How to Keep Your Home Damp-free

How to Keep Your Home Damp-free

In this week’s blog, we are offering our best tips to help prevent damp from tarnishing your home’s interior walls, ceilings and in some cases furniture. As the weather turns with Winter approaching - damp once again becomes a tenant/landlord issue in many homes. Damp is one of the most common problems we face in Irish homes in the early and latter stages of each year. Let’s explore how to identify and prevent damp occurrences before they become a big problem in your home.

Damp arrives in three variations; Condensation, Rising & Penetrating damp.

Identifying Damp

Identifying damp can be relatively easy - once it has begun to hold a specific location in your property. But stopping damp occurrence in their tracks is the goal we should all strive for. Preventing problems is often easier than finding solutions - especially in property!

Damp occurrences present themselves most often through agitating our senses with a musky old and unwanted smell. So watch out for this one! Damp is also visible to the naked eye. It is presented in a dark spotted form and is highly identifiable when it begins to grow on a walled surface.

In its simplest form, damp is caused by Condensation or by lack of home maintenance. That condensation you are seeing on your windows the past few mornings. Yes, that is how damp begins to form, so take note.

But as aforementioned, there are three ways damp or mould begins to form including Rising Damp - which is derived from underneath your property and rises up through your home. This can be identified by decaying flooring or buckling skirting board, or again that horrid black substance appearing at the meeting point of your floor/wall.

Lastly, Penetrating Damp. This dampness occurs by an external render such as a tile becoming loose and exposing your property to external forces - which in Ireland, unfortunately means a lot of rain!

How to Prevent Damp/Mould Occurrences

Start off by carrying out the simple house maintenance tasks.

1. Remove Condensation from Windows and Sills.

Removing this excess moisture every morning with a towel or cloth will ensure damp is stopped in its tracks before forming mould.

2.Ensure Your Home is Ventilated.

Every little helps with this one!

After your morning shower, remember to open your bathroom window. Yes we know it is cold, but even 1 minute will help disperse the unwanted moisture from circling around the room before finding a new home on your bathroom’s white ceiling.

When cooking, deploy your extractor fan. This will not only avoid food smells from sticking to your home's furniture unwantedly, but it will also remove the chance of condensation from taking hold of your kitchen’s walls and ceiling and surfaces.

3.Insulation & Warmth.

These are your best friends when it comes to preventing damp/mould. Although keeping a home consistently warm can be costly. Ensuring that your home is well insulated is half of the battle. Damp can and will occur in every home but ensuring your home’s energy rating is at its best will help to avoid the most unwanted types of damp occurrences.

Damp occurs when warm air meets cold surfaces. Steady temperatures within your home will help reduce the warm air's counterpart - leaving your home damp-free.

This Winter, ensure your home maintains a suitable temperature level; regularly clean surfaces that you believe may be prone to dampness and ventilate your home often.

There you have it, Wallace Estates' go-to Damp-free Guide.

Your Home, Our Priority.

Contact our team