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The bathroom tends to soak up a lot of moisture which can create unpleasant smells from damp bath towels, mold, and other issues. Luckily, there are plenty of options out there on the market for helpful exhaust fans to eliminate that extra moisture.
Next time you’re at Home Depot, Lowe’s, or browsing online, look for a few things when choosing an exhaust fan for your bathroom. You’ll want one that’s easy to set up, has great reviews, and ideally, looks good. Here’s my guide to help you choose the right bathroom exhaust fan for your household.
If you’re looking for a good budget bathroom exhaust fan, the Broan-NuTone 671 Ventilation Fan is a fantastic choice at just $27.98. It’s ideal for a smaller bathroom with a 70 CFM, and blends in easily with the existing look of the bathroom.
The Broan-NuTone 671 Ventilation Fan is a great budget option for someone looking to spend less, but still enjoy a high-quality, useful exhaust fan.
If a quiet exhaust fan is important, go for the Panasonic FV-1115VQ1 WhisperCeiling. At under 1 sone, you can sleep soundly if your bathroom is near your bedroom. The ventilation is also excellent. With its Pick-A-Flow feature, you have the ability to select from three flow speeds ranging from 110 to 150 CFM, which is high enough to work in larger bathrooms.
If you’re looking for something quiet and high-quality, the Panasonic FV-1115VQ1 WhisperCeiling is one of the quietest options on the market.
If you have a larger bathroom, go for the KAZE APPLIANCE SEP120. It's extremely quiet and has a 120 CFM rating, so this could work in a bathroom that’s 120 ft.² or less. There’s also a three-year warranty if you run into any issues with the fan.
If you’re looking for a quiet, reliable fan that will cover your larger bathroom, the KAZE APPLIANCE SEP120 is a great option.
When shopping for bathroom exhaust fans, if you need a fan for four-inch ducts, the VIVOSUN 4-Inch Inline Duct Fan 100 CFM is a solid choice. It's durable and covers 100 CFM with wide application options. It not only works for bathrooms, but other areas of the home, like the basements, attics, workshops, plant grow rooms, and kitchens.
The VIVOSUN 4-Inch Inline Duct Fan 100 CFM is the ideal option for four-inch ducts.
A bit similar to the four-inch, if you’re looking for something specific like a three-inch exhaust fan, the Hon&Guan high efficiency inline is the pick. The exhaust fan is quiet, but works at a high speed. It’s easy to install and to keep clean, and is ideal for smaller bathrooms or utility rooms at a 76 CFM.
If you’re looking for something easy to install for a three-inch duct that’s quiet and reliable, the Hon&Guan 3-Inch Duct Fan is ideal.
For a powerful heater and a built-in light, go with the Broan-NuTone PowerHeat Bathroom Exhaust Fan.
The Broan-NuTone SPK110 Bluetooth Speaker Ventilation Fan has a built-in Bluetooth speaker, a quiet motor, and works in larger bathrooms up to 105 ft.² with a 110 CFM. The built-in wireless stereo lets you listen to music while showering or getting ready.
If you’re looking to turn a boring household purchase of a bathroom exhaust fan into something fun, the Broan-NuTone SPK110 Bluetooth Speaker Ventilation Fan is the move.
If you’re looking for some nice lighting in your bathroom, go with the Homewerks 7141-110-G4 Bathroom Fan. At 110 CFM, it’s built to suck out the humidity and moisture from a room that’s 110 ft.² or less. It also features a quiet motor and built-in lighting.
For a bathroom exhaust fan that also incorporates nice lighting, the Homewerks 7141-110-G4 Bathroom Fan Integrated LED Light is a good choice.
This fan has 160 CFM speed and is extremely quiet when operating. There’s also a bright LED light with a toggle to dim when needed. The built-in humidity sensor kicks on when the humidity reaches 60%, which can keep your bathroom free of potentially harmful moisture.
For a product with a humidity sensor, the OREiN OL003 Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Light is great.
