Managing condensation

Put up thick curtains at doors and windows. Laying a carpet with a good underlay can also help. Use draught excluders – making sure that there’s good ventilation elsewhere. Try not to put furniture against external colder walls.

If you have your heating on a timer, heat can be off for a long time during the day and night. This means that temperatures drop and condensation forms. To reduce the chance of condensation, leave your heating on at a constant lower temperature setting.

Where you can, you should try to dry clothes outdoors if the weather is nice. If you have a tumble dryer, make sure you vent to the outside, as self-condensing types produce a lot of condensation.

Do not dry your clothes on a radiator.

If you need to dry clothes in a room, use your bathroom. If there is no window, make sure your extractor fan is on and that it works, is clean of dust and the bathroom door is closed.

Open your windows, when you can, to ventilate rooms. This will let the air flow through your home.

If you can, open a window while you’re cooking to let steam escape.

Close the door while you’re in the bath or shower so the steam doesn’t get into other, colder rooms.

If you have a fan fitted, make sure this is on to get rid of any moisture. You could also open a window once you’ve finished using the bathroom.

If you see condensation on any surfaces or windows, wipe them down and wring out the cloth (if you’re using one) rather than drying it on a radiator.

To help control condensation, you could install condensation channels or sponge strips – available to buy at DIY stores.

Wipe away any spots of mould with a wash that has a Health and Safety Executive approval number, making sure that you follow the instructions.

Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo carpets if required.