Damp is just about the last thing you want to discover in your home, but it affects millions of homeowners every single year.
Bad for your home, and bad for your health, if you own a home chances are you want to deal with damp issues once and for all, and here are a few things that can help you to do exactly that.
Prevention is better than cure
When it comes to damp and quell most problems really, it is fair to say that prevention really is better than cure. If you never get a damp problem in the first place, you won’t have to go through the process of dealing with it.
There are a number of preventative measures you can take to avoid damp, but the most important thing you can do is ensure that your home is well-maintained. Fix any holes in the roof, keep the gutters clean and replace any damaged brickwork as soon as it becomes apparent and moisture is fr less likely to get in and do its thing making your home damp.
Consider interior insulation
Insulation for interior walls is a great tool in the fight against damp because it can help to prevent moisture from becoming trapped inside walls where it can quickly turn to damp. It can also help to keep your home warm and cozy, and potentially lower your energy bills, so if you can afford to have it installed, you probably should.
Use moisture-resistant paint
When you’re decorating your home, be smart and choose moisture-resistant paint products that are far less likely to succumb to damp problems. They look just as good as any other paints, with the added bonus that they won’t end up with those tell-tale dark spots or mold spores sprouting out.
Keep your property warm
Keeping your property warm can help to prevent condensation from forming, which, in turn, can help to prevent your home from becoming damp. How does this work? Basically, because condensation is formed when warm hair hits a cool surface. That’s who you should also use extractor fans when cooking or showering - it can cause condensation really easily.
Maintaining a constant temperature in your house may be tricky, not to mention expensive but if you set your thermostat at a slightly lower temperature than usual while leaving it on longer than usual, you fan normally eliminate any sudden rises and falls in temperature, and prevent condensation, which causes damp, at the dame time.
Make sure there’s adequate ventilation
The more moisture that is allowed to build up in your home, the more likely you are to be plagued by damp not too far down the line. That’s why you should ensure that your home has enough ventilation.
Any easy way of ventilating your home is opening as many doors and windows as possible each day, but you should also have extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, and enough air vents to handle any excess moisture produced around your home too.
Put a lid on it
One of the most common causes of excess moisture, which can very quickly lead to damp conditions if not dealt with adequately, is boiling pans. By simply placing a lid on your pans while they simmer away, you can capture much of the moisture that would otherwise be released and prevent damp from taking a hold, Oh, and be sure to turn on your extractor fan while you’re cooking too.
Try a dehumidifier
If, despite your best efforts, there’s much more moisture in your home than you would like, buying a few dehumidifier units and placing them in the worst-offending areas can really help to keep moisture at bay and drive the damp away.
If you want to drive away damp from your home, as you can see, you do need to be very proactive about it, but making as many of the changes above as possible will make your home drier and more comfortable to live in, and many of these measured are not too costly to implement either.
If you do end up with a damp issue, it’s a good idea to run a humidifier while you clean up any mold that has been produced by the damp spot, When it is as dry as possible. Cover it with a damp seal product, and perhaps some damp-resistant paint depending on how bad it looks, and then keep on top of it by implementing the above measures.
Damp really doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of your home!
