drying clothes

ixwood

kezlou wrote: »

For mould i just wash it off with washing up liquid and very hot water, or invest in a steamer and use that once a month.We do this DS1's bedroom and it takes about 2 months for the mould to regrow.
I can't actually use bleach as it really irritates my asthma..

I can't believe how many people are living in damp environments.

Mould shouldn't regrow. If it does, the air is too humid. Mould is just a symptom.

Get a dehumidifier before your or your sons health gets worse.

kezlou

Ixwood:- i actually do have a dehumidifier which was very expensive and i will be taking it with me when i eventually move. In fact we have four which constantly run and its not a case of mould shouldn't regrow because in my case it actually does. My bills are high as kite due to amount of money the dehumidifiers cost to run.

The main reason we have mould and condensation is because our house is
1)Victorian i.e over 100 years old, old and lose a lot of heat fast
2) No cavity wall installation
3) my neighbours will not pay to get they roof fixed which is attached to mine and thus leaks into my house.
4)My other neighbours are students and both them and their landlords won't fix up they house either.

5) the only form of heating we have in our house over than clothing, sleeping bags,etc is gas central heating not good when heat off the radiators causes more condensation.

what else actually am i supposed to do other than what i am doing e.g cleaning the mould, investing in dehumidifiers, putting in MORE ventilation, having windows open in winter which in fact makes my astma worse.Trying NOT to use the heating because it makes the condensation worse and if i do have it on also have a window open. so any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Other than repairing my neighbours houses , i don't see how i have any choice thna doing what i'm doing. Oh and i live in PRIVATE rented accommodation not council as apparently i do not qualify as i have more than adequate accommodation, not a single parent, alcoholic, criminal or drug dealer. Therefore the council will not do anything either and CAB said to me that was nothing i could do about my living situation as i do qualify for any bond schemes before my partner works.

I actually find your comment quite snotty as for a lot of people can only live where they can afford to. Damp is a problem in the UK as 70% of domestic buildings are inadequately built. In addition to the extra airers i was actually recommended to use these by my specialist at the hospital as a way of drying clothes WITHOUT the need to use heating, and in some cases having a house too dry i.e putting the radiators on can badly affect people who suffer from lung disease and allergies.As for my children they are in perfect health and DO NOT suffer from asthma in fact the last time any of children was a case of food poisoning from there school.

Please accept my apologies if i have offended you in anyway,

dieselhead

kezlou, a few more things for you to try, after all it sounds like things can't get any worse!

Can you try to keep your house at a constant temperature, older buildings react really badly to changes in temperature, so try to use you heating to keep you house at a constant temperature.

Don't open your windows wide just an inch is enough and always have more than one window open, so that air circulates at least round the room even better around the house.

Make sure all air bricks are clear, on the inside and outside of the house, not painted shut, covered in leaves, ivy etc. They are part of the house's natural ventilation system and they do work.

Is there any way you can stop drying your clothes indoors, not matter how many windows you have open they will still make the air damp even with dehumidifiers.

Another thing to find out if your house has a damp proof course, have a look around the outside of your house are there lots of little plugged holes two or three bricks up. If there are then that's great but if not and I suspect not, it might be worth trying to press your landlord to get this done.

kezlou

Thank you very much Dieselhead for the advice i and the OP really appreciate it .

dieselhead wrote: »

Can you try to keep your house at a constant temperature, older buildings react really badly to changes in temperature, so try to use you heating to keep you house at a constant temperature. Our heating house is currently set to 16 degrees (constant) but the is so cold at the moment i've had to switch it up to 20.

Don't open your windows wide just an inch is enough and always have more than one window open, so that air circulates at least round the room even better around the house. My landlady has put double glazing in all the rooms so now in most of them they is only one small outlet window in the front room, In the bedrooms the windows are quite large. I'll try only opening an inch or so instead of all the way.

Is there any way you can stop drying your clothes indoors, not matter how many windows you have open they will still make the air damp even with dehumidifiers.
Unfortunately not, the laudrette near us closed because of the weather

Another thing to find out if your house has a damp proof course, have a look around the outside of your house are there lots of little plugged holes two or three bricks up. If there are then that's great but if not and I suspect not, it might be worth trying to press your landlord to get this done. I just checked and we do have a damproof course at the front of the house will check the back once i've cleared the snow.

Do you know how long the damproofing lasts for?

Thanks Kerry x

JBD

Kezlou, assuming you have the uvpc double glazing you should be able to open the larger window about 1/4 inch then lock it. I keep my bedroom windows like this all the time now and it really has reduced condensation.

ixwood

kezlou wrote: »

Ixwood:- i actually do have a dehumidifier which was very expensive and i will be taking it with me when i eventually move. In fact we have four which constantly run and its not a case of mould shouldn't regrow because in my case it actually does. My bills are high as kite due to amount of money the dehumidifiers cost to run.

