A leading expert on mould and damp in the home was in Blackpool giving a talk for World Lung Day 2023.
Andrew Bradshaw shares some of his top tips for a damp-free home - most don't cost a penny.
Andrew Bradshaw shares some of his top tips for a damp-free home - most don't cost a penny.
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00:00 Up until recently, mould has never been attributed to anyone's death, but unfortunately, after
00:05 the death of Awab Ishak in Rochdale, the coroner actually said that he died because of the
00:14 effects of mould in his system, which is tragic really.
00:19 Up until that point, it's never been as serious as it is now, so we have to be very, very
00:24 mindful about mould in our homes.
00:28 What we need to remember is mould spores are omnipresent.
00:31 They're around us all the time.
00:33 They just need the right conditions to germinate.
00:36 What happens is, obviously, when the humidity gets to about 70% or more, it's the ideal
00:41 conditions for those spores to germinate, and then mould actually starts developing.
00:47 Little tips.
00:48 Try keeping the heating on longer, but lower.
00:51 You don't need to have the heating on full.
00:53 That would just be a waste of money.
00:54 Keeping the heating on very, very low, but a more consistent time will maintain the temperature
00:59 of a higher ambient temperature.
01:01 So basically, any moisture which is being produced, the air can hold it, and then naturally,
01:06 if you open your windows slightly, the moisture can be expelled out.
01:11 One of the keys is keep the bathroom door closed at all times.
01:16 The only time you should ever open the bathroom door is when you're walking through it.
01:20 Other times, it's got to be closed.
01:22 Try and restrict that moisture where it's built up, because those areas, like kitchens
01:27 and bathrooms, that's where we produce the most of the moisture.
01:30 Those areas are where the maximum moisture production is produced, but then what happens,
01:35 it then travels throughout the property, and it will condense on a colder wall, and that's
01:40 why you'll often find mould in bedrooms, behind cupboards and units.
01:44 It's not actually condensation which is being built up in that area.
01:47 It's moisture which is being built up, kitchens and bathrooms, and it's actually being drawn
01:51 to those areas, and that's where it's condensing, and that's where you start getting the development
01:55 of mould.
01:56 Try not to use calla gas heaters, because they produce so much moisture, like I've previously
02:01 said.
02:02 Little things like when you cook with pans, always put the lids on the pan.
02:06 Only put as little, as much water in there as you actually need to, and keep the pan
02:12 lids on, just to try and restrict that moisture production.
02:16 When you're cooking vegetables, only use the amount of water that you need to boil those
02:22 vegetables.
02:24 If you've got a tumble dryer, make sure it's vented externally, because that produces so
02:28 much moisture.
02:29 Even you'll have these, lots of people have these condensing dryers now.
02:32 Well, you know, they'll only actually absorb so much moisture.
02:36 The rest will be released into the atmosphere, all again increasing the risk of condensation,
02:42 which in turn is not only going to give you high humidity within the property, but it's
02:46 going to lead to the presence of mould growth.
02:49 If you do have mould, and a lot of properties do, just because you've got a little bit of
02:53 mould doesn't mean it's always going to be dangerous.
02:58 If you have a little bit of mould developing somewhere, maybe in the bathroom, just clean
03:01 it off with a bit of warm water.
03:04 Don't use a bleach, because a bleach will actually sterilise the surface, and if the
03:08 mould comes back because nothing's done, then it will form twice as quick.
03:13 Also, a lot of the products in bleach, there's a product called sodium hypochlorite, and
03:19 it's highly hygroscopic, so it'll actually encourage moisture to develop on that area
03:23 in the future.
03:24 So ideally use proprietary mould removers, or just a bit of soapy water if you can catch
03:29 it in time.
03:32 Little things also, like if you've got a lot of stored items, we find a lot of the properties
03:36 that we go and survey, one of the issues is there's a lot of stored items on the external
03:41 walls.
03:42 So reducing the amount of items on the external walls will reduce the amount of cold air behind,
03:48 because that cold air is what we call stagnant air.
03:51 If it's not moving, it'll naturally be colder, and that will encourage the development of
03:55 the mould.
03:56 The only long-term solution to actually eradicate mould is to arrest its development, is to
04:02 provide conditions so mould actually in the first place can't develop.
04:08 It's easier said than done, because unfortunately we do have another problem at the moment,
04:14 which is the energy crisis.
04:15 If the air's constantly cold because people are not turning, occupants are not turning
04:19 the heating on, then as that moisture is being produced, it will actually condense immediately.
04:26 So condensation and mould will get worse, and it is.
04:31 If they're not mindful of the fact that condensation and mould will develop, then basically health
04:36 issues will start to get worse, and also deterioration of properties will start to get worse, because
04:41 obviously we won't be able to deal with the mould.