Dehumidifiers help to reduce the relative humidity of the air in a home and can bought as portable versions that you can carry into different rooms around your home where needed.
Dehumidifiers typically need a stable and level surface in which to be placed on to ensure that they work properly, while also being located far away from surrounding objects such walls and furniture.
A dehumidifier can typically be placed on carpet as well as hard flooring, subject to the manufacturer’s guidelines for a particular model of dehumidifier. Placing a dehumidifier on carpet should not affect performance, and carpet can often help to reduce vibrations and noise from a dehumidifier.
While we typically have hard flooring across our home in the form of laminate or tiles, we still do use our dehumidifier on carpet and rugs and have had no issues in doing so.
The manufacturer states in our owner’s manual that placing our dehumidifier is fine, and can even be beneficial, which we discuss below.
Can A Dehumidifier Sit On Carpet?
There’s typically no issue with placing a portable dehumidifier on carpet, but it’s always worth checking the owner’s manual beforehand.
Dehumidifiers shut off automatically when full and therefore won’t overflow and leak onto the carpet.
The manufacturer of our dehumidifier doesn’t state whether it can be placed on carpet or not, just as long as it’s ‘placed on a dry and stable surface’.
Placing a dehumidifier on carpet can also help with noise levels.
Our owner’s manual states:
‘To reduce noise levels: place a piece of carpet or a rubber mat under the unit to reduce any vibrations while the unit is running.’
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Where Should A Dehumidifier Be Placed?
If you live in an area that experiences high humidity, it can seem like you need a dehumidifier in every room.
This could become costly quickly, but it can effectively ensure that the allergen production is dropped significantly. However, for those who do not live in locations where the air is moist constantly, it can be trickier to decide where to place a dehumidifier.
Luckily, there is an easy way to identify options.
For example, there are rooms where moisture and humidity naturally occur or build up. Placing a dehumidifier in these spaces can help you quickly remove excess moisture.
These common areas can include:
- Basements
- Bedrooms
- Crawl Spaces
- Laundry Rooms
- Kitchens
While these are the most common, other places in the home can have more humid air than others.
Placing a dehumidifier somewhere centrally in your home, such as a hallway or landing can also be beneficial (even if placed on carpet) because excess moisture is dispersed through a home.
Our owner’s manual explains:
‘Use the dehumidifier in an enclosed area for maximum efficiency. Excess moisture is dispersed throughout your home. For this reason, the dehumidifier should be positioned in a central and clear locations so that it can draw this moist air towards it.’
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Will One Dehumidifier Do Or Should I Get Multiple?
When first purchasing a dehumidifier, you may be stuck in a quandary. Some houses have multiple rooms that are just the stickiest with humidity.
One frequently asked question is if one solo system will be enough to cover a whole home’s worth of humidity. The short answer is “unfortunately, no.”
Dehumidifiers ideally work within the room they are placed in and have sizing recommendations to help you find the best size for your needs. To perform at their best, you will want one system enclosed in one space to get the humidity out.
So should you buy one or multiple systems to achieve your goal of a drier home?
That is entirely up to you and your needs. If humidity is a consistent problem, there are whole-home dehumidifier systems that may be best for your home. These systems are installed by HVAC professionals and designed to help keep your home completely comfortable all year round.
However, if you are only concerned about a specific space in your home, just one system or two might do. If you place them correctly and ensure they are working at their most optimal, a limited number of portable systems can be all you need to have a more comfortable and breathable home.
How To Make A Humidifier Work At Its Best
The system has been acquired. You have the right amount of dehumidifiers to get the job done. Now, how do you get them working at their best? Nothing is worse than getting a new system and not feeling like it’s doing all it can. There are a few steps you need to take to help your system work quickly and efficiently.
Get The Right Sized System
Unlike HVAC systems that are sized based on square feet alone, dehumidifiers are sized and labeled for the amount of water (or liters) they can carry before they are full. Square footage is taken into context as well to help you find the system that suits your needs.
The sizes of a dehumidifier are:
- Small: Holds approximately fifteen liters.
- Mid-range: Holds about twenty liters.
- Large: Holds between twenty-five to thirty-five liters.
If the space needing the system is under two thousand square feet, a small system may be all that’s required. If more extensive, then the large size may be the right system. Sounds simple, right? It’s essential to also keep in mind what room the system may be in. Rooms with higher humidity, such as a bathroom or basement, may require larger systems to handle the excess moisture.
Choose The Best Room And Location
Dehumidifiers should be placed in the affected room, but you want to make sure you do everything to ensure it works properly.
Keep the dehumidifier away from the room’s walls and your furniture.
This makes the center of the room the ideal space for placement to prevent it from affecting these targeted areas.
Airflow is also key to the function of these systems. You want to make sure there is enough space to allow it to suck in and disperse air quickly without being blocked or prevented from doing so.
Enclose The Space
Once you have placed the system, close up the room!
Shut windows and doors to prevent more humid air from traveling throughout the house and into the space that needs help.
Enclosing the space allows the system to work more efficiently and not continuously run as it tries to remove water from fresh air coming in through openings.
Proper Set-Up
While removing the humidity is the goal, it’s not optimal for either your home or the system to set dehumidification to one hundred percent!
Set the system to maintain thirty to fifty percent for the best performance. If you have the system running during the winter, reducing it to thirty to forty percent is just fine.
Keep Up With Maintenance
A dehumidifier seems like a set it and forget it system, but some maintenance goes along with it.
Monitor it regularly to make sure the tank is not filled with water. If it collects all the way, the system will no longer be able to dehumidify the space. So dump the tank regularly to ensure it keeps running.
Next, take care to keep the system clean. Just like with your standard HVAC system, there is a filter you are going to want to check and clean. If the filter is dirty, the system will not run as efficiently, leading to more significant problems and even a breakdown if ignored.
See our article on dehumidifier maintenance and servicing for more information.
Placing A Dehumidifier On Carpet
While some humidity makes it easier to breathe, an excess can lead to allergens, mold, dust, and more, affecting your indoor air quality. While some might not notice, this can be harmful to those with respiratory issues, little ones, and the elderly. Not to mention, it can make a home feel less comfortable!
Adding dehumidifiers to your home can reduce humidity and increase your air quality, keeping your home comfortable and refreshing year-round. Whether you have carpeted or hardwood floors, you needn’t be concerned with placing this system in the center of the room and letting it do its job.
Be sure you set it to its optimal settings and maintain the system to keep it functioning correctly. For example, suppose just one of two systems won’t do to handle your humidity. In that case, you also may want to consider a whole-house system that an HVAC technician can install for you.
Further Reading
Can A Dehumidifier Prevent Mold?