IF YOU LIVE in an older house that’s prone to damp, there are many practical ways you can make your home more pleasant to live in without spending a fortune on costly renovation or remediation. 

Since Ireland is a bit of a soggy place for much of the year, many of us will find we have issues with damp, condensation, or mildew, even in a relatively new build.

A damp environment in your home can cause decay to timber and plaster, discolour paintwork, encourage mould growth, and worst of all, can create unhealthy indoor air quality for the occupants. 

There are basically two sources of damp – either moisture is getting in via a structural issue, or damp is accumulating because of a lack of ventilation in areas like kitchens and bathrooms.

Let’s take a look at what you can do to tackle it.

1. First, figure out the source

The first thing you should do is figure out if damp is coming from a structural source. If you suspect rising damp, where floorboards or skirting is rotting, paintwork is bubbling, and you have a strong musty smell, this will need to be addressed by an expert.

Check that your gutters are in good order, so that rainwater is not running down an external wall, and inspect internal plumbing to ensure there are no leaky pipes anywhere. The reality though, is that most internal damp issues are simply caused by condensation, and when condensation gathers at cold joins in the building’s structure, it eventually gets damp and mouldy.

Borrow a Home Energy Saving Kit from your local library and use the Thermal Leak Detector provided to see if there are cold spots on your walls – a mildewy corner might be being caused by something as simple as poorly installed insulation. The energy kit also contains a humidity monitor, so you can tell if the problem is worse in particular rooms.

2. Use extractor fans… or in a pinch, open the window

Cooking and showering can contribute four litres of moisture to your indoor air every day. The most effective way to remedy this is to use extractor fans in the bathrooms and kitchen.

If possible, link bathroom fans to the lighting controls so that they come on automatically whenever the light is turned on.

If installing electrical ventilation isn’t an option, there are other ways you can ventilate, such as keeping a window open when bathing or cooking. You can also air your home during the day by opening two windows on opposite sides of the house or apartment to allow fresh air to flow through for a half hour or so.

3. Trap the moisture 

If none of the ventilation solutions are an option, there are still simple things you can do to prevent excess water getting into the air in the first place.

Keep lids on pots and pans when cooking, and use the minimum amount of water needed. Don’t leave pots bubbling away for ages – once the water has boiled, turn it down to a simmer. When running a bath, run the cold water first and then add the hot, as this reduces the amount of steam produced.

After showering, wipe down glass and tile surfaces with a squeegee to send excess moisture down the plughole. If condensation on your windows is a big issue, then wipe them down with an old cloth or towel in the mornings, and dry it outdoors.

Shutterstock / alexandrosk Shutterstock / alexandrosk / alexandrosk

4. Aim for a consistent temperature 

For environmental reasons, lots of us are in the habit of turning our thermostats right down during the day when we are out, and at night when we are snug in bed. This is a great energy saving habit, but it could be contributing to damp and condensation issues in your home because rapid cooling will cause condensation to settle.

Warm air can hold a lot more water than cold air, and condensation happens when warm meets cold – water is released from the air and settles on any cold surface if finds.

While it’s definitely a terrible idea to leave your thermostat cranked up constantly, you might have to look for a happy medium between energy efficiency and maintaining a more consistent temperature (between 17ºC and 21ºC) to combat dampness.

5. Avoid drying clothes indoors when you can

If you thought cooking and showering were bad, wait until you hear how much moisture washing and drying clothes creates! Up to two litres per day per person, so for a household of four that’s a whopping eight litres.

Drying clothes indoors on clothes airers or radiators is one of the biggest contributors to moisture in your indoor air. We all know it would be a lovely little country if we could only roof it. Unfortunately, we can’t, but what you can do is install an outdoor canopy (like this one) to allow you to dry clothes in all kinds of weather. You can also buy a rotary clothes line cover, which should make outdoor drying easier in wet conditions. 

6. Use a dehumidifier

Lastly, a dehumidifier can help with dampness issues and air quality, but since it will only address the symptom and not the cause, I’d only recommend getting one if ventilating your home and trapping the moisture isn’t quite cutting it.

On the plus side, dry air is easier to heat than damp air, so you might find that using a dehumidifier in the short term and keeping the temperature constant might sort out your damp problems.

Many tool hire companies provide dehumidifiers if you feel you’ll only need one for a short time, and if you decide to buy one for regular use, always go for the best energy efficiency rating you can afford. 

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