VELUX USA Blog for professionals

Explaining to Customers Why Bathroom Ventilation Really Matters

Written by Allyson Miller | March 30, 2018

My mother always got after me when I was younger for not turning on the bathroom fan during one of my many 40-minute hot showers. I usually skipped out on turning on the bathroom fan because it was too noisy, and I never understood exactly what it was meant for. 

Ventilate your bathroom. It's what we always try and tell our customers. Switch on that noisy bathroom fan and suck all that steam out of the room.

 

But why do we really have to ventilate the bathroom? Why the fan? 

 

When not properly ventilated, trapped water can do some damage to a bathroom as it seeps into the walls. Paint can start chipping, ceilings can develop water spots on it, wood frames and doors can warp, and worst of all, mold and mildew can form!

 

My poor mother. 

 

Mold and mildew—a homeowner's worst nightmare—love to make a home in warm, moist environments. And ding ding ding, bathrooms are their location of choice. 

 

 

What may just look like pesky dirt sports on walls, shower curtains, and ceiling, are actually mold and mildew organisms that can lead to some serious health problems.

When you explain all this to your customers, it can sound pretty gross. 

 

But luckily, harmful organisms can be prevented from growing in your customer's home if you explain the importance of ventilation to them. 

 

Yes, those loud bathroom fans do serve a purpose other than odor control. They work by clearing out the humid air caused by showering to keep drywall, paint, and wood dry. They also reduce an air conditioner's workload on keeping a house cool because it's not working to remove that warm, moist air. Fans are even good for getting rid of chemical compounds found in most cleaners to clear up air quality. 

 

To the dismay of your customers, that means the spa-like bathroom remodel they wanted could be ruined by a noisy fan. 

 

Well, maybe not!

 

Majority of municipalities' building codes require that some form of air circulation is needed in a bathroom to help remove moist air out, but they don't specify exactly how you have to do that. 

 

So what if while you're explaining the importance of ventilation to your customers, you also suggest installing a skylight that opens instead of a bathroom fan? It's quieter, draws our that moisture-ridden air, and even brings in an array of bright natural light to the space without sacrificing any privacy. 

 

Meet a family who replaced their bathroom's old bubble dome with a new VELUX Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylight. The difference it made to their space is pretty astonishing. Watch the transformation

 

Ventilation matters. But the noisy bathroom fan doesn't have to. Learn more about our VELUX "fresh air" skylights and how they can keep a space fear of moisture.

 

VELUX "Fresh Air" Skylights