Are bathrooms without windows as bad as they sound? Extractor fans can only do so much surely, without actual fresh air? (pic is detached house!)

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BazzaFox@reddit

I have an e-suite with shower in the middle of the house with extractor fan that we rarely use. No problems at all apart from mould appears on the silicon sealant quite regularly whereas in the main bathroom and other en-suite which have windows never get any. I put it down to lack of natural light.

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Gold-Creme-9597@reddit

Mine doesnt have a window and is in the middle of my property. I've never had any issues with damp etc and am in an old property! If you ventilate you're fine and its cosy 😄

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handtoglandwombat@reddit

How do you ventilate?

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Rude-Possibility4682@reddit

Christ how many bathrooms do you need upstairs… I'd be happy with one, mines in my basement.

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poptimist185@reddit

I had to do a double take - an en suite but two shared bathrooms for three bedrooms in a family home is absurd.

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VolcanicBear@reddit

Good job this is a four bedroom house then.

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nfoote@reddit (OP)

There's another bedroom and ensuite in the loft too lol (not my house, seen on Rightmove)

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shredditorburnit@reddit

Depends how big your family is I guess.

If I had to fight for a slot in the bathroom every morning, I'd probably put in another one.

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Dumuzzid@reddit

I have one, it's fine, but make sure you can leave the extractor fan on separately, without the lights being turned on. After a particularly smelly poo, or steamy shower, it needs to run for quite a while. However, in good weather, make sure you can easily air it out, much faster and doesn't use electricity.

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handtoglandwombat@reddit

Mine is really really bad. An extractor fan can only do so much without a different route for fresh air to get in and replace the displaced air. That’s why to properly ventilate a bathroom, you ideally want to run the extractor fan and crack a window at the same time. I’m not really sure how to solve my damp issues. I have some ideas but haven’t tested them yet.

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theabominablewonder@reddit

Mine was always fine. I did make sure to upgrade the fan to ensure it was working properly but never any issues. Get good ventilation and good lighting and it’s fine really. Obviously though a window in any room is always preferred.

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WinkyNurdo@reddit

The bathroom in my flat does not have a window, but the flat has windows and french doors on both sides and is very airy. I run an extractor fan in the colder months to dry my washing, arranged in the bathroom; this easily sorts anything that could be an issue.

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Decard_Pain@reddit

A lot of ensuites are done this way, not the extractor is often not enough. We have one and I've been fighting mould for years, redid the silicone with anti mould stuff and it's a lot better but still not perfect.

Now we open the door and have the extractor on after a shower and it works a lot better

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Alundra828@reddit

My shared bathroom doesn't have windows. And it's fucking amazing.

I will often not have a bath in my en suite, and go in there because you can turn out all the lights, and it is PITCH black like a sensory deprivation tank. It's so cool and relaxing.

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nonoanddefinitelyno@reddit

Have you ever stayed in a hotel that has a bathroom with a window?

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cameroncafe10a@reddit

As long as you wipe down walls after showering etc. should be ok

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DryJackfruit6610@reddit

We just use a dehumidifier every time we shower, there is an extractor fan but its shit

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pickledperceptions@reddit

I've got a bathroom with no windows and I DID have an issue! But once the landlord decided to paint in eggshell not just matt white, and installed a new extractor it was fine.

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Misty_Pix@reddit

I used to live in a flat and there were no windows in bathroom/s just extractor fans, had no damp/mold issues in there at all.

The only thing need to watch for, in newer houses/flats the extractor fan is connected to lights,instead of being seperate, so whenever you switch lights on the fan is turned on too. Now, that is fine subject to the fan also not turning off with the lights, but after certain amount of time. Otherwise you may need to leave the lights on for 30minutes for the extractor fan to do its job.

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Radiant_Office6445@reddit

Had one growing up called The Cludge. Gosh I can still remember getting up in the night for a wee and ending up reading Peanuts compilations for ages, til my legs went dead. I'd usually get caught tho because the extractor came. On with the light and it was so loud haha. Don't remember the smell stuff being such an issue though,tbf.

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Relative_Dimensions@reddit

I prefer a window because I like natural light, but I’ve never had a ventilation problem with internal shower rooms.

My main problem with a windowless bathroom would be the noise from the fan while I’m in the bath.

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5c0ttgreen@reddit

My bathroom has no windows. Never had an issue with it.

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Existingsquid@reddit

I lived in a flat with a bathroom with no windows just an extractor, the ceiling had to be bleached and scrubbed every 3 months to keep mould under control. I’d shower with the door open and the kitchen window open to try and control moisture.

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necronomicoder@reddit

Both of my bathrooms just have ventilation and they are perfectly fine. In fact this is normal for flats. It's all about ventilation. I actually had more issues with my previous house and mould with a window, it would fog up.

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ooh-sheet@reddit

I have a house set up like this. Even the downstairs toilet doesn’t have a window. The upper bathroom though is horrible for maintaining moisture, we have a fan that’s designed to run 24/7 and kicks in for bursts when it detects greater need, but it still feels like a window would work much better.

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Kami-Yeldo@reddit

I have a bathroom without any windows in my flat and it's just fine, no mould whatsoever, extraction fans do their job. You just have to be smart and mindful as well...Don't leave it steaming inside, if you've had a shower, leave the door open aftewards once you finish so the air can circulate, if you close it down obviously you will make it damp.

I've been living in flats with closed bathrooms/no window for the last 8 years and 0 issues

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