Dehumidifier for student house

[OrangeOwl]

DS1 had a cough for most of last term, ground floor Victorian house. It's disappeared over Christmas. I think a dehumidifier would help. Anyone any ideas? Around £60. DH said about getting a sort of big version of a silica gel sachet that you get in packaging. I'm not convinced.

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DH and I were bought one by his parents in our first flat (rented). It was superb. We'd already tried the crystals which are probably OK for keeping a wardrobe must-free, but our flat was so damp that we used to mop the kitchen ceiling after cooking... (The landlord fitted extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom too.) I think our dehumidifier came from Argos and cost about £80. That was about 12 years ago.
Could you get a second hand one or borrow one to try?

I have one of these www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Compact-Dehumidifier-Moisture-Kitchen/dp/B002T3VPCS/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1420505572&sr=8-16&keywords=dehumidifier in the utility as it seems to get a bit damp from the condenser drier. Works fine as the black mold hasn't made a reappearance. I have a monitor and it'll bring the humidity down to about 60%. I do have a bigger dehumidifier that I use in the conservatory as that gets very damp but it's really capable of doing the whole house if I'd just washed the carpet/ sofa covers in one room I take the little one and leave it on for a day. Oddly thrilling to pour a litre or so of water down the sink that you've collected.

nothing to add but i thought it said 'horse'

i am tired tho

before you do this, get answers to some questions:

• is the student flat mouldy?
• if so, is that because of condensation (Tenant's fault) or damp (landlord's fault)?
• can these problems be solved?

How many people in this house smoke?

Do they use a vac that is good for capturing and retaining dust?

An open window is very good for ventilating out water vapour.

Thanks everyone, some useful things to consider Happy and Gracie.

specialsubject mould in one bedroom (not my DS's and in bathroom (which is a ground floor extension, never dry in there). I reckon bedroom is condensation (window never opened) and bathroom is probably because of the building. My Mum had an extension like this, it was never dry.

PigletJohn no smokers, window is opened every day in Ds's room no mould here but smells musty and sash windows are dripping every morning. Re the vac...well, they have vacuumed but I don't think the bag was emptied!

imjustahead

confused; I thought you said the cough disappeared while he wasn't in the student house. Do these issues relate to the student house?

Yes they relate to the student house. I'm looking at this one
www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/dehumidifier---10l-211023#BVRatingsAnchor

it's electric, right? do the other housemates suffer too? electricity bills can cause lots of tension, perhaps check if the other housemates want it too, if not, who will pay for the extra electricity used? I know it sounds petty but seen it happen!!

why not try teaching them some basic housekeeping first, and also asking the landlord to look at a possible building issue in the bathroom. He will be unwilling until they have shown interest and ability to make some effort by opening windows, mopping up condensation and emptying the vacuum cleaner bag.

a dehumidifier is just rearranging the deckchairs on this Titanic.

I was in this position a few years ago at uni. I have asthma so I am extra sensitive to mould. we had single glazed windows which were always dripping wet in the mornings- so much that I had to have towels on there to stop it dripping. the wall in the living room also started to grow mould. we did all the usual opening windows, extractor fans on etc but it didn't improve.
I took photographs almost daily and emailed them to my landlord, who sent someone round to have a look. he ordered us two dehumidifiers to use and fitted double glazed windows at no expense to us. it's not acceptable for a landlord to expect people to live in damp accommodation. hope you get it sorted

no, people are not expected to live in damp accommodation.

you will get condensation on windows, even double glazed ones. That's why you have to wipe them down every cold morning and squeeze out the cloth outside.Leaving the wet towels on the sill will do nothing.

that said, Ab444s mouldy wall sounded like a building problem which IS the landlords to solve, so glad he did.

Thanks all. Housekeeping tips noted and passed on. I think every property has potential for problems with condensation/damp, it's just a case of finding what others have done and trying it out. Off to buy dehumidifier for now and DS can go from there.

Buy him a hoover with a HEPA filter, and get him to hoover absolutely everything in his bedroom weekly, including his mattress.

Remind housemates that boiling vegetables and so on must have lids on otherwise this really adds to the overall condensation. Extractor fans must also be used where they are fitted.

Opening the windows of each room for a minimum of an hour each morning is likely to help a lot as well.