Dealing with Condensation
Condensation is the most common cause of dampness in a home. It occurs when warm air inside a building meets a cold surface, such as a wall, window, or even furniture, and leaves drops of water behind.
Most of the condensation is caused by a lack of ventilation and can cause dampness and mould growth in your home. You are responsible for repairing, removing, and preventing condensation. Condensation can occur in any home. You can take steps to prevent it.
What condensation can do to your home
As a result of condensation, mould can grow on walls, furniture, and soft furnishings (for instance, curtains). It can even rot wooden window frames and damage plasterwork. Damp conditions can also increase the number of house mites.
Mould and house mites can worsen breathing conditions like asthma and bronchitis, so you should control condensation in your home.
How to control excess moisture
- Close kitchen and bathroom doors to prevent steam from going into other colder rooms.
- Open kitchen and bathroom windows when cooking or washing so steam escapes or use an extractor fan. Check to ensure your extract fan is operational. Leave these on for a while after you have finished cooking or washing.
- Open some windows in other rooms for a while each day and open any trickle vents in your window frames. This allows a change of air.
- Wipe down surfaces where moisture settles to prevent mould from forming.
- Do not block air vents and allow air to circulate around furniture and in cupboards.
- Do not use bottled gas heaters – the gas produces a lot of moisture.
Tips to produce less moisture
- Hang your washing outside to dry if possible, or in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open or the extractor fan on.
- If you use a washing machine or tumble dryer, make sure it is vented to the outside.
- When filling your bath, close your bathroom door, run the cold water first and then add hot. It can reduce up to 90% of steam from the water.
- When taking a shower or a bath, turn on your extractor fan.
- Always cook with the pan lid on and turn the heat down once the water has boiled.
- Cover fish tanks.
- Remember that houseplants and pets also produce moisture.
Keep your house warm
- Take steps to prevent heat loss.
- Maintain low background heat when the weather is cold or wet. This doesn’t necessarily cost more than switching it on and off.
- Keep your home ventilated.
- Remember to close the doors and ventilate the room when bathrooms and kitchens are in use. When these rooms are not in use, it’s important to keep air circulating around your home.
- Open interior room doors, allowing air to circulate throughout your home when not washing or cooking.
- When cooking, washing up or washing by hand, use your cooker extractor hood or fan if possible, and open windows.
