In modern apartments of a large area, living conditions are more comfortable. Here you can safely allocate a place for arranging a dressing room or installing a large cabinet for storing clothes, shoes, accessories.
Modern cabinets are huge in size and can accommodate a huge number of things. And the created dressing rooms in size sometimes reach whole rooms. To ensure the quality safety of things, it is necessary to create special conditions during storage, including a properly equipped air exchange system.
In this article, we’ll talk about how ventilation should be arranged in a wardrobe and what features should be taken into account. We will pick up visual photos about the hoods in the dressing room and useful video tips.
Why is ventilation in the dressing room necessary?
Despite the size of the dressing room, it is still a room without free air access. And in conditions of isolation and lack of air circulation, bacteria, fungus and mold can develop.
In order to prevent such a situation, in southern countries, for example, storage of things in a confined space is allowed only after washing. Otherwise, a humid hot climate and the lack of air circulation favorably affect the development of mold on clothing that has been in contact with the human body at least once. Thus, one worn shirt can cause mold to cover all clothing located in an unventilated area.
In the climatic conditions of our country, the development of mold can contribute to wet or dirty clothes, abandoned in a closet or wardrobe. For example, a tracksuit after a run.
If the dressing room is large enough and consists of open shelves with things and cabinets with lockable doors, then you should definitely consider ways of ventilation both the dressing room itself and these closed cabinets. The ventilation function of the dressing room is not enough to ventilate closed cabinets in this room
However, mold and fungus - this is not all the worst that can form in the confined space of a closet or dressing room.
The lack of hoods in the dressing room or closet contributes to the appearance of:
- Moths - an insect that erases fur products into powder, using fur fibers as food.
- Kozheedovthat eat leather goods and are able to gnaw holes in clothes the size of a five-ruble coin. When skin-eaters appear, the only way to get rid of them is complete disinsection of the apartment.
- Cockroaches. Oddly enough, they are attracted not by crumbs and scraps, but by the smell of a person. Human sweat, stains of various foods on clothes and starch, which is used when washing things, serve as an excellent bait for cockroaches. They, having eaten all this, leave on the fabric a lot of small mesh holes.
- Silverfish They are also attracted to the smell of human sweat. Eating it, they leave many small holes on the clothes.
- Crickets. It would seem that these are completely harmless insects, but they, like cockroaches, eat tissue along with sweat and food debris on clothes. Getting crickets on their own is almost impossible.
One must always remember that parasitic microorganisms take every opportunity to settle in a person’s house.
Stagnant air in a confined space is a catalyst for the development of the smallest parasites that will negatively affect human health, negatively affecting well-being, causing respiratory diseases or headaches.
To ensure air circulation in the dressing room, you can’t closely push things together and stuff the shelves with clothes. Air must pass freely between clothes hangers and have access to shelves
Well, of course, the lack of ventilation affects the clothes themselves.The musty odor of an unventilated area is absorbed by the fabric and can only be removed after repeated washing.
Therefore, when deciding whether ventilation is needed in your dressing room and closet, it is worth considering the likely consequences of its absence. After all, it is the hood that ensures the normal state of clothing, prevents the formation of parasites, molds and insects, and maintains a stable state of health of users.
Features of the arrangement of ventilation
Depending on the location of the dressing room or closet, as well as the presence or absence of a ventilation duct system installed during the construction phase of the house, the method of organizing air exchange will depend. Next, we consider the options most popular among users.
Option # 1 - Natural Ventilation
When installing cabinets, you should pay attention to the presence of windows in the room - regular ventilation provides an influx of fresh air, which will favorably affect the sanitary condition of the room. In this case, the cabinet doors should be systematically opened to organize air exchange. Such household ventilation will be quite enough for cabinets, and additional ventilation will not be needed.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the features of natural ventilation.
It is worth noting that modern double-glazed windows create a tightness in the room, thereby preventing air from entering through the window slots. In such rooms it is imperative to provide for constant ventilation by opening the windows.
However, dressing rooms are usually arranged in the “deaf” parts of the apartment, where there is no access to fresh air. Therefore, it is so important to solve the issue of ventilation in it even at the stage of arranging the wardrobe room without a single window.
Windowless ventilation system
In rooms where there is no window and there are no special ventilation openings with adjacent rooms, air flows cannot naturally circulate. With natural air circulation in the apartment, the standards provide for its movement from open windows to ventilation ducts, which are usually located in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen. Thus, air currents will bypass the closed dressing room, leaving an unpleasant smell and a beneficial environment for the development of bacteria, parasites and insects.
The difference in air temperature in the enclosed dressing room and in the rest of the apartment may contribute to the formation of condensation and further mold formation. And the lack of a hood in the dressing room leads to negative consequences.
When designing the dressing room, it is necessary to include special ventilation openings in the design of the entrance door, leave a sufficient gap between the floor and the door to create the possibility of natural ventilation in the room
In such rooms, for the organization of normal air movement during natural ventilation, it will be necessary to install an air duct system and openings between the walls. Through such openings, air from other rooms can enter and circulate inside the dressing room.
But, if the walls of the dressing room are in contact with the walls of the neighboring apartment or with rooms where there are no windows, then only the exhaust duct can provide air circulation.
Ventilation in the dressing room with a window
And now let's talk about how to properly make the ventilation system in the dressing room with windows. So, when installing a cabinet in such a room for natural ventilation, it is enough to make several special holes. Often, furniture manufacturers do not pay attention to this issue at all, preferring the original design and cabinet decor to its normal functioning.
