How to make a dehumidifier

Keeping up with the DIY trend, it is important to be aware that homemade dehumidifiers are an available option to maintain relative humidity at your home. A DIY dehumidifier is easy to make and an affordable choice for those who cannot invest in expensive units.

While some interested homeowners are just beginning to ask, ‘How to make a dehumidifier?’, you must know that natural ways to control dampness and prevent mold growth has long existed.

Everyday kitchen essentials like salt and coffee whitener will come in handy as a homemade dehumidifier when you are desperate for moisture removal or run out of power. Affordable materials like calcium chloride can be brilliant to use for basements that battle mold constantly.

Let us read more about how to make a homemade dehumidifier and its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Natural ways to deal with humidity

There are many natural ways to remove humidity even without using a moisture absorber or homemade dehumidifier. While many people prefer to resort to a DIY dehumidifier, to keep things natural and for the environmental benefits involved; they get the additional advantages of handling humidity at a lesser cost by using the basic materials.

Let us take a look at the various tips one can follow to handle humidity naturally without using a dehumidifier.

2. Moisture absorber

The first tip to extracting excess water content is using any natural moisture absorber that you find in your home. There are many choices available for a natural moisture absorber. To mention a few; calcium chloride, salt, coffee whitener, etc.

You can make your homemade dehumidifier using any moisture absorber that you find at home. Add some of it to a wide pot or container and you are good to go! We will look further at making your own dehumidifiers using natural ingredients along the course of the article.

3. Indoor plants

It is not always a good idea to have indoor plants. While some are hazardous, others can shoot up the humidity levels.

4. Ventilation

Poor or inadequate ventilation is one of the most common reasons many homes suffer from humidity. Ensure your home is properly ventilated.

5. Leaks

Too many leaks are a big cause of concern. They not just contribute to humidity, but can also lead to mold and mildew growth, along with other allergens.

If left unattended, you will have to call the experts to interfere and get a large dehumidifier to fix the problem.

6. Daily activities

Most everyday activities like showering, cooking, washing clothes, and drying them contribute to moisture buildup. Ensure you have dehumidifiers installed where these activities take place.

You can avoid drying clothes within a home or have a portable dehumidifier handy to settle this issue.

2. How to Make Easy DIY Homemade Dehumidifiers?

Making a dehumidifier at home is fairly simple. Moreover, you have many choices ranging from salt to calcium chloride.

Here we have a few dehumidifiers you can make at home using just a few materials.

1. Rock Salt DIY Dehumidifier

First on the list of DIY homemade dehumidifier options to deal with high humidity levels is Rock Salt Dehumidifier. You might be surprised to learn how a simple Rock Salt DIY Dehumidifier is capable of removing excess moisture from the air.

Many homes resort to rock salt dehumidifier as the quick and readily available DIY dehumidifier option to remove moisture and control indoor humidity.

Let us take a look at how this natural moisture absorber works to have an impact on relative humidity levels in an area.

A bag of rock salt and a few buckets are all that you need for this homemade dehumidifier that is going to bring down the high humidity levels in your home. This rock salt dehumidifier is inexpensive and cheap, costing lesser than an electric dehumidifier. However, this dehumidifier can extract the excess moisture in the air effectively to change any uncomfortable atmosphere.

1. To make the rock salt dehumidifier you need 2 large-sized buckets (or a large bowl that can hold large quantities of salt), and a bag of rock salt. Also, ensure that you have access to a drill to make small holes in the buckets.
2. To set up this natural dehumidifier, take one of the buckets and drill small holes at the bottom.
Place this drilled bucket or top bucket on the other bucket that you have.
3. Empty the bag of rock salt that you have into the top bucket or drilled bucket with a few holes in them.
4. This top bucket must now be placed over the other bucket and your new dehumidifier is ready. Most rooms in any home that is damp will benefit from its cheap natural methods of dehumidification.

The rock salt will attract the moisture in the air and drain it into the top bucket. This will drain into the bottom bucket via a few holes. You will notice that in a room or home that is naturally damp or humid, the bucket at the bottom will fill up quickly.

While the effectiveness of this salt moisture absorber is appreciated, at the same time you must remember to empty the water collected in order to avoid water damage. It is also recommended to top up or replace the salt in the container of the dehumidifier every few months or weeks as required.

2. Silica Gel DIY Dehumidifier

Next on the list of the best DIY homemade dehumidifier option, we have a Silica Gel dehumidifier.

This DIY moisture absorber is an easy and efficient choice to handle excess moisture in a humid area.

Indoor humidity and too much moisture in enclosed spaces can be dealt with by a silica gel dehumidifier. This readily available moisture absorber can remove moisture from the air.

One of the best tips to remember the next time you see small packages of silica gel is saving them to extract moisture from damp zones or any small room.

To make a silica gel DIY home dehumidifier to handle indoor humidity, all you need is a glass jar and a good amount of silica gel. You can use the silica gel collected from shoe boxes and utensils.

Drill in some holes into the lid of the jr and fill up the jar with silica gel.

Place the jar in any corner or area of the room which has fluctuations in temperature and needs to control humidity levels.

This being a good moisture absorber, it is often used in places expected to have high humidity like enclosed drawers, boxes, cabinets, etc. The next time you plan on making DIY dehumidifiers to remove humidity, do not forget to try silica gel natural dehumidifier.

3. Baking Soda DIY Dehumidifier

Handling excess moisture in small areas like bathrooms and kitchens can be done with ease using Baking Soda homemade dehumidifier. For issues with condensation, this DIY moisture absorber will work perfectly.

