As of: February 28, 2024, 1:30 p.m
By: Andrea Stettner
Comments
Press
Split
Whether cooking pasta, steaming or frying – a lot of steam is created in the kitchen.
And that can quickly become a problem.
Then proper ventilation is required.
When cooking, the air humidity can rise quickly - and dramatically - due to the resulting water vapor.
If it remains elevated for a long time, mold can develop.
This is not only a visual problem, but can also be harmful to health and impair the quality of living.
That's why it's important to ventilate properly, especially in the kitchen.
How do you properly ventilate the kitchen?
There is often a high level of humidity in the kitchen after cooking, which must be transported outside through proper ventilation.
© Florian Küttler/Imago
The
Federal Environment Agency
recommends such
“Moisture peaks” that arise during cooking should be removed immediately through intensive window ventilation.
If the window is wide open, the water vapor can escape and the humidity can quickly drop again.
The Federal Environment Agency
also recommends
closing the kitchen door when cooking.
This means that the steam does not spread into the adjacent rooms.
How long should the kitchen be ventilated?
It is not possible to say in general terms how long the kitchen should be ventilated.
This also depends on the size of the open window as well as the inside and outside temperature.
However, a hygrometer, which measures the humidity in the rooms, offers good orientation.
To prevent mold, the humidity should not be permanently above 60 percent.
In winter, the rooms should be ventilated at values between 50 and 60 percent.
You can find everything about household and garden tips in the regular living newsletter from our partner Merkur.de.
Login here!
Extractor hood can reduce humidity and prevent grease deposits
An extractor hood with exhaust air can also reduce humidity as the water vapor is directly directed outside.
If you don't have an extractor hood, you have to ventilate better - and not just because of the humidity.
The extractor hood ensures that fat particles and other food odors are directed outside or at least filtered out when cooking.
If there is no extractor hood, the fine grease particles settle on kitchen cupboards, curtains or kitchen appliances.
A sticky grease film is created that is difficult to remove.
According to the consumer advice center
, without an extractor hood it is
even more important to ventilate when cooking so that steam, odors and frying fat quickly find their way out.
By the way, home remedies can help you clean sticky extractor hoods.