If there’s one thing you need to avoid getting in your home like the plague, it’s damp. Damp can cause a number of issues with your home, not to mention your health. However, if you want to get rid of it for good, then you need to make sure you can identify it and deal with it properly. Read on for some helpful tips:
Identifying Damp
You will usually experience more issues with damp during winter, however, you can find warning signs throughout the year. You can do some checks to make sure you are identifying damp properly.
Walls - start by holding your hand against the wall. If it feels cold or damp, you should look for signs of mould.
Ceilings - look for mould and look at the colour of the ceiling. If there are brown patches this can indicate damp.
Windows - condensation on windows in the morning as well as puddles of water can mean high moisture levels within the house.
Bathroom and kitchen - look at your grouting and sealant for signs of black mould.
Your furniture - check the inside of your curtains, blinds, and sofas.
Unheated storage spaces - you may get a musty smell.
Check the above rooms for the following and it could indicate that you have a damp problem.
Dealing With Damp
Once you know you have damp, it’s crucial that you deal with it ASAP. However, the way you deal with it can depend on the causes of the damp. You should start by reducing the risk of condensation in each room, paying special attention to the rooms you’ve found condensation in previously. Penetrating damp can be awful, and can affect roofs, chimneys, parapets and other exposed parts of a building. These parts are more susceptible to being penetrated by rain, and where maintenance can be tough. The junction in the roof can be a troublesome spot, and water can cause issues with mortar fillings, ridges, and more. If this happens to you you’ll need to call in roof repair experts to fix and minimize the damage ASAP. Make sure you also look at burst pipes, washing machines, and dishwashers for any damage that could be causing the damp in your home. Below ground damp or rising damp may be the cause of damp in your home. This is where floors become damp where the evaporation of moisture from below is inhibited by vinyl sheet, rubber-backed carpets or other impervious coverings. You absolutely must know what kind of damp you have before you can get rid of it completely.
Depending on how bad your damp problem is, you may find that you can deal with it alone. If you know that your issue has spread through multiple rooms and been around for a while, then you may need to call in the pros to get rid of it. Make sure you always look for the cause of the problem first so the damp doesn’t reappear after a short amount of time. Good luck and be vigilant!