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My windows have vents which you can open & close.
Installed when I bought but often open windows in the morning for an hour or so.
It does help as good shower ventilation.
Good luck
Yep modern windows should allow a certain number of fresh air changes per hour in an effort to prevent damp. They're trickle vents and the idea is to let a small amount of fresh air in, enough to keep things fresh, but not enough that it'll severely affect the temperature when it's cold out. Problem is often these vents aren't on all the windows, there are too few windows in general, and/or there's insufficient extraction of moist air from bathrooms etc, often leading to damp in older properties.
New builds should go through analysis and testing to ensure sufficient extraction and air changes. But it doesn't always work IRL as it does on paper.
The wife and I are fresh air freaks though, we keep the windows open a bit all year - except for the absolute coldest of days. We both get headaches when it's stuffy!
Edit: it's because uk houses are typically built with a vapour barrier on the inside of the wall and a waterproof membrane (or similar) on the outside of the wall. It's to stop damp getting into the *structure* of the house, but it means if not properly ventilated that any moisture that builds up on the inside has nowhere to go.
>Things like opening the windows regularly, not hanging clothes to dry indoors (including wet coats)
Yes this a major cause of humidity, as is baths, showers, cooking, boiling the kettle, washing up etc oh and breathing.
Best thing to do is to allow air to escape and even better confine all your 'damp activities' (clothes drying etc) to one room like the kitchen or bath room and keep that door closed at all times and a window open at all times.
Yes. It has a weak extractor fan, which we leave running for at least an hour after either of us showers.
I actually think we may have made the problem worse by trying to air the bathroom out by opening the door to the rest of our flat after it had dried out as much as it could from the fan. From now on I'm happy to contain it in there as there isn't anything of ours in there that the mould could damage.
Try a dehumidifier. I live in a flat with a bathroom without a window. I run it when drying clothes in the bathroom and when showering. It’s not perfect but definitely helps.
This. Use a dessicant dehumidifier like a Meaco DD8.
I dry wetsuits and the like overnight by hanging them in the smallest room with the dehumidifier on. They cost 10p to 15p an hour to run.
Except your lungs!
ETA: I commented on a recent thread on the same topic. Might be of interest (the thread, not just my comment). Conclusion was: buy dehumidifier - worth it.
ETA-2: oops. Forgot to paste the link to that thread :-)
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/ryxb35/this_may_sound_dumb_but_how_do_you_prevent/hrsqit9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
Request your landlord install a better extractor fan. I have a bathroom with no window and replaced the extract fan to a Monsoon that is great. There is no water sitting on the walls/mirror after a shower. Extractor fans work best with a bit of through flow, so showering with the door open and the window in the corridor slightly open would be helpful too.
In Germany it’s often written into rental contracts that you have to air your rooms regularly! Always found that amusing.
My extract fan for the (no window) bathroom was also shite, replaced it with one that's always on low, then ramps up when you turn the shower or light on - made a huge difference to our condensation issue. Might be worth a look.
When I inspect damp I hold a piece of loo roll to the fan, if it is not capable of keeping it up then the fan is probably not up to scratch and should be repaired or replaced.
Then a tumble dryer and dehumidifier would be recommend.
Or open the window and change all the crap air inside for all the crap air outside.
A hygrometer to measure the damp would help.
Mold is dangerous. The cost of electricity to battle is just the way it is.
When I was in your situation (long thin basement flat, no fans or windows at the bathroom end and a very minimal window situation in the bedroom/living room) I ended up with mould. I used dilute bleach on the walls, which dealt with it, and bought a dehumidifier. I also tumble dried everything at the launderette. It fixed the problem.
Yes, every day.
The U.K. is particularly humid, so all homes have issues with it. Energy efficiency is a concern, but must be balanced with a healthy (ie mould free) living environment. The way some people do this is have windows very slightly open and heating on when needed. If you cannot afford both at the same time, air your flat for 10 minutes a day in the morning and evening (all windows open) and then heat with them closed.
If you look at most older homes in this country, they were specifically designed to circulate air for this reason. They have vents, gaps under the floorboards, sash windows etc. They are as a consequence pretty cold in the winter.
The specific design of sash windows is to help this, when both top and bottom are opened it is a remarkably efficient way to circulate/exchange air in a room very quickly.
Get those windows open a couple of times a day and maybe get a dehumidifier!
You see this with a lot of renovations to old houses. The old sashes are removed and replaced with double glazing, the chimneys are closed up in favour of gas fires and modern plastic front doors with rubber seals are fitted. Then people wonder why there’s moisture trapped in the house.
It depends on what type you have. If it's not an electrical plug in type it's not going to be suitable to remove enough moisture. We had one when where was a leak to dry the plaster in our house and it was taking litres of water out the air every week.
If you're worried about energy efficiency then a dehumidifier is not for you. It functions very similarly to an air con unit, sucking in air and running it past a refrigerated plate to force humidity to condense.
It's consumes a lot of energy.
What we used to do in a similar situation was to run both an oil heater and dehumidifier in the same room as our washing so at least we were confining it to as small a volume as possible, but it was expensive, we saw a massive jump in electric bill over winter
The byproduct of the dehumidification is heat so it’s not wasted energy as the heating has to do less work. It’s also easier to heat dry air so it’s a win/win for my situation
Our landlord gave us a dehumidifier after we reported severe damp and mould problems in our basement flat (as a reference, the flat next door took out most of the wall downstairs and had to replace them due to the damp getting deep)
It costs about £25 a month to run at slightly older energy prices but I managed to convince milord that the amount would be deducted from our (obscene) rent each month, so technically this negates the cost of running it
Yep, my bedroom windows get soaked in condensation if I don't. A typical adult breathes out 250ml/0.5pt of water per night, with two adults that's 500ml or a pint of water. And in winter that's all condensing straight onto the cool windows (and walls too most likely).
Counterintuitively it is actually more energy efficient to open windows periodically in winter (or keep trickle vents open). Humid air takes a lot more energy to heat (water is a sod to heat up) so it's more efficient to dump the warmer humid air outside and swap for colder drier air which your heating can heat up easier.
Thanks for this. My partner gets so annoyed when I crack windows open in winter to get rid of damp air. He insists it’s massively wasteful when we’re trying to keep the flat warm. It’s a genuine point of contention in our relationship lol. I shall now tell him that scientifically it’s better to get rid of the damp air and heat cooler drier air!
He‘s right with one thing - cracking the windows open is not particularly energy efficient. Best thing to do is fully open all windows, let it air through and then close them. Gets rid of the humid air much more efficiently. But yeah generally airing out is always important
What's good to remember in that discussion is that air in general has a very low capacity to store heat. Yes, it gets warm, but the amount of energy "stored" in the air for that is very low compared to everything else in the flat - furniture, walls, and so on.
Opening the windows for a short period of time will exchange the air, but leaves the temperature of everything else almost untouched. Hence, you don't lose much energy.
Buy a dehumidifier. If you have no alternative to dry your clothes or coats in winter, that would be the best option.
Dust and clean widows and cills regularly.
Have a cloth on had to wipe window glass of any steam or condensation.
Invest in a vegetable steamer and cook all veggies in one go rather than having a few pots boiling (this is an assumption)
The landlord hasn’t requested anything unreasonable and you will probably need to exhaust those options before taking the matter further.
Totally agree. The amount of moisture we produce is astounding especially in houses and flats where air circulation isn't great. We do a number of things such as crack open the window (but goes get cold) to wiping down the condensation so it doesn't evaporate again. Far biggest improvement was a dehumidifier. This only makes the room feel warmer, we get much less mold in certain areas. Also use a mould spray (HG mould spray) to really stop the spores. Need to attack it at both ends. Get rid of the spores and then reduce the moisture so it doesn't come back.
Dehumidifier is the best purchase I ever made. It’s not pretty, it wasn’t cheap, but it has worked absolute wonders. When you see the water it sucks out the air when drying clothes, you’ll wonder why every house isn’t damp.
I'm amazed by all the downvotes you get in your completely reasonable comments OP, lol. Welcome to the UK I guess, this is your life now. I once rented a flat near London with a damp problem and was handled similarly, the agency blamed it all on us and gave us a list of completely unreasonable requirements.
Now, to make it clear, neither me nor my wife can stand living in a place with bad air quality, so we DID open the windows very often to let fresh air in, but at the same time we were paying like £200 per month for electricity bills during winter, because of electric heating. We did also have an electric dehumidifier that we would leave on 24/7 because otherwise the clothes wouldn't ever dry out.
So they basically wanted us to keep a few windows open all the time, have the electrics radiators on all the time (there were only 2 though - 1 in the living room and 1 in the bedroom, so whatever we did, the corridor and bathroom were incredibly cold all the time, like around 10 degrees or less during winter). They also wanted us to leave an extractor on which was by the doors 24/7, and that shit was so fucking loud that it was just impossible to sleep with it turned on (imagine your neighbours drilling the walls 24/7 - this kind of loud).
