Peeling Wallpaper? Try A Dehumidifier Hack

Choosing the right wallpaper for your space is a fantastic way to personalize your home and dramatically impact its overall look and feel. While properly installed wallpaper can last at least 15 years (substantially longer than the five to 10 years of a coating of paint), it's not without potential downsides and minor need for repair. One of the more common issues with wallpaper is that it starts to peel from the wall, often due to moisture issues. If you notice that your wallpaper is peeling from your wall, set up a dehumidifier in the room to keep moisture at bay. You might not notice immediate results, but after a few days, you should see the wallpaper begin to stick back to the wall as the moisture levels decrease.

Is this hack too good to be true? Can you really solve the mystery of peeling wallpaper with a simple humidifier? As long as the wallpaper is peeling due to moisture and not a more complex reason, such as improper installation or inadequate surface preparation, then yes, the fix can be that simple.

Dehumidifiers work by drawing in moist air, removing the excess water vapor through condensation, and then releasing drier air back into the room. You need to know how to choose the right size dehumidifier for your space, because an undersized unit doesn't effectively lower the humidity while an oversized unit might remove moisture too quickly and lead to a dry environment. Many dehumidifiers have a humidity setting, where you can set the preferred humidity level and forget it — just don't forget to empty the tank.

In most homes, you want a humidity level of 40% to 60%. Too low makes your home feel dry and can cause chapped lips and rough skin. Too high and you experience issues such as mold growth and condensation on windows, in addition to peeling wallpaper. Wallpaper absorbs excess moisture from the air, causing the adhesive to weaken and the paper to expand and detach from the wall surface. Peeling wallpaper is one surefire sign you should run a dehumidifier in your house, since it strongly indicates that the humidity levels in your home are consistently too high. The dehumidifier removes the excess moisture from the paper, allowing it to dry out and, in many cases, re-adhere to the wall as it shrinks back to its original size.