Condensation Advice
What causes condensation in the home?
Condensation is more likely to occur in rooms where there is a lot of moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchens, and in rooms where there are a lot of people.
In the UK, condensation issues happen more in the winter period, when warmed air comes into contact with cold surfaces, or unheated parts of the home and turns into water droplets.
Moisture in the Air
Moisture is in the air all around us and there are lots of Daily activities that increase moisture in our homes, such as cooking, showering, washing and drying clothes.
When warm air comes into contact with colder parts of the house, such as an unheated room, or at night when the temperature drops, the moisture turns into condensation.
Homes which are unoccupied during the day can become cold, then suddenly warm again when everyone comes home.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are managing the moisture in your property to reduce the risk of damp and mould.
Prevention
Bathing or showering
After a bath or shower you should ventilate the room by opening a window, you can also leave the extractor fan running for 15 minutes and you should leave the door closed whilst this happens to reduce moisture escaping.
Cooking Food
When cooking food, you can create moisture and to combat this you can turn the extractor fan on if you have one and again you could open a window as that will help.
Drying Clothes
Dry clothes outdoors where possible Your clothes may take longer to dry, but less moisture will build up in your home.
Tumble driers should be vented to the outside If you have a condenser we recommend opening a window and closing the door to the room while it’s in operation.
If you need to dry clothes indoors use a clothes horse located in just one room, with the door closed and the window open. Do not dry clothes on radiators.
