Fucking condensation related damp

[BeyondDoesBootcamp]

We have a damp problem in our front bedrooms, the empty one (box room) is okay-ish at the mo, but the kids room stinks of damp.

It was our room but swapped with the kids just under three years ago as it is bigger. It was bleached and redecorated after we had one literally black wall, and has been much better since - in that there is no visible damp - but recently noticed that it stinks

DH cant smell it, but both kids have allergies that i think might be related.

Any advice?

And can anyone recommend a fantastic but cheap dehumidifier?

Are you able to air the room out every day by opening the windows? It might help to see if you can get some trickle vents added to your windows. I know that Aldi/Lidl sometimes have dehumidifiers for sale but don't know how reliable they are.

I just had an extra air brick put into my living room for condensation reasons - it has made a big difference, and wasn't crazily expensive (got a local builder in, and bundled together a few jobs that needed sorting).

It has one tiny window, (well, teo, but one is broken) does get aired most days but i dont think the window is big enough to get the air circulating properly?

I'm trying to think now, I dont think there is an air brick in there at all...?!

Are your gutters ok outside? Water running down outside walls can affect the inside. What state is your roof in? What does the inside of your roof look like in the loft? Is there a damp smell up there too?

I would get a dehumidifier, that will help.

Gutters are in good shape but could probably do with a clean. Roof is okay i think. No idea about the attic, i cant get up there to see if i can smell damp.

is there any wet washing inside your home?

How is the bathroom ventilated?

A lot of big companies do free surveys for condensation and damp with no obligation, might help you to pinpoint the problem and think about what could be done. We had one yesterday from Peter Cox and they were very honest, no hard sell (in fact has said they don't think they have anything they can do) but I still got a written report with advice etc.

Generally it is ventilation an temp related. You need even heat and you need air flow. Dehumidifiers are good. Think about the moisture in the whole house so make sure kitchen and bathroom well ventilated not just the bedroom.

I have also been recommended, and I need to do more research about this, but thermal paint rather than just the standard kitchen/bathroom anti mould paint (Kingfisher do it) which is expensive but apparently good. It was a damp specialist who suggested it and he says he has used it to very good effect in rentals where the occupants don't air the house properly and you get whole walls of black mould.

Even heat is probably where the problem is coming from then? Gch, but not thermostat controlled, its either on and melting or off and freezing.

Bathroom and kitchen both well ventilated, though by big windows rather than vents, but they are opened a lot. Have a condenser drier, so no wet washing

That is, there are thermostats on each radiator - most of which are no longer attached!

Adding a thermostat is a simple and minor job for a heating engineer.

If there used to be one, and wiring in already in place, it is a job for a competent DIYer.

But I think ventilation is the first thing to improve.

Definitely ventilate, ventilate, ventilate the upstairs. Open all the windows for a while each day so you get the air moving through.

Remove all excess water from the upstairs that you can - e.g. squeegee water off wet bathroom walls, always wipe down and remove condensation.

Reduce condensation as much as you can, e.g. by having windows on trickle venting while you sleep. Dry clothes outside whenever weather permits. I bought a heated airer from Lakeland for the winter and it is brilliant! It speeds up the drying process a lot so that I can ventilate while it drys and then shut the window once the worst of the moisture is out of the clothes.

Use mould remover to get rid of any ick that you see appearing on walls on a regular basis. Where possible, consider moving furniture away from the walls a little so you have airflow behind them.

See a GP about the allergies. I got asthma from a grotty, cold student house I lived in. It had no central heating and single glazing and you could see your breath in the room in front of you in winter. For ages I thought I was just unfit, and ended up in A&E with a really bad attack before it was diagnosed.