medusa Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Thanks very much for the advice!! We do have a dehumidifier capable of extracting 5L, bang on! We never do dry clothes on the radiators either- windows are open as much as we can in winter. I guess that means not a lot to be fair. We've never had mould issues anywhere else, even the walls are wet, what on earth is happening!! It's very likely that the house/flat has a ventilation problem that other places you've lived haven't had. Us humans give out a huge amount of moisture, from the humidified breath that we breathe out to the vaporised sweat that we give off full time, even when we don't think we're sweating. All you need to demonstrate this is a hygrometer. Breathe on one of those a few times and you'll see a huge change in relative humidity it registers. This will take more than a single action such as getting a dehumidifier. Rupert's suggestions all need to be followed, from airing all your rooms at least once a day (a full exchange of air for 5 minutes) to reducing how much extra humidity you add into the air every day. My sister moved from an elderly (but naturally well ventilated) house to a brand new and very well sealed house and found that there was a major condensation problem just because the house didn't get to breathe in the way that the older house did with all of its air bricks, open chimneys and inefficiently-sealed windows. Until they found a level at which they could exist in the house they had mould in virtually every room. Crossed fingers that our current weather with its really cold air (which is very low in humidity, compared to warmer air) helps you start to get this mould problem under control. My living room, with 2 humans, a big furry dog who pants a lot, 4 cats and a very large bowl of water for the dog is currently showing at only 39% relative humidity, whereas when the weather was 15 degrees higher it was around 50%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Sodium hypochlorite is the main constituent of ordinary bleach. Don't use the thick stuff that's for cleaning toilets. I think tesco sell it. 'Bam' or 'Cif' (AFAIK) have something which will do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barleycorn Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Sodium hypochlorite is the main constituent of ordinary bleach. Don't use the thick stuff that's for cleaning toilets. I think tesco sell it. This stuff works wonders. Spray on and leave for a few minutes before wiping off. http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/household-products/dettol-mould-mildew-remover/ jb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hard2miss Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I guess we are on a hill- and the flat is a 1930's block. Ground floor ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider1 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I guess we are on a hill- and the flat is a 1930's block. Have you had cavity insulation done .Or roof space insulation can cause condensation :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handypandy Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 At this time of the year I get more calls on this subject than just about anything else. As usual, all good advice above. Some properties are certainly more susceptible than others though and none more so than some flats and houses built in the 1930’s. These flats were mostly constructed with un– insulated concrete floors and ceilings. In the ‘30’s, insulation wasn’t seen as the issue it is today. Modern building regulations insist that domestic concrete floors, as well as the walls, have to include a layer of insulation. Also, cavity walls as we know them now, only really started to be introduced in the 30’s, so many brick built flats and houses were constructed with a solid 9” wall. Add to this, the fact that your flats may have concrete steps attached to your walls, leading to other landings, these construction methods led to lots of cold ‘bridges’ to within the property. As Medusa states above, the properties then, generally had draughty windows etc., which meant fairly free flowing air, however, the advent of ‘hermetically’ sealing upvc windows and doors put paid to that! As well as the lifestyle changes mentioned already, there are also positive things that can be done, none of which unfortunately, are particularly cheap but you can pm or email me for further info.... Alternatively, if you are a keen DIY’er, I will happily guide you through the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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