Wherever you live you’ve probably had to deal with mould. It grows in areas where there is little airflow and where moisture accumulates. It’s tricky to get the balance of airflow and warmth in a house right especially when you are drying clothes, cooking, washing and breathing!
Some houses with single-skin, brick walls or north-facing rooms have especially cold exterior walls and this is a perfect environment for moisture to condense and mould to grow.
Here are my tips for dealing with it:
Use a window squeegee to collect the excess water that gathers on the windows in the morning on cold days. This moisture will then not re-evaporate into the air and condense on another cold surface.
Keep furniture away from cold walls so that air can circulate.This can be difficult in a small room but even leaving a small space can help.
Use a thermal wallpaper. This is a round5mm thick and can help to raise the temperature of the wall which decreases the likelihood of water condensing on it. I have used it in my home and several customers have found it works.
What to do if I have mould growing:
Don’t ignore it.
Clean mould off walls with a mould cleaning product. If you just wipe it away with a cloth it will carry on growing as its spores grow in the walls and paper and paint. Make sure you follow all the safety instructions. It’s strong stuff.
Once you have cleaned it off use a stain blocking paint to stop any stains coming back through.
Then paint with a mould-resistant paint or add a mould resistant additive such as Owatrol to your paint.
This article has lots of useful information: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/27/mouldy-britain-a-foolproof-guide-to-rescuing-your-home-from-damp
This is what one customer had to say about adding thermal wallpaper to an external wall in their home.
"I can say that we are so pleased you suggested this Claire, after years of damp and cold in our single-‘skin walled house. Its early days but an improvement! Looking forward to installation next year in the back bedroom."
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