There is always some moisture in the air, but many day-to-day tasks can increase this, including cooking, washing, using a tumble-drier without an external outlet (unless it is self-condensing), drying washing indoors and even breathing!
Everyday household tasks can be major contributors to condensation within properties, the table opposite shows the condensation these activities can create and the measures you can take to combat them.
| Cause |
Amount |
Possible Solutions |
| Drying Clothes (6lbs washing in an unvented tumble-dryer) |
10 pints |
- If you use a tumble-dryer make sure it vents outside.
- Don’t dry clothes indoors if possible. If you have to, open the window and shut the door of the room where the clothes are drying, as this will let the moisture from the wet clothes go outside rather than circulate in your home.
- Do not hang wet washing on radiators around your home – doing so is likely to cause condensation problems.
|
Washing
Clothes |
1 pint |
- Provide natural ventilation through opening a window to allow moisture to escape.
- Avoid using portable gas and paraffin heaters. They give off moisture so open a window if you have to use one.
|
| Using a paraffin or bottled gas heater (for 5 hours) |
3 pints
|
- Paraffin heaters, portable bottled gas heaters and fixed flueless gas heaters all produce heat, but they also cause water vapour.
- Burning one gallon of gas or paraffin produces one gallon of water.
- Paraffin and portable bottled gas heaters can also be dangerous and expensive to run. They can cost as much as, or even more than, heating using peak rate electricity.
|
|
Breathing
(e.g. two sleeping adults for eight hours)
|
1.5 pints
|
- Provide natural ventilation through opening a window.
- Open at least one window in each room for some part of the day.
- Wipe down window-sills and windows to remove any sitting water or condensation.
|
| Having a bath |
2 pints |
- Use an extractor fan in the bathroom if you have one when you have a bath or shower.
- Keep the bathroom door shut when in use to stop moisture moving around your home.
- Try putting cold water in the bath before adding hot – it creates no steam this way!
- If you have a combination boiler, experiment with the water thermostat at the boiler to get it to a usable temperature without the need to add cold water.
- Leave the windows slightly open for half an hour after bathing to get rid of the moisture. Remember to shut them afterwards!
|
| Cooking by gas (for 3 hours) |
3 pints |
- Use the extractor fan or open the window in the kitchen when cooking to let the moisture out.
- Cover boiling pans with pan lids - this will also save fuel.
- Close the kitchen door when cooking as this stops the moisture moving around your home.
- If you have trickle vents above the windows, keep them open and don’t block up any air vents.
|