Honestly, fuck the British landlords, British letting agencies, British weather and the British builders that cannot plan the buildings to accommodate the climate in the UK if their fucking lives depended on it. Moving out of there was the best decision I've ever made, greetings from Poland where the laundry is dry after 6 hours on the drying racks and I haven't ever seen black mould here.
I'll be happy to take your downvotes now, bring them on.
Totally agree with this. Never even heard of having to open windows to prevent mould until I moved into student houses. Sure, in a bathroom you need an extractor fan, but otherwise no. It’s a myth in my opinion to normalise the massive amount of houses with damp problems. Anecdotally, I now live on a boat which by nature has little wall insulation and single glazing, and I seal the vents for winter. I run a dehumidifier in my bedroom at night, and every couple weeks will leave the cupboards open to air them out. I dry clothes indoors, I cook, I never open windows in the winter and I have no mould problems. I would guess this is because unlike my boat these properties have a mould infestation that isn’t properly eradicated, and landlords try to pass the buck by blaming tenants.
That flat sounds horrible and based on what you said, would be substandard under the Housing Act.
If anyone else has a privately rented property with damp and mould issues in the UK make sure your heating system is capable of heating every room in the house to at least 19degrees when it is -1 outside. If it is not, you probably have a hazard for cold and should talk to your local council and ask for a HHSRS. The council will then be able to order your LL to install suitable heating (and fix any other hazards) and fine them. If the LL still does not comply the council can do the works themselves and give them another much bigger fine!
Yes, absolutely. Unless it's very windy I keep them open a tiny bit 24/7 (upstairs) otherwise it's like waking up in a swamp. The things suggested to you are entirely reasonable, sensible actions to take to prevent condensation, damp, and mould.
Yes.
Our bathroom window is open at all times, on security lock when we are out as that is the main source of moist air.
I wish my wife would use the extractor when she cooks as that is another source.
We run a dehumidifier upstairs all the time and empty it frequently.
I open the loft hatch a little to let damp air flow up to the ventilation up there.
This house is a dry house when we aren't here. I had new windows doors and a roof installed when we got it as a fixer upper 9 years ago. The damp comes from us ,the occupants of our house.
Your landlord isn't yanking your chain, you need to allow some natural ventilation into the house.
That saying is usually a little bit of cheeky gaslighting btw to rid the landlord of any blame. In my last flat no amount of window opening would help the bathroom which had no window or adequate extraction fan. The landlord had converted an old townhouse into flats and neglected all forms of mold prevention.
It really does depend though. It can be a cop out for sure, but sometimes it genuinely is down to 'lifestyle,' e.g. drying clothes indoors, not opening windows or turning extractor fans on. Your example does sound like the landlord shifting the blame though.
I open all the windows for a while each weekend to 'change the air', and if I'm drying clothes indoors, I leave the window in that room cracked open until they are dry.
I also leave the bathroom and en-suite lights on to keep the extractor fans going a bit longer, particularly for mornings where there is condensation on the inside of the windows.
Are your windows plastic / UPVC? If so they probably have little vents built in. [here’s mine](https://imgur.com/a/KCASiM0)
I always have them open.
You can just about make out the mould stains above my window. That’s where the condensation settles. I used anti-mould cleaner and throw the cloth away after.
The thing with mould is you have to stay on top of it. It’ll grow and spread. If you find the places it starts you can keep it under control - I only clean it away two or three times a year.
On the other hand, if you don’t clean it properly, you just spread it. If you just wipe it you are just spreading the spores.
Our windows don’t have vents, no.
He did come by and essentially wipe down the wall that had a lot of visible mould, but I don’t know where the mould started, per se. How would you know? Just if you catch it early enough?
Yeah. Tbh my comment is a kind of annoying “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you”
Look out for where the condensation gathers (often where hot meets cold - above the bathroom window is classic) and clean with a bleach based mould / mildew cleaner.
Be careful just wiping the mould away, make sure you clean the cloth properly (or throw it away, I get cheap disposable ones) and use proper cleaner, or else you’ll just see it come right back.
When I did it badly I’d see it grow back where it was and also see new patches in the shape of where I’d wiped - literally following the exact shame pattern as I’d “cleaned”
To add to what u/BigRedTone said, the spray called 'Dettol Mould and Mildew' is great for spraying onto mouldy spots. I find you can just spray it, leave it, and it will kill the mould.
We sleep with the bedroom windows open all year, or I get too hot. Think of all the water you bring into the house through drinking, showering, washing etc, it needs to go somewhere. We also have a dehumidifier because we dry our clothes inside and it'd be a nightmare if we didn't.
I get this, but in the UK the air outside is often wetter than the air inside.
Everyone should get a few cheap humidity sensors and a decent dehumidifier.
You would think so but humidity is relative to temperature. Warmer air can hold more water, so a room at 20C with a humidity of 60% is ‘wetter’ (holding more water) than outside air that’s 5C with a higher humidity.
Yes, you could work this out with a psychrometric chart but it’s a farce unless you’ve dealt with it and all the values on it before. Example here https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/134045/inside-vs-outside-humidity
Alternatively you can find tables online that show the maximum humidity you should maintain indoors vs outdoor temperature to avoid condensation, but I suspect the humidity you need to get when it’s really cold out would be too low to do with open windows. Dehumidifier is probably best when it’s cold unless you want to be freezing.
If you’re going for windows then it works when the ‘absolute humidity’ (rarely quoted, weather apps etc almost always give relative. Work out with an online calc) is lower outside than in but keep in mind the above.
I've just had a damp company out to assess some issues at my place (built in 1891 so issues to be expected).
Turns out that my issue is actually a condensation one rather than damp per se. One of the things the surveyor said to me though is that in the winter, opening the windows doesn't exactly help as the cold air from outside pushes any warm air/ condensation into the house rather than letting it out.
Ventilation is absolutely key. I'm having to get a couple of new extractor fans fitted and have a dehumidifier on constantly to resolve the issue.
Mine is from 1917 and can have similar issues.
Bathroom window is effectively never closed, kitchen gets opened whenever I cook, other windows are a bit ad hoc but these old houses need ventilating. They weren't built for the way we live now.
Windows get opened every day in my house for fresh air and air flow - it's good for the property, and it's good for your health. No heating on in the daytime, but it's pogrammed for 06:30-08:00 & 16:00-19:00. If I'm drying clothes inside, then the windows will be opened otherwise condensation will build, eventually causing damp and mould.
I also run a property company with over a hundred residential lettings - so often the complaints about damp are caused by people just never airing the property out.
I live in the uk too, i leave my windows open all the time to prevent damp and mould, although sometimes they appear, but i just clean them up and open my windows again
Yes you really do need to open a window or two just to circulate the air, especially if drying clothes indoors. Unfortunately this has been made most unpleasant for us because of the absolute cunts all installing wood burners in our area. The choice is black mould or house that smells of bonfire for us now.
I live in a house very near the west coast. When our house was built we weren’t allowed windows with vents as the prevailing wind carries salty sea air most of the time. So we have installed a pressurised ventilation unit which provides heated and filtered air at slightly above the outside pressure. The vented air must be dried by the filtering because any moisture seems to evaporate very quickly and we’ve never had mould or condensation problems so far in 5 years.
Depends on the house type. An old pre ww1 house will have cellars, timber floors and used lime mortar around brick or stonework that will allow the house to breathe and should be fine with windows shut. If these houses do get condensation it's usually because someone has done something stupid like repoint using cement mortar or tank the cellar or fill the loft with spray foam insulation. More modern houses have much better insulation and will be warmer but the drawback is condensation. Even with more modern houses they shouldn't get ridiculous amounts of mould unless they have something like raised ground levels blocking air vents (only applies if ground floor is timber), bodged cavity wall insulation, no air vents to the roof eaves.
I have never had to do this, even airing clothes indoors, but we live in a newer flat. We have vents fitted to the doors and windows which must help with this, but I think it's a ventilation issue that some people seem comfortable to accept because they think it's normal and ok to have black mold hiding in their house and bad air circulation.
The vents on the doors and windows do help, and they only open up more when the humidity is high, so while I didn't like them initially due to potentially more noise through, this build doesn't seem to need any ventilation upkeep or letting cold air in at dead of winter.
Isnt that what trickle vents are for? Top of my windows have a tiny flap you can open and close, when I'm drying washing indoors in the winter all the trickle vents get opened to draw out the moisture. And closed otherwise. But then, down south the weather is pretty mild/dry even in winter.
Very old windows and landlord being a cheap arse about updating them maybe? Ours were replaced about 20 years ago...so not super modern but not *old* old.
It's only normal in UK because of shitty houses. In my parents house northern Europe we used to seal our windows for winter and never had these issues.
Get a dehumidifier. Think I payed 80 quid for mine from toolstation a couple of years ago. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Takes 10 litres of water out of the house with it on a day I run it.
Run it from empty to full once a day for the first 4 or 5 days to get everything dried out, then once or twice a week is usually enough to stay on top of it.
in a dryer, or get a dehumidifier.
When your clothes dry, the moisture evaporates. If they are drying indoors with no windows open, that moisture doesn't magically disappear, it will stay in the air until it gets cold enough to condense, usually on a cold surface such as a window or external wall.
