When I think through the things that we chose to keep in our Tiny House there are many things that pop to mind first. Things I use every day like my frying pan or things that bring me joy like our photo books. But truthfully there is ONE THING that I consider to be an essential – and its probably not what you think!
Having 4 people in about 25m2 of space counting the lofts means there is a lot of nice warm, moist air being breathed into a small space. Plus the steam from cooking or showering means that ventilation is vital! Every space has windows and we tried to arrange cross breeze access as much as we could. Even so, to keep on top of moisture content we find the one item that is most vital in our home is actually an electric dehumidifier.
We have lived in sub-tropical environments with 90% plus humidity in summer and now in Victorian highlands where winter is cold and damp. In both cases our dehumidifier helps us keep our home dry! It’s been really surprising actually just how much water it can suck out! In total we have 9 windows in our home plus the front door and we open up the house as much as possible! I even leave the windows open just a crack even in winter which helps immensely! The kitchen exhaust fan is run whenever cooking in the kitchen and the bathroom has a small fan that runs all the time as a part of the composting toilet set up.
Despite all that ventilation the dehumidifier still fills up at least once a week which stops all that moisture building up in places that it really shouldn’t be! I know, it’s not a particularly exciting item. Still, I consider it one of my most vital items for living as a family in a Tiny House. And it is not an item I would have really considered until such time as we moved in here and lived in the climates that we have lived in!
I’d love to hear from you what you would consider your most essential item?