Mould can turn your grooming salon or mobile grooming van into a grooming nightmare. Besides the horrid conditions condensation can create, it's also a breeding ground for parasites to live and breathe in, smells and allergens linger, your health can deteriorate and it adds to the time it takes to dry a dog. Here are the reasons why.
Humidity
As you blast and dry the coat of a dog, humidity rises from the heat and water from the animal's coat and from the equipment you are using, forming condensation.
You can first spot high humidity in your salon by looking for condensation. Condensation can form when humid air contacts a wet surface.
In a grooming environment, high humidity is the biggest challenge a groomer faces. Mould and fungus thrive in humid environments over 50%. The fungus can grow on almost anything, and over time it can destroy your structure and materials.
Many groomers fail to appreciate excess humidity contributes to slow drying time, it contributes to groomers' lung and it deteriorates the working environment.
For more information regarding groomers lung, please click here to read one of our previous blogs.
Respiratory problems are common when working in a mouldy environment. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, sneezing and a sore throat. These symptoms are usually mild but can become chronic if you are exposed to a mouldy environment over a period of time.
Temperature
It will also take longer to dry a dog's coat in a cold grooming environment and a lower humidity will be required for drying. A 20-degree increase in temperature doubles the amount of moisture that air can hold.
The ideal grooming salon drying environment should be set at between 70-80 degrees with a humidity level lower than 45 Rh.
Air Movement
The movement of air in your grooming salon contributes to faster grooming times and stops stagnant air from becoming moist and humid. When designing your grooming facility, you should consider air circulation and air exchange.
By providing fresh air, you can increase the drying capacity, improve the work environment, and prevent you from inhaling pathogens.
The importance of supporting products to improve salon air quality.
Salon De-humidifier
Having a salon de-humidifier can be a cost effective way of making your grooming salon and mobile grooming van feel drier and more comfortable.
Benefits of a Salon De-Humidifier
Helps reduce condensation and humidity, helping to extract up to 1.3 litres of water per day,
Reduces smells and odours lessening the smell of dogs within your working environment,
Improves working air condition, helps prevent respiratory symptoms, infections and asthma.
Extracts moisture from the air, to help prevent black mould forming and producing spores.
Reduces drying time. Having a better quality of air will cut your drying time quite considerably,
Low wattage - 48 watts.
Clipit's Salon De-humidifier is perfect for damp or mould-prone areas. It can extract up to 1.3 litres of water per day and because of its compact size, it is ideal for wet rooms and separate grooming areas. It is simple to use, just plug it in and turn the unit on. Click here to view Compact Salon Dehumidifier.
Salon Air Cooling Cube
To help reduce humidity, increase air flow and control your salon's temperature, the Clipit Grooming Salon Air Cooling Cube is a simple and easy to use unit that improves your working environment with filtered air and anti-bacterial or antiviral qualities by adding a few drops of essential oils.
Your health should always come first, and on hot days this unit ticks a lot of boxes for giving cool comfort. With variable speed, you can control the air flow through four directional adjustable air vents. Thanks to this cooling unit it has a really low power draw so you can even run it from a hand-held power pack, a 12v cigarette lighter or the mains. It is an evaporative air cooler which means it uses tap water or ice cubes to reduce the temperature by 45%, that's 30 degrees down to 16 degrees cool filtered air.
Benefits of the Salon Air Cooling Cube
Portable, handy to carry or hang in your mobile grooming van,
Power: Very low 0.7 - 1.7 amps, can be run off hand-held power pack, a 12v cigarette lighter or the mains,
Add essential oils: by adding a few drops of essential oil, such as tea tree and lavender to the units water reservoir it offers a salon calming feel,
Directional hose included: remove a vent and attach the flexi duct kit for more directional cooling. Great for cooling dogs in cages,
12v, 24v or mains power: all the power leads are included, with a battery pack available separately,
2 Year warranty.
Summing up
In conclusion, if you follow good dog grooming practice, not only will your health benefit, but you will save time and energy. By keeping your salon cool with a good quality of air, everyone and everything will benefit. For effective drying or anything that is wet, you need four things:
Dehumidification,
Controlled heat,
Air flow control
Extraction.
Let us know in the comments what are your procedures are in keeping your salon temperature and air flow controlled.
If you'd like to take a look at our health and hygiene products that we have to offer here at Clipit, please click here to navigate our website.