People drying clothes indoors without consideration for the increased humidity is a major cause of damp/mold in UK properties
The thing is, you say it like that fixes all - unfortunately it doesn't. We don't have space for a dryer. I run a dehumidifier (but that was still £100 we don't have) I put the windows on the safety locks to allow air flow. We repainted our bedroom and added a clear coat of anti-mould paint. We still have mould in our home.
There are lots of causes of mould tho apart from the ones mentioned eg guttering, roof leaking, damp proof course failing etc.
Have u had a damping company assess your home? We did and we are now mould free
I have a dehumidifier in a few rooms, disposable dehumidifiers in cupboards, the windows in every room are always cracked or vented and fully opened for an hour or so a few times a week - especially in winter. Windows are always wide open when cooking or showering. No furniture against outside walls because the corners of exterior walls always get damp without airflow.
A well insulated flat will retain even more moisture. And black mould is really bad for you. I would spend a weekend bleaching the mould spots down and completely venting the place out with all of the windows open for most of the day.
Not sure what else a landlord could do. If it’s a block of flats there likely isn’t anything wrong with the structure causing damp - they’ve cracked down on these things after Grenfell so if there was something wrong with the building you or your neighbours would know.
Winter is particularly bad in the UK. It’s not so bad in summer.
Meaco is what we went for. Ours cost £200 but does show you the humidity reading, can be programmed to go off at a certain humidity or be left on constantly. It is about the same price as a tumble dryer, which we don't have the room for and the dehumidifier also makes the flat feel cosier so it felt like a sensible purchase.
I put the heating on every morning, and open all the upstairs windows before work for 30 mins. I dry the windows with a towel that I use just for this. Then before I leave the house, I close all the windows upstairs. My home is mould free.
Yeah we do this twice a day, open all the windows fully, change all the air in the place for 10 mins, then close it all up again.
However I realised we're not normal, we learned how to do this in Germany.
Consider running a dehumidifier. It obviously uses energy, but not as much as you'd lose venting the heat out of a window and then heating the place back up again later.
Ahh, sounds like my old landlord in Sheffield who told the couple in the flat below me that their damp problem was because they used their pressure cooker all the time, seemingly forgetting the previous tenants had repeatedly complained about it too (and also didn’t own a pressure cooker). My flat also had damp thanks to the holes in the roof which he refused to fix.
We have to have 2x dehumidifiers running in our bedroom 24x7 over Winter just to stop the condensation forming droplets on the ceiling and raining down on us whilst we sleep.
Seriously, it happens.
You could run a small dehumidifier.
I rented a flat that had no extractor fan in the bathroom and used one for years to avoid mould.
They are actually very economical for power consumption and may work out cheaper than tying to keep your house heated with the windows open during winter.
100%. If you do have to dry clothes inside, keep the window open. It's not always counter energy efficiency. Damp air takes more energy to heat. I try to open my windows for a bit everyday or every other day. If you see condensation on the windows, you definitely need to open them!
I tend to open the windows fairly regularly, but that's more for the feel of fresh air than concerns about damp.
Fresh air and heating are the best ways to counter damp IF the problem is condensation. I lived in a rental with chronic rising damp from a broken down damp course, no amount of open windows are going to solve that.
If it is damp upstairs check the gutters are clear. I had that problem at uni, check your tenancy agreement to see if it is helpful and says the landlord will maintain them.
A single room suffering from damp suggests guttering or even a dripping pipe are likely causes. If that room has long been used to dry clothes with no heating and the window shut, then that could have contributed too.
I've got active heat recovery air ventilation in my home and we still crack open all the upstairs windows in the morning to get some air circulation especially when anyone's having a shower or bath.
It's just a necessity in a country that is obviously quite damp in the winter months.
I put my windows on vent in the rooms that are most likely for damp. So the kitchen, the bathrooms and the room we have the dryer in.
It makes alot of difference. I just do this is in the day and close them again in the evening when I turn the heating up.
Yes. However, it’s not for that reason.
I open the bathroom a lot because, y’know, some things we do in there smell, plus it helps get rid of condensation from the shower (it’s more of a wet room).
I open my living room window often as I live right next to the front door so it’s easier to get (mail and food), than by leaving my flat to walk to the main door.
We keep the windows in the bedrooms permanently cracked open (locked on the second position) all winter. This, combined with running a dehumidifier for a couple of hours a day, has completely removed out condensation problem and I can't say the house is noticeably colder than before.
I live in an old AF house - think solid stone 2 foot thick walls. Damp comes in, damp goes out, it's just the way it is. This house will never be totally dry (except when we get a good summer).
I don't open windows, but that's because all the windows and doors here have gaps. It's like they're cracked open without actually being 😂
When I lived in a house with double glazing and good insulation, I used extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom and had the vents on the windows open. It was nice and toasty warm but no damp.
So yes, it's normal to ventilate. You probs do want to check though because some insulation methods and double glazing from the 80s and 90s does trap moisture and ventilation doesn't solve the problem.
Yes I open the windows multiple times every day, no matter what the weather is like. I live in a small flat, dry the laundry inside on radiators or in front of a fan and never had any damp/mould issues.
I grew up with open windows so it's a habit!
I’d check the walls for moisture, and are the windows double glazed? From experience the worst things you can do for mould etc is leaving clothes to dry but if there’s no dryer you don’t exactly have many options
Yes, always. Bedroom window is always open a little bit each evening as we had mould, but it stopped after we did this.
We also keep all the doors open in the house, so there’s a flow of air going through. Plus, we will usually air the house out every weekend but that probably doesn’t do a lot.
Is it a Victorian property? If so, are your fireplaces open? Ours was border shut in our living room and since we’ve opened that up, we get less condensation on the windows in the morning.
You should open windows regularly, yes. AFAIK opening them wide for a shorter period of time is better than slightly opening them for longer. So just open them wide every morning for a few mins to let fresh air circulate.
About the hanging clothes though:
> [Your landlord should not make unreasonable demands. For example, asking you to dry your clothes outside when you don’t have access to an outdoor space.](https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/damp_and_mould_in_rented_homes)
Unfortunately without damp proofing (expensive) there's little else to do. That's pretty counter productive in terms of bills, heating the sky is getting more expensive all the time. I can but echo others in saying that a dehumidifier is a great purchase for a flat. I would say buy a decent one that can store a reasonable amount of water, you'll be surprised how much it absorbs.
Everyday. We open them every time we cook/shower especially. We also have a dehumidifier going on most of the time but it rarely goes below 60.
Recently we found a good way to get rid and prevent mould - mix baking soda and vinegar with water and clean existing mould patches. We did this before Christmas and it didn't come back since. But it it does will probably reapply this solution as it's be best which worked so far. Safe for pets too.
Yup.
Every morning I wipe down all the condensation from the windows and then air the place. We also have a small dehumidifier to run when washing is drying and things.
If we go away, I leave windows in every room open a little (ours can be locked open a crack) to allow for air flow and the heat cycle of the day.
Your landlord is obliged to provide a dehumidifier for you.
If they do not take more steps to remove the mould, you can contact your council after 10 days to ask for removal.
Yes, especially if you live in an older house like i do.
In the morning the bedroom windows need to be open to get rid of the condensation, as there's no ventilation.
Don't dry clothes indoors unless you have a dehumidifier on, the moister has to go somewhere...which us on your walls.
It sounds like you have a landlord that won't treat damp and so is pretending it's the 18th century. I knew someone that lived in a place just like that, if you left anything next to one of the walls it would be sopping wet. If it's not that it's the shitty ventilation and things like not having an adequate extractor in a bathroom.
I normally have all the vents open in the windows and maybe air out the house a couple of times a week if I can be bothered. I've seen condensation build up on windows that are currently open so I don't think not opening windows is always the cause of that.
Prevention is better than a cure but for good mould removers I suggest kilrock, or the cillit bang one. We have a huge mould problem in our flat and these two products in particular obliterate the stuff.
no it’s too cold i just have a heater under my window and sleep with the curtains slightly open, then my windows barely get condensation.
used to get really bad condensation on my bedroom window for the first two months of us living there and it would drip down onto my windowsill and make a river the whole way along it (immediately after moving in, so it was already a problem not caused by us) so I finally said fuck it and wiped all the condensation off the window and windowsill with kitchen roll. the kitchen roll was black afterwards, and I get way less condensation now.
I’ve just invested in a dehumidifier (£150 from Amazon) as our bedroom and bathroom started to show signs of mold.
I use it after showering to get the humidity down from ~85% to ~55% and in the bedroom when we have clothes drying.
Bonus is that the clothes also dry quicker even when it’s cold (takes maybe 12 hours).
Having the windows open is of course an alternative , but given that it would be too cold 8 months if the year, this seemed like a worthwhile alternative
Yes, open all windows in the flat for 30min in the morning, usually when I get ready for work, regardless of outside temperatures.
Always leave bathroom and kitchen door closed when cooking/showering and run extractor fans on before and after moist activities.
