Salt Lamp vs Dehumidifier | Will a Salt Lamp Dehumidify?

Ever heard of Himalayan salt lamps? At face value, what you see is a large chunk of pink rock, mined and carved out of the mountains of the Himalayas. As a product, a salt lamp is a large and decorative item; sort of like a salmon-colored crystal.

But when you turn it on, what you see is a soft, soothing pinkish glow. Salt lamps are often considered as home and wellness products that can help people relax and free themselves up from stress. Added to this are certain speculations that salt lamps can act as natural dehumidifiers.

When we talk about dehumidifiers, we’re referring to appliances specifically designed to reduce the moisture content in indoor air and keep humidity at prescribed levels.

Many consider salt lamps a natural dehumidifier with the ability to reduce indoor humidity as well. But is this true?

Will A Salt Lamp Dehumidify?

This is a million-dollar question and the simple answer is Yes. Salt is known as a natural desiccant, which is able to absorb moisture. Ever wonder why salt might cake when left in a salt shaker in humid weather?

It’s simple; it absorbs moisture and that causes the grains to glue themselves together. A more effective natural dehumidifier will be rock salt- which salt lamp is considered to be. Sodium chloride is naturally hydroscopic and is able to absorb moisture in the air quite significantly.

This is why calcium silicate is often added to your table salt to help prevent this caking. Some other people add rice. As a naturally sourced salt, the Himalayan salt lamp is basically sodium chloride, even though it may contain some traces of iron, zinc and potassium.

Therefore, it is safe to say that salt lamps dehumidify and can help to reduce the moisture content in the air.

So, you can leave them turned off when the weather is dry. However, if they start “crying” when humidity rises, it is time to turn them on to help reduce moisture in your home.

This is particularly good in very humid regions like coastal cities or if you live by the lake or river bank. Asides dehumidifying, salt lamps may also help to neutralize some type of odors in your room, especially those caused by excess humidity.

You must also be careful because salt lamps may ‘drip’ or sweat if your room is highly humid and your lamp is turned off. It is important to leave it on as long as there is moisture in the air that needs to be removed.

This will ensure the heat dissipates the moisture the lamp absorbs. Some advocates say the lamp releases negative ions in the air which can have an effect on air quality.

Salt Lamp vs Dehumidifier

With everything a salt lamp does,  should we use it instead of a dehumidifier? How do both appliances compare? What advantages does one have over the other?

Similarities

• Both the dehumidifier and the salt lamp work with electricity.

• The salt lamp and the dehumidifier both collect moisture from the air.

• They are both indoor appliances for home use.

Differences

• By design, a Himalayan salt lamp and dehumidifier are two different appliances, built for different purposes. While a salt lamp is primarily meant to lift mood and ease tension as a result of its pink glow, a dehumidifier is primarily built to dehumidify your home. Salt lamps may only dehumidify secondarily. Furthermore, salt lamp is more or less a collection of small pinkish rocks with bulbs within to light up and illuminate the salt rocks.

• The dehumidifier is a box-like appliance with vents, filters and tanks, etc. The salt lamp, on the other hand, is merely naturally collected salt rocks in a bowl-like object and a plugged in bulb to produce light.

• A dehumidifier can cover more space because of its mode of operation. It has a fan that blows out the cooler, drier air into the room. Meanwhile, salt lamp may only remove moisture within its space.

• The moisture-removing capacity of the dehumidifier is way larger than that of a salt lamp. Where a standard dehumidifier may remove between 15% and 25% of the moisture in the room within a few hours, the himalayan salt lamp may not be able to exceed 10% removal capacity.

Where Is the Best Place to Put a Salt Lamp?

The best place to put your salt lamp is on a side or coffee table. It can be placed just beside your chair while you sit to watch the evening news. Another good spot to keep a salt lamp is on a shelf in your home.

Ensure it is placed on an object too high for your kids and pets to reach, so they don’t knock them over.

This elevated position will also ensure nothing obstructs the glow of the lamp. It can also be placed on your office table, your massage room or anywhere else in your home or office.

Where Should You Not Put a Salt Lamp On?

If you live in a very dry area with little or no humidity, you may not have to put on your salt lamp, except for other purposes.

In terms of locations to put the lamp, avoid wet places which may cause the salt to dissolve. Also, do not keep it where kids can knock it over and cause an injury.

Furthermore, ensure it is out of reach of pets because dogs or cats may ingest too much salt which can cause salt toxicity, with symptoms like seizures, diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness or even death.

Top 3 Best Salt Lamps That Effectively Dehumidify

1. Himalayan Glow Natural Pink Salt Lamp [Value for Money]

One amazing feature is its neem wooden base which is durable, termite-resistant and shrink-resistant. What’s more, this wooden base protects the appliance from corrosion which moisture may cause, giving it the long-lasting value that we all desire.

The Himalayan Glow Natural Salt Lamp is portable and designed to sit comfortably on your coffee table, or a side table by the chair.

The warm Amber glow produced by the included 15-watt bulb offers an amazing ambiance of calm and relaxation. It is a perfect gift for your loved ones and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

2. LENUMB White Noise Himalayan Salt Lamp [Best Price]

As a naturally mined salt rock from the Himalayas, this sodium chloride is a great way to effectively dehumidify your home while enjoying the other many benefits of the product.

It is a highly technologically advanced appliance with two bulbs and beautiful pinkish crystals that glow when turned on.

The unit also has 5 levels of brightness and 21 different sounds to choose from, each giving you a different mood. There’s a remote control for easy operation and you can enjoy this during sleep, yoga, meditation and for its dehumidifying quality.

3. UMAID Natural Himalayan Rock Sea Salt Lamp [Value for Money]

Salt is a natural desiccant, and whether intentionally deployed or not, this product can help to reduce moisture in your home. The style is modern, rustic and classic. For looks, this suits your interior decor perfectly and complements your furniture and lighting.

Whether it’s on your bedside drawer, for meditation or yoga or even as a night lamp, the uses of this UNMAID salt lamp are inexhaustible.

The 6 massage balls combine with the salt bowl to give you the perfect mood, soothing and calming air with significantly reduced humidity.

Final Words:

Salt lamps should be regarded as one of the wonders of nature. Hand-sourced from the rich Himalayan mountains, these crystals and rocks are purported to provide the right ionic balance in the air for purification and freshness.

They are also pleasant to look at, can help you fall asleep or meditate and can simply be used as an aesthetic lamp at night. But that’s not all; as natural salt, these lamps are rich in sodium chloride which act as a naturally-occuring desiccant.

When properly deployed, salt lamps can help to reduce moisture in no small measure. However, a salt lamp may not be able to quickly deal with excess humidity in high humid climates.