If your home is damp this can cause mould on walls, window frames, furniture and your personal possessions.
Damp and mould make your home uncomfortable, if left untreated, they can also pose a serious risk to your health.
Most homes will be affected by damp at some point.
The most common type of damp is condensation. This is caused by too much moisture in the air. It happens mainly during cold weather and is the most likely cause of black mould in your home
Rising damp is caused by a defective damp proof course or because there is no damp-proof course. It is the result of water rising from the ground into your home. It only affects basements and ground floor rooms and usually leaves a tide mark low down on the wall, less than a metre from the floor.
Mould will rarely be seen with rising damp, and only in the early stages of the problem.
Penetrating damp is the result of water seeping through an external wall into your home - for example, because of a missing tile or slate, spilling from a blocked gutter or penetrating around window frames. It can also come from a leak from water or waste pipes inside your home. This type of dampness gets worse after rain or using water in your home. It usually appears as a damp patch which looks and feels damp to the touch. Mould is rarely seen on areas of penetrating damp.
There is always some moisture in the air, even if you can't see it. Condensation forms when moist air is cooled by contact with cold surfaces, such as walls, windows or mirrors.
Over time, condensation can lead to mould growth. It appears as pinpoint black spots, usually on the side surface of external walls, in corners and in poorly ventilated spaces, such as behind cupboards and wardrobes.
The causes of condensation are too much moisture in the air, poor ventilation and insulation, or your home is cold.
There are some simple steps you can take to reduce condensation:
It is important to keep air circulating in your home to reduce condensation. Ventilation removes moisture and stale air from your home and replaces it with fresh dry air. To improve ventilation, use extractor fans (if you have them) and you should open windows or vents regularly during dry weather. It is better to open a few windows a little throughout your home rather than have one window wide open. Doing this regularly for short periods is the best way of ventilating your home and will minimise heat loss.
Keeping windows and vents closed to stop heat getting out will not help reduce condensation.
A cold home is more likely to be a damp home. condensation forms more quickly when your home is cold because cold air can hold less moisture than warm air. Ideally the recommended room temperature for heating your home is 18 degrees. If you are older, have children under five or a health condition the recommended room temperature is 21 degrees.
Visit our cost of living support webpage for help that may be available for your energy, food and other costs.
By introducing low level heating, the temperature of internal surfaces will rise and will reduce cooling of any moisture-laden air, as a result, the amount of condensation. Ideally, low level background heating should be continuous, as any short bursts of heat may not result in a suitable rise in surface temperatures.
Your home may be cold for other reasons like poor insulation, visit Better Housing Better Health website for support and information, a single point of contact for information on keeping warm and lowering your energy bills.
Our climate change team may be able to help
You can also try the following:
Further damp, mould and condensation advice
Damp, mould and condensation leaflet(PDF) [310 kb]
Further information is available on the GOV.UK website about Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home
Housing Standards Team
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