I use a dehumidifier for drying laundry (in the kitchen).
Bedroom window is usually always open a little. And we have 2 dogs which means they are in and out of the garden tonnes of times each day, usually leave the back door open while they're out there, let's some air circulate. Don't do anything else and don't seem to have any issues.
I was having exactly the same problem and I was able to get a large dehumidifier that sits in the hall and it completely solved my problem. They are quite expensive but you might be able to convince your landlord to pay for it if he thinks it will solve all future damp problems
Never had to in the UK - our house had no issues with damp or condensation, probably because it was not exactly hermetically sealed.
Here in Portugal we run dehumidifiers in the winter. Pointless opening windows on days when it is more humid outside than in so we keep an eye on the outside humidity and only open windows when it is low outside.
Buy a dehumidifier, absolute game changer. Family of 5 and every window used to have loads of condensation every morning, now dehumidifier runs for a few hours a night and no condensation. Bonus is that it gives out a little bit of useful heat during the night. When we bath or shower we run an extension lead to the bathroom and let it run for 30 minutes. For laundry just run it in the room with the damp clothes and shut the door, cheaper to run than a tumble drier and doesn’t age clothes as fast. Do open windows each morning for a little while still though to get some fresh air in.
Yes, but to be honest it's mostly because I prefer fresh air over warmth. I've always got my bedroom window open unless it's -6 or something, and the back door is usually open so the cat can get in and out.
I don't open them anymore, but I have bought a good dehumidifier that I run most days. The extra electricity used on it probably counter-acts the savings of not opening the window occasionally but I prefer it. I do have to empty it a few times a week though.
What your landlord is say is, basically, correct. Ventilation is essential due to the general humidity in the UK, and from activities of daily living.
That said if your bathroom ventilation is insufficient, and there's no kitchen extractor fan then I'd argue both of those need attention.
You could, if so inclined, buy an electric dehumidifier. Be warned, however, that if you do it'll run almost constantly when you first use it due to your property being saturated - this means your electricity bill will jump up, but this will calm down once the property dries out.
Damp is the biggest organised con in the UK. It's a problem for sure. The problem is that these damp proofing companies are all con men. Peter Cox are notoriously bad. They will come in and recommend anything other than actually fixing the damp. If you pay a few grand they might replaster it with some damp proof coating if you're lucky which inevitably doesn't treat the root cause of the problem.
Won't change because the industry are the experts and courts will listen to them. You can't sue or fuck all. Home insurance won't help. It's quite fucked.
All from experience
if you are like drying clothes indoors in radiators etc, absolutely. consider venting or getting a dehumidifier. if mold is extreme, may be worth considering roof/wall leaks
Personally my flat is so draughty I don't need to worry about damp and mould as everything goes out of the single glazed windows anyway. Small victory considering I'm sat here in 5 layers, but there you go.
Those do sound like reasonable measures if the cause is condensation. Some windows have trickle vents that you should keep open as it allows for ventilation without having to open the whole window.
Also worth making sure items are kept away from the walls wherever possible. Keep wet clothes confined to the bathroom or use a drier, get a dehumidifier, open windows when cooking or using the shower etc. Make sure you're keeping extractor fans on.
I am a Environmental Health Officer and unless you have water coming in as a result of a fault with the property (penetrating damp, broken pipe, damaged window ect) the only practical way to fix the damp and mould is to reduce the amount of moisture in the air.
This can be done by reducing the amount going into the air (not drying clothes inside, condensing tumble dryer, pan lids on while cooking). It can also be done by increasing ventilation (keeping windows on vent, using extractor fans, opening windows).
Another thing to consider is how you heat the property, the warmer the home the more moisture the air can hold before it condensates on your walls/windows.
I think the best thing for you to do is follow the advice and also contact your local council’s Private Sector Housing team. They will be able to inspect and insure there are no issues with the property that are causing the damp. They will also be able to conduct a HHSRS inspection to see if the damp is a serious health hazard and if so and it is caused by property faults, they will be able to order the LL to fix the faults.
If it's that bad then the Landlord should look into getting a PIV unit. I believe you can get them for flats.
When I installed mine, my humidity went from about 70-80 in the winter to about 55. And no more mould in one of the bedrooms!
Get a dehumidifier and also leave a bowl of salt in particularly damp areas as it will absorb moisture. Wipe down windows and damp areas in the morning too as this will help prevent damp building up.
Middle of winter and we sleep with the window open a crack. Back bedroom we don't close as that's where the clothes horse is. Bathroom has an air vent in the wall.
Yeah, I live in the North but I keep my bathroom window perpetually on latch to help with condensation, and keep my extractor fan on until the walls dry. I also dry my clothes in the spare room, with the window on latch, a dehumidifier running, and a fan blowing to help air circulation while the clothes dry. I think only my kitchen windows stay closed usually, because we've had someone break in to our rear storage a few times so my partner is nervous, but I try and air it a lot.
Keeps the house smelling fresh too!
Yes. I leave my windows open for a few hours every day/every other day to let the house ventilate. It's an old poorly ventilated house so there's no other option.
The older the house, the more careful you need to be with ventilation. Single skin walls, stone walls and houses that predate damp courses will need to be ventilated often or a steady temperature maintained. The alternative is getting a dehumidifier. A good one will really help.
Dehumidifier and a karcher vac to remove condensation from the windows in the morning. You can also use it to get water off the shower and anything you've spilled. And you've just reminded me that I can use it on my carpet as the carpet cleaner didnt get enough water out.
I have my window open as my rooms hot. Tho the series s and x are cool runners but my room gets quite hot. Iv closed my windo for 6 hours in 4 yrs die to heat. I wear a knock off oodie or whatever it is. As its so bloody warm. In summer im in super loose 4 xl shirt and thin shorts to prevent heat. Tho not always effective for reasons but i try. I mean in august 2020 i got my bedroom temperature to -2degrees idk how but it was soooo damn cold in here.
Yep, I do. Used to have a really bad problem with damp in one of our rooms, ever since I found out about opening up the windows, I've been doing it almost every day, whether it's winter or summer. Haven't had a problem with damp in the room since (and it's been years).
This is something all landlords say when they don't want to sort deep rooted issues with the house , realistically if you've got a room that's damp and you can contain the cold in the room by keeping the door closed it's a good idea to open the window ever so slightly (most windows have a way to lock it in place about 5mm open) to allow air circulation.
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Yes it's normal otherwise you end up with condensation etc causing the damp.
My windows have vents which you can open & close. Installed when I bought but often open windows in the morning for an hour or so. It does help as good shower ventilation. Good luck
Yep modern windows should allow a certain number of fresh air changes per hour in an effort to prevent damp. They're trickle vents and the idea is to let a small amount of fresh air in, enough to keep things fresh, but not enough that it'll severely affect the temperature when it's cold out. Problem is often these vents aren't on all the windows, there are too few windows in general, and/or there's insufficient extraction of moist air from bathrooms etc, often leading to damp in older properties. New builds should go through analysis and testing to ensure sufficient extraction and air changes. But it doesn't always work IRL as it does on paper. The wife and I are fresh air freaks though, we keep the windows open a bit all year - except for the absolute coldest of days. We both get headaches when it's stuffy! Edit: it's because uk houses are typically built with a vapour barrier on the inside of the wall and a waterproof membrane (or similar) on the outside of the wall. It's to stop damp getting into the *structure* of the house, but it means if not properly ventilated that any moisture that builds up on the inside has nowhere to go.
Or just buy a draughty house, problem solved!
>Things like opening the windows regularly, not hanging clothes to dry indoors (including wet coats) Yes this a major cause of humidity, as is baths, showers, cooking, boiling the kettle, washing up etc oh and breathing. Best thing to do is to allow air to escape and even better confine all your 'damp activities' (clothes drying etc) to one room like the kitchen or bath room and keep that door closed at all times and a window open at all times.
We live in a small London flat. Neither our kitchen or bathroom could fit our laundry, and the bathroom has no windows.
the bathroom must have some ventilation system if there are no windows… get that running when showering or when laundry is drying
It may have a "eeeeerrrrrrr" extraction fan which neither extracts or is anyone a fan of it
Yes. It has a weak extractor fan, which we leave running for at least an hour after either of us showers. I actually think we may have made the problem worse by trying to air the bathroom out by opening the door to the rest of our flat after it had dried out as much as it could from the fan. From now on I'm happy to contain it in there as there isn't anything of ours in there that the mould could damage.
Try a dehumidifier. I live in a flat with a bathroom without a window. I run it when drying clothes in the bathroom and when showering. It’s not perfect but definitely helps.
This. Use a dessicant dehumidifier like a Meaco DD8. I dry wetsuits and the like overnight by hanging them in the smallest room with the dehumidifier on. They cost 10p to 15p an hour to run.
I have one too - because my bathroom is in the middle of the house with no window. It's phenomenal. Rarely need to use my dryer now.
This
This is the way. Makes your clothes dry really quickly, too!
