How to Stop Condensation & Black Mould This Winter – 9 Simple Tips, by Damp Sam HNC CSRT CSSW on YouTube. 1 min 41 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 41 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Buy a hygrometer and put it in the coldest room. Check the reading daily and aim for 40 to 60 percent relative humidity.
Turn on the extractor fan every time you cook, or open a window slightly. Keep the kitchen door shut so steam stays out of the rest of the house.
Run the bathroom fan during and after showers, and keep the bathroom door closed. Leave the fan on for 10 to 15 minutes afterwards.
Dry washing outdoors, in a tumble dryer, or in one room with the door shut and a dehumidifier running. Avoid drying clothes on radiators in closed rooms.
Open the trickle vents on your windows and leave them open. Never block air bricks or vents with furniture, curtains or boxes.
Keep the heating on a steady low setting rather than switching it off and on. Warm air holds moisture better than cold surfaces do.
Wipe condensation off the glass each morning with a cloth or squeegee. Wring the cloth out outdoors or down the sink, not into the room.
Pull furniture a few centimetres away from outside walls so air can move behind it. Leave wardrobe doors slightly open too.
Run a dehumidifier in cold or damp rooms until the hygrometer reads under 60 percent. Empty the tank regularly.
Clean any existing black mould with a mould treatment, wearing gloves and keeping the room ventilated. Fix the moisture first or it will return.
Tips and common mistakes
Cold surfaces collect water, so the goal is lowering moisture in the air, not just wiping windows.
A closed door with the fan on beats leaving the bathroom door open and spreading steam.
Never cover air bricks, even in winter, because they keep the whole house ventilated.
If mould keeps coming back after these changes, get a damp survey rather than painting over it.
Questions
What humidity level should my home be?
Aim for around 40 to 60 percent relative humidity. Above that, condensation forms on cold walls and windows and mould starts to grow.
Does opening windows waste heat?
Short bursts of ventilation cost little. Trickle vents and extractor fans move moist air out without cooling the whole house for long.
Will a dehumidifier alone stop black mould?
It helps a lot in cold rooms, but you still need ventilation, less moisture from cooking and drying clothes, and steady heating to fix the cause.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
