Date started the Condensation Challenge:.....................................
Date completed the Condensation Challenge:...............................
Take our Condensation
Challenge to reduce damp
and mould in your home!
A guide to reducing the effects of condensation in your home
Do you know how much water is produced in your home in a day?
Two people at home for the day and night
6 pints
Cooking and boiling a kettle
6 pints
6 pints
Drying clothes indoors
9 pints
Using additional heaters
3 pints
Having a bath and washing clothes
3 pints
That’s 27 pints of
moisture in one day!
Condensation Challenge
Every winter we see an increase in the number of reports about damp or mould
problems. When we visit to see what the problem is, we often find the problems are
linked to the effects of condensation.
Condensation happens naturally around the home but things like cooking, taking baths
and drying clothes indoors can produce up to 20-27 extra pints of water each day in
your home! This extra water is what can cause damp or mould problems if you don’t
know how to reduce the effects of condensation in your home.
Take action against damp and mould with our condensation challenge!
You can’t actually stop condensation from happening but there are things you can
do to reduce and even stop condensation from developing into damp or mould. It
won’t happen overnight and that’s why we have put together our 30 day condensation
challenge. All you need to do is try some small changes over 30 days to see if things
improve.
Step 1: Prepare your home for the challenge
It’s important to get you home ready for the challenge so
you can see if things do improve. We recommend you:
• Clean away any mould with a special mould cleaner
(look in the cleaning aisle at the supermarket). Make
sure you target all the nooks and crannies in window or
door frames.
• Move any furniture away from walls in your house
(especially external walls) as this allows air flow around
your furniture
• Check your window vents and air bricks aren’t covered –
look inside and outside to make sure.
• Put your heating on a low setting throughout the day between 17-21 degrees. This will stop your house going
from cold to hot.
For help on reducing your energy bills pick up our ‘Monty’s
Money Guide’ leaflet or visit our website.
Small changes over 30
Step 2. Change how you dry washing indoors: days makes a difference!
Hang your washing on a free standing dryer
in a heated room with the door closed and
window opened (even just slightly)
If you can afford to, invest in a tumble dryer
but make sure it’s externally vented and not
just by hanging the vent out of a window!
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Drying clothes indoors causes
the most moisture in your home!
Step 3. Make changes when you shower or bath:
• Open a window slightly when having a bath or
shower, it doesn’t have to be open long, just long
enough to let the steam out
• Wipe down any wet or damp surfaces that appear
after bathing
Step 4. Make changes when you cook:
• Pop lids on pans when cooking - this reduces the
amount of steam and saves energy
• If you have an extractor fan - put it on to clear
Make sure to follow
the steam
each step of the challenge
• Close the door to the kitchen and open a
window to let out the steam
• Wipe away any water that appears on walls or
windows.
• Hang cleaning cloths or tea towels to dry on a
free standing dryer
Step 5: Take a look around your home to see if
there may be other things causing damp or mould
There may be other problems you may not be aware of:
• Next time it’s raining, check to see if your gutters are working
properly – if they are leaking heavily or causing green patches
on walls, they may be blocked.
• Take a look at your roof (from ground level to be safe!) and
see if any tiles may have slipped.
• Check your damp course isn’t covered by soil or heavy items
(ask a friend or ‘google’ what a damp course looks like if
unsure)
A blocked gutter
is easy to clear
once reported!
What if it the challenge doesn’t work for you?
Please follow the challenge for 30 days to see if things get better. But if this doesn’t
help, you might have problems caused by:
• Leaking pipes, wastes, overflows, water coming in from a blocked gutter or
through the roof if a tile is missing or cracked
• Spillages or leaks in the bathroom (you might need your tiles sealed with a silicone
sealant)
• Ineffective or no damp proof course in the building
• Pooling of water against the house walls especially in cold or windy places
You may find your damp problems come and go during the winter but by following the
changes in this leaflet, things should improve.
If you have any of the problems highlighted above, like leaking pipes or blocked gutters
please report them - our repairs contact details are on the back page.
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How to report repairs in your area
Canterbury tenants:
For general household repairs contact Mears:
• Call FREEPHONE 0800 3134 740 or 01227 714 500*
• Email [email protected]
• Text “repair” and then your message (please include your name, address and the
nature of your repair is) to 63277
For gas or heating repairs contact Swale Heating:
• Call FREEPHONE 0800 111 4648 or 01795 439 111*
Dover tenants:
For general household repairs contact Mears:
• Email [email protected]
• Call FREEPHONE 0800 0234 320 or 01843 282 186*
• Use the freephone in one of the Council’s area offices
For a central heating or gas repair contact Swale Heating:
• Call FREEPHONE 0800 731 1886 or 01795 477098
Shepway tenants:
Call our main repairs phone number: 01303 858 600 and choose an option:
• Select option 1 for general household repairs by Mears
• Select option 2 for central heating or gas repairs by Swale Heating
• Select option 3 for window repairs by Prima
• Select option 4 to to discuss an outstanding repair or request an inspection
Thanet tenants:
For general household repairs contact Mears:
• Texting “thanetrepairs” then your message, to 63277 (please include your name,
address and the nature of your repair is)
• Email [email protected]
• Calling FREEPHONE 0800 0234 320 or 01843 282 104*
Report a central heating or gas repair to Swale Heating:
• Email:[email protected]
• Call Swale Heating on FREEPHONE 0800 121 6860 or 01795 426 333
Reporting a repair by text or email?
Please include your name, address and as much information as possible about your
repair. This will help us to prioritise the work correctly and get somebody out to you as
quickly as possible.
*Calls from a mobile phone are cheaper to landline numbers.
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