Drying rooms: A great investment for industrial and commercial buildings

No matter how much we wish, we can’t control the weather. And when the rainy season rolls around, it can cause plenty of discomfort. Whether your employees or guests get around by foot or bike, or a large percentage of your team’s work is done outdoors, showery conditions mean garments can get drenched quickly.

But wet clothes are more than just uncomfortable to wear. Depending on where you store them to dry out, they can have costly consequences for the wellbeing of your people, the performance of your equipment, and the hygiene standards of your industrial or commercial building.

From mould and mildew growth that jeopardise your team’s health, to water finding its way into the very fabric of your buildings. These humid environments can be the source of respiratory problems, equipment malfunctions and irreparable structural damage if left unchecked.

So, while you can’t control the weather, you can control the environment they are stored in. Cut drying times. Eliminate high humidity. Prevent condensation. All by introducing a commercial drying room.

What is a drying room?

As the name suggests, a drying room is a dedicated space in your commercial or industrial facilities for the drying of wet clothing and equipment. This is achieved by installing a dehumidification solution in the room that actively removes moisture from the air.

Alongside the use of a heater, this approach ensures that the relative humidity (RH) within this space stays at the right level to efficiently dry your items. This results in faster, more thorough drying, and importantly stops water vapour from causing any ongoing damage to your building materials, equipment and beyond.

This means constant mould prevention. Efficient drying of soaked clothing and tools. Reduced health risks for your employees and customers. Simply put, a game-changing solution for the wetter months of the year.

Why can’t I just turn up the heating?

Heat does lift moisture from clothing and equipment, which is why many closets and storage rooms employ radiators and other heating systems. However, without an effective ventilation system in place, this only adds to humidity in the air.

This is because as air warms up, it can hold more water vapour. With nowhere to escape, when this humid air touches a cold surface or the temperature drops, this moisture condenses back on your surfaces and equipment – perfect for mould to grow and water damage to gradually take hold.

How much more energy efficient is a dehumidifier-powered drying room than traditional heat and ventilation?

To accelerate the drying process, a high-quality dehumidification solution will convert the energy taken from the moisture in your drying room to provide useful heat, in turn speeding up the drying of clothes and equipment.

In a nutshell, the energy recycling of a commercial dehumidifier means faster drying and cheaper bills. In fact, the potential long-term energy savings are huge, often reducing running costs by up to 75% compared with traditional heat and ventilation energy usage.

How do drying rooms make a difference in commercial and industrial buildings?

Drying rooms are becoming increasingly widespread in Europe, taking care of a wide range of moisture-related issues in practically any commercial or industrial setting. Below are just a few examples where a drying room can make a real difference:

Gyms, swimming pools and athletic facilities

From sweat-soaked gear to drenched raincoats, a drying room helps these items dry faster. This helps ensure your personnel and customers can go home dry, making their workout sessions a much more comfortable experience.

Construction sites

Few industries have to contend with the weather as frequently as construction. By converting a modular building on-site into a drying room, workers can dry off their wet clothing, PPE and equipment between shifts, so they’re ready to use when required.

Factories and warehouses

Similarly, a drying room in your factory or warehouse can deal with your workforces’ wet clothing and PPE, and efficiently dry equipment and goods that get caught in the rain.

Hotels

While you’d love to promise guests sunshine and clear skies, good weather is never a guarantee. A dedicated drying room allows your guests to quickly dry out any wet clothes or footwear, improving their experience and stopping damp air spreading across your hotel.

Offices

To stop excessive moisture from eating away at your buildings and producing mould, many offices today use drying rooms to take care of wet coats, umbrellas and more after a rain-filled commute.

Can I install a drying room in an existing room or space?

Yes, a drying room can be retrofitted into an existing storage room, closet or another vacant room in your property. While more and more developers are incorporating drying rooms into their building designs, retrofitting is a viable alternative for pre-existing buildings.

Drying room installation done properly by Dantherm Group

If you’re now ready to unlock the health, comfort and cost benefits of a dedicated drying room, we are the team you can trust to deliver the most efficient system for your needs.

At Dantherm Group, our floor-standing and wall-mounted condensation dehumidifiers set the standard for humidity management across Europe. Powerful, simple to install and automatically adapting to any changes in temperature or humidity, our solutions give you complete control at all times.

With over six decades of experience behind us, we have the technical knowledge and technology to create a drying room anywhere in your buildings, tailored to your exact requirements.

For more on our range of solutions, our installation process and how we help you get the best return on this investment, get in touch with us today.