Hello,
I have asthma and my husband has pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, we are both finding it hard with the heat and humidity.
Does anyone know if it helps to reduce the humidity by using a dehumidifier?
We know all about keeping the house cool, and use an air filter with a fan, but wonder what else we can do. Any ideas?
Many thanks. x
If you tap dehumidifier in the search box top right you can see old relevant posts , but I think some of them mix up humidifier and dehumidifier .
I tried a humidifier to moisten dry air in winter ….disaster , wet floor , walls window ….like having a kettle boiling in the room . I think I must have misread instructions . Have to take care with sterilising it so not to spread mould . Went in the bin .
We have a dehumidifier in the garage for my OH classic car to keep it dry , but never tried it in the house .
The asthma and lung uk website have an item on Looking after your lungs in hot weather . NHS too .
Best wishes .
Thanks for taking the time to reply - appreciate it. I'll try the search book and see if anyone has shared their experiences.
That’s OK , I have a humidity and temperature monitor ….humidity is high at the moment ….but weather is changing on Sunday here .
Take care .
Hi I use a dehumidifier in the winter to dry clothes and keep moisture out of the house but cannot be in the room with it on as I have asthma bronchiectasis and copd andbit sucks all the moisture from my nose and throat causing irritated airways an cough.
Oh my god yes!! Thanks to a poster on here we have, a week today, got a dehumidifier. It seems the best thing we have ever bought. I’m totally shocked the amount of water it’s taking out. Since last Saturday I’ve emptied the 2.5 litre tank 6 times. We can already feel the difference in air quality, sleeping better, coughing stopped. It serves 3 rooms in our sleeping area. Now we have to save for one downstairs. I wish I’d known about dehumidifiers years agol It seems they don’t cost much to run but I’m monitoring this x
That's sounds fantastic. I think I will have to get one and see if it gets rid of my morning coughing everyday. Brian
Exactly that! Will is always worse in the mornings. Usually he sits on the side of the bed for ages coughing, struggling to collect himself, sucking on inhaler and takes him hours before he can walk downstairs for a coffee as too breathless. But not so this last week! Early days but it looks extremely promising…
Ps Today, hot day. I see humidity on top floor where dehumidifier is placed is 55%. Downstairs however it is 88%. I can feel the effect on breathing when entering the higher humidity rooms
That sounds Amazing. I start coughing as soon as I am having a wash. And then obviously I am struggling to breathe with the coughing. I sometimes have to sit down and get my breath before getting dressed. My oxygen levels go down to 91. I find my coughing is eased after having a hotish cup of coffee. Thanks for the information. Brian
For more discussion on dehumidifiers find Sufferers post ‘have I cured myself of COPD?’
Sounds great!...I can't find 'Sufferers' post - how do I find it please? Also, which dehumidifier did you buy?? Thanks
I think I found it again by putting in ‘Sufferer’ in the search bar. We are not allowed to promote things are we? But I got one from Amazon from Avalla Dehumdifiers. Very eco, easy to use for a technological idiot like me. I have no connection with them and gain nothing from recommending. There are plenty of other dehumidifiers out there. First I got mechanical humidity gauges, one in each room and monitored for a time. When I saw how high the readings were I went on to find a dehumidifier we could afford. X
really that much difference ?sounds as if we all should have one
I use a dehumidifier when needed. The amount of water in the tank is incredible! I strongly recommend using one. It definitely will help.
We have a dehumidifier running spring and summer in our basement. Amazing how much water is removed!! I have emphysema and asthma and a horrible allergic reaction to mold.... and too much moisture in the house helps grow mold.We also have central air conditioning which has been a blessing in our hot humid weather. Opening windows only lets in pollen and humidity! So... yes the dehumidifier really helps me.
After checking the humidity in my flat I have just purchased a dehumidifier, I only use it when necessary as after checking my smart meter it's costing 7p an hour, doesn't sound much but since price increase it s a lot if running one all day.It shocked me how quickly it takes down the humidity levels so very pleased I have it.
Thanks for that. I was concerned about running costs and we don’t have a smart meter. We have been running ours continually over last week. Our house is very old and crumbly! Ours seems to switch off when humidity is lowered to humidity level you choose. Ours is fixed at 55%. But I’m not sure yet. I can see from the gauges we bought (8 quid from Amazon) if humidity is high so maybe we should only run it then? Early days yet but it shocking the water it takes out.
Hi, yes I purchased 2 hygrometer and after purchasing my dehumidifier which is a 10 ltr one found they were reading 5% higher than the dehumidifier, but yes your right it does cut off once humidity level is reached so probably not as costly as I thought, if they help healthwise that's the main thing.
Hi there
My son is decorating my bungalow and when he had plastered the first room I could barely breathe, it felt like a sauna. He brought round a dehumidifier and it felt better almost immediately. It needed emptying every few hours but what a difference it made! It's great in humid weather too. I have emphysema.
I definitely recommend getting one. The worst part for me, is bending down to empty it!
Thank you so much for all the replies, really helpful. I will definitely get a humidity gauge and look at buying a dehumidifier.
I am allergic to moulds and the heat and high humidity we've been experiencing hasn't helped!
Low humidity 
High Humidity early hours
High Humidity 
Humidity?