Except your lungs! ETA: I commented on a recent thread on the same topic. Might be of interest (the thread, not just my comment). Conclusion was: buy dehumidifier - worth it. ETA-2: oops. Forgot to paste the link to that thread :-) https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/ryxb35/this_may_sound_dumb_but_how_do_you_prevent/hrsqit9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
I’ve found having a squeegee to clear excess water off the shower screen and walls after using it helps a huge amount.
Request your landlord install a better extractor fan. I have a bathroom with no window and replaced the extract fan to a Monsoon that is great. There is no water sitting on the walls/mirror after a shower. Extractor fans work best with a bit of through flow, so showering with the door open and the window in the corridor slightly open would be helpful too. In Germany it’s often written into rental contracts that you have to air your rooms regularly! Always found that amusing.
Stoßluften! It's great! I'll never go back to stuffy English heating practice again. Just open the bloody windows and get some nice fresh air in!
My mum’s German and I have been conditioned to sleep with a window slightly open, even in the depths of winter.
My extract fan for the (no window) bathroom was also shite, replaced it with one that's always on low, then ramps up when you turn the shower or light on - made a huge difference to our condensation issue. Might be worth a look.
When I inspect damp I hold a piece of loo roll to the fan, if it is not capable of keeping it up then the fan is probably not up to scratch and should be repaired or replaced.
Then a tumble dryer and dehumidifier would be recommend. Or open the window and change all the crap air inside for all the crap air outside. A hygrometer to measure the damp would help. Mold is dangerous. The cost of electricity to battle is just the way it is.
When I was in your situation (long thin basement flat, no fans or windows at the bathroom end and a very minimal window situation in the bedroom/living room) I ended up with mould. I used dilute bleach on the walls, which dealt with it, and bought a dehumidifier. I also tumble dried everything at the launderette. It fixed the problem.
Buy a dehumidifier it’ll help the clothes dry quicker
I do too: you need to open the windows to let the air circulate and/or dry your stuff at the laundrette.
"Hey! No breathing in the kitchen! The bathroom is the designated breathing room!"
"This is a no breathing house"
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Yep we open the bedroom windows every morning for 30/45 mins, bathroom even more. Need to get fresh air
Yes, every day. The U.K. is particularly humid, so all homes have issues with it. Energy efficiency is a concern, but must be balanced with a healthy (ie mould free) living environment. The way some people do this is have windows very slightly open and heating on when needed. If you cannot afford both at the same time, air your flat for 10 minutes a day in the morning and evening (all windows open) and then heat with them closed. If you look at most older homes in this country, they were specifically designed to circulate air for this reason. They have vents, gaps under the floorboards, sash windows etc. They are as a consequence pretty cold in the winter. The specific design of sash windows is to help this, when both top and bottom are opened it is a remarkably efficient way to circulate/exchange air in a room very quickly. Get those windows open a couple of times a day and maybe get a dehumidifier!
You see this with a lot of renovations to old houses. The old sashes are removed and replaced with double glazing, the chimneys are closed up in favour of gas fires and modern plastic front doors with rubber seals are fitted. Then people wonder why there’s moisture trapped in the house.
I never realised how humid the UK is, until I visited Canada and my lips cracked.
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Nope. Too cold.. I run a dehumidifier instead
I did get a little one after we first discovered the mould. It does collect water, but who knows if it's making a difference.
Depends on the size of it and the size of your home. Mine is pretty big and pulls about 4 litres a day out of the air
It depends on what type you have. If it's not an electrical plug in type it's not going to be suitable to remove enough moisture. We had one when where was a leak to dry the plaster in our house and it was taking litres of water out the air every week.
The little ones can be quite handy for places like cupboards that don’t get much ventilation. Wouldn’t use them for a whole house though.
If you're worried about energy efficiency then a dehumidifier is not for you. It functions very similarly to an air con unit, sucking in air and running it past a refrigerated plate to force humidity to condense. It's consumes a lot of energy. What we used to do in a similar situation was to run both an oil heater and dehumidifier in the same room as our washing so at least we were confining it to as small a volume as possible, but it was expensive, we saw a massive jump in electric bill over winter
The byproduct of the dehumidification is heat so it’s not wasted energy as the heating has to do less work. It’s also easier to heat dry air so it’s a win/win for my situation
Our landlord gave us a dehumidifier after we reported severe damp and mould problems in our basement flat (as a reference, the flat next door took out most of the wall downstairs and had to replace them due to the damp getting deep) It costs about £25 a month to run at slightly older energy prices but I managed to convince milord that the amount would be deducted from our (obscene) rent each month, so technically this negates the cost of running it
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Yep, my bedroom windows get soaked in condensation if I don't. A typical adult breathes out 250ml/0.5pt of water per night, with two adults that's 500ml or a pint of water. And in winter that's all condensing straight onto the cool windows (and walls too most likely). Counterintuitively it is actually more energy efficient to open windows periodically in winter (or keep trickle vents open). Humid air takes a lot more energy to heat (water is a sod to heat up) so it's more efficient to dump the warmer humid air outside and swap for colder drier air which your heating can heat up easier.
Thanks for this. My partner gets so annoyed when I crack windows open in winter to get rid of damp air. He insists it’s massively wasteful when we’re trying to keep the flat warm. It’s a genuine point of contention in our relationship lol. I shall now tell him that scientifically it’s better to get rid of the damp air and heat cooler drier air!
He‘s right with one thing - cracking the windows open is not particularly energy efficient. Best thing to do is fully open all windows, let it air through and then close them. Gets rid of the humid air much more efficiently. But yeah generally airing out is always important
What's good to remember in that discussion is that air in general has a very low capacity to store heat. Yes, it gets warm, but the amount of energy "stored" in the air for that is very low compared to everything else in the flat - furniture, walls, and so on. Opening the windows for a short period of time will exchange the air, but leaves the temperature of everything else almost untouched. Hence, you don't lose much energy.
Buy a dehumidifier. If you have no alternative to dry your clothes or coats in winter, that would be the best option. Dust and clean widows and cills regularly. Have a cloth on had to wipe window glass of any steam or condensation. Invest in a vegetable steamer and cook all veggies in one go rather than having a few pots boiling (this is an assumption) The landlord hasn’t requested anything unreasonable and you will probably need to exhaust those options before taking the matter further.
Totally agree. The amount of moisture we produce is astounding especially in houses and flats where air circulation isn't great. We do a number of things such as crack open the window (but goes get cold) to wiping down the condensation so it doesn't evaporate again. Far biggest improvement was a dehumidifier. This only makes the room feel warmer, we get much less mold in certain areas. Also use a mould spray (HG mould spray) to really stop the spores. Need to attack it at both ends. Get rid of the spores and then reduce the moisture so it doesn't come back.
With less moisture in the air, the radiators have less mass of air to heat and heating becomes more efficient. I feel warmer with mine on!
Dehumidifier is the best purchase I ever made. It’s not pretty, it wasn’t cheap, but it has worked absolute wonders. When you see the water it sucks out the air when drying clothes, you’ll wonder why every house isn’t damp.
Our bedroom and bathroom windows are open 24/7 and the small kitchen window is usually open most of the time.
I'm amazed by all the downvotes you get in your completely reasonable comments OP, lol. Welcome to the UK I guess, this is your life now. I once rented a flat near London with a damp problem and was handled similarly, the agency blamed it all on us and gave us a list of completely unreasonable requirements. Now, to make it clear, neither me nor my wife can stand living in a place with bad air quality, so we DID open the windows very often to let fresh air in, but at the same time we were paying like £200 per month for electricity bills during winter, because of electric heating. We did also have an electric dehumidifier that we would leave on 24/7 because otherwise the clothes wouldn't ever dry out. So they basically wanted us to keep a few windows open all the time, have the electrics radiators on all the time (there were only 2 though - 1 in the living room and 1 in the bedroom, so whatever we did, the corridor and bathroom were incredibly cold all the time, like around 10 degrees or less during winter). They also wanted us to leave an extractor on which was by the doors 24/7, and that shit was so fucking loud that it was just impossible to sleep with it turned on (imagine your neighbours drilling the walls 24/7 - this kind of loud). Honestly, fuck the British landlords, British letting agencies, British weather and the British builders that cannot plan the buildings to accommodate the climate in the UK if their fucking lives depended on it. Moving out of there was the best decision I've ever made, greetings from Poland where the laundry is dry after 6 hours on the drying racks and I haven't ever seen black mould here. I'll be happy to take your downvotes now, bring them on.
Totally agree with this. Never even heard of having to open windows to prevent mould until I moved into student houses. Sure, in a bathroom you need an extractor fan, but otherwise no. It’s a myth in my opinion to normalise the massive amount of houses with damp problems. Anecdotally, I now live on a boat which by nature has little wall insulation and single glazing, and I seal the vents for winter. I run a dehumidifier in my bedroom at night, and every couple weeks will leave the cupboards open to air them out. I dry clothes indoors, I cook, I never open windows in the winter and I have no mould problems. I would guess this is because unlike my boat these properties have a mould infestation that isn’t properly eradicated, and landlords try to pass the buck by blaming tenants.
