The 4 main factors that cause dampness are:
• Too much moisture in the home
• Not enough ventilation
• Cold surfaces
• Inadequate heating / temperature
Most moisture in your home is generated by everyday activities like boiling kettles and pans, bathing and drying your clothes indoors. There is also moisture in breathing, so the more people who live in the property, the more moisture will be created.
But something can be done to decrease the amount of dampness or even to avoid it. Condensation is probably the biggest cause of damp in homes and is often mistaken for the other types. Please read more about different kind of dampness on our website.
You can take action today to control the amount of dampness in your own home! Please read below our ‘Top Tips to Prevent Damp’:
Produce less moisture!
• Dry clothes outdoors if possible. Avoid drying clothes indoors or, if you have to, dry them on a clothes airer in the bathroom with the door closed and either an extractor fan on or with a window open. Don’t dry your clothes on radiators as this produces moisture but will also affect the heating.
• If you use a tumble dryer, make sure it has a vent directly to the outside or is a modern condensing dryer.
• Cover pans when cooking and turn down to a simmer when they boil. Do not leave kettles boiling and only boil the required amount of water.
• Do not use paraffin or liquid petroleum (bottled) gas heaters as they produce large amounts of water vapour and can also produce Carbon monoxide that can kill.
• Run cold water into a bath before the hot to produce less steam.
Remove excess moisture!
• Always wipe the windows and window sills of your home if water has formed. Just opening the window is not enough as the water will otherwise evaporate into the atmosphere and condense onto surfaces where mould may grow.
• Open windows and turn extractor fans on whilst cooking and before and after running baths and using showers.
• Open curtains to allow for better ventilation and for natural light and heat to enter into your home.
• Leave space between the back of furniture and cold walls. Only place furniture against internal walls if possible.
• Ventilate cupboards and wardrobes and avoid overfilling them as this prevents air circulating.
• Do not completely block chimneys and flues, windows fitted with an air vent provide constant ventilation.
Keep an eye out on our social media for our ‘Top Tips of Preventing Damp’ campaign during December ’21 and January ’22 and remember that you can affect the moisture levels in your home with your own actions.
Have a leak or a burst pipe?
Not all dampness in your house is caused by condensation. If there’s a leak or any other emergency, please report it to our Repairs Direct team online or through our reporting app. If you need an emergency repair outside of working hours, please call 0808 144 5368. For more information on all the ways to report, visit our website.Back to news