Baking is done to remove moisture or chemical residues affecting RH accuracy. This works because at higher temperatures, the speed at which chemical contaminants outgasses increases, meaning that the removal of chemical contaminants is accelerated. Baking can be done either on chip using the integrated heater (see Section 4.7.3 on using the integrated heater), or externally in a controlled oven.

Begin by baking the sensor at 100°C and <5%RH for 5 to 10 hours, then re-evaluate RH accuracy. As recommended in TI's RH sensor data sheets, a baking duration of up to 10 hours may be applied. After baking, rehydrate the RH sensor according to datasheet recommendations to help recover or reduce accuracy drift caused by chemical exposure. If insufficient improvements to RH accuracy are observed after baking and rehydrating, performing an additional bake can help outgass more chemical contaminants. The baking process must be done without the presence of other sources of chemical contamination because the elevated temperature may accelerate the effects of further contamination. Baking can reduce contamination-caused RH shifts in some, but not all, cases of chemical contamination.