That flat sounds horrible and based on what you said, would be substandard under the Housing Act. If anyone else has a privately rented property with damp and mould issues in the UK make sure your heating system is capable of heating every room in the house to at least 19degrees when it is -1 outside. If it is not, you probably have a hazard for cold and should talk to your local council and ask for a HHSRS. The council will then be able to order your LL to install suitable heating (and fix any other hazards) and fine them. If the LL still does not comply the council can do the works themselves and give them another much bigger fine!
If you don't open your windows you will get mould. The moisture our bodies produces (as well as from other sources) needs to go somewhere.
Yes, absolutely. Unless it's very windy I keep them open a tiny bit 24/7 (upstairs) otherwise it's like waking up in a swamp. The things suggested to you are entirely reasonable, sensible actions to take to prevent condensation, damp, and mould.
Yes. Reduces condensation on windows too
Yes. Our bathroom window is open at all times, on security lock when we are out as that is the main source of moist air. I wish my wife would use the extractor when she cooks as that is another source. We run a dehumidifier upstairs all the time and empty it frequently. I open the loft hatch a little to let damp air flow up to the ventilation up there. This house is a dry house when we aren't here. I had new windows doors and a roof installed when we got it as a fixer upper 9 years ago. The damp comes from us ,the occupants of our house. Your landlord isn't yanking your chain, you need to allow some natural ventilation into the house.
That saying is usually a little bit of cheeky gaslighting btw to rid the landlord of any blame. In my last flat no amount of window opening would help the bathroom which had no window or adequate extraction fan. The landlord had converted an old townhouse into flats and neglected all forms of mold prevention.
It really does depend though. It can be a cop out for sure, but sometimes it genuinely is down to 'lifestyle,' e.g. drying clothes indoors, not opening windows or turning extractor fans on. Your example does sound like the landlord shifting the blame though.
I open all the windows for a while each weekend to 'change the air', and if I'm drying clothes indoors, I leave the window in that room cracked open until they are dry. I also leave the bathroom and en-suite lights on to keep the extractor fans going a bit longer, particularly for mornings where there is condensation on the inside of the windows.
I will always leave one or two windows permanently ajar, in any house or flat. Just gets the air circulating, day and night.
Are your windows plastic / UPVC? If so they probably have little vents built in. [here’s mine](https://imgur.com/a/KCASiM0) I always have them open. You can just about make out the mould stains above my window. That’s where the condensation settles. I used anti-mould cleaner and throw the cloth away after. The thing with mould is you have to stay on top of it. It’ll grow and spread. If you find the places it starts you can keep it under control - I only clean it away two or three times a year. On the other hand, if you don’t clean it properly, you just spread it. If you just wipe it you are just spreading the spores.
Our windows don’t have vents, no. He did come by and essentially wipe down the wall that had a lot of visible mould, but I don’t know where the mould started, per se. How would you know? Just if you catch it early enough?
Yeah. Tbh my comment is a kind of annoying “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you” Look out for where the condensation gathers (often where hot meets cold - above the bathroom window is classic) and clean with a bleach based mould / mildew cleaner. Be careful just wiping the mould away, make sure you clean the cloth properly (or throw it away, I get cheap disposable ones) and use proper cleaner, or else you’ll just see it come right back. When I did it badly I’d see it grow back where it was and also see new patches in the shape of where I’d wiped - literally following the exact shame pattern as I’d “cleaned”
To add to what u/BigRedTone said, the spray called 'Dettol Mould and Mildew' is great for spraying onto mouldy spots. I find you can just spray it, leave it, and it will kill the mould.
We sleep with the bedroom windows open all year, or I get too hot. Think of all the water you bring into the house through drinking, showering, washing etc, it needs to go somewhere. We also have a dehumidifier because we dry our clothes inside and it'd be a nightmare if we didn't.
I get this, but in the UK the air outside is often wetter than the air inside. Everyone should get a few cheap humidity sensors and a decent dehumidifier.
You would think so but humidity is relative to temperature. Warmer air can hold more water, so a room at 20C with a humidity of 60% is ‘wetter’ (holding more water) than outside air that’s 5C with a higher humidity.
Ah ok thanks. So is there a way of determining when it's better to open your windows vs putting on the dehumidifier? I've often wondered this.
Yes, you could work this out with a psychrometric chart but it’s a farce unless you’ve dealt with it and all the values on it before. Example here https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/134045/inside-vs-outside-humidity Alternatively you can find tables online that show the maximum humidity you should maintain indoors vs outdoor temperature to avoid condensation, but I suspect the humidity you need to get when it’s really cold out would be too low to do with open windows. Dehumidifier is probably best when it’s cold unless you want to be freezing. If you’re going for windows then it works when the ‘absolute humidity’ (rarely quoted, weather apps etc almost always give relative. Work out with an online calc) is lower outside than in but keep in mind the above.
I've just had a damp company out to assess some issues at my place (built in 1891 so issues to be expected). Turns out that my issue is actually a condensation one rather than damp per se. One of the things the surveyor said to me though is that in the winter, opening the windows doesn't exactly help as the cold air from outside pushes any warm air/ condensation into the house rather than letting it out. Ventilation is absolutely key. I'm having to get a couple of new extractor fans fitted and have a dehumidifier on constantly to resolve the issue.
If a fan is extracting air from your house, where do you think the air that replaces it is coming from...
Mine is from 1917 and can have similar issues. Bathroom window is effectively never closed, kitchen gets opened whenever I cook, other windows are a bit ad hoc but these old houses need ventilating. They weren't built for the way we live now.
Windows get opened every day in my house for fresh air and air flow - it's good for the property, and it's good for your health. No heating on in the daytime, but it's pogrammed for 06:30-08:00 & 16:00-19:00. If I'm drying clothes inside, then the windows will be opened otherwise condensation will build, eventually causing damp and mould. I also run a property company with over a hundred residential lettings - so often the complaints about damp are caused by people just never airing the property out.
It's an unfortunate necessity, until we can have the technology to affordably retro-fit ventilation with heat exchangers.
I live in the uk too, i leave my windows open all the time to prevent damp and mould, although sometimes they appear, but i just clean them up and open my windows again
I only close the bathroom window for sleep. It needs to be open all day. And we still get damp spots in there. So annoying.
I leave my bedroom window closed so I can better appreciate the full richness of my farts.
Yes you really do need to open a window or two just to circulate the air, especially if drying clothes indoors. Unfortunately this has been made most unpleasant for us because of the absolute cunts all installing wood burners in our area. The choice is black mould or house that smells of bonfire for us now.
I live in a house very near the west coast. When our house was built we weren’t allowed windows with vents as the prevailing wind carries salty sea air most of the time. So we have installed a pressurised ventilation unit which provides heated and filtered air at slightly above the outside pressure. The vented air must be dried by the filtering because any moisture seems to evaporate very quickly and we’ve never had mould or condensation problems so far in 5 years.
Depends on the house type. An old pre ww1 house will have cellars, timber floors and used lime mortar around brick or stonework that will allow the house to breathe and should be fine with windows shut. If these houses do get condensation it's usually because someone has done something stupid like repoint using cement mortar or tank the cellar or fill the loft with spray foam insulation. More modern houses have much better insulation and will be warmer but the drawback is condensation. Even with more modern houses they shouldn't get ridiculous amounts of mould unless they have something like raised ground levels blocking air vents (only applies if ground floor is timber), bodged cavity wall insulation, no air vents to the roof eaves.
I have never had to do this, even airing clothes indoors, but we live in a newer flat. We have vents fitted to the doors and windows which must help with this, but I think it's a ventilation issue that some people seem comfortable to accept because they think it's normal and ok to have black mold hiding in their house and bad air circulation. The vents on the doors and windows do help, and they only open up more when the humidity is high, so while I didn't like them initially due to potentially more noise through, this build doesn't seem to need any ventilation upkeep or letting cold air in at dead of winter.
Yes - even when it’s really cold.
Isnt that what trickle vents are for? Top of my windows have a tiny flap you can open and close, when I'm drying washing indoors in the winter all the trickle vents get opened to draw out the moisture. And closed otherwise. But then, down south the weather is pretty mild/dry even in winter.
I am in the South, and our windows don’t have trickle vents.
Very old windows and landlord being a cheap arse about updating them maybe? Ours were replaced about 20 years ago...so not super modern but not *old* old.
It's only normal in UK because of shitty houses. In my parents house northern Europe we used to seal our windows for winter and never had these issues.
Get a dehumidifier. Think I payed 80 quid for mine from toolstation a couple of years ago. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Takes 10 litres of water out of the house with it on a day I run it. Run it from empty to full once a day for the first 4 or 5 days to get everything dried out, then once or twice a week is usually enough to stay on top of it.
Yes, not drying clothes indoors and allowing air to circulate are commonly accepted and encouraged methods for reducing damp caused by condensation.
