Keeping your home dry

Dealing with damp caused by condensation

One of the most common forms of damp is condensation. Damp encourages mould growth, damages our decoration and is generally unpleasant.

It can be dealt with to some degree by minimising, removing and preventing moisture forming in the air.

Here are some tips on how to do this:

• When drying clothes keep a small window open, switch on extractor fans and vent tumble dryers

• cover pans when cooking

• never use paraffin or calor gas heaters

• move wardrobes and beds away from walls. Don’t overfill wardrobes and consider making holes in the backs. All this helps air circulate
  

• keep a small window open in occupied bedrooms

• if you have central heating keep this on at a low temperature when you are out

• kill and remove mould by wiping down walls and window frames with a fungicidal wash. These are available from most supermarkets. Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets

• after washing down surfaces as described above paint with fungicidal paint.

A few words of warning.

Don’t:

• block permanent wall ventilators in rooms
• completely block chimneys
• cover louvered grills
• draught proof rooms where there is condensation or mould
• draught proof rooms where there is a cooker or fuel burning heater
• draught proof windows in the bathroom or kitchen
• disturb mould by brushing or vacuuming as this can increase the risk of respiratory problems

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