How to reduce condensation in your home - top tips from Northumberland environment experts

To help prevent condensation and damp in your home, Northumberland County Council’s environmental health team are offering some simple top tips.

Day-to-day activities such as cooking, drying clothes and showering add to the moisture in the air. If this moisture is allowed to build up, it can cause damp.

This can cause black mould growth on walls, ceilings, furniture and clothing. Some people do not realise that this mould growth is often caused by condensation from normal activities, mistakenly thinking these are signs of damp caused by problems with the property itself.

Coun Colin Horncastle, the county council’s cabinet member for community services, said: “Condensation occurs naturally in homes when moisture comes into contact with cold surfaces such as walls or windows and is particularly prevalent at this time of year.

“You can produce around 22 pints of water in your home each day through everyday activities. For example, just one load of damp washing can emit nine pints of moisture into your home.

“However, there are some simple steps we can all take to reduce condensation, and therefore damp, in our homes.”

The top tips on reducing condensation while around the house are as follows:

When cooking

Keep lids on pans when cooking.

Keep the interior kitchen door closed to prevent steam going into colder rooms, even after you have finished.

Open a kitchen window slightly, or use an extractor fan or open window vents if fitted.

When bathing

Keep the bathroom door closed, but open the bathroom window slightly.

Make sure the extractor fan is working and open window vents if fitted.

When filling the bath, run cold water first and then add hot water. This will greatly reduce the amount of steam.

When washing/drying

Dry washing outside wherever possible.

Avoid drying laundry on radiators or in front of fires. It will dry them, but will release moisture into your room.

If it is too cold to hang washing outside, put it in the bathroom and open the window or turn on the extractor fan.

Heating

With energy bills rising, we are all cutting down on our heating. However, in cold weather, the best way to keep rooms warm enough to avoid condensation is to keep low background heating on all day.

When the home is warmer, condensation is less likely to occur. This is more effective than setting it high and turning it off and on.

Air circulation

Allow air to circulate around furniture and in cupboards by making sure they are not overfilled and there is space between the furniture and the wall.

Remember – mould is a living organism that needs killing to get rid of it. Do not disturb it by brushing or vacuum cleaning and do not use bleach or washing up liquid.

After treatment, redecorate using a good quality fungicidal paint to help prevent mould recurring. Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets.

More details on how to prevent condensation and damp are available at https://nland.cc/condensation