If you love a hot shower – and long showers at that – your bathroom might often resemble a scene from Gorillas in the Mist.
As the moisture mixes with the air it forms water vapour; when this eventually makes contact with cooler surfaces, like mirrors and windows, it forms droplets.
If your bathroom isn’t well ventilated – this will particularly be the case if it doesn’t have windows – the humidity will linger around preventing wet surfaces from drying quickly, which can lead to problems like mould.
While you’ll never be able to completely eliminate condensation (unless you stop using your bathroom!), problems are less likely to develop if you follow these steps.
Create ventilation
First up, you need to make sure you turn the extractor fan on before you hop in the shower and leave it on after to help the condensation ease quickly.
Post-shower, open the window (if you have one) to let more steam out.
If you don’t have windows, however, you should make sure you open the bathroom door as soon as you’ve finished in the shower.
See more: 7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Renovating Your Home
Bathroom, Silversea Condo. Picture: iProperty
If you don’t have windows, it’s also very important that you have an extractor or you will likely end up with a mould problem.
Extractor fans help reduce and eliminate surface condensation by exchanging stale air with fresh air.
Without a window and extractor fan, the condensation will never have anywhere to escape.
See more: How to clean your drains in 10 minutes
Heat the bathroom up with a hairdryer
As condensation requires a cool surface to form, to eliminate it after a shower blast your hairdryer all over the walls and mirror.
It’s also a great way to de-mist the mirror so you can use it to do your hair and make-up.
To eliminate condensation after a shower, blast your hairdryer all over the walls and mirror. Picture: Getty
Run cold water
To prevent your mirror from fogging, run your shower water on cold for 30 seconds before switching on the hot.
This will keep your shower and the surrounding areas cool so that when you switch over to hot water, the fog will not form as quickly.
You need to remember, however, that fog will form eventually. If you have a smaller bathroom, run the cold water for longer.
Run your shower water on cold for 30 seconds before switching on the hot, to prevent your mirror from fogging. Picture: Getty
Use a dehumidifier
If you don’t have windows in the bathroom, you should think about getting a dehumidifier.
Turning it on whenever you shower or bathe means you’ll get a big drop in condensation.
Just be sure to empty the water from the dehumidifier once the steam has dissipated so it’s ready for use next time.
Opt for a demistable mirror
Demistable mirrors are fitted with heating pads which keep the surface of the mirror warm and eliminate the chance for condensation to form. It’s a great investment if you find you’re constantly de-steaming your bathroom!
Originally published as Quick ways to de-steam your foggy bathroom by Alexandra O’Brien. Author at realestate.com.au.
