Say goodbye to damp in your home!

When you’re renting, a common problem which can occur in your home is damp and mould. It’s not only unsightly, it smells, it can ruin your belongings and it makes your rooms feel clammy and uncomfortable.

Not being the landlord, it can sometimes feel like a good enough reason to move elsewhere, but, before you start packing your bags, there are some small and easy steps you can take yourself to stop damp being an issue!

Check out our short video for some helpful pointers on how to tackle damp first-hand by changing some of your small lifestyle habits within the home.

To stop damp, some don’ts within the home are:

Don’t use portable gas or paraffin heaters, as they put a lot of moisture in the air.

Don’t dry wet clothes on heaters, do it in a room with the door closed and the window or fan on.

Don’t block ventilation e.g. covering air vents, putting furniture right up to an outside-facing wall, overfilling cupboards etc. Ventilation is needed in your home to get rid of moisture.

Don’t cook or shower without the fan on and, afterwards, leave the fan on or the window open with the door closed so the moisture doesn’t spread throughout the house.

Don’t dry your clothes in a room with door open – open the window instead.

Even in winter and if you leave for work in the dark, don’t leave your curtains closed. Let air circulate and escape through the window vents.

Keep a constant temperature throughout the home, don’t restrict the heat to one room.

Lastly, don’t turn the heating off at night because you have a duvet – we give off lots of moisture as we sleep, it needs to be circulated and not sit in the air of the bedroom.

If the problem is persistent or appears to be getting worse, you should talk to your landlord as there are several reasons why this could be happening, and they need to step in. With repairs for damp costing anything from £200 on one wall of a terrace house to £150,000 for a whole house in a detached home, as reported by Which?, it is worth their while to repair it as it progresses.

There are many reasons for worsening damp:

There could be a crack in a pipe

There could be a leak around any of the various water outlets in the home

There could be a blockage in the drains with something as simple as moss or leaves

A roof tile may have slipped on the roof which is now allowing water through

You may need an extractor fan to ease circulation if you don’t already have one

Don’t let ‘damp’ ruin your home. You have the power to implement little changes that will ease the effects this could have, so why not give our tips a try now and share any more ideas you have with us.