The main reason we have mould and condensation is because our house is
1)Victorian i.e over 100 years old, old and lose a lot of heat fast
2) No cavity wall installation
3) my neighbours will not pay to get they roof fixed which is attached to mine and thus leaks into my house.
4)My other neighbours are students and both them and their landlords won't fix up they house either.

5) the only form of heating we have in our house over than clothing, sleeping bags,etc is gas central heating not good when heat off the radiators causes more condensation.

what else actually am i supposed to do other than what i am doing e.g cleaning the mould, investing in dehumidifiers, putting in MORE ventilation, having windows open in winter which in fact makes my astma worse.Trying NOT to use the heating because it makes the condensation worse and if i do have it on also have a window open. so any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Other than repairing my neighbours houses , i don't see how i have any choice thna doing what i'm doing. Oh and i live in PRIVATE rented accommodation not council as apparently i do not qualify as i have more than adequate accommodation, not a single parent, alcoholic, criminal or drug dealer. Therefore the council will not do anything either and CAB said to me that was nothing i could do about my living situation as i do qualify for any bond schemes before my partner works.

I actually find your comment quite snotty as for a lot of people can only live where they can afford to. Damp is a problem in the UK as 70% of domestic buildings are inadequately built. In addition to the extra airers i was actually recommended to use these by my specialist at the hospital as a way of drying clothes WITHOUT the need to use heating, and in some cases having a house too dry i.e putting the radiators on can badly affect people who suffer from lung disease and allergies.As for my children they are in perfect health and DO NOT suffer from asthma in fact the last time any of children was a case of food poisoning from there school.

Please accept my apologies if i have offended you in anyway,

No offence taken or intended.

Out of your list of problems, the roof sticks out like a sore thumb. That isn't acceptable from your neighbours and I'm sure you must be able to force them to fix it. Apart from mould, it'll actually damage the building structurally if left long enough.

I don't mean to be snotty, but I don't believe damp is unpreventable or normal. It maybe typical, but that's probably down to poor understanding of the problem and causes.

Damp can always be fixed. If it's really bad, there must be a water source somewhere. Leaking roof, gutters blocked/leaking, leaky drainpipes (especially metal ones as they rarely get painted properly where they meet the wall), drain leaks, external level of ground too high, patios sloping towards the house etc.

Once there's no major water input as above, then damp air shoudn't be a major problem and one that a dehumidifier, better ventilation or lifestyle changes should easily be able to deal with.

Extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens with humidistats are helpful. Otherwise, you HAVE to open the windows whilst creating steam through baths/showers/cooking.

You can also get fans that work on positive pressure which apparently are effective, but I'm not used one.

Also, I've read that if you're aware of low pressure days from the weather, you can open all the windows and loads of moisture will be removed. Never tried that either, but may be worth googling it.

I do live in an old house btw, and have had condensation issues in the past.

Gas central heating doesn't add moisture to the air. Gas heaters with no flue, like calar heaters do.

I'm aware that dry air can be a problem too, but less of a one than damp air, and regardless, it's clear that you don't have, or are likely to have a dry air problem.

Ideally, you want somewhere in the middle. 40-60 % humidity maybe.

Also, there are other benefits. Dryish ish is warmed easier/cheaper.

People don't need to tolerate damp and shouldn't.

ixwood

You can tell this tread is in a less technical area. If it was in the DIY and home section, you'd all have had loads of good advice and solutions by now.

Anyone suffering damp problems, post in there. Or just search the site for condensation. There's loads of good advice on here already. It's almost a daily topic in winter.

dieselhead

kezlou wrote: »

Thank you very much Dieselhead for the advice i and the OP really appreciate it .



Do you know how long the damproofing lasts for?

Thanks Kerry x

Sorry Kerry I don't know what the life is of an injected damp proof course, but they do fail, if you think its not being effective, it may be worth speaking to the landlord about it.

BitterAndTwisted

Anyone who is suffering problems from their neighbours not maintaining their properties should get in touch with their local authority. There are procedures in place to force them to carry out essential work. They can suffer from their own neglect but not their neighbours.

Honestly, anyone drying laundry indoors in winter, especially at present wants their head examining. Condensation and the consequent damp problems caused are a nightmare to put right without spending an absolute fortune on heating and dehumidifying. Cheaper to dry at the launderette. I don't have a working washing-machine at the moment, so I know all about the hassle entailed but I am NOT doing any hand-washing and drying indoors right now as I usually would with smaller items. Cold humid air is feels much, much chillier than cold arid air and mould is a serious health-hazard which should be avoided at all costs. Environmental Health have been known to condemn properties as unfit because of it, it's so serious.

shazrobo

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

This is outrageous and I would suggest getting in contact with your local MP, they really can make a difference some times.

Not only with the advice given, but with the living accommodation.

i would go and speak to mp too, i was in OP situation when my twins were babies and asthmatic, we saw one mp who said they couldnt do anything, so we went along to see another mp, who was brilliant, within 2 months he had found us a lovely 3 bedroomed house,