Avoid Condensation And Mould In Your Home

Mould inside your home effects people differently as we both have different levels of immunity but some of the obvious symptoms are allergic reactions, increased susceptibility to colds and flu, sinus infections and asthma attacks. Other symptoms include skin rash, eye irritation, wheezing and short breath and flu like symptoms.

As well as knowing the symptoms of mould exposure it's also important to know the signs of mould in your home so you can stop prevent and treat the issue.

There can be several different reasons but the common ones are, Water leaks from windows, roof, downspouts, guttering, internal plumbing and flooding, Penetrating damp through walls, Rising damp, damp basements or crawl spaces, High concentrations of humidity, Inadequate ventilation and heating,

Mould is normally found in your Walls under the bottom corners of windows or around the top and sides on your windows

Wet laundry items need to be dried quickly. If not the mould will grow within 2 days. You should place wet items on hot radiators or in locations where the clothes will dry quickly.

This is a common issue where people are leaving wet materials lying around in or outside the house. These things are the most common places where mould can develop. If you can dry your clothes outside or in a tumble dryer.

Surfaces like sinks or floors are also favourite places for mould to harvest and grow especially of their wet and damp all the time. Mould can grow faster than you think. These wet surfaces pose many hazards for the residents living there.

Leaking pipes are another big cause of mould. When a pipe leaks this means the pipe its self has disintegrated and will continue to get worse. If you discover a leak you should get this repaired as soon as - if your home is flooded due to a burst pipe this will become a mating ground for mould. Once a house has been flooded every surface will need to be dried thoroughly, carpets, floors ceilings. If the areas are damp you will shortly start to see mould thriving on these areas.

The bathroom is another location where mould can thrive. I'm sure most of you have seen how foggy your bathroom looks after a shower - this is condensation which unless vented properly will lead to mould. If you have an exhaust fan in the bathroom use it or open the windows afterwards.

Ventilation is important; Mould can grow on the back of cupboards if the conditions persist. If you find mould of the back of the furniture or walls you should consider moving the furniture away or around from the wall to improve the airflow. Always try and keep radiators as clear as possible, this will help to keep the condensation levels low and help to circulate the heat around your home.

If you find that you're suffering from high levels of condensation - if your windows are covered in

Although condensation is common inside the bathroom, there are conditions that can be present where mould can thrive outside the bathroom. This is mostly common on and around Window sills and on the external wall that faces the outside. It is normal for mould to appear on the sides of windows is small concentrations but you should always wipe this to avoid a build up. If you have mould growing around the windows and the outside wall you should consider taking further action. Does the room have proper ventilation? Is there a water source that's leaking inside the effected room? Is the room insulated well?

If condensation is the cause of the mould then you should make it a priority to find the cause. Humidifiers are great for removing the moisture in the air but there not a long term solution. Until you find and eliminate the cause the mould will continue to grow back.

Condensation in houses is mainly a winter problem particularly where warm moist air is produced in kitchens and bathrooms and then penetrates to colder parts of the building causing the surfaces to become damp.

The moisture in the air can come from a number of sources within the house its self. Water vapour is produced in relatively large quantities from normal day to day activities - a 5 person household produces about 10 kg of water into the air each day.

Breathing (asleep) 0.3 kg
Breathing (awake) 0.85 kg
Cooking 3 kg
Personal washing 1.0 kg
Washing and drying clothes 5.5 kg
(1 kg of water equates to about 1 litre)

It is important that we understand the sources and take steps to reduce the levels of condensation in our homes during the colder months. If it's not ideal to open a window after cooking, ironing, washing up... you should invest in a small dehumidifier; you can purchase these for little to nothing from Amazon. They use a different type of technology to remove moisture from the air. Whereas the bigger dehumidifiers use a large amount of electricity to do the job, the smaller (mini) dehumidifiers use crystals to absorb the moisture in the air. There not much bigger than your mobile phone and since they run off battery they can be moved to any location in the house where mould persists.