Prevent condensation and damp in your home
At Habinteg, we take the health and safety of our tenants very seriously and we want to help you make your home a safe environment.
During cold weather it’s important that you ventilate your home to ensure that condensation does not build up.
Everyday activities like cooking, bathing and breathing cause moisture to be released into the air as water vapour. This moisture can cause condensation, which can sometimes develop into black mould on walls, furniture curtains and even clothes.
How is condensation caused?
Air can only hold a certain amount of water vapour. The warmer the air is, the more it can hold.
If the air touches a cold surface such as a window of a wall, the air is cooled quickly and the vapour turns into tiny droplets of water, which is known as condensation.
Every home gets condensation at some time, but it can be particularly bad in cold weather as our homes are warmer inside and the outside air is colder.
What does condensation look like?
Typical signs of condensation are:
- Mould growth on wall surfaces
- Moist wall surfaces
- Water staining and streaking on walls
- Patches of damp with no obvious edges.
Ways to help prevent condensation in your home:
- Keep your home warm by maintaining a low level of heating throughout the day, rather than turning heating off when you go out and putting it on at high level when you return. Cold rooms are more susceptible to condensation.
- Wipe down windows, frames and other areas which have moisture settling on them as soon as it forms.
- When cooking and bathing use extractor fans if you have them and open windows to allow steam to escape. Cover pans with lids and open vents at the top of windows to allow a steady, draught-free flow of fresh, dry air.
- Vent tumble driers to the outside via an open window and ensure adequate ventilation to rooms condensing driers are used in. You’ll need permission from Habinteg to put a permanent vent through a wall if you don’t already have one.
- Treat and remove any mould growth with a fungicidal product available from DIY stores and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
- Dry clean mildewed clothes and shampoo mouldy carpets.
- After treating mould affected areas, redecorate using a fungicidal paint.
For more information on health and safety in your home, visit www.habinteg.org.uk/health-and-safety
Photo credit: © Walkers Windows
