How to Make a Homemade Dehumidifier

Last Updated on May 23, 2024 by Justin Williams

If you can’t afford an electrical dehumidifier, build a DIY rock salt dehumidifier

Preventing mold and mildew growth is a never-ending battle and you may not be able to purchase a top-rated dehumidifier right now. But there are homemade remedies to reduce indoor humidity levels that are affordable that you can do to escape those hot humid summer nights.

Even a homemade dehumidifier will help you remove excess moisture from the air effectively as long as you follow the instructions correctly. Through this article, you will learn how to make your own dehumidifier the easiest way.

A Homemade Dehumidifier

The Materials and Tools You Will Need to Build a Dehumidifier

To make the best homemade dehumidifier possible, you need the right materials and use the right tools. Here is a list of those items so you can protect your home without spending a lot of money:

  • A power drill
  • One fan
  • Tin snips
  • Rock Salt (you can replace it with other moisture absorbers as you want, like calcium chloride or silica gel)
  • 2 Buckets
  • 1 Stand
  • One pen
  • A hygrometer
  • A screwdriver
  • Netting or chicken wire


How to Make Homemade Dehumidifier – the Steps to Follow

Additional Tips: How to Dry a Room Without a Dehumidifier

Drying a room without a dehumidifier can be simpler than you think. Here’s a natural alternative to dehumidifiers:

  • Open Windows and Doors: This is the easiest method. Allow fresh air to flow through your space by keeping windows and doors open for several hours a day.
  • Use Fans: Place regular fans around the room to improve airflow. Point them towards windows or vents for better circulation.
  • Charcoal Briquettes: Charcoal isn’t just for barbecues. Place some briquettes in breathable bags or containers around the room; they’ll absorb excess moisture naturally.
  • Rice: Another great moisture absorber is rice. Put it in bowls and place them around your damp areas.

Additionally, consider hanging up desiccant materials, like those silica gel packs that come with new shoes or electronics. They can absorb humidity in small areas like closets or bathrooms.

Remember, managing humidity doesn’t necessarily need a gadget—sometimes nature has the best solutions!

Final Words


Do it yourself projects can save you a lot of money. Dehumidifiers are not always found on the inexpensive side of pricing. The good part of this homemade dehumidifier is that it does not use any electricity unless you have to add the fan.

Plus, you can make this version out of normal everyday items you have lying around the house. Protecting you, your family and your home is easy when you are on a budget.

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My name is Justin Williams. I am the founder and blogger at TheDehumidifierExperts.com (read more about us). I was an allergy sufferer and that is also the reason why I began my trek to finding the best dehumidifier for my own personal health issues. All of the dehumidifier top picks on the site were put through their paces by Lance Perez - our dehumidifier researcher. He put each one through a series of tests to see how well they performed. Then, our editorial team compiled the insights into articles and published them.

2 thoughts on “How to Make a Homemade Dehumidifier”

  1. I don’t understand this article. are you not going to give guidance on the amount of salt? are you not going to reference the size of the chicken wire? Are the images meant to reflect what you used?? I have a hard time believing that arrangement was used for the process described above. if you’re just copy pasting from other articles, atleast try to make it uniquely helpful. This article just made it clear either many blogs are copy-pasting or there’s not a lot of knowledge of DIY dehumidifier solutions. why would you leave out critical information meant to guide people in your custom recommendation?

    Reply
    • Hello,

      Thank you for your question. We appreciate the feedback and will make adjustments to help clarify this article in the future. However, we are not able to give guidance on the amount of salt due to the fact that it is dependent on a number of variables such as room size, humidity, temperature, and location of the dehumidifier, among others.

      The chicken wire size is also not being provided because it is really up to you. You can use whatever size is the most effective for your conditions, but I recommend not using too small of a gauge because you will find it very hard to handle.

      The images are meant to provide a general idea of how the unit is built and what tools you will need. You can easily change it to fit your conditions.

      We appreciate the feedback and will work to make the article more helpful with any future updates.

      Reply

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