A customer testimonial: Richard, a landlord, shares his experience of using a Meaco dehumidifier to combat mould

We love hearing from our customers and learning about their personal experiences of combatting mould, as it’s a great way to see the impact our products have. In response to one of our newsletters, Richard, a customer and a landlord, told us about his experience using Meaco dehumidifiers to combat mould in his rented properties.

We know how important reviews are when shopping for things online, especially for products you may not have purchased before, like a dehumidifier. So we’ve put together this customer testimonial in hopes that his experience can help you if you are in a similar situation.⁠ With the right education and awareness, you will have the right toolkit to combat and prevent mould. 

We are also aware that the relationship between landlord and tenant can sometimes be challenging, with issues of mould and damp being a big factor. It is common to see the landlord blaming the tenant and the tenant blaming the landlord. Neither are sure of who is responsible and both end up unhappy, either living with the problem or having to pay to fix it. We want to share Richard’s experience to highlight how education between tenant and landlord can help build a stronger relationship between the two parties.

How to stop damp, mould and condensation in your home?

It’s best practice to start by considering what could be adding moisture to your home/property. Things as simple as showering, cooking or drying laundry indoors, all add moisture to the air, which can be absorbed by soft furnishings, dampen plasterboard and walls, and contribute to condensation on windows.

In Richard’s case: “In recent years I’ve had two separate tenants cause considerable damage to my properties due to damp and mould. One even managed to cause so much damage to the bathroom ceiling that it had to be replaced. Both times the problem was not due to poor construction of the property, but due to the tenants switching off ventilation fans, not opening windows and lowering the heating system thermostat to reduce energy bills.”

To counteract moisture build-up, Richard purchased a Meaco DD8L Dehumidifier for each of his rented properties. Not only did he buy this dehumidifier and place it in the properties, but he also educated his tenants on the benefits of using it. And that is the crucial element of this testimonial: the education and sharing of knowledge. By educating one another, a typically difficult relationship between landlord and tenant can actually be a far healthier one.

In his email, Richard explains that he told his tenants: “Using the dehumidifier in the winter is almost cost free as with the windows closed, the energy consumed by the dehumidifier is ultimately converted into heat in the house and thus reduces the amount of energy the heating system has to consume to warm the house to their required level.”

It’s true. Dehumidifiers remove cold moisture from the air, which makes the air drier and therefore warmer. It may not be a huge difference but lots of customers find they don’t have to turn their heating on as high in the winter when using a dehumidifier. 

Using a Desiccant dehumidifier

Desiccant dehumidifiers, such as the DD8L, produce air that is 10-12 degrees warmer than the air of the environment it is being used in. This means, as well as dehumidifying the air it also adds some extra warmth to the space.

“I also explain how the unit is more efficient than tumble drying, and so can further save them money.’ Richard is right – using a dehumidifier to dry laundry is a lot more cost-effective than using a tumble dryer. The dehumidifiers that Richard purchased cost around 9p / kWh to run (based on 27.3p / kWh), and we estimate (depending on the conditions) that a load of laundry will dry in 6 hours making the total 54p. This is a significant saving when a tumble dryer costs around £2 per cycle. Not only is the dehumidifier drying your laundry in this time, it’s also removing the excess moisture that laundry produces, preventing the 3 main issues: damp, mould and condensation.

By sharing advice and knowledge and making the tenants aware of how they can also save money, the tenants stayed happy, whilst also protecting Richard’s property. 

If you want to learn more about how a dehumidifier compares to other methods of drying laundry, The Sun compared our MeacoDry Arete® One 20L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier to a heated airer. You can read the article to find out more here.

Top 5 tips to stop your home from getting damp:

1. Always turn the extractor fan on in your bathroom or kitchen
2. Keep the extractor fan clean 
3. Put lids on pans when boiling food
4. Put the washing on an extra spin cycle before taking it out to dry
5. Open a window for 10 minutes after showering or cooking

And if you are still struggling with damp and mould, then you should buy a dehumidifier.

Read our Consumer Guide on how to pick the right dehumidifier for you.

The benefits of education and the right approach

If you’re a landlord, it is important to educate your tenants that a lot of these moisture problems are lifestyle based. With the knowledge of what causes mould, the tenants can minimise the risk of it growing. It’s then no longer an anxiety-inducing situation, but something you can control and manage.

Richard ends by saying that, “some of my ex tenants have subsequently bought Meaco dehumidifiers for their current homes”, which shows the life-changing impact a good dehumidifier can have on a person and a home.

Richard found our Newsletter “informative and will be forwarding it to all my tenants”. If you want to sign up to our Newsletter, you can sign up in the footer of our website: www.meaco.com 

Products featured:

Meaco DD8L Junior Dehumidifier

Browse all dehumidifiers here