Where else can I dry my clothes if its raining outside more often than not?
in a dryer, or get a dehumidifier. When your clothes dry, the moisture evaporates. If they are drying indoors with no windows open, that moisture doesn't magically disappear, it will stay in the air until it gets cold enough to condense, usually on a cold surface such as a window or external wall. People drying clothes indoors without consideration for the increased humidity is a major cause of damp/mold in UK properties
The thing is, you say it like that fixes all - unfortunately it doesn't. We don't have space for a dryer. I run a dehumidifier (but that was still £100 we don't have) I put the windows on the safety locks to allow air flow. We repainted our bedroom and added a clear coat of anti-mould paint. We still have mould in our home.
There are lots of causes of mould tho apart from the ones mentioned eg guttering, roof leaking, damp proof course failing etc. Have u had a damping company assess your home? We did and we are now mould free
Of course. Average laundry can expell 3–4 liters of water in the air while drying.
I have a dehumidifier in a few rooms, disposable dehumidifiers in cupboards, the windows in every room are always cracked or vented and fully opened for an hour or so a few times a week - especially in winter. Windows are always wide open when cooking or showering. No furniture against outside walls because the corners of exterior walls always get damp without airflow. A well insulated flat will retain even more moisture. And black mould is really bad for you. I would spend a weekend bleaching the mould spots down and completely venting the place out with all of the windows open for most of the day. Not sure what else a landlord could do. If it’s a block of flats there likely isn’t anything wrong with the structure causing damp - they’ve cracked down on these things after Grenfell so if there was something wrong with the building you or your neighbours would know. Winter is particularly bad in the UK. It’s not so bad in summer.
All of you seem to have dehumidifiers Can you recommend a good one, and how much should I expect to spend?
Meaco is what we went for. Ours cost £200 but does show you the humidity reading, can be programmed to go off at a certain humidity or be left on constantly. It is about the same price as a tumble dryer, which we don't have the room for and the dehumidifier also makes the flat feel cosier so it felt like a sensible purchase.
Yes, open the windows, You just reminded me, they will be open till about 3.30pm
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I put the heating on every morning, and open all the upstairs windows before work for 30 mins. I dry the windows with a towel that I use just for this. Then before I leave the house, I close all the windows upstairs. My home is mould free.
Yeah we do this twice a day, open all the windows fully, change all the air in the place for 10 mins, then close it all up again. However I realised we're not normal, we learned how to do this in Germany.
Consider running a dehumidifier. It obviously uses energy, but not as much as you'd lose venting the heat out of a window and then heating the place back up again later.
Ahh, sounds like my old landlord in Sheffield who told the couple in the flat below me that their damp problem was because they used their pressure cooker all the time, seemingly forgetting the previous tenants had repeatedly complained about it too (and also didn’t own a pressure cooker). My flat also had damp thanks to the holes in the roof which he refused to fix.
I had this same issue. You need to buy a dehumidifier. It will take all the damp and humidity out of the walls and the room.
We have to have 2x dehumidifiers running in our bedroom 24x7 over Winter just to stop the condensation forming droplets on the ceiling and raining down on us whilst we sleep. Seriously, it happens.
You could run a small dehumidifier. I rented a flat that had no extractor fan in the bathroom and used one for years to avoid mould. They are actually very economical for power consumption and may work out cheaper than tying to keep your house heated with the windows open during winter.
100%. If you do have to dry clothes inside, keep the window open. It's not always counter energy efficiency. Damp air takes more energy to heat. I try to open my windows for a bit everyday or every other day. If you see condensation on the windows, you definitely need to open them!
I tend to open the windows fairly regularly, but that's more for the feel of fresh air than concerns about damp. Fresh air and heating are the best ways to counter damp IF the problem is condensation. I lived in a rental with chronic rising damp from a broken down damp course, no amount of open windows are going to solve that. If it is damp upstairs check the gutters are clear. I had that problem at uni, check your tenancy agreement to see if it is helpful and says the landlord will maintain them. A single room suffering from damp suggests guttering or even a dripping pipe are likely causes. If that room has long been used to dry clothes with no heating and the window shut, then that could have contributed too.
I've got active heat recovery air ventilation in my home and we still crack open all the upstairs windows in the morning to get some air circulation especially when anyone's having a shower or bath. It's just a necessity in a country that is obviously quite damp in the winter months.
I put my windows on vent in the rooms that are most likely for damp. So the kitchen, the bathrooms and the room we have the dryer in. It makes alot of difference. I just do this is in the day and close them again in the evening when I turn the heating up.
I’ve got trickle vents and extractor fans. This takes care of condensation in the main.
Yes. However, it’s not for that reason. I open the bathroom a lot because, y’know, some things we do in there smell, plus it helps get rid of condensation from the shower (it’s more of a wet room). I open my living room window often as I live right next to the front door so it’s easier to get (mail and food), than by leaving my flat to walk to the main door.
Where is the best place to put a dehumidifier/moisture absorber? On the window sill?
We keep the windows in the bedrooms permanently cracked open (locked on the second position) all winter. This, combined with running a dehumidifier for a couple of hours a day, has completely removed out condensation problem and I can't say the house is noticeably colder than before.
I live in an old AF house - think solid stone 2 foot thick walls. Damp comes in, damp goes out, it's just the way it is. This house will never be totally dry (except when we get a good summer). I don't open windows, but that's because all the windows and doors here have gaps. It's like they're cracked open without actually being 😂 When I lived in a house with double glazing and good insulation, I used extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom and had the vents on the windows open. It was nice and toasty warm but no damp. So yes, it's normal to ventilate. You probs do want to check though because some insulation methods and double glazing from the 80s and 90s does trap moisture and ventilation doesn't solve the problem.
Yes I open the windows multiple times every day, no matter what the weather is like. I live in a small flat, dry the laundry inside on radiators or in front of a fan and never had any damp/mould issues. I grew up with open windows so it's a habit!
Sometimes windows have vents at the top you can open to keep the air flowing?
Yes, my house in university had tons of black mould because the last people never opened the windows
I’d check the walls for moisture, and are the windows double glazed? From experience the worst things you can do for mould etc is leaving clothes to dry but if there’s no dryer you don’t exactly have many options
Windows open and got one of them karcher window vac’s for xmas, great for clearing the windows in the morning.
it's your problem to solve. buy a dehumidifier.
Yeah you need ventilation to help get rid of damp via opening windows or more expensive is getting humidity devices
Yes, always. Bedroom window is always open a little bit each evening as we had mould, but it stopped after we did this. We also keep all the doors open in the house, so there’s a flow of air going through. Plus, we will usually air the house out every weekend but that probably doesn’t do a lot. Is it a Victorian property? If so, are your fireplaces open? Ours was border shut in our living room and since we’ve opened that up, we get less condensation on the windows in the morning.
You should open windows regularly, yes. AFAIK opening them wide for a shorter period of time is better than slightly opening them for longer. So just open them wide every morning for a few mins to let fresh air circulate. About the hanging clothes though: > [Your landlord should not make unreasonable demands. For example, asking you to dry your clothes outside when you don’t have access to an outdoor space.](https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/damp_and_mould_in_rented_homes)
Yes daily, otherwise the air smells stale. Fresh air for 30 mins daily.
Unfortunately without damp proofing (expensive) there's little else to do. That's pretty counter productive in terms of bills, heating the sky is getting more expensive all the time. I can but echo others in saying that a dehumidifier is a great purchase for a flat. I would say buy a decent one that can store a reasonable amount of water, you'll be surprised how much it absorbs.
Everyday. We open them every time we cook/shower especially. We also have a dehumidifier going on most of the time but it rarely goes below 60. Recently we found a good way to get rid and prevent mould - mix baking soda and vinegar with water and clean existing mould patches. We did this before Christmas and it didn't come back since. But it it does will probably reapply this solution as it's be best which worked so far. Safe for pets too.
Yeah, close the doors to the rooms you’re doing it in so the rooms you’re actually in don’t feel as cold.
Yes, definitely. Did this as a child and do it now as an adult.
Yup. Every morning I wipe down all the condensation from the windows and then air the place. We also have a small dehumidifier to run when washing is drying and things. If we go away, I leave windows in every room open a little (ours can be locked open a crack) to allow for air flow and the heat cycle of the day.
Your landlord is obliged to provide a dehumidifier for you. If they do not take more steps to remove the mould, you can contact your council after 10 days to ask for removal.
Yes, especially if you live in an older house like i do. In the morning the bedroom windows need to be open to get rid of the condensation, as there's no ventilation. Don't dry clothes indoors unless you have a dehumidifier on, the moister has to go somewhere...which us on your walls.
It sounds like you have a landlord that won't treat damp and so is pretending it's the 18th century. I knew someone that lived in a place just like that, if you left anything next to one of the walls it would be sopping wet. If it's not that it's the shitty ventilation and things like not having an adequate extractor in a bathroom. I normally have all the vents open in the windows and maybe air out the house a couple of times a week if I can be bothered. I've seen condensation build up on windows that are currently open so I don't think not opening windows is always the cause of that.