And just a few holes in the back wall of the cabinet will save the owner not only from the unpleasant musty smell of the enclosed space, but also from the appearance of the above insects, fungi and mold.
A properly working exhaust system provides normal traction, which will allow you to ventilate all rooms in the apartment. To ensure normal circulation of the dressing room, care must be taken to ensure that air can penetrate sufficiently into the room. The smaller the ventilation grilles, the worse the air enters the dressing room
Option # 2 - forced air exchange
To organize forced air exchange in a separate room of the dressing room, it will be necessary to install a separate ventilation duct, if this was not provided for during the construction of an apartment building.
It is worth noting that modern apartment buildings are already being designed with the possibility of creating dressing rooms, in which a common house ventilation system is prudently carried out.
The air flow is usually carried out through the premises of the bedroom, living room and other rooms where there are windows. And, the hood, respectively, is installed in other rooms.
The principle of operation and the rules for constructing a supply and exhaust ventilation system were examined in detail in this material.
One of the options for ventilating a closed wardrobe room is to create a hood on the ceiling. The implementation of this option is possible at the very beginning of construction and repair. It is considered the best option for air circulation. The only prerequisite for normal functioning is the installation of a ventilation grid in the lower part of the dressing room door
Using a fan to extract
An additional way that will provide forced ventilation in the dressing room is to install a fan in the ventilation ducts, which will mechanically drive fresh air into the enclosed space.
To find out what kind of power a fan needs, it is enough to make small calculations. To do this, we calculate the volume of the room by multiplying the area of the dressing room by height. The resulting value, multiplied by 1.5, will give us the rate of air exchange per hour for this room.
Accordingly, the fan power must be selected based on the obtained values.
Mounting the wall ventilation valve
Such an arrangement of the dressing room, when only one room is an adjacent room, will not make it possible to connect the supply and exhaust ventilation. Currently, this problem can be solved by installing a supply valve in the wall.
This device is a plastic pipe that delivers air from the street directly to the dressing room.
It is worth remembering that when installing the ventilation valve in the wall, interference with the architectural appearance of the building occurs. But this operation, as well as the installation of air conditioners, is currently not regulated by law
The structure of the supply valve includes the following elements:
- outdoor ventilation grill, which prevents moisture, dirt, large solid particles, insects from entering the structure;
- filter, which cleans the external air from small particles, directing purified air into the dressing room;
- valve, which allows you to smoothly adjust the power of air supply to the room.
More expensive models have a sound absorption system, automatic humidity control, a special design when the air coming from the street through the damper gets to the radiator, where it heats up to room temperature, and then enters the dressing room.
Installation of the wall ventilation valve should be done by a specialist, since the external part will be installed at a certain height.High-altitude work must be performed in compliance with all safety requirements.
Do not want to invite a specialist to install a wall valve? In this case, we recommend that you read the installation instructions.
Recommendations for the design of the hood
There are several types of dressing rooms. And the way of arranging ventilation will depend on their structural features and location in a house or apartment.
The air control devices in the dressing room, in addition to the main purpose, can be endowed with the function of air freshening. This is a great alternative to controlling odors inside the dressing room.
Consider the main types of dressing rooms and ways to ensure normal air exchange for them:
- Dressing room in a separate room. If the room is without a window, then it is necessary to carry out supply and exhaust ventilation or install a wall valve. Only in this way will it be possible to ensure normal air circulation in the whole room of the dressing room.
- Wardrobe in the utility room. This is the most common type of wardrobe. Here, it is necessary to provide supply and exhaust ventilation, which should be strengthened by the additional installation of a fan, which will avoid the appearance of a musty smell and the spread of bacteria inside the room.
- Wardrobe behind the partition. This is a specially constructed drywall construction. If it is located in a room with a window, then to ensure natural ventilation it will be enough to make the necessary number of holes in drywall, which can be decorated so as not to violate the overall design of the room. If the structure is built in a room without a window (usually they are made in the corridor), then one can not do without the supply and exhaust ventilation, which will be provided with the help of an installed fan of the required power.
- Dressing room under the stairs. This is a fairly common option in private houses and two-story apartments. It is a large closet for storing various things. It is possible to organize ventilation in such a dressing room by making special ventilation holes in the inner walls into adjacent rooms. Air will circulate naturally.
- Corner cupboard. For this option, mounting the ventilation is a rather complicated operation. That is why special ventilation openings must be provided in the rear or side walls of the cabinet. It is advisable to additionally incorporate decorative ventilation grilles into the doors of such cabinets.
Additionally, inside the wardrobe or closet for things, you can install devices for monitoring the state of the air, which will also control humidity.
Such a measure will prevent in advance the appearance of dampness and the spread of fungus on the walls and clothes.
This video shows how to properly design a dressing room:
This video presents the ideas for ventilation in all rooms when repairing an apartment:
The installation procedure for supply ventilation is shown in the video below:
Organization of ventilation of wardrobes with clothes and dressing rooms is a measure that is needed to create a healthy climate inside an apartment or house. The possibility of an unpleasant odor, mold, fungus, insects makes the creation of ventilation in wardrobes and closets a necessity that will favorably affect health. Choosing the right option and the proper organization of ventilation in the storage area will keep the air clean and fresh in your apartment.
Still have questions about the topic of the article? Or do you want to supplement the above material with useful comments? Questions and personal suggestions for arranging the hood in the dressing room can be left in the block located below the article.