful idea.
3. Your House Will be Full of Mold and Mildew
This is the main reason why bathrooms should have adequate ventilation, as mold and mildew can end up costing thousands or tens of thousands to remove from the structure of the building.
Mold and mildew grow very well in environments with more than 50% humidity. An unventilated bathroom will constantly have humidity that is beyond this level.
Inhaling molds will affect your respiratory health by causing inflammation. Inhaling mold for a long time reduces the elasticity of your lungs, thus reducing their capacity. You and your loved ones may even get asthma if the mold exposure is prolonged.
Humidity will escape the bathroom to the rest of the house. You should also expect mold and mildew to be much more damaging in other parts of the house. In most cases, the most damage will be done to the attic. While this will not be visible damage, it is the most dangerous kind. The mold can grow and contaminate the air in the attic for years. Eventually, when it is discovered, it may be too late.
Eventually, you will have to remove the molds and mildew because the house will become too much of a health risk. Removing molds will cost you between $2,000 and $20,000, depending on the type of house and location.
4. You Will Have to Make Expensive Bathroom Repairs
Constant high humidity will destroy your bathroom’s walls, floor, and ceiling. The floor and walls of your bathroom will most likely have waterproof tiling, but they can withstand the humidity forever. Some tiles are porous and can actually be a great place for mold to grow if the place is constantly humid.
Mold likes to grow on the grout, as it is the most porous material in the bathroom. The humidity will ultimately find its way beneath the tiles causing them to fall off. You will have to pay an arm and a leg to remodel the bathroom.
If you don’t leave it for too long, however, it is possible to clean the mold from the surfaces. However, cleaning is just a band-aid. You must remove the cause. And that is a lack of ventilation.
The average cost of remodeling a bathroom is $10,800. A small bathroom may cost you up to $7000, while the price for a large bath could go up to $25000. This is an unnecessary expense seeing that you can avoid it by ventilating your bathroom at a much lower cost.
Statistics show that it costs a maximum of $600 to install an exhaust fan in your bathroom; it may cost you as little as $50. These numbers show why failing to ventilate your bathroom is a terrible idea all around.
Even the top of the line quiet, energy efficient bathroom fan won’t cost more than $150. Here is everything you need to know about choosing a bathroom fan—from CFM to duct sizes.
Sizing your bathroom fan correctly is important. If you don’t you can still end up with condensation issues, annoying dripping noises, and water damage.
5. Air Conditioning System and Increased Power Bill
Unextracted humidity from bathrooms will eventually find its way to the rest of the house. Additional moisture makes the air in the home either hotter or colder depending on the conditions outside. This will make your house uncomfortable to live in.
The lower and higher temperatures mean that you will end up spending more energy on air conditioning, and this means you will consistently be paying an above-average power bill. The cost of air conditioning in America is already high at $114 every month.
High humidity puts a significant strain on your air conditioning system, reducing its life expectancy. The humid indoor air will also cause the AC system to rust, and fungi will grow. This will ultimately lead to lower air quality in your house, which is unhealthy.
You can expect your air conditioning system to have a much shorter life expectancy than usual due to the strain and the corrosive effect of humidity on its parts. The cost of replacing a domestic Air Conditioning System in 2021 ranges between $4,350 and $12,095. The price depends on the sophistication and size of the system.
Besides the AC system, high humidity in the home damages other electronics. Water corrodes contacts and reduces the resistance of insulators. When condensation occurs on your electrics, it increases the possibility of short-circuiting, and the risk of fires is not far-fetched. One can prevent these costs of repairs and replacement for these appliances through ventilation.
6. Your Clothes Will be Damaged By The Excessive Moisture
Articles of clothing and leather form a conducive environment for molds to grow, especially in high humidity areas. The fungus will cause your clothes to have a foul smell. The mold will eventually damage the clothes to the extent of making them unusable.
Wearing mildewed clothes will exponentially increase the possibility of getting the respiratory diseases that come with contact with molds. These clothes and footwear also expose you to fungal infections such as Athlete’s Foot. For people who are hypersensitive to molds, you can also get ear infections.
Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to treat, and it may take you a long time and considerable resources to get well. Besides, ears are susceptible organs that require a lot of care.
7. Excess Moisture Will Reduce the Houses’ Structural Integrity
You will see parts of the house begin to rot if the bathroom keeps releasing humidity into the home. The moisture will reduce the structural integrity of your house if the problem isn’t rectified quickly. Beams in the attic will be the first to rot since the moisture will collect there. During winter, the moisture will condensate on metal fasteners in the attic. This will cause them to rust and lose their strength.
The humidity will eventually cause wooden parts such as window sills and wooden floors to rot. Your wooden furniture will also be affected by this humidity because wood expands when there is high moisture content and relaxes with lower moisture.
The repeated expansion and contraction will weaken the joints of your furniture, causing them to wither and eventually break down. The cost of ventilating your bathroom is far much lower!
8. Your Home Will be Conducive for Bugs
Warm, humid environments make a highly conducive environment for bugs such as bedbugs to flourish. The humidity of below 50% makes it impossible for active bugs to survive. With unventilated bathrooms, your home will be full of bugs, especially in hot summers when high temperatures and high humidity align to create the perfect environment for bugs.
The increased cracks in your furniture further enhance bug reproduction; the gaps present a perfect environment for bugs to hide and lay their eggs.
There are many other insects that you will have to confront as a result of a humid bathroom. One that is particularly troublesome is the cockroach. Dry up your bathroom and take a few other steps to permanently get rid of these critters.
9. Lack of Ventilation Distorts Your Bathroom’s Temperature
Most of the things you do in the bathroom involve water. The toilet, therefore, is naturally a high humidity area. The humidity remains trapped inside the bathroom when ventilation isn’t correctly done. As a result, this moisture makes your bathroom chillier or hotter than the weather during winter or summer, respectively.
The distorted bathroom temperatures rob you of the one place you find refuge from the weather. It is in the bathroom where you go for a refreshing shower after a hot summer afternoon outdoors and relax in a hot tub during winter. Your days will be much less enjoyable if this is taken away.
You might be forced to open the windows if your bathroom has them, which is often undesirable for privacy reasons. Even when you have no security concerns, bathroom windows will allow the raw outdoor air into the house. That’s not the right solution to the problem.