Mould / Dehumidifers

LADYEARLGREY_2

Hi ,

It my first post here and am looking for some advice.
We have real bad condensation in our bedroom so bad that the windows are always wet . I open them every morning but i now have black mould spots all over the walls near the window. I have stopped using the radiator in there to dry clothes and am now thinking of getting a dehumidifer but was wondering how much they cost to run ?

basmic

They use about 200w/hour, which works out at 4.8Kw/day. Assuming you pay £0.10 for every Kw, that's £0.48. Or £14.60 per month.

dixie_dean_2

We have (SO many people do) the same problem. We've had a dehumidifier for ages but by far the best thing to do is to open the windows as much as possible. Obviously its tough when it's so cold but try to have them open in the day - if you're in - or when you get up, when you get home for a couple of hours and then your bedroom one open, even just a little bit, whilst you sleep.

The_Money_Saver_2

I would agree with Dixie Dean - windows opening achieves by far the best results. I have recently purchased a dehumidifer and am finding its helping though.

blueberrypie

Another vote for ventilation here. I've found that by leaving the windows just open (on the latch, so I can still lock them, and they don't even look open), the condensation on them in the mornings is all but eliminated.

I washed the frames with a tea-tree oil spray (home-made, tea-tree oil and water) to get any mould off (and was astonished and disgusted at just how much did come off - hadn't realised how dark the wood was looking!) - tea-tree is supposed to help keep the mould away too.

I've lined all the bedroom curtains so that the windows can be left on the latch like that overnight too.

beautiful_ravens

I have the same problem (which would be greatly improved with double glazing) but in my last house I had a dehumidifier which cost 40p a day to run - yes it collected loads of water, but I didnt notice any condensation difference in the room so Im not convinced. I would agree with the opening windows idea, although I personally dont do it because the house is far too cold. Come the spring, I will air the house, but for now I just keep cleaning off the mould, and try not to dry really wet washing in the rooms.

nesssie1702

With condensation and the mould it causes, it's a case of striking a balance between heat and ventilation and trying to remove or decrease the effects of having too much water vapour in the air (so, don't dry washing inside if you can avoid it!)

If you've got a problem with condensation in the bedroom, try leaving the bedroom door ajar at night - that way the water vapour that you breathe out won't be trapped in the room.

Thick lined curtains is a good way to go and I'm sure I read about someone on the OS Board who made their own curtain linings with blankets, so that way they were able to leave the window ajar during the night to help ventilate the room.

One of the things that we've been seeing more of at work (I'm in Environmental Health) are complaints about mould and condensation this year and it's a combination of people not being able to heat their properties effectively as well as poor ventilation.

Kiwisaver_2

It's a huge problem for us in NZ, due to poor insulation, lack of double glazing and central heating. I run two dehumidifiers in the winter and empty them both every day.

I concur with all advice above: drying washing indoors is one of the worst things you can do, along with using unvented gas heaters such as Calor gas fires.

Do everything you can to keep moisture from building up: cover all pots when cooking, air bathrooms etc after showering or bathing to let the steam out. You need to make sure the air in the house is fully 'exchanged' at least once a day. So no matter how cold it is, just a few minutes with doors and windows opened to let some fresh air in.

I have heard the same regarding tea-tree oil too, I keep some mixed with water in a spray bottle and wipe around the bathroom and window frames with it everynow and again.

blueberrypie

nesssie1702 wrote: »

With condensation and the mould it causes, it's a case of striking a balance between heat and ventilation and trying to remove or decrease the effects of having too much water vapour in the air (so, don't dry washing inside if you can avoid it!)

And if you must dry washing indoors, put it in on a rack in one room, open the windows in that room, and close the door.

If you've got a problem with condensation in the bedroom, try leaving the bedroom door ajar at night - that way the water vapour that you breathe out won't be trapped in the room.

Most of my bedroom doors are open overnight, so I can hear the children and they can come in to me easily. And my room is a very big room - but still, condensation *sigh*

Thick lined curtains is a good way to go and I'm sure I read about someone on the OS Board who made their own curtain linings with blankets, so that way they were able to leave the window ajar during the night to help ventilate the room.

That might have been me. I used cheap fleece blankets from Ikea - they're about £1.30 each, and do a good job. The shorter side is just the right size for the length of our windows too :-)

One of the things that we've been seeing more of at work (I'm in Environmental Health) are complaints about mould and condensation this year and it's a combination of people not being able to heat their properties effectively as well as poor ventilation.

That's interesting, because we've had condensation problems every winter since we moved here (this is our fourth winter in this house) - but with the windows ajar and the lined curtains, we have almost eliminated the problem this year. So those simple solutions must really be working :-)

LADYEARLGREY_2

thanks for your replies. unfortunately we cant leave windows open overnight as we are under a flightpath ! but I do leave them slightly open morning till bed time.