Advice about the different types of damp that can affect your home - rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation.
Damp can cause mould on walls and furniture and make timber window frames rot. Damp housing is unhealthy, smelly and encourages the growth of mould and mites. These can increase the risk of respiratory illness.
Insulating your house so it is warmer and less prone to damp and mould can significantly improve your health and time spent off sick. People in warmer properties suffer less from respiratory problems such as wheezing and colds.
If you have the type of damp which causes a tidemark, it needs to be traced from the source of a leak, rain seeping through windows or rising dampness due to a defective or missing damp proof course.
Condensation and Mould Growth
Some dampness is caused by condensation, which can be avoided or kept to a minimum by simple changes to your daily activities, reducing the risk of mould growth.
Condensation can be minimised by producing less moisture, ventilating to reduce moisture and keeping your home warm.
Signs of condensation are stains and black powdery mould, especially behind large pieces of furniture, in corners, on colder outside walls, in the kitchen and bathroom or around windows. Clothing and shoes or books in cupboards or wardrobes may become covered in mould.
Condensation is caused when there is excess moisture and cold conditions.
For more advice you can download our information leaflet in PDF format below. The Property Care Association also publish a leaflet to download on condensation - see Other Websites.
