You must not use bottled-gas or paraffin
room heaters or cookers. They can be
dangerous and are an expensive method
of heating.
Dealing with mould
• Try to make sure that condensation is not
happening regularly.
If you would like to have any part of this explained
or translated, or in a different format such as in
larger print, or on audio tape, please contact us on
01249 465465 to discuss your needs.
• Wipe away any mould using an
anti-fungicidal wash before you
redecorate. You can get this from any
supermarket or chemist.
Dealing with
condensation
• Before decorating, use an oil-based sealer
to reduce the chances of the
condensation bleeding back through.
Is damp actually condensation?
If you feel your property is suffering from
damp which is not condensation, please
contact our Customer Service Team
(details on the back of this leaflet) and we
will send someone to your home.
Jeśli wymagają Państwo wyjaśnienia jakiegoś fragmentu albo jego
tłumaczenia, albo w innym formacie, takim jak duży druk, albo na
kasecie audio, proszę się z nami skontaktować pod numerem telefonu
01249 465465, aby przedyskutować Państwa potrzeby.
Herhangi bir kısmının izah edilmesini veya tercüme edilmesini, ya da iri
harfler veya ses bantı gibi başka bir fotmatta verilmesini isterseniz, lütfen
ihtiyaçlarınızı konuşmak için bu numaraya telefon edin: 01249 465465.
Damp and condensation can cause
mould on walls and furniture and
make timber window frames rot
Methuen Park
Chippenham SN14 0GU
tel 01249 465465
[email protected]
www.greensquaregroup.com
GREENSQUARE AVON & MARDEN AREAS
ISSUED: SEPTEMBER 2012
Does it leave a tidemark? If so, it is not
condensation. If you have tidemarks,
report this to our Customer Service Team
as a leak. We need to find the leak as
soon as possible. Please let us know
where you think it is coming from, for
example, the
bathroom or
airing cupboard,
as this will
make sure we
send out the
correct
contractor.
If your home suffers from damp and
mould on walls, ceilings, window frames,
furnishings or even clothes, the cause is
likely to be condensation. We get many
complaints of damp which is often due to
condensation.
An average family produces over two gallons of
moisture every day. This build-up of moisture
needs to escape.
Mould forms where condensation cannot dry
out. Your home needs fresh air as well as heat.
Fresh air helps dry out surfaces.
All households can suffer from condensation.
There are simple ways of controlling it.
What is condensation?
Moisture builds up in the air. There is always
some moisture in the air, but people create
more by cooking, taking baths, drying clothes
indoors, and by using bottled-gas heaters. If it
cannot escape, this extra moisture builds up in
the home.
Warm, moist air condenses when it cools.
When warm air comes into contact with a cold
surface, the air turns into droplets of water –
this is condensation. The warm, moist air will
pick up moisture from cooking, hot baths and
from drying clothes. Condensation most often
happens during cold weather.
Condensation that does not dry out naturally
causes mould, mildew and rot. Mould forms on
walls, window sills and cupboards. Mildew
forms on clothes, particularly leather. You will
find that wallpaper and paint will peel, as water
gets underneath.
Dealing with condensation
What you can do to prevent or
reduce condensation
• Make sure you use the extractor fans
provided in the kitchen and bathroom.
Keep your home warm
• Make sure you close the bathroom or
kitchen door when you are using these
rooms.
In winter months keep a low background heat.
This does not have to mean increasing your
heating costs. Also, take steps to prevent heat
loss, for example closing the curtains in the early
evening and not allowing them to cover the
radiators. Do not block air vents.
Insulate and draught proof your home
• Every day, wipe any moisture off the inside
of window panes and double-glazed units.
You can use an old towel.
• Make sure any air bricks or extractor fans
are not blocked.
Insulation and draught proofing will help you
keep your home warm and will also cut fuel
bills. When your entire home is warmer, there is
less likely to be condensation. We can help if
you don’t think you have enough insulation or
draught proofing.
• Make sure you vent any tumble dryers
and combined washer-dryers directly
outside.
Produce less moisture
What produces this moisture?
• Cover pans and switch off kettles once they
have boiled.
You can produce steam by:
• Do not use paraffin and portable flueless
bottled gas heaters as these heaters put a lot
of moisture in to the air.
• boiling pans without lids;
• Dry clothes outdoors or in a well-ventilated
room or in a vented tumble dryer.
• Allow air to circulate behind furniture
(wardrobes, drawers and bedheads) to
avoid a build-up of stagnant air pockets.
• drying clothes on radiators;
• washing up and having baths and
showers; or
Control where the moisture goes
• using washing machines and tumble
dryers without outside vents.
• Make sure your heating is on and the
temperature in your property is high enough.
People and pets can also produce
moisture by:
• Make sure that your property is wellventilated by making sure the trickle vents in
your windows are open (open your windows
slightly for periods of time during the day).
• sleeping in unventilated spaces;
• training or exercising indoors; or
• having a lot of people in your home, for
example, for a party.