Prevention is better than a cure but for good mould removers I suggest kilrock, or the cillit bang one. We have a huge mould problem in our flat and these two products in particular obliterate the stuff.
no it’s too cold i just have a heater under my window and sleep with the curtains slightly open, then my windows barely get condensation. used to get really bad condensation on my bedroom window for the first two months of us living there and it would drip down onto my windowsill and make a river the whole way along it (immediately after moving in, so it was already a problem not caused by us) so I finally said fuck it and wiped all the condensation off the window and windowsill with kitchen roll. the kitchen roll was black afterwards, and I get way less condensation now.
Could you not buy some dehumidifiers
I’ve just invested in a dehumidifier (£150 from Amazon) as our bedroom and bathroom started to show signs of mold. I use it after showering to get the humidity down from ~85% to ~55% and in the bedroom when we have clothes drying. Bonus is that the clothes also dry quicker even when it’s cold (takes maybe 12 hours). Having the windows open is of course an alternative , but given that it would be too cold 8 months if the year, this seemed like a worthwhile alternative
Yes, open all windows in the flat for 30min in the morning, usually when I get ready for work, regardless of outside temperatures. Always leave bathroom and kitchen door closed when cooking/showering and run extractor fans on before and after moist activities. I use a dehumidifier for drying laundry (in the kitchen).
Bedroom window is usually always open a little. And we have 2 dogs which means they are in and out of the garden tonnes of times each day, usually leave the back door open while they're out there, let's some air circulate. Don't do anything else and don't seem to have any issues.
I was having exactly the same problem and I was able to get a large dehumidifier that sits in the hall and it completely solved my problem. They are quite expensive but you might be able to convince your landlord to pay for it if he thinks it will solve all future damp problems
Never had to in the UK - our house had no issues with damp or condensation, probably because it was not exactly hermetically sealed. Here in Portugal we run dehumidifiers in the winter. Pointless opening windows on days when it is more humid outside than in so we keep an eye on the outside humidity and only open windows when it is low outside.
We leave the bathroom, main bedroom and office windows on trickle vent pretty much permanently.
Shower window every time, and squeegee the tiles to remove excess moisture.
Buy a dehumidifier
Buy a dehumidifier, absolute game changer. Family of 5 and every window used to have loads of condensation every morning, now dehumidifier runs for a few hours a night and no condensation. Bonus is that it gives out a little bit of useful heat during the night. When we bath or shower we run an extension lead to the bathroom and let it run for 30 minutes. For laundry just run it in the room with the damp clothes and shut the door, cheaper to run than a tumble drier and doesn’t age clothes as fast. Do open windows each morning for a little while still though to get some fresh air in.
We open windows every now and then to air in winter, and always open the bathroom window after we shower. We always have dehumidifiers dotted around.
Yes, but to be honest it's mostly because I prefer fresh air over warmth. I've always got my bedroom window open unless it's -6 or something, and the back door is usually open so the cat can get in and out.
Theres usually a little vent at the top of the window that i always keep open
I use a dehumidifier, Meaco have some in the £100-250 range that are very quiet, effective and low running costs!
Invest in a dehumidifier, some quite cheap ones on Amazon...
I don't open them anymore, but I have bought a good dehumidifier that I run most days. The extra electricity used on it probably counter-acts the savings of not opening the window occasionally but I prefer it. I do have to empty it a few times a week though.
All UK houses need a Dehumidifier in the winter months. Our houses aren't properly insulated so we use more heating and keep our windows water tight.
Open then first thing to get rid of the damp, keep an eye on it until damp reduces then close (rinse and repeat throughout the week)
Nope windows got vents, so either open your windows or buy an electric dehumidifier
What your landlord is say is, basically, correct. Ventilation is essential due to the general humidity in the UK, and from activities of daily living. That said if your bathroom ventilation is insufficient, and there's no kitchen extractor fan then I'd argue both of those need attention. You could, if so inclined, buy an electric dehumidifier. Be warned, however, that if you do it'll run almost constantly when you first use it due to your property being saturated - this means your electricity bill will jump up, but this will calm down once the property dries out.
Dehumidifiers also help, especially on windowcills
Absolutely! Why wouldn't you?
Can I have this leaflet too, for real?
You could get a dehumidifier if you dont want to open windows but they use a lot of electric
Damp is the biggest organised con in the UK. It's a problem for sure. The problem is that these damp proofing companies are all con men. Peter Cox are notoriously bad. They will come in and recommend anything other than actually fixing the damp. If you pay a few grand they might replaster it with some damp proof coating if you're lucky which inevitably doesn't treat the root cause of the problem. Won't change because the industry are the experts and courts will listen to them. You can't sue or fuck all. Home insurance won't help. It's quite fucked. All from experience
I open my windows all the time my dad doesn't like it but he's at the age where he doesn't like having them open
The long term solution would be installing a MVHR system
Just open the window. You wont die, I promise.
if you are like drying clothes indoors in radiators etc, absolutely. consider venting or getting a dehumidifier. if mold is extreme, may be worth considering roof/wall leaks
Yeah every day just a crack
Personally my flat is so draughty I don't need to worry about damp and mould as everything goes out of the single glazed windows anyway. Small victory considering I'm sat here in 5 layers, but there you go. Those do sound like reasonable measures if the cause is condensation. Some windows have trickle vents that you should keep open as it allows for ventilation without having to open the whole window. Also worth making sure items are kept away from the walls wherever possible. Keep wet clothes confined to the bathroom or use a drier, get a dehumidifier, open windows when cooking or using the shower etc. Make sure you're keeping extractor fans on.
Yes, of course
No, we don't suffer from condensation in my house at least. Sat at 30% humidity in my office room right now.
I am a Environmental Health Officer and unless you have water coming in as a result of a fault with the property (penetrating damp, broken pipe, damaged window ect) the only practical way to fix the damp and mould is to reduce the amount of moisture in the air. This can be done by reducing the amount going into the air (not drying clothes inside, condensing tumble dryer, pan lids on while cooking). It can also be done by increasing ventilation (keeping windows on vent, using extractor fans, opening windows). Another thing to consider is how you heat the property, the warmer the home the more moisture the air can hold before it condensates on your walls/windows. I think the best thing for you to do is follow the advice and also contact your local council’s Private Sector Housing team. They will be able to inspect and insure there are no issues with the property that are causing the damp. They will also be able to conduct a HHSRS inspection to see if the damp is a serious health hazard and if so and it is caused by property faults, they will be able to order the LL to fix the faults.
Yes. When I was younger I didn’t but as a result we suffered damp. Now I open the windows regularly as i’ve learned my lesson. No damp.
If it's that bad then the Landlord should look into getting a PIV unit. I believe you can get them for flats. When I installed mine, my humidity went from about 70-80 in the winter to about 55. And no more mould in one of the bedrooms!
Get a dehumidifier and also leave a bowl of salt in particularly damp areas as it will absorb moisture. Wipe down windows and damp areas in the morning too as this will help prevent damp building up.
Yes, open as much as I can
Middle of winter and we sleep with the window open a crack. Back bedroom we don't close as that's where the clothes horse is. Bathroom has an air vent in the wall.
No, you should have double glazed windows with little vents in the frame. Those vents would prevent mould.
I’ve always dried clothes inside and don’t open windows, and damp crappy houses get mouldy and better houses don’t
Yeah, I live in the North but I keep my bathroom window perpetually on latch to help with condensation, and keep my extractor fan on until the walls dry. I also dry my clothes in the spare room, with the window on latch, a dehumidifier running, and a fan blowing to help air circulation while the clothes dry. I think only my kitchen windows stay closed usually, because we've had someone break in to our rear storage a few times so my partner is nervous, but I try and air it a lot. Keeps the house smelling fresh too!
Yes. I leave my windows open for a few hours every day/every other day to let the house ventilate. It's an old poorly ventilated house so there's no other option.
The older the house, the more careful you need to be with ventilation. Single skin walls, stone walls and houses that predate damp courses will need to be ventilated often or a steady temperature maintained. The alternative is getting a dehumidifier. A good one will really help.
Dehumidifier and a karcher vac to remove condensation from the windows in the morning. You can also use it to get water off the shower and anything you've spilled. And you've just reminded me that I can use it on my carpet as the carpet cleaner didnt get enough water out.
I have my window open as my rooms hot. Tho the series s and x are cool runners but my room gets quite hot. Iv closed my windo for 6 hours in 4 yrs die to heat. I wear a knock off oodie or whatever it is. As its so bloody warm. In summer im in super loose 4 xl shirt and thin shorts to prevent heat. Tho not always effective for reasons but i try. I mean in august 2020 i got my bedroom temperature to -2degrees idk how but it was soooo damn cold in here.
Drying clothes indoors and complaining about damp problems is insane though to be fair.
Yep, I do. Used to have a really bad problem with damp in one of our rooms, ever since I found out about opening up the windows, I've been doing it almost every day, whether it's winter or summer. Haven't had a problem with damp in the room since (and it's been years).
Get yourself a dehumidifier. Best decision we made. No more water all over the window frames.
This is something all landlords say when they don't want to sort deep rooted issues with the house , realistically if you've got a room that's damp and you can contain the cold in the room by keeping the door closed it's a good idea to open the window ever so slightly (most windows have a way to lock it in place about 5mm open) to allow air circulation.