How To Circulate The Air In A Bedroom

Is your bedroom feeling stuffy and making it difficult to sleep? Poor air circulation can decrease your bedroom's air quality and make you feel uncomfortable. Many simple ways to circulate the air in a bedroom help improve your sleeping environment so your bedroom can feel like a relaxing oasis that helps you get the rest you need.

If your bedroom already has a ceiling fan, you have an easy tool for circulating air. Choose the correct ceiling fan direction based on the season to help you feel cooler or warmer while in your bedroom. Using ceiling fans in the winter calls for a clockwise rotation to push warmed air down from the ceiling, while a counterclockwise motion in the summer helps keep you cool.

One floor fan moves air around in your bedroom, but positioning two fans strategically can improve air circulation significantly to increase bedroom comfort. Place one floor fan in your door to one side pointing into your room so it draws air in the bedroom. Place the other fan on the other side of the door pointing out of the room so it blows air out of the bedroom. This arrangement causes air to come into the room and circle around your room. It helps move stale air out of your bedroom and bring fresh air into the room.

If your bedroom lacks proper ventilation, you can create cross-ventilation using the windows in your room. One simple option is to open the windows in multiple rooms, especially the room across from the bedroom. This allows outside air to flow through your home, creating cross-ventilation that helps keep the air flowing.

You can also increase ventilation within the room if you have double-hung windows. Open the top and bottom sashes at the same time, leaving each sash partially open. This helps the air circulate through the window.

If your bedroom has registers connected to a forced-air system, installing an air exchanger can help you breathe easier throughout your house. The unit connects to your HVAC system's ductwork and uses fans to remove stale air from inside your home and pull in fresh air from outside your home. Air exchangers can help improve air quality, decrease indoor humidity, cut down on odors and reduce the chance of mold and mildew growth in addition to bringing in fresh air.

Your HVAC system cycles air through the system while warming or cooling your home. You don't always need to heat or cool your home, but you can still use the system to keep the air moving everywhere, including your bedroom. Set the system to run the fan, which draws the home's air through the filter and sends it back through the registers. Many window air conditioners also have a fan mode to help circulate air even when you don't need cooling.

The dual fan units designed to fit into your window often have an air exchange option that can help circulate the bedroom air. The two fans on these units operate independently. You can have them both pull in air, have them both blow air out the window or have one blowing in and one blowing out to exchange the stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air. These fans typically fit into an open window and have accordion-style expansion pieces to fit the width of most windows.