Whether you are standing in the kitchen preparing food or having a shower in the bathroom, indoor air pollution is a real thing. This is something that many people tend to ignore and cling to basic solutions like opening the windows, etc. Cooking and bathing create pollutants that should be extracted outside your home.
However, most people wonder whether or not the same air extraction system works in the bathroom and kitchen. So, can you use a bathroom fan in the kitchen? In general, you can’t use a bathroom fan for the kitchen. But some solutions help you use the same fan in both places. Read on to find out more about it.
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Are bathroom fans any good when used in the kitchen?
To begin with, bathroom fans help remove moisture and odor and the same can be used in the kitchen to fulfill entire-house ventilation needs. Many older homes lack bathroom fans. Hence, when the bathroom becomes steamy or smelly, you need to open the window to allow the air out.
However, that wasn’t a good method of ventilation, especially when the weather is around 90 degrees Fahrenheit or temperatures below zero. Yet, in most cases, a bathroom with an operable window doesn’t need an exhaust fan. But the question is whether or not these fans can work effectively in the kitchen.
Typically, bathroom fans aren’t suitable for use in the kitchen. The first big reason is that the bathroom fan doesn’t have a filter inside them. So, when you use those kinds of fans in your kitchen, you would be left with nothing but frustration.
Many people have used bathroom fans in their kitchens and have faced consequences. Because the fans don’t have filters on them, grease or oil coming out from cooking vapors tend to build upon the fan blades. As a result, the motor seizes after some time and the fan stops working.
What are the benefits of using a bathroom fan in the kitchen?
A well-ventilated home is what everyone needs and exhaust fans come to the rescue in every situation. So, whether it is about the bathroom or kitchen, whenever you notice moist or oily walls, peeling paint or wallpaper, or a weird scent, you are sure that the space isn’t well-ventilated.
Exhaust fans in the kitchen are nothing new. However, you can see bathroom fans these days in many homes, and for good reasons. Exhaust fans keep your bathroom and kitchen in good shape and make the space more tolerable. Also, there are benefits of using bathroom fans in the kitchen as well.
1. Helps reduce humidity
Hot air builds up in the kitchen when you cook in the kitchen. In short, the air temperature increase significantly more than previous and you feel the sweat. When you use the fan, it relieves you from the uncomfortable, hot area. The bathroom fan helps you get rid of the hot temperature and cools the room to a great extent.
2. Helps reduce chances of fire
There is no denying that the bathroom fan used in the kitchen helps maintain a cool temperature. As a result, the chances of accidents caused by fire are reduced significantly. Hence, this is one of the biggest reasons why it is good to use a bathroom fan in your kitchen.
3. Effective in extraction
Bathroom fans are a bit powerful when it comes to extracting odors. And, that includes extraction of foul air, smoke, and steam smell from cooking. The bathroom extracts the smelly air and displaces them outside the home. That way, your kitchen becomes free from unwanted air.
Cooking produces particles that cover the ceiling and walls if they aren’t vacuumed at the right time. And, bathroom fans installed in the kitchen can resolve the issue significantly. Also, they are effective when it comes to keeping the nearby space clean.
What are the disadvantages of using a bathroom fan for the kitchen?
Extractor fans intended for use in both bathroom and kitchen helps to keep the air clean around you. Also, it helps a lot in reducing the risk associated with certain illnesses and diseases. After a bath or cooking dinner, the inside air temperature significantly increases compared to earlier.
But it is trickier to use a bathroom fan for the kitchen because of certain legitimate reasons. While it is true that the main purpose of an extractor fan is to relieve you from unwanted air from the area. Still, the situation in a bathroom and a kitchen are not the same. And, have to deal with it differently. Here are the major disadvantages.
1. Bathroom fans don’t have filters
The primary reason why it is not worthy to use a bathroom fan inside your kitchen is that the former doesn’t have filters on them. As a result, the particles that mix with the air get sucked out directly to the fan blades. If there was an inbuilt filter inside the fan, all the greasy particles would have stuck there.
Therefore, these unwanted particles tend to pile up on the fan blades over time and start causing trouble. Many people think that they will use the fan for a very limited amount of time. But even if you use the fan in limitation, you will have to face the day soon. And, cleaning those fans will annoy you surely.
2. Chances of improper installation
As you know, bathroom fans are designed specifically to be used in the said space. Hence, when you install them in your kitchen, issues might pop up after some time. And, that will come in the form of improper installation. There are certain criteria that an extractor fan has to follow when installed in the kitchen.
And, this is the only way to work effectively. So, when you install a bathroom fan in your kitchen, it is wise to work with an expert. They will make the machine work in the best possible without causing trouble. Despite that, chances of improper installation will always be there because the bathroom fan was not meant to be used in the kitchen in the first place.
Kitchen Ventilation Ideas
Improving kitchen airflow results in good health. But what can you do when you don’t have a fan to extract odor? You can reduce stuffy smells, and stale air, and reduce toxic elements from your cooking space by following the below-mentioned techniques.
1. Open windows
Opening the windows allow fresh air into the house and impacts airflow in the kitchen as well. Keeping the interior doors open along with a few windows creates a great flow of air. As such, it pushes the polluted, stagnant air out.
Keeping the windows open is better than spraying air fresheners to eliminate odor. In reality, these products mask odor and raise pollutant levels even without addressing the original cause.
2. Use window fans
Another great kitchen ventilation idea is to use a window fan. Sometimes a basic box with fans on it can do wonders. Even some of the models come with three fans on them. Hence, fit a sturdy fan into your kitchen window and close the window to fit it against the top of the fan.
However, make sure that you position the blade in the right direction so that the fan blows fresh air into the kitchen while eliminating the slate air. Keep in mind that the window fan will work if there is a window in your kitchen. If not, you can open windows in nearby rooms.
Alternatively, you can bring a fan in the kitchen and position it in the doorway. However, make sure that it is pointing outside the kitchen area. That way, smelly air gets sucked out from the kitchen leaving fresh air.
3. Buy a high-quality air purifier
When it comes to the effectiveness of range hoods, most of them aren’t regulated. Besides, some of them can filter only 15% of particulates. Air purifiers, on the other hand, have high-quality HEPA filters that can clean about 99.7% of particulates with 0.3 microns in size.
If you have a cardiovascular-related disease or suffer from asthma or even cook with gas, HEPA filters help you remove certain types of chemical sensitivities and improve kitchen ventilation.
4. Use a grease splatter guard
When you minimize grease in your kitchen, it improves the quality of air and reduces airborne and breathable particles at bay. A splatter guard or screen is a carbon lining that sits over the pan and absorbs odors.
It is an inexpensive item that makes your kitchen well-ventilated by capturing grease splatters. With grease splatter guards or screens, you can reduce the amount of gunk that sits on every corner of your kitchen.
5. Find out ways to induce a good smell
Try replacing unpleasant, lingering cooking smells with good cooking smells. But how can you do that? Take some citrus wedges and boil them in a pan over the stove. A slow cooker might be the right choice. That way, your kitchen will smell better.
So, the next time you cook something odorous such as seafood or cabbage, make a mixture of different spices and toss them in the Crockpot for about an hour. Lemon, vanilla, rosemary, orange, cloves, or cinnamon peels makes your kitchen smell great.
