Condensation/Damp help

[ThatsBullshirt]

This is our fourth winter in our house and every year I struggle to get on top of the issue of condensation and damp as the weather cools down. Our windows are often covered in condensation in the morning, despite leaving trickle vents open and closing curtains as it starts to get dark. I've even found a small patch of condensation on the ceiling of one of our bedrooms tonight.

I clean the condensation from the windows at least once a day with a karcher window vac and wipe down any other condensation I can find. I try to open the windows upstairs for at least 20minutes once everyone is out the house for work/school. Downstairs I open the window when cooking etc. I've also gotten rid of damp/mold when I have found it with an anti mould spray then anti mold paint which often does the trick for a good while but then I find a new bit somewhere else and the cycle begins again!

I know that a big problem is drying washing indoors but with energy bills I can't afford to run the tumble dryer multiple times a week. As it is staying on top of the washing is a big enough headache in winter! And we don't want/need the heating on too much. We tend to have it on for a half hour in the morning and half hour in the evening for the kids' bedtime routine.

Can anyone give me some tips on how to prevent the condensation? What can I do? Should I be opening the windows for a considerable amount of time every day?

I've done the usual of using the window vac for condensation and opened all the windows this morning as it's dry. I'll just have to continue doing that just now. Getting DH to try and order a dehumidifier today then we'll try to tackle the problem rooms first.

Thanks for all the advice.

It's stressful isn't it - not just general clean and tidy stuff. We have mould above the shower and ceilings are really hard - the foam drips down and then I need to get the anti damp paint out

Some degree of condensation on windows is normal. As long as you remove it before mould starts growing then in and of itself it shouldn't be a problem. If you've got condensation forming on a ceiling then it means that surface is cold. I would get up in the loft and check that the insulation hasn't moved in that area, allowing it to become cold and water vapour to condense on it. Also check whether your loft is damp - if it is then you probably need more ventilation up there to allow water vapour to escape.

I could've written this myself! I've lived in my house for nearly 20 years and this is the first year that I've known it so bad. Every window, in every room - even the unoccupied ones - are absolutely lathered in condensation. I'm wiping them down with towels but it's really ridiculous how much water is on every window!

As much as I observed is that air needs to move rather strongly to dry things out. So just opening a window a bit won't help much, you would either need to cross ventilate, so open all windows on opposite sides of the house and all doors in-between to get a really good draft going, or properly the more civilised and less freeze to death option is a mechanical ventilation (positive Input Unit?) System that constantly socks fresh air in from outside and blows it into the house. You can have those fitted with a heat unit to warm up the heat, or simply place a small radiator underneath the outlet to warm up the air. On top of that, do use a dryer. Modern ones with heat pump technologies are very energy efficient. Just wash less often. Most clothes just need a bit of airing and a sponge clean.

Another dehumidifier convert here. Unit cost £180. I don’t know how much it costs to run but people say it’s cheap. Can’t believe how effective it is.

Every window, in every room - even the unoccupied ones - are absolutely lathered in condensation. I'm wiping them down with towels but it's really ridiculous how much water is on every window!

Look on the bright side, if it wasn’t on the windows it would be in the air. The windows are acting as free to run dehumidifiers.

Now is a good time to buy a dehumidifier, with all the Black Friday deals. Get one with wheels if you can, so you can move it around easily. Or just leave it on the landing and leave all the doors open as PP suggested.

I have a dehumidifier and it's scary how much water they suck out.

I worry they're really expensive though, as the room is always warm when it’s running so it must generate some heat.

Make sure you take any houseplants out of the room before you use it.