Making Sure Your New Apartment Is Damp Free

It’s fantastic having a place of your own, somewhere you can retreat to, shut the world out when necessary, or invite friends and family around for a good time. We live in a country of changing seasons and weathers, which can mean temperatures that are really hot so we open the windows to keep cool. Then in the winter we feel the urge to complete shut everything up so we can keep the warm in. This may not be the best solution as it could cause a number of damp issues within the home. If left untreated, damp can lead to a serious illnesses or even breathing diseases. With that in mind, here are a number of ways you can prevent damp in your new apartment.

Ventilation

If you have any sign of damp or mould within your home, this can be as a result of poor ventilation throughout the home. This is especially common in bathrooms where the steam accumulates after a bath or shower and doesn’t have anywhere to go. Even in winter, you should open the bathroom window during a bath or shower to allow the steam to dissipate out of the open window, therefore it should not condense on the cold surface of the wall and therefore prevent the spread of damp or mould.

Dehumidifier

While only a short term solution, a dehumidifier can be very effective in clearing out all of the moisture and damp that you have in your home. As a technique it is most effective once you’ve had the damp issues in your home assessed. Kenwood are experts in the field of damp proofing and offer a free damp survey to all homes in order to assess your issue. Then a dehumidifier will have a better chance of getting rid of the damp in your home, and preventing it from returning.

Mould Cleaner

Many of us are used to using bleach to clean most surfaces, after all it is very effective with most forms of bacteria. However, bleach must never be used to clean mould. While it may initially clean the surface, the moisture from the bleach will be soaked back into the wall and therefore create a bigger mould problem. This is why mould cleaners have all the cleaning benefits of a strong bleach, but they are drier which enables them to absorb all of the moisture as it cleans away the mould, leaving a drier surface where the mould is unlikely to reappear. Although a decent mould cleaner can be pricey, it will save you a lot of money in the long run because of its effectiveness.

Fabrics

One of the tell tale signs of dampness in the home is when your fabrics have a horrible and stale odour. If that’s the case it means your fabrics have absorbed the damp and there is nothing you can do with them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your carpets, bedding or soft furnishings, although many cleaning companies are willing to attempt to rescue them, it really is too little too late. Sadly the smell will only get worse so you are left with little choice but to get rid of all of the affected fabrics and replace them. However, make sure you only do this after your damp issue has been addressed or else you have the risk of it happening again.