We do live in a rather damp part of the world, don’t we? With an average of 42 days of rainfall between January and March, all this extra moisture in the home during winter really helps mould to thrive.
A survey by Utilita Energy found that almost a fifth of UK adults have found mould in their property, while 21 per cent of us are experiencing damp issues.
They also found that 42 per cent have reduced the amount they are heating their homes this winter because of the cost of energy, and having less heat tends to encourage damp and mould to develop.
Not only is this unpleasant, Simon Bath, CEO of iPlace Global, says that not tackling the problem could knock 20 per cent off of your property’s value. It’s tough to sell a home that smells of damp and has dark patches of mould on some walls.
But there are various things you can do to fix it. First, check your damp proof course. If your home is a new-build, it should have one already.
A survey by Utilita Energy found that almost a fifth of UK adults have found mould in their property, while 21 per cent of us are experiencing damp issues
In older properties, the damp proof course may have deteriorated and need repairing. Expect to pay around £80 per metre of wall for the treatment, which will need to be done by a professional. Get recommendations or use one of the comparison sites such as checkatrade.com, bark.com or ratedpeople.com. Get at least three quotes and, ideally, advice from a friend who has done something similar.
It’s important not to ignore any leaks or plumbing issues in your home.
The same goes for missing roof tiles and as before, get recommendations for roofers and plumbers from friends and use price comparison websites.
Condensation is often ignored but it’s responsible for lots of damp in the home as it soaks into the surface of walls, floors and ceilings and, after a while, can lead to mould.
Use a cheap chamois to dry your windows and sills every morning and pull your furniture an inch or two from affected walls to allow air to circulate.
According to a spokesperson from fantasticservices.com, we should ideally have our windows open for at least 30 minutes per day to help with ventilation. In the winter that’s not always possible, and that’s when it’s a good idea to bring in a dehumidifier.
They have become as popular as air-fryers this winter, not just for zapping damp but also because they have been found to be low-cost alternatives to using heated clothes dryers.
Condensation is often ignored but it’s responsible for lots of damp in the home as it soaks into the surface of walls, floors and ceilings and, after a while, can lead to mould
For a small room with a damp problem, you can get away with a small machine that you don’t need to plug in. B&Q Blyss Curve Moisture Trap is just £7.50 but, according to reports, can dry a room within 48 hours.
Even cheaper, and smaller, is the Fabulosa fragranced dehumidifier which sells for just £1.49 at B&M and is good for storage rooms and window sills. The absolute cheapest I’ve found, though not so pleasantly fragranced, is a £1 dehumidifier at poundshop.com.
For a larger home with up to five bedrooms, you’re better off with a larger, electric machine such as the Maeco Quiet Antibacterial Desiccant Dehumidifier (£199 at appliancesdirect.co.uk) or the Essentials C10DH19 (£149.99 at Currys, currys.co.uk/ products/essentials-c10dh19-dehumidifier-10191847.html).
If you have just the occasional mould patches like I do when I naughtily dry clothes on the radiators, then you can get away with just wiping it off regularly with specialist cleaning fluids.
M ould between tiles in a bathroom or kitchen can quickly be removed with bleach on clumps of cotton wool. On walls and around windows, create a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water and use it to wipe the areas with a cleaning cloth.
There are also specialist products such as Elbow Grease Mould & Mildew Stain Remover (£5.45, amazon.co.uk). Or try Astonish’s Mould And Mildew Remover for £1.50.
Laura Harnett, founder of Seep, which makes eco-friendly cleaning products, says: ‘You can remove mould easily, and in an eco-friendly, low-cost way, with white vinegar. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties and if it’s sprayed on and left to dry, then it’ll actually stop the mould coming back.’
Get a basic distilled white vinegar (£4.99, amazon.co.uk) and mix one part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Or buy a 500ml spray bottle of pure white vinegar (£1, wilko.com).
Other natural remedies include bicarbonate of soda, which absorbs odours and moisture. Put it in small cups on window sills or in room corners to help draw out moisture.
Air-purifying plants, such as snake plants, peace lilies and spider plants can also help.
Protect clothes if you notice any dampness in cupboards. One couple in Leeds had to fork out hundreds of pounds in dry-cleaning and anti-mould paint after mould attacked clothes they had stored over the winter.
A spokesperson for suitdirect.co.uk says that if you’re concerned about damp, store clothes in a cloth cover and spritz them with a water-repellent spray for added protection.
Now you can save yourself aflipping fortune
It’s Pancake Day on Tuesday, although round my place I find myself making pancakes for my neighbours pretty regularly!
I use a basic egg, flour and milk recipe with lemon and sugar or syrup on top, but there are hundreds of recipes online, and lylesgolden syrup.com has a good selection of them.
I’m old-school so I cook my pancakes in a frying pan, although recently I got a special flat, pancake-making pan by Judge (£22, down from £31.90, judge.co.uk/judge-speciality-cookware-22cm-crepe-pan-induction.html).
I usually flip them with a spatula as I don’t trust myself to do it with the pan.
But you could try using a pancake maker. Russell Hobbs does a Fiesta Crepe and Pancake Maker which is currently down from £38.99 to £32.99 (uk.russellhobbs.com). You can even make fluffy pancakes in air-fryers. Currys has a Tefal one on offer for £159 (down from £189) so give it a go!
On Tuesday I will be using posh chocolate sauce from Joe & Seph’s plus bananas and cream (£4.99, joeandsephs.co.uk/ caramels). I’m considering trying Pip & Nut Sweet and Salty peanut butter too (on offer for £2 at Tesco).
My eight-year-old neighbour, Lily, loves to put sprinkles on hers, so I’ve got her some pink and gold ones on eBay for £3.99. For those who would rather cheat and use a pancake mix, the Stackable Pancake Company does rather impressive ones in all sorts of flavours — and colours — starting from £3.99 per pack.
They are offering Daily Mail readers an exclusive 15 per cent off when you use the code Dailymail15 at the checkout (thestackablepancakeco.co.uk/shop).
If you need gluten-free, you could use the pancake mix by Freee, on sale at Waitrose for £1.80.
It’s Pancake Day on Tuesday, although round my place I find myself making pancakes for my neighbours pretty regularly
Get paid £1,000 to read a book and go to sleep
Are you a bookworm? If so, you’ll like this new ‘job’ where you could be paid £1,000 to read a book before bedtime and monitor your sleep afterwards. Get Laid Beds is looking for a sleep tester who’ll be expected to read for 30 minutes before bed for a month, then not read before bed the month after, to see if it does anything to their sleep patterns. The successful applicant will also get a monthly book allowance.
Apply at getlaidbeds.co.uk/blog/get-paid-to-read-your-favourite-books by March 10.
Rewards at Boots
Get free beauty products by becoming a Boots volunteer. The company is looking for people willing to try their products at home or in its evaluation centre. If you test at home you don’t get paid but get free items. If you are chosen to go to the centre, you will earn between £10 and £125. Find out more and how to apply at bootsvolunteers.com/home.
KFC giveaway
For a free six-piece original KFC Recipe Chicken Bucket, order a delivery for the first time via the KFC app. There’s a minimum spend of £10 and it’s available until March 12. Go to kfc.co.uk/kfc-deals.
15% beauty booster
Buy perfumes, cosmetics, and skincare from Offscent (offscent. co.uk) with a 15 per cent discount exclusively for Daily Mail readers. Just use the code JASMINE at the checkout to treat yourself or to get a gift for someone else.
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