How to avoid mould and condensation in your home

How to reduce excess humidity, condensation & mould growth in your home

If you see condensation on your windows during the winter months, this is a sign that there is a excessive humidity problem within the home and will be at risk of mould growth. How and why does this occur? Mould growth caused by condensation and high humidity can be devastating in a home. It can affect ceilings, walls, window surrounds, clothing, bedding, furniture, carpets, split system aircon units and the list goes on. Mould will grow on any surface or material if the moisture source is available for more than 48 hours.

There are a number of reasons why excess humidity is affecting your home

• The home has poor cross ventilation by design. This is common with multi-level apartments but can also involve single story homes.
• Lack of ventilation during the winter months by the occupant.
• Gas heating, gas cooking with inadequate ventilation, open fish tanks, washing, drying clothes indoor, breathing and indoor pot plants.
• Rising dampness.
• Untreated water ingress. This is usually contained to the affected room but can produce the same result due to evaporation. Mould spores will travel throughout the home via air pathways or mother nature will exchange the air from room to room.

Some Measures that will help to control and reduce humidity and mould growth

• Ventilate the home as much as possible particularly during the winter months and when cooking. In winter there are usually days that are rain free. On these days open every window and door in your home. Make yourself a coffee, read the news. Then you can close up again. Remember… The best air available to you at your address is outside. The more you let the outside in the better. This is not just for humidity and mould growth but also for general air quality in your home.
• Use split system or ducted refrigerated aircon units during winter to heat the home during winter set at 19 to 21c ONLY. This will help reduce humidity in the home. Alternatively, they can be run on dry mode.
• Leave bathroom exhaust fan running for additional 20 mins after use, particularly during the winter months.
• For bedrooms use a portable dehumidifier placed a min of 1.2mtrs off the floor i.e., on top of a tallboy. This is for a closed environment if you sleep with the door and window closed. Alternatively use a pedestal fan set on low pointing towards the ceiling to circulate the air and avoid humid pockets of air. Use ceiling fans set on low and in winter mode. Sleeping with the bedroom door open also helps. This is if you sleep with the door open.

Factors controlled by mother nature

Migrating Humidity:

• A simple rule of thumb is “wet goes to dry”. Humid air from cooking, washing etc. will migrate throughout the home to other areas without any aid of fans etc. It usually ends up in bedrooms where it remains unless there is good ventilation. This is why you can sometimes have cooking smells at the other end of the home.
• In a built environment humidity is created by the following factors: breathing, cooking, washing, drying clothes indoors, gas heating, gas cooking, evaporative cooling, open fish tanks and pot plants.
• Without regular daily ventilation humidity can quickly build up and migrate to other areas of the home creating condensation on cold surfaces such as windows, ceilings and walls and a home that is perfect for mould growth.
• Clothing, shoes and furniture can also be affected as they tend to absorb excess moisture from the air. Particularly natural fibres such as cotton, leather and paper products. 
• Once mould growth starts it can quickly cross contaminate other areas of the home where moisture is present such as condensation on windows, ceilings and walls.
• Mould spores are microscopic. By the time you see visible mould, there will be around 65 million spores per square inch.
• Mould spores only need a moisture source for 48 hours to germinate and grow. Then even after the moisture source has been removed or allowed to dry the mould will continue to grow using the moisture available in the air.
• The smaller the indoor environment the faster the change of indoor air quality for the good or bad.
• Dust mite activity is also increased in humid conditions which can create further adverse health effects.

The information above is collective from experience and formal certified training.

The information is basic and a more detailed analysis for your property is available with onsite inspection.