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Original poster

Windowless bathrooms, are they awful?

64 replies

lavenderscenteddrawerliners · 19/05/2026 07:29

I've just accepted a SH flat that has no windows in the bathroom or WC. The housing officer said they have proper ventilation (looks like a smoke alarm) but I'm expecting major issues with mould. I'm hoping posters might come along and say it will be fine [wishful thinking]

OP posts:
NorthernExpat · 19/05/2026 08:30

another vote for keeping wet towels elsewhere. We have quick drying waffle texture not the heavy cotton and they go straight into a room with an open window after use. Makes all the difference.

notdaniel · 19/05/2026 08:41

have lived in my apartment for 20 years, neither bathroom has a window. No mould. I do run the extractor fan and leave the door ajar too

Chemenger · 19/05/2026 08:44

We have two. We do squeegee after showers, the fan isn’t enough to dry the shower screen. Never had mould.

honeylulu · 19/05/2026 08:46

I've lived in a couple of properties with an internal bathroom (with fan) and they were fine and no more damp/mould than any other bathroom.

One bathroom was quite dark and depressing as it had just been "bunged in" by partioning part of a bedroom. The other was designed like that purposely and worked better aesthetically.

umberellaonesie · 19/05/2026 08:47

We have one. It was an addition due to an extension. We have a good extractor fan and I run a dehumidifier in there daily ( just wheel it in after showers). No mould

onwardandupwards · 19/05/2026 08:49

Been in my home 26 years, no window in bathroom or hallway, ( no window in downstairs loo either) I have a dehumifier outside the bathroom door, and during the colder months I pop a heater in there just to warm it up as the radiator in there is tiny. I open bedroom windows daily so the air can get around, 5 of us in our house, a couple of them shower twice daily and zero issues with mould.

RockinCara · 19/05/2026 09:09

PinkEasterbunny · 19/05/2026 08:09

Be careful that a noisy fan doesn’t come on if you use the loo in the night, waking up the whole house!

Show quote history

The fan can be turned off. We tend to put our fan on when we need a poop or a shower.

My last house had no window in the bathroom and we never had a problem in 18 years. Current house has a bathroom with a window and one without. I prefer the one without. Again it has no issues.

(both fully tiled with good fans)

NorthFacingGardener · 19/05/2026 09:14

There needs to be an extractor fan… if there isn’t one, can you ask for one to be put in?

We have very quiet ones that are on all the time and apparently can tell how humid the air is and speed up after you’ve had a shower. They’re not linked to the light and I genuinely don’t notice a noise.
Maybe the thing you said looked like a smoke alarm is one of those? Either way you should probably check, and if there isn’t one ask for one to be installed.

SaltedCaramelBlondie · 19/05/2026 09:15

No problem at all with a decent fan. My last house was townhouse style, with the family bathroom in the middle of the middle floor, no windows, and it was never damp, musty or any sign of mould. The extractor was linked to the light switch and I assume vented outside somewhere.
Current house has a bathroom with a window and I would dearly love to brick it up, it's a total waste of space and affects how the room can be configured.

managingexpectations · 19/05/2026 09:16

i have one it’s fine. It’s not ideal but I liked the rest of the house. I’ve got a decent extractor, I open a bedroom and the landing window and occasionally, about once a month, run a dehumidifier. I leave the bathroom door ajar once I’m done for circulation and make sure that radiator doesn’t get turned off. Never had any issue with mould

Newnewcoffee · 19/05/2026 09:18

I had one. Agree you need to allow air from other rooms. Make sure it’s properly vented out through the roof. Although I had an extractor fan, The pipe in the loft wasn’t attached to any outside ventilation vent and all the moisture from the bathroom that was extracted just ended up in the loft making all of the stuff that I stored up there and wet and damp. Once I sorted that it was okay.

That was a few years ago if I was in a similar situation now I would probably run a dehumidifier upstairs for an hour day or so

MrThorpeHazell · 19/05/2026 10:05

MIL has one. A pain in summer with no natural light but bloody wonderful in winter when they are so warm and cosy.

That's what she says.

rainbowunicorn22 · 19/05/2026 10:18

On one hand, you do not have privacy issues or have to fiddle with blinds etc t achieve that
if it has decent extractor fan you should be fine keep a nearby window open when shower is over etc

MadisonAvenue · 19/05/2026 10:21

One of the bathrooms in our last house was windowless, we lived there for 14 years with no problems at all.

CointreauVersial · 19/05/2026 10:24

I have spent many years living in houses or flats with windowless bathrooms - as long as there is a good fan, and the door is left open after using it, I have never had a problem. I mean....you sometimes get black mould in the shower sealant after a while, but that happens in every bathroom!

Somersetbaker · 19/05/2026 10:30

What you saw was definitely a fan, rather than a smoke detector. It may be faulty, or more likely turned off if it's not working at all. In a bathroom with no window it should be installed to run at low speed when the light is off and high speed when the light is on with a 10-15 minute run on when the light goes off. My en-suite works like that - no mould, the main bathroom (which does have a window) is also like that, to comply with building regs.

2026me · 19/05/2026 11:13

Lived in plenty of homes with bathrooms with no window, can’t say ever had problems with mould, funny enough now I have a massive bathroom window, we do get mould!

I do prefer a window just for light and a windowsill, but never had any actual issues without.

DilemmaDelilah · 19/05/2026 13:11

I have had one. Lived there around 10 years and never had mould.

mondaytosunday · 19/05/2026 13:34

A flat I rent out has a windowless bathroom and there’s never been an issue with mould. Good ventilation should take care of the moisture.

Brandyb · 19/05/2026 13:37

We just installed a dehumidifying extractor fan in the bathroom and have been able to get rid of our dehumidifier in the hallway outside the bathroom. Seems to work well and keeps humidity to around 50%. No mould a few months in.

Sodthesystem · 19/05/2026 13:40

I had one for about 8 years and at one point we had a little but i just took a cloth to the cieling (on the end of a mop handle) and that saw to it. Made a point of leaving the bathroom door open after a shower in future.

FalseSpring · 19/05/2026 15:30

I've never had any mould in mine (been here 5 years). Keep the heat on as much as possible and run the fan for an hour after you have used the shower/bath.

Seelybee · 19/05/2026 16:12

@lavenderscenteddrawerlinersif it's SH the bathroom will almost certainly have a humidity tracking extractor fan. Air the room regularly too and it will be fine.

mumumental · 19/05/2026 16:20

If you have a problem, I assume you could replace the fan with a stronger one quite cheaply. We just had a new bathroom and our plumber removed the fan for a much stronger one. We do have windows, but the point remains.

Balloonhearts · 19/05/2026 16:28

No mould in mine. I have the same, extractor fan that looks like a smoke alarm but no window. I leave door ajar most of the time and run the fan after baths or showers. Never had any damp issues at all. Obviously use silk paint, not matt as it's a bathroom but it's been absolutely fine.

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