Damp and mould advice
Need help?
If you are worried about damp and mould in your home, please tell us as soon as possible so we can work with you to resolve it.
Click the ‘Get in touch’ button for more details of how you can contact Celtic Horizons.
What we need to know
Mould and damp are caused by excess moisture.
If you have damp or mould at your home, our team will ask you some questions to help us determine what the cause could be.
We need to know:
• When you first noticed the damp or mould
• Which rooms are affected
• Do you have working extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom?
• Have you reported a damp or mould issue in your home to us in the last 12 months?
• If there is mould, is it behind furniture or stored items against a wall?
Any photos you can send us will also be useful.
PLAY
PLAY
How to avoid mould and condensation
Preventing condensation
Mould often occurs because of condensation. Condensation is excess moisture in the air, which condenses into water droplets.
The three main causes of condensation are:
- Moisture from everyday activities like cooking, drying clothes and bathing
- Not enough ventilation
- Cool temperatures
Every home gets condensation at some point. You will see it as a bathroom mirror misted up after a shower, or a bedroom window misted after a cold night.
If your home never seems to be free of condensation, you need to stop moisture building up; ventilate your home well, and use your heating system.
Not all damp and mould is caused by condensation however. Sometimes the cause can be other issues such as a leaking roof, an internal water leak, or leaking or blocked gutters, down pipes and overflows.
If you are worried about damp or mould at home, please contact us as soon as possible.
Top 10 tips for stopping moisture build-up
- Most people top their bath up with cold water when they dip a toe in and realise it’s too hot. Do the opposite – run a bath with an inch of cold water, then add the hot water to reduce steam
- When you shower or have a bath, open a window and vent the room for at least 20 minutes afterwards
- Keep the window open while you cook and ventilate the room for 20 minutes afterwards
- Keep the lids on cooking pans and use as little water as you can in your pans and kettle
- Keep your bathroom and kitchen doors closed during and after use, and use your extractor fans
- Ventilate your living room, bedrooms and other rooms by opening windows slightly or using trickle vents
- Our Welsh weather isn’t great but hang washing outside whenever you can and don’t dry clothes on radiators. In bad weather, hang washing in the bathroom with the door closed and a window open / the extractor fan on instead
- Don’t overfill wardrobes and cupboards – it stops air circulating which can lead to mildew
- Don’t block air vents
- Avoid heating one room to a high temperature and leaving other rooms cold, as this makes condensation worse.
Treating mould growth
Prevention is better than cure, but here are ways to treat mould if you have noticed it in your home:
- Wipe down windows, walls, and other affected areas with a fungicidal (mould-killing wash). You can buy them at supermarkets and DIY stores and they should have a Health & Safety Executive ‘approved number’
- Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo mouldy carpets
- If you need to repaint, use a fungicidal and anti-condensation paint (available from DIY stores) and avoid using ordinary paint for further coats
Using a dehumidifier can also help with damp issues. They remove moisture from the air and are not expensive to run.
