Treating dampness and mould

Reducing damp and mould in your home

Watch this video to learn how to treat condensation, damp and mould.

Dampness is a major problem in houses and flats. It can cause mould on walls and rot the furniture. It also increases the risk of respiratory problems.

Damp can happen because of:

• condensation
• lack of heating
• poor ventilation
• leakage of water

Preventing dampness

Reduce condensation

Anything you can do to reduce the amount of moisture you add to the air will help to reduce condensation. For example, you could:

• dry your windows and sills every morning and keep surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom dry. Wring out the cloth rather than drying it on a radiator
• hang your washing outside to dry if possible. Or hang it in the bathroom with the door closed and a window open or extractor fan on
• cook with pan lids on and the extractor fan on. Use only as much water as you need to cover vegetables, and turn down the heat when the water has boiled
• reduce steam when having a bath by running the cold water first and then adding the hot
• make sure your tumble drier has a vent that connects to the outside, if it is not a condenser model

Increase ventilation

You can also try to increase ventilation in your home, to let the moist air circulate and escape outside. You could:

• open windows and vents whenever possible to allow air to circulate, especially when cooking or washing up
• use an extractor fan or open a bathroom window for about 20 minutes after showering or bathing
• leave your bedroom window open at night, even if only slightly
• keep the kitchen and bathroom doors closed so moisture cannot escape into the rest of the house
• keep a small gap between large furniture and the wall, and where possible place it against an internal wall

Warm air holds more moisture than cool air – the warmer it is, the more it can hold, meaning less condensation. It’s better to keep a medium temperature throughout your home than to heat one room to a high temperature.

Heating your home 

Heat is key to managing condensation. The trick is making sure your home is ready for when you become active: first thing in the morning or when you’re coming home from work, school and so on. Otherwise, when you start showering, cooking or washing, you’ll create moist air which will settle on the cold surfaces and create condensation.

• Where you can, keep your home warm to avoid cold surfaces and remember that it can take a long time for a building to warm up
• Depending on your household heating system, consider setting your heating to come on about an hour before everyone gets out of bed, and to switch off as they get up – waiting until you get up and then switching it on manually is too late
• If you’re not in during the day, set the timer so that your home is warm by the time you return
• During very cold weather, if you can, it’s better to leave the heating on during the day to maintain an even temperature. You can set the temperature a few degrees lower when you’re out and turn it up when you get back.
• If you can, it’s better to keep all rooms heated to a low temperature than to have some rooms heated to a high temperature with the heating turned off in others. (If you try to warm an unheated room by leaving the door open to a heated one, warm air will just enter and condense on cold surfaces).
• Conserving more heat can also help to keep costs down. Researchers at a scientific, ‘Energy House’, in Salford say that pulling your curtains as it starts to get dark can reduce heat loss by 15 -17%. Draught excluders at front of doors are also a cheap and effective way to retain heat. 
• We understand it's not always possible to heat your home as much as you'd like. Please check out the information on the help with living costs page. 
• If you are having problems affording to heat your home then you can contact Warm and Safe Wiltshire for tips and advice by calling 0800 038 5722 or emailing: warmandsafe@cse.org.uk

Further information

You can find out more about treating damp and mould in the damp and mould advice booklet.

If you wish to complain about the condition of your home, please use the online form below. 

You will be asked to create a My Account before you can complete the form.

Private Housing online complaint form

You can also make a report through My Housing Tenancy.