Forecasters have predicted this winter to be the coldest that Britain has experienced in almost 50 years. Whilst we know it’ll be essential to wrap up warm there are other environmental factors within the home that if overlooked could affect your families health this winter.
How does condensation happen?
If condensation is left unattended mould begins to form which produces spores. Inhaling or touching mould spores can trigger an allergic reaction. Symptoms of this include a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing which can lead to more serious conditions such as rhinitis and sinusitis or can exacerbate existing respiratory conditions in the young, elderly or those with weakened immune systems.
How to reduce condensation in the home
Chris Michael, Managing Director of Meaco outlines his eight top tips for preventing condensation in the home this winter:
- Put lids on saucepans when you boil or steam to reduce moisture.
- Don’t dry washing on radiators, use a drying rack and put it in a room with an extractor fan.
- Use an extractor fan when you bath or shower or open the window for 5 minutes afterwards.
- Open curtains and blinds during the day to warm rooms up and to prevent moisture being trapped around the windows.
- Keep gutters clear to make sure water does not spill down your walls.
- Avoid building patios above damp course.
- Don’t let furniture touch outside walls: leave a small gap.
- Consider purchasing a dehumidifier as it will help get rid of the excess moisture in your home.
Meaco “ABC” – an ultra-quiet dehumidifier
Preventing condensation, a dehumidifier will make your home drier and cheaper to heat. The popular, energy efficient Meaco ABC range comes in either 10 or 12 litre sizes, is available in multiple colours and has a Quiet Mark Award for low-noise making it ideal for use within the home.
If you have any questions or need any advice about which dehumidifier is best for your requirements, please get in touch. Our team has a wealth of expertise and would be happy to help. Please phone us on 01483 234900 or email: sales@meaco.com
Products featured: MeacoDry ABC 10L , MeacoDry ABC 12L , MeacoDry ABC 20L
4 responses
Hi I’m looking for advice on a dehumidifier for a 3 bed semi-detached house. The main issue is a lot of condensation forming over night in the bedroom and currently no extractor fan in the bathroom and the kitchen extractor doesn’t work. We’ve recently bought the house and will eventually get those sorted but the bedroom condensation covers the entire window and I don’t want it to get out of hand.
Thanks
Philippa,
Definetely the MeacoDry ABC 12L for you because they are so quiet you can have them running around the bedroom. This will sort your problem out.
Chris
We bought a one bedroom very small flat 8weeks ago our clothes in the wardrobes, drawers ,carpets, sofa are wet.At night when we get into bed it’s damp worse in the morning.We can not see any mould or damp on walls anywhereno condensation on windows eitherThe house is double glazed we don’t have a extractor in the bathroom but open the window when showering and leave it open till condensation goes away. The whole situation is stressing me out the clothes I’m wearing are damp not a nice feeling. I purchased the Meaco 12l low energy dehumidifier a week ago it is pulling 5litres water in every 24hours but everything is still wet RH is 62 was in the middle on day 1 Iv set it to 50.Should I have purchased the 20ltre dehumidifier would it have pulled more water than the 12litre will my situation ever change if it doesn’t I think we will have to put our house on the market can’t live with this situation much longer as in our previous house never had any problems with damp condensation or humidity.I have asked the neighbours who live in same size flats as us they have no issues with damp or condensation.
Elaine,
Thank you for your message, sorry to hear about your issues. Let the dehumidifier run 24/7 for around a month and then you will start to see a big difference. Make sure you do keeping on opening the window in the bathroom and do the same in the kitchen when cooking. If you are drying laundry on a clothes horse do that next to the dehumidifier, ideally in a room with the door closed.
Keep wardrobe doors open as much as possible so that the air can circulate.
let us know what things are like in a months time please.
Chris