Baking soda is a common household ingredient that has been trusted to remove humidity. Although it is not a wise decision to trust baking soda to maintain the humidity level or moisture level in a large humid area, it is still good enough an option to remove moisture from a small room.

Baking soda as a DIY home dehumidifier can be prepared by adding a good amount of it into a large bowl. Place this bowl of baking soda in the area that is most damp or next to the source of moisture or indoor humidity.

Baking soda moisture absorber in the dehumidifier will soon turn damp as it begins its work. If there is too much moisture and indoor humidity in the area, the baking soda in the bowl will soon turn moist. You just have to replace it with a fresh batch of baking soda to keep this DIY absorber going.

4. Coffee Whitener DIY Dehumidifier

Another surprising option for a DIY homemade dehumidifier that is is going to take care of excess moisture in the air for you is a coffee whitener. Did you know that this everyday kitchen ingredient could double up as a DIY moisture absorber and take away your worries about spiking humidity levels?

To use coffee whitener as a DIY home dehumidifier and remove moisture, you just require a wide bowl and coffee whitener. Empty the coffee whitener into the large bowl and place it in the room or humid area.

When the indoor humidity is high in the area, you will notice that the coffee whitener is turning damp and hard, as it continues to remove humidity from the air. As a moisture absorber, it will remove the excess water from its environment. You can empty out the coffee whitener that has hardened and replace it with a fresh batch of coffee whitener.

The next time you’re in the kitchen and you notice that there is too much moisture and the humidity level is rising, just make use of a coffee whitener to make your DIY homemade dehumidifier.

5. Electric Dehumidifier

An electric dehumidifier is a better choice to extract moisture in the air in comparison to any homemade dehumidifier. A DIY moisture absorber will be able to reduce indoor humidity only to a certain extent. But, the best devices to remove humidity from the atmosphere, along with allergens, and ensure our family’s health is guarded are electric dehumidifiers.

An electric dehumidifier can remove excess water content, maintain the indoor humidity level to your desired value, with its advanced moisture absorber. The inbuilt fan that comes with the dehumidifier is also helpful to remove heat and maintain the ideal temperature. These benefits will lack in your own homemade dehumidifier.

An electric unit can also cover a room of any size and keep damp areas protected against the action of mold spores and dust mites, even in cases of water damage. If the area you want to cover is large, a simple homemade dehumidifier is not going to be sufficient for you.

Benefits of Making a Homemade Dehumidifier

Apart from wondering ‘How to make a dehumidifier?’, the common thought is what are the benefits involved in making an own homemade dehumidifier? Is a DIY dehumidifier capable of impacting the relative humidity level of space and removing humidity? Can natural methods of dehumidification extract excess moisture from the air like an electric dehumidifier?

Let us learn the benefits involved in using natural dehumidifiers to maintain indoor humidity levels.

Moisture absorber

There are different types of moisture absorbers that are readily available and are way cheaper in comparison to electric dehumidifiers. You can make your very homemade dehumidifier in no time if you have access to the basic materials required to make a DIY dehumidifier.

Calcium chloride, sodium chloride, coffee whitener, salt or rock salt dehumidifier, charcoal dehumidifier, etc., are a few of the simple choices for a moisture absorber. You can drill some holes inside a large bowl to make any of this DIY dehumidifier.

Calcium chloride is a great natural dehumidifier for areas with high indoor humidity and moisture, like basements. Making a calcium chloride DIY dehumidifier is very easy. You need a good amount of calcium chloride and a sock.

Add calcium chloride inside the sock and seal it with a string. You can hang this sock with calcium chloride inside it in places that need moisture from the air removed.

Cost-effective

Desiccant dehumidifiers are less expensive. When you purchase desiccant dehumidifiers you will need the desiccant materials in large quantities to keep the dehumidifier working for years together. Making your own desiccant dehumidifier at home is a lot cheaper and affordable.

For those who prioritize saving power and energy costs, homemade dehumidifiers are the best option.

Natural products

Using natural desiccant materials is safe and minimizes heat generation. People with allergies and respiratory issues and need fresh air circulation at all times, but have little room to ventilate can opt for a DIY dehumidifier. You can keep away dust mites and mold spores always without power consumption.

Calcium chloride, salt, coffee whitener, charcoal dehumidifier, rock salt dehumidifier, etc., are harmless materials. Your family’s health will be in safe hands while using a DIY dehumidifier in a solid-state or liquid state.

An easy-to-make DIY dehumidifier can be placed in any room, anytime like after a water treatment or shower.

Will a Homemade Dehumidifier be Effective?

As aforementioned, although making a DIY dehumidifier is easy, most people are questioning ‘How effective is a homemade dehumidifier?’, over, ‘How to make a homemade dehumidifier?’.

You will be surprised to learn that a natural moisture absorber is quite efficient and can be trusted to remove humidity from any room.

Using the right moisture absorber in the right manner will guarantee the removal of moisture from the air in the room it is placed in without heat generation. However, you must remember that a homemade dehumidifier is effective only for a very small area and isn’t an expert like an electric large pint dehumidifier.

Calcium chloride, coffee whitener, salt, or rock salt dehumidifier, are DIY dehumidifiers that are cheap and inexpensive and consume no power. Clubbing their use with the tips to prevent a damp home will be helpful; like making way for sunlight, ventilating where possible, use of hygrometer, etc.

Wrapping Up

Hope the article was helpful for you to know, ‘How to make a dehumidifier’. We trust you will find the tips and examples of homemade dehumidifiers helpful. Let us know which DIY dehumidifier you have tried and worked best for your home.