Dehumidifier for university student room? Any ideas?

[80Katy]

My DS's room has mould on the wall, which we have cleaned. I want to get him a good dehumidifier as he spends a lot of time in his room and I really don't want the mould to come back. The room is on the ground floor, which I think is why it's mouldy.

Has anyone got any recommendations? I am prepared to spend a decent amount of money on it as I am quite concerned about this issue.

There is a plug socket where I would want to put it. I have never had a dehumidifier and don't know anything about them.

Thanks in advance for any help

I can't advise, but think you are doing a great thing. DD had awful mould on her student house walls and we thought the landlord had provided them all with dehumidifiers. We discovered when she moved out, and we saw the mould on her walls that he had provided only one, and one of the boys had 'bagged it' for his room.

Good luck finding a good one.

Just look online for reviews

Oh, that is shocking!
I think it is such a common thing in student accommodation unfortunately.

I kind of am doing that, but I don't really know the difference between an air purifier, a dehumidifier, whether things might do both or really where to start. Plus google gives hundreds of things and it's a bit of a maze. I was hoping that someone would have successfully controlled a similar problem and might have a particular product recommendation that worked.

You need to kill the mould and paint with anti mould paint or even with a dehumidifier it will come back. The landlord should do this!

We've got two, from Meaco. The smaller one is a bit better - quieter, and the hygrometer is more reliable. No complaints.

He also needs to open his windows for a good while daily, but not while the dehumidifier is running.

Think the window is part of the problem. It's narrow and only opens about 5 inches. But I will get him to open it as much as he can.

Even an inch for a few hours is fine, or keep it on the latch for the day or during the night (whichever suits him best).

The smaller one we have is called the ABC, or Dry ABC, 12 litre. It's on Amazon now for £160.

This one is great
Quiet with smart settings and very energy efficient

Wash the walls with vinegar (spray half and half white vinegar and warm water, leave for a hour and wipe off with a damp cloth). Make sure there is a gap between all furniture and the wall for air circulation. Air the room daily. Have a look at dehumidifiers on amazon and read the reviews before buying one/a brand. If there is any moisture in the room such drying clothes, kettles, showers make sure a window is open to allow moisture to escape or run the dehumidifier.

I love my EBAC one. I had one that lasted about 12 years and have just bought my second (I think 12 years was a pretty decent lifespan).

https://ebac.com/dehumidifiers/2650e-dehumidifier?vupdate&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmRoSaH7V2c0F9bydp1N2hzycfFx&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsc24BhDPARIsAFXqAB2v5cm7FEq3zCXuYhQiCnf4SlzvMGd7B5HA3udKKZxf3rzegXcPU6UaAjCuEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You can set it so that it just goes on when the air is damp. We use it in the room where we dry our laundry in the winter and it's amazing how much water it collects.

Yes, vinegar rather than bleach which is not recommended as it actually feeds the mould.

Is that legal from a fire saftey point of view?

I bought a large pro breeze for a relative and she loves it. I got a smaller one for me but I think it's too small to make much of a difference.

We have a Meaco dehumidifier and it's absolutely brilliant.

I guess it must be - there is a restricting mechanism fitted to prevent it opening more (ground floor). I told DS to smash the restrictor if there was a fire, although his room door is right next to the door that goes outside so perhaps that's what makes the restrictor ok? I suppose people have broken into ground floor rooms.

Yep - did the vinegar. I didn't leave the vinegar on, so perhaps I will do it again.

This is something the landlord ought to address as well - is it private or university owned accommodation?

Cilt bang mould remover spray worked for us
get one at least 18 litre and it will also take the chill off the room

The ones that go in cars seem pretty good for use on a window sill also help to dry clothes too. You reuse them by drying them out on radiator or microwave too.

I second Meaco dehumidifiers.

I have just got this one. Its great collects lots of water.

www.johnlewis.com/meacodry-abc-dehumidifier-white/p3885098?s_share=jlappdroid

Another Meaco fan here. Wouldn't be without it.

It is owned by the university

they seem to be prepared to clean it (although we already did that) but they have closed the case. I therefore doubt they will address the root cause unfortunately. It’s a ground floor room, not in strong sunlight.

Second the meaco, we have one and it's great