How to Dehumidify Without Power

Start dehumidifying without plugging in.

In fact, in humid areas, using an electric dehumidifier can increase a home's energy usage by 25 percent. Finding ways to dehumidify without power will help save money on the electric bill and help cut down on environmental impact as well.

1. Determine the areas in your home that are too humid. Common humid areas include basements or rooms that are not well ventilated. Note the size of the room, as this will help you when choosing what size dehumidifier you need.

2. Purchase some desiccants, such as silica gel, and place them around the rooms you want to dehumidify. These are best used in rooms such as basements, or other rooms that don't get much traffic. Be careful, desiccants can be toxic if mistakenly eaten by children or pets. Keep them above ground level out of reach to avoid this problem.

3. Purchase absorbent dehumidifiers for larger rooms or rooms that get more traffic throughout the day. Companies such as Humdry and National Marine Products make models that come in several shapes and sizes to fit your needs. These combine the use of desiccants with sturdy water-catching parts for convenient clean-up, and make it easier to replace the water-absorbing aspects of the machine.

4. Continue to monitor the humid rooms to be sure that you have used enough desiccants or humidifiers. Most of these tools will automatically stop dehumidifying if the air's water content reaches a certain level. However, continuing to perform a human check will ensure that your home never becomes too humid or dehumidifies to much.

Warning

Desiccants can be toxic. Keep them away from children and pets.