For a quiet, high-quality fan that also looks a little fancy, go with the Hunter Garden District Decorative Rubbed Bronze Bathroom Exhaust Fan. It’s a wonderful choice for something that not only looks nice, but is quiet and reduces potentially harmful humidity and moisture in your bathroom (after all, your best bath towels deserve to be mildew- or mold-free).
If you’re looking for more than just a bathroom exhaust fan, and a product that actually looks nice with a more decorative design, go with the Hunter Garden District Decorative Rubbed Bronze Bathroom Exhaust Fan.
The Broan-Nutone QT9093WH Heater, Fan, and Light Combo has a nice look that fits with most decor and with 110 CFM, it’s ideal for bathrooms up to 100 square feet. The 100 W light with the powerful 1500 W heater adds a lot to this bathroom exhaust fan.
The Broan-Nutone QT9093WH comes with a built-in heater and lighting to give your exhaust fan some useful extra features.
When you’re choosing the right bathroom fan, there are a few things to consider.
Bathroom size is a big one. The size of your bathroom determines what cubic feet per minute (CFM) rating—the fan’s air movement capacity—is needed. For example, a bathroom on the small or medium size might be good with a CFM in the 80s or 90s, where a much larger bathroom, you’d want to get a CFM over 100. The general rule for bathrooms under 100 ft.² is one CFM to every square foot. For bathrooms over 100 ft.², additional CFMs will be needed. (More on this later.)
If you don’t want your exhaust fan waking you up or causing an annoying rattling noise, keep an eye on the sound level, a.k.a. the sone level, which ranges from less than 0.3 to 6. When it comes to the sone rating, the higher the rating, the louder the fan is. The reviews are a great place to start for feedback about a particular product, and how noisy it is.
Think about what features are useful to you. Some exhaust fans come with an attached speaker or a heater, and those extra features can add value to an otherwise basic household item.
You’ll want to keep in mind any building codes that might prevent you from getting certain exhaust fans. According to Home Depot, “If your local building codes require an exhaust fan in bathrooms, then they also likely require that the fan vents air directly outside, rather than into other parts of your home.”
Just like you’ll want to look for safety certifications, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL), when shopping for the best electric fireplaces, make sure you pick an exhaust fan that is certified by the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI). An HVI-certified product has been third-party tested to ensure it meets industry standards.
“Sizing” a bathroom exhaust fan has to do with the CFM rating. For regular-sized bathrooms, it’s generally one CFM to every square foot. So if you have a bathroom that’s 100 ft.², then a CFM rating of 100 or more would work. For large bathrooms over 100 ft.², you’ll need an extra 50 CFM for each of the following fixtures: bathtub, shower, and toilet. If you have a jacuzzi tub, add another 100 CFM.
Bathroom exhaust fans run a motor that works to pull out moisture and humidity through the fan and into the duct. Ideally, if the exhaust fan is installed correctly, the air is pushed outside of the house.
After researching personal reviews, ratings, and features to look for, I compiled a list of the best bathroom exhaust fans for each category. Two important areas that I focused on were sone levels and CFM—since no one wants a bathroom exhaust fan that sounds like a plane getting ready for takeoff, and since bathroom sizes vary, CFM is a crucial data point for knowing if an exhaust fan will be effective.
Many bathroom exhaust fans claim to be easy to install but ideally an electrician would do it. It's always better to call a licensed electrician to make sure that everything is properly put together, or if you need any repairs done.
For bathrooms 100 ft.² or smaller, the proper CFM for your bathroom depends on the square footage of the room. You’ll want to choose a fan that can ventilate at least 1 CFM for every square foot of the room, according to Home Depot. For bathrooms larger than 100 ft.², additional fans will be needed depending on what fixtures are in the bathroom.
Most bathroom exhaust fans have a 10-year lifespan, but sometimes you’ll notice changes in your bathroom, such as moisture on the walls, steam not clearing as quickly, or even potentially dangerous dots of mold, which are indicators that it needs to be replaced.
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