No one wants condensation in their property – for landlords it becomes an added expense and for tenants it makes their homes a health risk and an unpleasant place to live. So what should private landlords tell their tenants to minimise the risk of condensation over the winter period? Here’s a handy guide.
1. Produce Less Moisture
Many everyday activities produce a lot of moist air very quickly – that includes cooking, washing clothes and having a bath. To minimise the amount of moist air produced from these activities, tenants need to:
– Cover pans when cooking and don’t leave kettles boiling longer than necessary.
– Avoid using paraffin and portable bottle gas heaters.
– Dry washing outdoors. If it’s raining, use a clothes airer in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open or ventilation fan on.
– Do not dry washing directly on room radiators as this produces more water vapour and cools the room at the same time. Tenants should ask themselves “where will all the water vapour from the drying clothes go?”
– Run the cold water first when filling a bath as it prevents steam production.
2. Ventilate And Push Moisture Outside
Tenants often claim that to ventilate effectively it would mean that draughts are created. This isn’t necessarily so:
– Keep a small window open a little.
– Open the kitchen or bathroom windows to let steam and moisture out.
– Use an extractor fan – they only use 1/5th the power of a 100watt bulb.
– Ventilate the bedroom by leaving a window slightly open at night.
– Close the kitchen and bathroom doors when the rooms are in use to stop the warm, moist air producing condensation in other cooler rooms.
– Minimise clutter – it could stop the air circulating.
– Don’t block ventilators, air bricks and chimneys.
– Dry your windows & windowsills every morning.
– Don’t push beds and sofas against outside walls which are always colder and attract condensation. Make sure there is a 9 inch (225cm) gap. Bedding can get damp if air cannot circulate around it.
Heat your Home
Keep the heat on low all day in very cold weather, condensation is less likely to form in warm houses.
