i NEED a dehumidifier!

[scabbysnake]

i live in an old house & come the winter it gets covered in mould if i don't keep on top of it.
the worst rooms are the bathroom, my bedroom & the boys bedroom. so my plan is to keep the heating on low all day/night over the winter. i went to get some clothing out of a drawer today and it had started to get mould type marks on. so i'm guessing i need a dehumidifier?
would it work by keeping it on the landing upstairs? hopefully sucking the damp out of the 3 rooms upstairs.
am really on a low buget but want a decent one so if anyone could help i'd really appreicate it

the most common cause of humidity, damp and mould in UK houses is people who drape wet washing around the house, or hang it over radiators. You can reduce the impact by ventilating well, but the house will never be dry.

If you haven't got, or can't use, a washing line or tumble drier, have you got an extractor fan in the bathroom?

thanx for replying
i haven't dried any on the raidators yet just on the airer which lives in the bathroom. i open the windows every morning and then leave them ajar till the afternoon.
there is an extractor fan in the bathroom but it only works when the light is on so i have that on when i have a shower.
i only hang the washing inside if its a rainy day otherwise i have been putting it on the line.

if you have an extractor fan in your bathroom, try putting the airer in there, with the door shut and the extractor running. This will cause a slight current of air into the bathroom through the gap under the door, which will prevent the moist air drifting round the rest of your home, and it will also draw the moisture out of the bathroom so that it is less damp than otherwise.

A typical extractor fan will run for about 50 hours on 14p worth of electricity, which is trivial. An old-fashioned 100W filament lamp will only run for 10 hours for 14p, but if you fit a 15W energy-saving lamp, it will use even less than the fan.

If you like the results, you can consider fitting one of those roll-up washing lines over the bath, which will also catch any drips.

Don't open the bathroom window while the fan is running, as it will interfere with the planned airflow, and may even let the wind blow moist air into the rest of the house.

Airing the other rooms with a slight window opening will help reduce the general level of humidity in the rest of the house.

p.s. apart from wet washing, which is the usual cause, excess humidy is typically caused by insufficient ventilation (which you seem to have under control), breathing, damp towels, and water leaks which might be around the sink or bath; under radiators; under the floor; under the sink; or in the roof. See if there are particular damp patches that do not seem to be condensation.

I find a huge difference if I open the window while I'm cooking, especially boiling (obviously). I wipe down windows and open them every morning.

I did buy a dehumidifier but only use it if I feel I am actually living under water (which didn't happen at all last winter). They cost a fortune. When I first got it I used it in moderation, I thought but actually quite liberally. It added £90 to my quarterly electricity bill.

i have started putting my wash on an extra spin to get rid of the wet more.
so if i leave the fan on while i'm in the shower and then after and don't open the window that would be better?
the airer is already in the bathroom, i tend to leave all doors open though as thought that would circulate the air.
i have started leaving the heating on low 24/7 in the hope it will reduce the damp, will this help? even if having other windows open?
thanx again

better to leave the heating off when you are airing the house, for example when you open the windows in the morning, but if you open them just a crack, or use the trickle vents, so there is just a constant very slight flow, you can leave them open all the time. Better to be dry and slightly cool than warm and wet. The basic rule for condensation is "Add ventilation. If that doesn't work, add more ventilation." I am trying to save you money by recommending the bathroom extractor which will reduce the moisture load without making the whole house cold.

When you dry wet clothes, the volume of water vapour released is enormous. I forget the ratio, but it is something like a cubic metre of water vapour from 1ml of water, so it will spread throughout your home. Closing the bathroom door and running the fan will cause it to be expelled instead of drifting round and causing general damp. Most cheap bathroom fans will extract about 85 cu m of air an hour, subject to obstructions, wind direction, length of duct, cobwebs, etc. so given time, they can dry out quite a damp bathroom. If you ever buy one, get a rather more powerful fan though.

right i'll ditch the heating and just go back to putting it on a few hours a day.
i live in rented so it makes it difficult.
every year it has got worse - i hate it!

p.s. as a rule of thumb, try running the extractor until the window is no longer misty. Then you will know the room is pretty dry. Some people won't believe it, but in my house (and the one before) I have always had an extractor come on when the light is switched on, and stay on while you dry off, cut your toenails, clean your teeth and so on, and the bathroom is dry and the mirror doesn't ever steam up. The windows do, because they are cold, of course, but never run with water.

lots of people won't run the extractor enough, they think it is expensive (see above) or it is noisy because it is old and worn out. New bathroom fans can be bought for as little as £15.....

Do please post back after trying it for a week or two. I am really anxious to see people say that this works in reducing damp (and if not I will be ashamed to say it again).

oh ok so don't run it while i'm in the shower just when i'm out.
as you seem to know what you are talking about do you mind if i ask a few questions -
i was told by the handyman of the landlord that i am getting mould because i don't let the house warm up enough and then i open the windows and the cold air is just coming ine, is this true?

sorry, you should run the extractor during your shower, and then continue to run it afterwards until all signs of steam and humidity are gone.

Warming up a house enables it to hold more water vapour in the air. The cold air from outside holds less water vapour, so cold air will not bring moisture in. Blowing out the existing warm, damp air will reduce the amount of water vapour in your home, so this will reduce, not increase, condensation. Cold outside air will not give condensation even on a cold wall (have a look at garden walls and shed walls) unless the wall is even colder than the air.

However it is also true that keeping your house warm so that none of the walls feel cold to the touch (this is very difficult to achieve if you do not have cavity wall insulation) will make the walls less prone to getting condensation on them. However this condensation can only come from moisture which has been added to the air, usually from wet washing or steamy showers or breathing. Cutting down on activities that cause added moisture, and ventilating to remove the damp air, are the two keys to preventing condensation.

If you ever visit an old house with draughty windows, no central heating and no bathroom, you will find it is free of condensation, except in the scullery where the kitchenmaid hangs up wet cloths to dry.

I do have some sympathy with the LLs. The amount of moisture that comes off wet clothes draped around the house or over radiators is enormous, and if people insist on doing that and won't open the windows, it is pretty well impossible to help them

I do realise that a tumble drier is expensive to run, at about 45p an hour, which adds up especially if you have babies or young children.

I've been suggesting the bathroom extractor as a cheap-to-run option.