Any home can be affected by damp and mould. Moisture from ordinary household activities such as cooking, washing and drying clothes can cause these problems, but there are things you can do to help stop it happening.
Mould often starts with condensation. This happens when there’s too much moisture in the air - like from cooking, showering, or drying clothes indoors and it settles on cold surfaces like windows or walls. If this moisture isn’t dealt with, it can lead to damp and eventually mould. While there are other causes, condensation is one of the most common reasons mould appears in homes.
There’s always some moisture in the air - from things like cooking, showering, or drying clothes. When the air cools down, it can’t hold all that moisture, so water droplets form on cold surfaces like windows or walls.
You might also notice it in places with little air flow, like behind furniture or inside wardrobes.
Condensation happens when warm, moist air hits a cold surface - like windows or walls and turns into water droplets. Over time, this can lead to mould. Here’s some ways on how to reduce it:
- Cover pans when cooking and avoid letting kettles boil for too long, this helps reduce steam in the air
- Dry clothes outside if you can. If you need to dry them indoors, use the bathroom with the door closed and the window open, or turn on an extractor fan. If you have a tumble dryer, make sure it’s vented outside (unless it’s a self-condensing model)
- Keep a small window slightly open or use trickle vents, especially when someone is in the room
- Create airflow in kitchens and bathrooms by opening windows wider or switching on extractor fans when cooking, washing up, or drying clothes
- Open cupboard and wardrobe doors now and then to let air circulate, and leave a gap between furniture and the wall
- Place wardrobes and large furniture against internal walls (walls that have a room on both sides), rather than outside walls, where possible.
If you spot mould in your home, first and foremost, please contact us immediately, we want to ensure your home is safe.
You can also:
- Wipe down walls and window frames with a fungicidal wash, which carries a Health and Safety Executive ‘approval number’. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions precisely
- Thoroughly wash mildewed clothes, and clean the carpets. Brushing or hoovering mould can disturb the particles and increase the risk of breathing problems
- If you can, redecorate the area after you’ve removed the mould. It’s best to use a fungicidal paint. If you’re wallpapering, use a paste that contains fungicide to stop mould coming back. If redecoration is our responsibility, then please contact us.
As well as condensation in the home, damp can be caused by:
- Leaking pipes or overflows
- Rain seeping through the roof where a tile or slate is missing
- Blocked guttering, cracked or loose rainwater pipes
- Rising damp due to a defective damp course (which will create a yellow tide mark on internal walls).