Why Ventilate?

Did you know…

The average person spends 90% of their time indoors?

Air can be up to 50 times more polluted indoors than outdoors?

The effect of not having good indoor air quality in the home can be dramatic. Why is that? We only need to contemplate the number of cleaning products, hair sprays, paints, air fresheners and new furniture and carpets that we bring into our home to realise what we’re feeding our indoor air quality with. The presence of condensation and mould can also worsen skin allergies, respiratory conditions and general health. Today’s new builds tend to be extremely airtight, which has its benefits in terms of heating bills, but doesn’t have the benefits of fresh air coming into the home.

How can you improve ventilation and indoor air quality within your home?

Streaming windows, damp surfaces and musty smells are tell-tale signs of condensation dampness. Condensation is caused by excess moisture being produced by every day activities like bathing and showering, cooking, washing and drying our clothes inside. You can’t see this moisture once it is absorbed into the indoor air, until it comes into contact with cold surfaces where it condenses into droplets of water. An increase in condensation levels can result in damp patches on walls and peeling wallpaper.  Left untreated this can lead to mould growth which can be potentially harmful and lead to serious health issues and breathing difficulties which is why it is important to reduce humidity levels in a property.

So how can we help to reduce condensation levels? Vortice has put together 5 tips which could help you…,

VORTICE Tip 1

Try to dry your clothes outside to stop excess moisture building up in your property. If you are unable to dry your clothes outdoors then keep them in a bathroom with the door closed and windows open until the clothes are fully dry.

VORTICE Tip 2

Did you know that just one load of washing can produce two litres of water which is then emitted into the air? If you have a washing machine or tumble dryer in your property, ensure it is vented correctly.

VORTICE Tip 3

Ventilation can make a big difference! If you don’t have an extractor fan in your bathroom or kitchen then make sure that you wipe down any cold surfaces when you have been cooking or taking a shower to remove any moisture that may have settled on the surface. This excess moisture in the air sits on the surface and will quickly turn to mould if left untreated.

 

VORTICE Tip 4

Many families have house pets and plants which produce a lot of moisture. If damp patches start to appear on your walls or you start to notice more surface condensation on your windows and walls near to your house plants then look to move them outdoors.

 VORTICE Tip 5

When cooking food, boiling the kettle or taking a shower, ensure your kitchen or bathroom door is kept closed to prevent the moisture in the air from going into colder rooms which will cause condensation to form if it touches a cold surface.

Click here to download our ‘Condensation and Mould Solutions leaflet from VORTICE’