6 easy steps you can take to avoid moisture in your home
As the weather gets colder, condensation becomes common in our homes. Moisture build-up is an unfortunate side effect of the cooler seasons, which can eventually lead to more serious problems like damp and mould if left alone.
If you’re dealing with damp or hoping to avoid it entirely, we’ve got six easy steps that you can take to minimise moisture and improve the air in your home.
1. Ventilation
Moisture can build up easily in the colder months as we’re far less likely to be opening windows in our homes – which is fair enough when the temperature drops!
However, it’s still important to encourage a little bit of air flow occasionally, especially in susceptible areas like bathrooms. Crack the window open while you’re showering to avoid the worst of the condensation on walls and windows.
Likewise, if it’s a brisk but sunny day, opening your windows in the afternoon will refresh the air in your home and banish any musty air. Fun fact: in Germany, they call this ‘Stoßlüften’ and it is encouraged at least twice a day!
If you need to restore a bit of warmth in your living areas afterwards, a cost-efficient oil-filled radiator is useful for taking the chill out of living spaces, as well as being portable for use in any rooms where a little heating help is needed.
2. Dry laundry more efficiently
One of the biggest contributors to moisture in your house is the menial task of drying laundry. After it’s hung out to dry, the moisture from your sheets and clothing must go somewhere; in colder months, that tends to be on walls and windows.
Drying your clothes outside is lovely in summer, but it’s a risky business in the unpredictable colder months! Instead, you can stop moisture from hanging around for too long in your laundry by using a heated clothes airer to cut your drying time in half.
As well as reducing the potential of stale smells, the reduced drying time will mean you can get the laundry away faster and maximise the space in your home. That’s a little win!
3. Increase air circulation
In the depths of winter, the idea of opening windows and letting air in is enough to send a shiver up anyone’s spine.
However, there are other steps you can take to move the air around in your home. The uses of a fan aren’t just limited to warm weather – they can be really useful in winter too!
Using your desktop or floor fan to help dry your towels or wet coats after a winter walk will speed up the process and help avoid moisture from settling on surfaces.
Another useful bit of kit is an air purifier, especially in areas where you spend the most time like offices and living rooms. These work seamlessly in the background to rid the air of pollen, dust, and allergens – especially useful if you have pets!
4. Remove moisture with a dehumidifier
Sometimes, we need a bit of extra help to fight moisture in our homes, which is exactly what a dehumidifier is made to do.
For your larger spaces, an electric dehumidifier is your best friend at removing excess moisture and improving air quality.
Ever found that your windows are steamed up after a dinner party or family gathering? Using a dehumidifier after they’ve left is an effective way of removing that pesky condensation from the air.
However, excess moisture isn’t always as obvious as steamy windows. Areas like wardrobes, especially those on outside-facing walls, are also at risk of damp.
Thankfully, you won’t need to run an extension cable into your wardrobe to help with this – useful and unassuming moisture absorbers and moisture traps can be tucked away in areas or even hung on rails to protect your items all year round.
Our range includes moisture absorbers in a variety of colours to suit your colour scheme and are stylish enough to be a practical and sophisticated addition to your living spaces. It’s a win-win!
If your moisture absorber uses a filter, be sure to change those regularly to keep it working efficiently.
5. Wipe down wet surfaces
Spillages are bound to happen at some point – for the sake of your surfaces, be sure to clean up any accidents with a tea towel (or a mop for big spills) to make sure that the surrounding areas don’t become damp.
Likewise, during your cleaning schedule, it’s advised to dry as you go to ensure shiny surfaces and avoid any moisture hanging around your rooms.
If you do encounter any liquid on your windowsills as a result of condensation, use cleaning wipes to absorb and disinfect the area, which will deter any pesky mould from forming!
6. Protect your items with storage
Storing anything for prolonged periods of time can certainly make them more susceptible to damp, especially if they’re kept in an outbuilding like a shed or in a basement or attic.
If you’re putting away your summer clothes until next year, or storing decorations, it’s well worth doing what you can to protect them against moisture and damage.
Storing your prized possessions in a good quality storage box with a well-fitting lid is the first line of defence against damp occurring. Many of them are also stackable, making for tidy storage and a pleasantly efficient use of space.
As an extra precaution, you could also put a moisture absorber in the box. For smaller boxes, keep hold of any sachets of silica gel that you find in some purchases and throw them in, as these are made to keep things dry in transit and will work brilliantly!
We hope that these six steps help you in reducing the moisture in your home this season. For more tips on home improvement, visit us on Facebook, Instagram or X or TikTok.
For more inspiration, visit www.wilko.com