Tips for reducing condensation and mould

How to reduce condensation and the chance of mould growing in your home.

Reduce moisture

• Cover pans when cooking.
• Dry laundry outside (where possible).
• Avoid using the radiator to dry laundry as it stops them working well and can increase running costs.
• If drying laundry indoors, open windows in the same room so the moisture can escape.
• Close kitchen and bathroom doors when cooking or bathing (where it’s safe to do so).
• Wipe moisture away as soon as you can if it appears on windows, windowsills or from tiles after showering.
• Avoid using large, uncovered fish tanks, especially tropical fish.
• Ensure that tumble dryers are properly vented (see manufacturer’s instructions for the appliance). Alternatively, use a condensing or heat pump tumble dryer.

Heat your home effectively

• Heat your whole home to a lower temperature rather than one room to a high temperature.
• The World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 18°c.
• Condensation often affects the rooms you are not heating – for example, a colder spare bedroom, rather than where you are making the moisture.

Ventilate your home

• Open windows during cooking/bathing.
• Keep trickle vents in windows open.
• Use your extractor fan or ventilation system regularly – the ones we fit cost about 1p a day to use for as much as four hours.
• Clean the extractor fan or ventilation system regularly. If you aren’t able to do this, you could ask friends or family. We may also be able to help you if you let us know.
• Where possible position furniture against internal walls. If not, keep furniture slightly away from walls to allow air to circulate around it.
• Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes. Avoid putting too many things in them as this stops the air from circulating.
• Open curtains for at least four or five hours each day to let fresh air through window vents.

Don’t store things in the loft

• Avoid boarding your loft, compressing the insulation, or storing things on top of it. Doing this keeps the heat in and will save you money.

Dealing with mould

If you see the first signs of mould, it’s important to deal with it quickly. These can be little black spots.

• You can buy mould cleaner from most supermarkets – it’s a good idea to keep some to hand amongst your other cleaning products.
• Use this as per the instructions and see if it helps.

If you’ve tried these tips but still have issues, let us know as soon as possible.