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

https://www.screwfix.com/p/blyss-wdh-316db-16ltr-dehumidifier/368gy

I have this one and it's brilliant, very effective, can set to run for a certain amount of time or have it maintain the humidity you choose. I use it a lot, especially when drying washing indoors.
Of course- it will only work if your student is going to remember to empty the water out...... do they have close access to a sink or any drain?
And fyi, they don't work well below 15c. ----

@80Katy that's not OK if it's university owned. Assuming he's taken every possible step to get rid of the mould, ventilate adequately and reduce condensation, I would be complaining a lot about this - go to student union, accommodation office, residence manager, etc.

Can he ask to move rooms? You do get rooms coming up at this time of year as students drop out, etc. If it's university accommodation, there should be alternatives.

https://www.cardiffstudents.com/advice/housing/living/dampandmould/

Ebac here too, we have one upstairs and downstairs and they last forever and great warranty too

Bear in mind that some dehumidifiers blow out warm air and will heat a room up quite well (the desiccant type) so if heating is also required then go for this option.

If his room is chilly, getting toward 15c or lower he needs a dessicant dehumidifier. Meaco do good ones. If his room is nice and warm a refrigerant one will be fine.

I got an Ebac one from a charity shop on eBay- new but with damaged packaging.
its a 12l litre one which is good for a smaller room.

I've had my Meaco for a few years now. This after buying cheaper brands. Well worth the money.

I reckon that there isn't really any condensation in his room. I think that the damp is coming from structural issues on the ground floor. It's a massive building, several hundred students in it. I think I will phone up myself. He reported the issue, they cleaned and closed the case. But from the looks of the wall, this has definitely happened to the previous occupant.

It's halls of residence

https://amzn.eu/d/7aMAtew
£245 it’s really great, a few family members have it as well. Bonus is it pumps out warm air and also filters and kills mould and germs by the dehydration process.
Window open every day and then close and dehumidifier running.

It's not a certain Northern Russell Group uni with halls of residence named after a tree is it?

My son was there and was sleeping inches from black mould and we only realised when I stripped his bed at Christmas. His asthma was out of control and the doctor doubled his dose.
The halls were on the news that year - students refusing to pay because of the black mould. The place needs condemning - it's like a prison block.

Ignore me if you already know all about this, but some windows have the restrictor in the hinge and there is actually a concealed lever to press, so that the hinge can continue on freely – for the obvious fire safety reason.

Some windows just have a restrictor in one hinge, some have it in both and it's a two-handed job to depress them both while nudging the window past the sticking point with an elbow!

I was an embarrassingly old age before I learned this...

He would need to check he is allowed a dehumidifier if he is in halls, it probably isn't allowed.

@80Katy he's being fobbed off. If it's like my uni, where buckets have been in the same places for leaks since before the pandemic, it won't be fixed any time soon.

Also, I wouldn't be wasting money on a dehumidifier because some jobsworth will probably tell him within a week that it's a fire risk / not PAT tested and must be removed. I'd be asking to get moved and making a nuisance of myself until he does. He can't be living with mould, it's dangerous.

I will definitely have a good look at this as it would be a game changer to be able to get that window wide open. The window is one which has hinges at the top, and it's the bottom of the window that opens. The restrictor, a hinged piece of metal, is between the window frame and the bottom part of the window that opens.

Mould is caused by damp.
Damp is caused by condensation.
Condensation is caused people in closed rooms.

Rooms with people living in them need ventilation to let the damp air out and fresh air in.

Another vote here for Meaco.

Who closed the case - who (role not name) in the Uni did the case go to?

Has he asked for a transfer?

I would be encouraging him to put in a complaint about this. Has he got photos of the mould? How big is the patch?

They won't speak to you, he is an adult.

He has to do it, bt you can of course write all the emails for him to send.

I second this . My only regret is I didn’t buy it sooner. I got mine from Costco the meaco 2 arête - it’s also an air purifier with a hepa filter.

I second Cilit Bang, the purple anti-mould one, and as much ventilation as possible. Window ajar when out, and/or through the night and ideally door open as much as possible. Avoid drying clothes in the room, and if there is an en-suite wipe up any water and hang the bath map to dry close to the window.

If the damp is not caused by condensation, but by leaks, complain. Leaks damage property and need to be investigated.

In terms of the mould, spray Cilit Bang, or the HG equivalent over the walls and then wipe the mould off, and spray some more. Expect to do this regularly.

A dehumidifier should also work. However if it is a leak, it will tend to draw the water in. They are quite expensive to run.

(I had a family as tenants in a property where the parents chose to use the smallest bedroom as their bedroom to allow more living space for their three children. I suspect they did not air the room enough. Condensation from two adults led to mould. I bought them a dehumidifier, which seemed to solve the problem. Another set of tenants in a one bed flat used to each shower two or three times a day, and the small internal bathroom could not cope. I managed to keep problems at bay by going in every few months, and cleaning and repainting the ceiling with anti mould paint.)

Get one but tell him to hide it when he gets a room inspection. They get notice of that.

I can highly recommend this Meaco one

https://www.meaco.com/products/meaco-12l-low-energy-dehumidifier-and-air-purifier

Use a proper mould inhibitor, not bleach, to kill the mould then put the dehumidifier on with the window closed (otherwise it will draw moisture from outside)

Also, have the window open (with the dehumidifier off) on nice days to air the room.

Is that legal from a fire safety point of view?

@LucyLocketLovesPollyPocket On higher floors, yes - for obvious reasons. I would have thought that there is a mechanism where it could be released on the ground floor though.

I got these for dd LIVIVO Pack of 10x 500ml Interior Dehumidifiers- Helps Stop Damp, Mildew, Mould Condensation Moisture Absorber Remover in Home Kitchen Wardrobe Bedroom Caravan Office Garage Bathroom, Basement : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

They worked well, although it also helped that the uni cleared the mould over the Christmas holidays. It didn't grow back again though.
She was ground floor so couldn't leave her window open.

Meaco are a good brand (we have their air conditioning units) but for our dehumidifier we spent £120ish from curry’s and it’s been really good for the price. Good reviews, has a drying mode for clothes…can’t complain. I will try to find a link