Say goodbye to damp in your home!
When you’re renting, a common problem which can occur in your home is damp and mould. It’s not only unsightly, it smells, it can ruin your belongings and it makes your rooms feel clammy and uncomfortable.
Not being the landlord, it can sometimes feel like a good enough reason to move elsewhere, but, before you start packing your bags, there are some small and easy steps you can take yourself to stop damp being an issue! Check out our short video for some helpful pointers on how to tackle damp first-hand by changing some of your small lifestyle habits within the home.
- To stop damp, some don’ts within the home are:
- Don’t use portable gas or paraffin heaters, as they put a lot of moisture in the air.
- Don’t dry wet clothes on heaters, do it in a room with the door closed and the window or fan on.
- Don’t block ventilation e.g. covering air vents, putting furniture right up to an outside-facing wall, overfilling cupboards etc. Ventilation is needed in your home to get rid of moisture.
- Don’t cook or shower without the fan on and, afterwards, leave the fan on or the window open with the door closed so the moisture doesn’t spread throughout the house.
- Don’t dry your clothes in a room with door open – open the window instead.
- Even in winter and if you leave for work in the dark, don’t leave your curtains closed. Let air circulate and escape through the window vents.
- Keep a constant temperature throughout the home, don’t restrict the heat to one room.
- Lastly, don’t turn the heating off at night because you have a duvet – we give off lots of moisture as we sleep, it needs to be circulated and not sit in the air of the bedroom
Don’t let ‘damp’ ruin your home. You have the power to implement little changes that will ease the effects this could have, so why not give our tips a try now and share any more ideas you have with us.
There are many reasons for worsening damp:
- There could be a crack in a pipe
- There could be a leak around any of the various water outlets in the home
- There could be a blockage in the drains with something as simple as moss or leaves
- A roof tile may have slipped on the roof which is now allowing water through
- You may need an extractor fan to ease circulation if you don’t already have one