Can a Dehumidifier Dehydrate Your Skin? Relax, You’re Safe!

This question is more common than you can imagine. It is also easy to see why many people ask it.

After all, a dehumidifier is supposed to draw moisture from the air. In the summer, we crank up the dehumidifiers. They suck in the wet air and blow dry air back into the room.

So, can a dehumidifier dehydrate you? Well, the answer is no. This appliance does not draw water out of your skin; it does not make you thirsty, and even if you keep it on day and night for a full month, it will never cause dehydration in human beings. On the contrary, high humidity makes you pee more and dehydrates you.

Can a dehumidifier be harmful?

While a dehumidifier cannot cause dehydration, it can certainly cause other ill effects if not used carefully. For example, it can cause mold to fester in the bucket if you let the water it collects stay there for too long.

Mold is one of the most serious indoor allergens. That is why you should drain the bucket daily if you live in a humid city such as Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. You can experience serious mold toxicity symptoms if you let it fester.

Another thing is that if you use a dehumidifier too much, you could lower the humidity in your room excessively, making the air too dry.

This could, in turn, cause the paint to start cracking and the wood under the floor to contract and start creaking. Just as excess humidity is not good, even excessively dry indoor air is also not good.

A dehumidifier can also cause dry skin. We need to moisturize our skin alone, but we also need to stay in air that has the right humidity level, which is 50 to 60%.

If it drops below that, say to about 30%, we will experience dryness of the skin. Some people also experience itching.

There is no connection between dehydration and dehumidifiers

There is no connection at all between dehumidifiers and dehydration. If you’ve been feeling too thirsty or have noticed your urine is too yellowish, look for another cause of your dehydration. It is definitely not this appliance.

Sleeping in a dry room all the time can cause dehydration symptoms such as chapped lips, itchy skin, and respiratory issues.

This does not mean that dehumidifiers are always good. Rather, they have their dark side. For instance, if you dry out your indoor air too much, you might experience inflammation of the airways, dry lips, hair, and skin.

Just in the same way that high humidity makes you feel awful, dry air will also make you feel sickly. So do not run your portable dehumidifier longer than necessary.

What is dehydration?

This is the condition in which the fluid level in the body goes so low that the body can no longer carry out its daily functions.

We say that by the time you start feeling thirsty for water, you are already dehydrated. When it does happen, it is very dangerous.

Therefore, by asking whether a dehumidifier can dehydrate you, not really! Perhaps if you sleep for consecutive days without waking up to eat and drink, you could get dehydrated.

But this would not be as a result of using the appliance. It would be because you haven’t eaten or drank water.

Even though we said that low humidity can cause dry skin, it will not cause dehydration. There’s no way you are going to stop drinking water just so you can find out whether your dehumidifier can cause dehydration.

Dehydration is caused by conditions such as diabetes that cause frequent urination. It can also be caused by failing to drink enough water.

Most people wait to feel thirsty so that they can drink water. However, experts recommend you drink water often until you can do 6 to 8 glasses in a day.

Apart from keeping your skin soft and fresh, water also enhances the digestion process. It is also the coolant that your body needs to avoid overheating.

Dehumidifiers are among the safest appliances

Can I sleep with a dehumidifier running in my bedroom? Yes, you can. This is one of the safest appliances that you can buy for your home today.

Unless it is faulty or has manufacturing defects, it will never cause accidents. You can leave it running through the night without worrying. If it stops working all the time, check for faults.

Conclusion

Can a dehumidifier dehydrate you? As you have seen in this article, this is not going to happen.

You may be dehydrated when you are at home because you do not feel the urge to drink water. However, your appliance will not be the cause of that. Even humidifiers are very safe for regular home use.