My council flat had awful condensation but I made 2 simple swaps – the cold wall fix stops mould to
AS we’re fast-approaching the cold winter season, millions of Britons are dealing with the same issue – condensation and mould.
Being exposed to mould for long periods can cause respiratory illnesses, allergies and asthma, and can sometimes be fatal, with newborns, young children and the elderly amongst the most vulnerable.
According to Homebrite, the problem is huge in the UK – an astronomical 58 per cent of privately rented households have reported issues with deadly fungus.
With temperatures now dropping, hundreds of Brits have been taking to social media to seek advice and share their top tips to tackle mould.
Amongst them is also one mum, only known as Gracie, whose council house is dripping with condensation and penetrating damp.
Desperate for a solution, the parent wrote on Mumsnet and explained that her family are about to move into a new property in January and their new home is ”mouldy”.
”The window needs to be replaced in the master bedroom which is the cause of the penetrating damp, but am I right in thinking that the condensation damp can be fixed by opening up the air vents that the previous tenants had stupidly taped up?” she asked fellow users of the parenting forum.
As Gracie is currently expecting – and her tot has got health issues – she was keen for some advice from savvy mums and dads.
”I don’t know a lot about it to be honest, but have an asthmatic 2 year old and I’m pregnant with no.2, so really hoping to get problem fixed ASAP.
”Also, does anyone have any good tips for keeping the damp under control whilst we wait for repairs?
”We don’t pay bills, so can jack the heating up if that will help to dry it out. What do you reckon?
”Also, how long should I wait to redecorate the bedroom where the plaster is crumbled? Will the damp keep coming through for a while?”
Luckily for the mum, there were plenty of responses, with fellow Mumsnet users sharing their top tips and recommendations.
Although there were heaps of suggestions, there were two that proved to be more popular than any other – including not drying laundry indoors.
One person said: ”The condensation damp can be kept under control by not drying your clothes in the house.
”Bit difficult at this time of year but we’ve found if we can dry stuff outside or in a tumble dryer we don’t have hardly any condensation indoors any more.”
What is condensation?
Condensation is water droplets that form on a window when moist air comes into contact with a cold surface.
Condensation occurs when:
Air cools
Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air. When moist air touches a cold surface, like a window, the water vapour in the air turns into liquid water droplets.
Windows are colder than walls
Windows are often colder than insulated walls, so condensation is more likely to occur on them.
Windows are poorly insulated
Poorly insulated windows can lead to condensation, especially if they are made of aluminium, which conducts heat quickly. If left untreated, it can lead to mould and other serious problems.
Plenty of readers also advised to ventilate the property as much as possible – and others urged Gracie to look into thermal plastering for the walls.
”You can also buy thermal lining paper for walls that stops them getting so cold, and therefore helps prevent condensation forming and making the walls mouldy,” wrote another user.
According to GPS Decorators Limited, there are several benefits of investing into a thermal lining paper at this time of the year – and it could even save you some serious cash.
The liner ”creates a warm blanket for your walls and ceilings which significantly reduces room warm up time, stops heat escaping through walls and ceilings, minimises condensation, mould and damp and reduces your energy bills, too”.
”The most effective place to add any thermal barrier is on the inside of the coldest walls.
”It is especially effective on external walls by which we mean walls that are open to the elements on the other side.”
Shoppers can get their hands on the winter house essential for £47 from Cover Your Wall, as well as ScrewFix where it’s currently on sale for £53.99.