For countries that are both cold and damp for the majority of the year, condensation is a huge headache for homeowners. With it comes black mold, creeping damp, and draughty rooms. Let alone the value of the house, these can adversely affect the health of the people living there.
You would be surprised to know how much of a problem condensation is. For example, Rentokill’s research in Britain revealed that 5.8 million renters had to face condensation issues at some time during their tenancy. An appalling 31% had bathrooms with no windows while 44% had bathrooms without any extractor fans.
But all that may be about to come to an end thanks to one Redditor.
The Condensation Hack
Redditor ukues91 came up with a trusty and clever trick that will help anyone easily and quickly deal with condensation. Are you ready to find out how to avoid that preposterous mold that always seems to creep in and probably makes you fall sick? Well, read on then!
The most common method of dealing with condensation is usually opening the windows. This released any stuffy air that has built up within the house. However, sometimes, this also means rooms that are freezing cold.
Read: Here are at least 50 things everyone should have a supply of for the year ahead
Fortunately, the Reddit user’s solution works around this exact problem. He hails from Germany, and he says that they have a specific technique for this sort of situation. It’s called StosslĂĽften (“airing”). So what is it?
The user explains that the technique involves how and when to open windows. He says that having only one or two windows open throughout the day is simply wasting a lot of energy. Instead, we should try opening multiple windows in different parts of the house for at least 3 minutes. This creates “a strong draft to exchange most of the warm humid air inside the house with cold air from outside.” He adds that one should do it multiple times every day. Soon, they should see some real change.
Now, as weird as it sounds, according to the user, even schools use this technique. The user has personally used it and also vouched for its effectiveness.
As for how it works, he explains that the colder the air, the less water vapor it contains. So, when the cold air suddenly enters the house, it begins to warm up. With the increase in temperature, it becomes able to hold more moisture. So it starts absorbing a bit of the humidity that is inside the house.
Mold Can Be Quite Harmful
You might wonder if going to such efforts just to deal with condensation is even worth it. Well, it actually is because, according to the NHS mold can cause allergies and respiratory problems. Moreover, it can also be detrimental to our immune system.
Furthermore, mold affects some people especially worse than others. Such people are children, babies, and elderly people, those that have skin and/or respiratory problems, and those having weak immune systems.
In fact, mold can even create irritants, allergens, and in some cases, even toxins. If you touch or inhale mold spores, you can get suffer from skin itching, red eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. In extreme cases, it can cause an asthma attack.
So, it definitely is worth it to deal with condensation if you have the chance.
Keep Reading: How Harmful Is Black Mold? One Woman’s Symptoms Highlight the Potential Dangers
Sources
- “5.8 Million Tenants Experience Damp and Condensation Issues.” Rentokil.
- “Easy hack gets rid of condensation in just MINUTES using simple trick.” Mirror. Lucy Aplin.
- NHS